LITERATURE & COMPOSITION
LITERATURE &
COMPOSITION
GVCS
2016-2019
High School Literature & Composition is an
introductory course in which students
sharpen their reading comprehension skills
and analyze important themes in classic and
modern works of literature, including
novels, short stories, dramas, poetry,
nonfiction, graphic novels, memoirs, essays,
articles, and speeches. Students refine
their skills of written expression by writing
argument, informative, and narrative
essays, a persuasive speech, and an
autobiographical narrative. They will work
on presentation skills, and they will
continue to develop vocabulary skills and
refresh their knowledge of grammar, usage,
and mechanics in preparation for college
and career readiness.
Literature & Composition - Option #3
Course Packet and Resource Materials
Introduction and Contents
The Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical
Subjects (“the standards”) represent the next generation of K–12 standards designed to prepare all students for success
in college, career, and life by the time they graduate from high school.
The skills and knowledge captured in the ELA/literacy standards are designed to prepare students for life outside the
classroom. They include critical-thinking skills and the ability to closely and attentively read texts in a way that will help
them understand and enjoy complex works of literature. Students will learn to use cogent reasoning and evidence
collection skills that are essential for success in college, career, and life. The standards also lay out a vision of what it
means to be a literate person who is prepared for success in the 21st century.
This course is designed to meet the Common Core State Standards and provide the flexibility for students to choose
what they read and the level of text complexity. This course should be challenging and is recommended for motivated,
independent students. The course is self paced and has multiple key assignments.
KEY ASSIGNMENTS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1
SAMPLE PACING GUIDE ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 4
KEY ASSIGNMENTS WORKSHEET ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 5
RESOURCES ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8
READING & WORKBOOK SELECTIONS------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 8
NOVELS----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8
SHORT STORIES -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8
DRAMAS --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9
EPIC POEMS------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 9
POETRY ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9
NONFICTION, GRAPHIC/HISTORICAL NOVELS, AND MEMOIRS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10
ESSAYS, ARTICLES, AND SPEECHES --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10
VOCABULARY -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 11
GRAMMAR ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 11
WRITING INFORMATION -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 12
ANNOTATING -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 12
QUICK WRITE -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 12
ESSAY WRITING ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 12
ADDITIONAL ELA RESOURCES -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 13
ASSESSMENT GUIDES/TEST PREP ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 13
CLOSE READERS ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 13
GRAPHIC ORGANIZERS, WRITING WORKSHOPS, PERFORMANCE TASKS --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 13
WRITING WORKBOOKS, ESSAY SCORERS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 13
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ANALYZING POETRY -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 14
COLLEGE AND CAREER READINESS INFORMATION----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 18
COMMON CORE ENGLISH-LANGUAGE ARTS ANCHOR STANDARDS ------------------------------------------------------------------- 19
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Key Assignments - Assignments listed are a minimum of required work to receive full credit for the course. A
student may choose, and is encouraged, to do more for personal development, but no extra credit will be awarded.
I.
Select and read 4 novels from the approved list.
 Read 2 novels per semester.
For each novel:
1) Choose a text that will be challenging for student’s reading level.
2) Select 20 unfamiliar, academically challenging words. Define the words, write them in sentences, and participate
in oral and/or written quizzes related to the meaning and usage of the words.
 As an alternative, select an approved vocabulary workbook. (See Vocabulary, assignment XIII.)
3) Use a study guide (available online or in book format). Possible options include: Shmoop; Spark Notes; Cliffs
Notes; or other comprehensive study guides that has been approved prior to use. Common Core-aligned guides
are recommended.
4) Research and read background information about the author, context, and important literary devices.
 Sources may include websites, study guides, or other appropriate resources.
5) Annotate the text. (At least 1 per year).
6) Use a graphic organizer from a workbook or online source. (See Additional Resources in Resources section.)
7) Complete a comprehensive quiz/test.
II.
Select and read 4 short stories from the approved list.
 Read 2 short stories per semester.
For each short story:
1) Choose a text that will be challenging for student’s reading level.
2) Select 10 unfamiliar, academically challenging words. Define the words, write them in sentences, and participate
in oral and/or written quizzes related to the meaning and usage of the words.
 As an alternative, select an approved vocabulary workbook. (See Vocabulary, assignment XIII.)
3) Use a study guide (available online or in book format). Possible options include: Shmoop; Spark Notes; Cliffs
Notes; or other comprehensive study guides that has been approved prior to use. Common Core-aligned guides
are recommended.
4) Research and read background information about the author, context, and important literary devices.
 Sources may include websites, study guides, or other appropriate resources.
5) Annotate the text. (At least 1 per year).
6) Use a graphic organizer from a workbook or online source. (See Additional Resources in Resources section.)
7) Complete a comprehensive quiz/test.
III.
Select and read 2 dramas or 1 drama and 1 epic poem from the approved list.
 Read 1 drama and/or epic poem per semester.
For each drama and/or epic poem:
1) Choose a text that will be challenging for student’s reading level.
2) Select 20 unfamiliar, academically challenging words. Define the words, write them in sentences, and participate
in oral and/or written quizzes related to the meaning and usage of the words.
 As an alternative, select an approved vocabulary workbook. (See Vocabulary, assignment XIII.)
3) Use a study guide (available online or in book format). Possible options include: Shmoop; Spark Notes; Cliffs
Notes; or other comprehensive study guide that has been approved prior to use. Common Core-aligned guides
are recommended.
4) Research and read background information about the author, context, and important literary devices.
 Sources may include websites, study guides, or other appropriate resources.
5) Annotate the text. (At least 1 per year).
6) Complete a comprehensive quiz/test.
7) Complete 2 quick writes per text. Cite evidence from text (See Additional Resources in Resources section.)
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IV.
Select and read 4 poems from the approved list.
 Read 2 poems per semester.
For each poem:
1) Choose a text that will be challenging for student’s reading level.
2) Select 5 unfamiliar, academically challenging words from the poem or about poetry. Define the words, write
them in sentences, and participate in oral and/or written quizzes related to the meaning and usage of the
words.
 As an alternative, select an approved vocabulary workbook. (See Vocabulary, assignment XIII.)
3) Research and read background information about the author, context, and important literary devices.
 Sources may include websites, study guides, or other appropriate resources.
4) Analyze the poem. (See Analyzing Poetry in Resources section.) Orally or in writing. (At least 1 per year).
V.
Select and read 2 nonfiction texts, graphic/historical novels, and/or memoirs from the approved list.
 Read 1 nonfiction text, graphic/historical novel, and/or memoir per semester.
For each selection:
1) Choose a text that will be challenging for student’s reading level.
2) Select 20 unfamiliar, academically challenging words. Define the words, write them in sentences, and participate
in oral and/or written quizzes related to the meaning and usage of the words.
 As an alternative, select an approved vocabulary workbook. (See Vocabulary, assignment XIII.)
3) Use a study guide (available online or in book format). Possible options include: Shmoop; Spark Notes; Cliffs
Notes; or other comprehensive study guide that has been approved prior to use. Common Core-aligned guides
are recommended.
4) Research and read background information about the author, context, and important literary devices.
 Sources may include websites, study guides, or other appropriate resources.
5) Annotate the text. (At least 1 per year).
6) Use a graphic organizer from a workbook or online source. (See Additional Resources in Resources section.)
7) Complete a comprehensive quiz/test.
VI.
Select and read 4 essays, articles, and/or speeches from the approved list.
 Read 2 essays, articles, and/or speeches per semester.
For each selection:
1) Select 5 unfamiliar, academically challenging words. Define the words, write them in sentences, and participate
in oral and/or written quizzes related to the meaning and usage of the words.
 As an alternative, select an approved vocabulary workbook. (See Vocabulary, assignment XIII.)
2) Identify and discuss the author’s purpose, audience, tone, etc.
VII.
Complete 2 “close reads”.
 Complete 1 “close read” per semester.
 May be completed via an online source or within a close read workbook. (See Additional Resources in
Resources section.)
For each selection:
1) Read a brief passage of a text. Passages may be selected from within other assigned reading or from other
appropriate sources.
2) Describe, in literary criticism, the careful, sustained interpretation of the text. Pay close attention to the
individual words, syntax, and the order in which sentences and ideas unfold. Answer questions about and
analyze the passage closely. Identify and discuss the author’s purpose, audience, and tone. Cite evidence from
text.
VIII.
Write 2 Argument essays. (See Writing in Resources section.)
 Write 1 argument essay per semester.
1) Research how to write an argument essay. Read samples and take notes.
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2) Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and
relevant and sufficient evidence.
3) Use academic vocabulary, writing process, rubric for grading, and cite evidence.
IX.
Write 2 Informative essays. (See Writing in Resources section.)
 Write 1 informative essay per semester.
1) Research how to write an informative essay. Read samples and take notes.
2) Write informative/explanatory essay to examine complex ideas and convey information clearly and
accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.
3) Use academic vocabulary, writing process, rubric for grading, and cite evidence.
X.
Write 2 Narrative essays. (See Writing in Resources section.)
 Write 1 narrative essay per semester.
1) Research how to write a narrative essay. Read samples and take notes.
2) Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen
details and well-structured event sequences.
3) Use academic vocabulary, writing process, rubric for grading, and cite evidence.
XI.
Write 1 Persuasive speech. (See Writing in Resources section.)
 Write 1 persuasive speech per year.
1) Research how to write a persuasive speech. Read samples and take notes.
2) Write and prepare speech.
3) Present speech to EF and parent. Use good presentation skills.
4) Use academic vocabulary, writing process, rubric for grading, and cite evidence.
XII.
Write and present 1 Autobiographical narrative. (See Writing in Resources section.)
 Write 1 autobiographical narrative per year.
1) Research how to write an autobiographical narrative. Read samples and take notes.
2) Write and prepare paper.
3) Present to EF and parent. Use good presentation skills.
4) Use academic vocabulary, writing process, rubric for grading, and cite evidence.
XIII.
Assignment XIII is for use if student opts not to choose vocabulary words directly from reading selections.
Select a vocabulary workbook from the approved list.
Read and complete a minimum of 85% of the chapters, vocabulary exercises, review questions, and workshops in
the selected vocabulary workbook.
XIV.
Select a grammar textbook, workbook, or online component from the approved list. Read and complete a minimum
of 85% of the chapters, grammar exercises, review questions, and workshops in the selected grammar
text/workbook.
XV.
Complete periodic assessments, including but not limited to a mid-term and final exam/project/paper, without
outside assistance or use of notes or the text.
 Prior to beginning the course, the assessments must be agreed upon by the EF, parent, and student.
XVI.
Education Facilitator will review work on a monthly basis, and written samples will be kept in student’s file.
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Sample Pacing Guide
Semester 1
Week 1-3 - Novel, Argument Essay, Grammar
Week 4-6 - Novel, Narrative Essay, Grammar
Week 7-9 - Non Fiction, Informative Essay, Grammar
Week 10-12 - (2) Essays/Articles/Speeches, Persuasive Speech, (2) Poems, Analyze, Grammar
Week 13-15 - (2) Short Stories, Close Read, Grammar
Week 16-18 - Drama, (2) Quick Writes, Midterm
Semester 2
Week 1-3 - Novel, Argument Essay, Grammar
Week 4-6 - Novel, Narrative Essay, Grammar
Week 7-9 - Non Fiction, Informative Essay, Grammar
Week 10-12 - (2) Essays/Articles/Speeches, Autobiographical Narrative, (2) Poems, Analyze, Grammar
Week 13-15 - (2) Short Stories, Close Read, Grammar
Week 16-18 - Drama, (2) Quick Writes, Final
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Key Assignments Worksheet – Assignments listed are the minimum of required work to receive full credit for
the course. A student may choose, and is encouraged, to do more for personal development, but no extra credit will be
awarded.
Assignment I - Select and read 4 novels
Title of Novel
Academic
Vocabulary
(min. of 20
words)
Study
Guide
Read Background
Info, Identify Theme,
Audience, Central
Idea, Author’s
Purpose and/or
Rhetoric
Annotate Graphic
(at least 1 Organizer
per year) (at least 1
per year)
Quiz /
Test
Grade
Overall
Grade
Read Background
Info, Identify Theme,
Audience, Central
Idea, Author’s
Purpose and/or
Rhetoric
Annotate Graphic
(at least 1 Organizer
per year) (at least 1
per year)
Quiz /
Test
Grade
Overall
Grade
1.
2.
3.
4.
Assignment II - Select and read 4 short stories
Title of Short Story
Academic
Vocabulary
(min. of 10
words)
Study
Guide
1.
2.
3.
4.
Assignment III - Select and read 2 dramas or 1 drama and 1 epic poem
Read Background
Academic
Info, Identify Theme, Annotate 2 Quick
Title of Drama/Epic
Vocabulary
Study
Audience, Central
(at least 1 Writes
Poem
(min. of 20
Guide
Idea, Author’s
per year)
words)
Purpose and/or
Rhetoric
1.
2.
Assignment IV - Select and read 4 poems
Academic
Vocabulary
Title of Poem
(min. of 5
words)
1.
2.
3.
4.
Read Background
Info, Identify Theme, Audience,
Central Idea, Author’s Purpose
and/or Rhetoric
Quiz / Test Overall
Grade
Grade
Analyze Poem Orally or in
Writing
Cite Text Evidence
(at least 1 per year)
Overall
Grade
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Assignment V - Select and read 2 nonfiction, graphic/historical novels, and/or memoirs
Read Background
Title of
Academic
Info, Identify Theme, Annotate Graphic
Nonfiction/GraphicVocabulary
Study
Audience, Central (at least 1 Organizer
Historical
(min. of 10
Guide
Idea, Author’s
per year) (at least 1
Novel/Memoir
words)
Purpose and/or
per year)
Rhetoric
1.
2.
Assignment VI - Select and read 4 essays, articles, and/or speeches
Academic
Title of Essay, Article, or
Vocabulary
Source of Essay, Article, or
Speech
(min. of 5
Speech
words)
1.
2.
3.
4.
Assignment VII – Complete 2 “close reads”
Title of Close Read
Academic Vocabulary
Passage
(min. of 5 words)
1.
2.
Assignment VIII – Write 2 Argument essays
Topic of Argument
Use Academic Vocabulary
Essay
1.
2.
Assignment IX – Write 2 Informative essays
Topic of Informative
Use Academic Vocabulary
Essay
1.
2.
Assignment X – Write 2 Narrative essays
Topic of Narrative
Use Academic Vocabulary
Essay
1.
2.
Quiz /
Test
Grade
Identify Audience, Tone,
Author’s Purpose and/or
Rhetoric
Analyze Text
Cite Text Evidence
Overall
Grade
Overall
Grade
Overall
Grade
Cite Evidence
Use Writing
Process/Rubric
Overall
Grade
Cite Evidence
Use Writing
Process/Rubric
Overall
Grade
Cite Evidence
Use Writing
Process/Rubric
Overall
Grade
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Literature & Composition
Assignment XI – Write 1 Persuasive speech
Topic of Persuasive
Use Academic Vocabulary
Speech
1.
7
Cite
Evidence
Use Writing
Process/Rubric
Assignment XII – Write and present 1 Autobiographical narrative
Autobiographical
Cite
Use Academic Vocabulary
Narrative
Evidence
1.
Use Writing
Process/Rubric
Date of
Presentation
Overall
Grade
Date of
Presentation
Overall
Grade
Assignment XIII – Select & use vocabulary workbook, if applicable. Name of selected workbook:
Assignment XIV – Select & use grammar workbook. Name of selected workbook:
Assignment XV – Assessment. Select and describe specifics of test/paper/project.
Identify midterm:
Identify final:
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Resources
Reading & Workbook Selections
Selections must only include materials not read for a previous course.
**Some selections may contain sensitive topics or content. Students should check with parents for appropriate
content before selecting a text.
Novels (2 per semester):
 1984, Orwell
 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Verne
 The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Twain
 All Quiet on the Western Front, Remarque
 Animal Farm, Orwell
 Around the World in Eighty Days, Verne
 The Call of the Wild, London
 Catch-22, Heller
 The Catcher in the Rye, Salinger
 The Chosen, Potok
 A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court, Twain
 The Count of Monte Cristo, Dumas
 Death Comes for the Archbishop, Cather
 East of Eden, Steinbeck
 Fahrenheit 451, Bradbury
 A Farewell to Arms, Hemingway
 Fathers and Sons, Turgenev
 The Giant’s House, McCracken
 Gone with the Wind, Mitchell
 The Good Earth, Buck
 The Grapes of Wrath, Steinbeck
 Great Expectations, Dickens
 Gulliver’s Travels, Swift,
 Heart of Darkness, Conrad
 Hound of the Baskervilles, Doyle
 The House of Mirth, Wharton
 The Human Comedy, Saroyan
 Invisible Man, Ellison
 Ivanhoe, Scott
 Jane Eyre, Bronte
 Journey Home, Uchida
 Journey to Topaz, Uchida
Short Stories (2 per semester):
 American History, Cofer
 At the Pitt-Rivers, Lively
 Bedquilt, Fisher
 Before the End of Summer, Moss
 Blues Ain’t No Mockin Bird, Bambara
 Bobby’s Room, Dunn
 To Build a Fire, London
 The Cask of Amontillado, Poe
 Cathedral, Carver
 Checkouts, Rylant
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Kidnapped, Stevenson
The Killer Angels, Shaara
Kim, Kipling
Lord Jim, Conrad
Lord of the Flies, Golding
Manalive, Chesterton
Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck
The Old Man and the Sea, Hemingway
Oliver Twist, Dickens
Out of the Silent Planet, Lewis
The Outsiders, Hinton
The Picture of Dorian Gray, Wilde
A Pocket Full of Rye, Christie
Pride and Prejudice, Austen
The Prince and the Pauper, Twain
The Red Badge of Courage, Crane
The Red Pony, Steinbeck
Robinson Crusoe, Defoe
A Separate Peace, Knowles
Silas Marner, Eliot
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,
Stevenson
The Swiss Family Robinson, Wyss
The Three Musketeers, Dumas
To Kill a Mockingbird, Lee
Treasure Island, Stevenson
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Smith
The Turn of the Screw, James
Vanity Fair, Thackeray
The War of the Worlds, Wells
Wuthering Heights, Bronte
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The Day of the Storm, Booker
The Dead, Joyce
The Devil and Daniel Webster, Benet
For Esme – With Love, Salinger
The Girl Who Can, Aidoo
The Gift of the Magi, Henry
The Golden Kite, The Silver Wind, Bradbury
A Good Man is Hard to Find, O’Connor
Goodbye, My Brother, Cheever
The Heyday of the Blood, Fisher
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Literature & Composition
 The Hilton’s Holiday, Jewett
 I Stand Here Ironing, Olsen
 The Idealist, O’Connor
 The Interlopers, Saki
 The Invalid’s Story, Twain
 The Jade Peony, Choy
 Harrison Bergeron, Vonnegut
 The Laugher, Boll
 The Little Cousins, Taylor
 The Man to Send Rain Clouds, Silko
 The Masque of the Red Death, Poe
 Miriam, Capote
 The Most Dangerous Game, Connell
 The Necklace, de Maupassant
 New Africa, Lee
 The Old Man at the Bridge, Hemmingway
 Old Man of the Temple, Narayan
 The Open Window, Saki
 An Outpost of Progress, Conrad
 The Possibility of Evil, Jackson
 The Purloined Letter, Poe
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Pyramus and Thisbe, Ovid
The Ransom of Red Chief, Henry
The Red-headed League, Doyle
Rules of the Game, Tan
The Scarlet Ibis, Hurst
Scarlet Stockings, Alcott
The School, Barthelme
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, Thurber
The Shepherd’s Daughter, Saroyan
Silver Water, Bloom
The Snows of Kilimanjaro, Hemingway
A Sound of Thunder, Bradbury
Thank you, M’am, Hughes
Three Skeleton Key, Toudouze
To Build a Fire, London
Two Kinds, Tan
The Veldt, Bradbury
A White Heron, Jewett
A Worn Path, Welty
Zoo Island, River
Dramas (1-2 per year):
 Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Williams
 The Glass Menagerie, Williams
 The Importance of Being Earnest, Wilde
 Inherit the Wind, Lawrence and Lee
 The Inspector General, Chekhov
 Julius Caesar, Shakespeare
 A Man for All Seasons, Bolt
 A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Shakespeare
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Murder in the Cathedral, Eliot
Our Town, Wilder
Pygmalion, Shaw
Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare
The Tempest, Shakespeare
Twelfth Night, Shakespeare
The Tragedy of Macbeth, Shakespeare
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The Iliad, Homer
The Odyssey, Homer
Paradise Lost, Milton
the Ramayana, Narayan (retold)
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Dreams – L. Hughes
Dreams Deferred – L. Hughes
The Eagle – Lord Alfred Tennyson
Fifteen - Stafford
Fire and Ice - R. Frost
I Hear America Singing – W. Whitman
“Hope” is the thing with feathers – E. Dickinson
The Horses - E. Muir
I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud – W. Wordsworth
Jabberwocky –L. Carroll
Macavity: The Mystery Cat – T.S. Eliot
Epic Poems (0-1 per year):
 The Aeneid, Virgil
 Beowulf, Author Unknown
 Inferno, Dante
 The Epic of Gilgamesh, Author Unknown
Poetry (2 per semester):
 A Song for New Year’s Eve – W. Cullen Bryant
 All Watched Over by Machines of Loving Grace Brautigan
 Analysis of Baseball - Swenson
 Barter - Teasdale
 The Bells – E. A. Poe
 Birches – R. Frost
 Caged Bird – M. Angelou
 Casey at the Bat – E. L. Thayer
 Daily – N. S. Nye
 Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night - D. Thomas
 Do not weep, maiden, for war is kind – S. Crane
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Literature & Composition
 maggie and milly and molly and may - E.E.
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Cummings
Meciendo/Rocking –G. Mistral
Moon Rondeau – C. Sandburg
Much Madness is divinest Sense - E. Dickinson
My Heart Leaps Up – W. Wordsworth
The New Colossus – E. Lazarus
O Captain! My Captain! – W. Whitman
On the Grasshopper and the Cricket – J. Keats
Piano – D.H. Lawrence
The Raven – E. A. Poe
The Road Not Taken – R. Frost
The Seven Ages of Man - W. Shakespeare
She Walks in Beauty – Lord Byron
Slam, Dunk, & Hook – Y. Komunyakaa
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10
Sonnet 30 – Shakespeare
Sonnet on Love XIII - de Sponde
Summer - Myers
Three Haiku - Basho and Chiyojo
Twister Hits Houston - S. Cisneros
The Tyger – W. Blake
Uncoiling/A Voice - Mora
Uphill – C. Rosetti
The War Against the Trees –S. Kunitz
To a Waterfowl – W. Cullen Bryant
We grow accustomed to the dark - E. Dickinson
We never know how high we are - E. Dickinson
Women – A. Walker
The Writer - R. Wilbur
Nonfiction, Graphic/Historical Novels, and Memoirs (1 per semester):
 Abraham Lincoln, Stone
 I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Angelou
 Ancient Aztecs, Burgan
 Into the Wild, Krakauer
 Ancient Incas, Burgan
 Joan of Arc, Gordon
 Ancient Mayas, Somerville
 Life by the Numbers, Devlin
 Angela’s Ashes, McCourt
 A Lincoln Preface, Sandburg
 The Atomic Bomb, Nextext
 Maus I, Spiegelman
 The Autobiography of Malcolm X, Malcolm X
 Maus II, Spiegelman
 Bioterror, Rudy
 My English, Alvarez
 The Blind Side, Lewis
 Narrative of Sojourner Truth, Truth
 Bone Detective, Hopping
 Nelson Mandela, Brown
 The Boy in the Stripped Pajamas, Boyne
 Night, Wiesel
 Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: An Indian History
 Persepolis, Satrapi
of the American West, Brown
 Reaching Out, Jimenez
 The Carolina Way, Smith
 A Room of One’s Own, Woolf
 Cod: A Biography of the Fish That Changed the
 Rosa Parks: My Story, Parks with Jim Haskins
World, Kurlansky
 Slouching Towards Bethlehem, Didion
 The Devil in the White City, Larson
 The Story of Science: Newton at the Center, Hakim
 Diary of Anne Frank, Frank
Uncle Marcos, Allende
 Endurance, Lansing
 The Thousand Year War in the Mideast, Maybury
 Forecast Earth, Skelton
 Up Close, Rachel Carson, Levine
 Friday Night Lights, Bissinger
 Up from Slavery, Washington
 The Great Depression, Nextext
 Whatever Happened to Justice?, Maybury
 Hitler, Marrin
 A White House Diary, Johnson
 The Holocaust, Nextext
 The Whole Shebang, Ferris
 Hope, Hilburn
 Why We Can’t Wait, King, Jr.
 The Hot Zone: A Terrifying True Story, Preston
 World War I, Maybury
 House of Houses, Mora
 World War I, Nextext
Essays, Articles, and Speeches (2 per semester):
Historical Documents, Medical Journals, Instructions, News Articles (ask EF)
 Arthur Ashe Remembered - J. McPhee
 “Blood, Toil, Tears, and Sweat” - W. Churchill
 Before Hip-Hop Was Hip-Hop - Walker
 The Border: A Glare of Truth – P. Mora
 Big Kiss - Alford
 A Case of Cruelty – J. Herriot
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Literature & Composition
 A Celebration of Grandfathers - Anaya
 The Day of the Storm - Booker
 Desiderata, McCracken
 Dial Versus Digital – I. Asimov
 The End of Separateness – A. Brink
 “Farewell Address” – G. Washington
 The First Appendectomy – W. A. Nolen
 First Inaugural Address of F. D. Roosevelt
 Fish Cheeks – A. Tan
 Georgia O’Keefe – J. Didion
 Gettysburg Address – A. Lincoln
 “Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death” – P. Henry
 “Glory and Hope” – N. Mandela
 A Hero in Our Midst - Pfeifer
 Homeless – A. Quindlen
 “Hope, Despair and Memory” - E. Wiesel 1997
 “I Have a Dream” – M. L. King, Jr.
 Letter from Birmingham Jail – M. L. King, Jr.
 A Letter from E. B. White – E. B. White
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Life Without Go-Go Boots – B. Kingsolver
New Directions – M. Angelou
“The New Frontier” - J. F. Kennedy
The News - Postman
Nobel Prize Acceptance Speech – E. Hemingway
1954
On Summer – L. Hansberry
“On Women’s Right to Vote” – S. B. Anthony
Professions for Women – V. Woolf
The Rug Merchant – J. Michener
Second Inaugural Address of Abraham Lincoln
Single Room, Earth View – S. Ride
Speech to the Second Virginia Convention - Patrick
Henry
State of the Union Address - F.D. Roosevelt 1941
Three Men in a Boat - J. Jerome
Two Views of the River – M. Twain
The Washwoman - Singer
World Trade Center – Murray
Vocabulary (choose a textbook, workbook, or online component only if student does not complete vocabulary work as
an embedded part of literature study) Read and complete a minimum of 85% of the chapters, grammar exercises,
review questions, and workshops in selected grammar text/workbook.
 All-in-One Workbook, Grade 9, Prentice Hall Literature Common Core (student edition, answer key).
 Vocabu-Lit I Common Core Edition, Grade 9, Perfection Learning.
 Vocabulary Builder, Course 4, Glencoe. 2005.
 Vocabulary in Context for the Common Core Standards, Grade 9, Steck Vaughn School.
 Vocabulary for Achievement, Grade 9, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
 Vocabulary from Classical Roots, Level C.
 Wordly Wise Book 9, 3rd Edition, Grade 9 (CCSS aligned).
Grammar (choose a textbook, workbook, or online component) Read and complete a minimum of 85% of the chapters,
grammar exercises, review questions, and workshops in selected grammar text/workbook.
 Analytical Grammar. www.analyticalgrammar.com (Use the teacher book and student workbook only).
 The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation. Straus, Jane.
 Easy Grammar - The Ultimate Series for grade 9.
 Glencoe Language Arts, Grammar and Composition Handbook, Grade 9 (At minimum, complete sections in Part 2Grammar, Usage & Mechanics. Parts 1, 3, and 4 may be used as needed for reference or additional skills
development).
 Glencoe Writer’s Choice: Grammar & Composition, Grade 9 (At minimum, complete sections in Part 2 – Grammar,
Usage & Mechanics. The remaining sections may be used as needed for reference or additional skills development).
 The Grammar Bible: Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Grammar but Didn’t Know Whom to
Ask. Strumpf, Michael & Douglas, Auriel.
 Grammatically Correct: The Writer’s Essential Guide to Punctuation, Spelling, Style, Usage and Grammar. Stilman,
Anne.
 All-in-One Workbook, Grade 9, Prentice Hall Literature Common Core (student edition, answer key).
 Elements of Grammar Usage and Mechanics Language Skills Practice, Grade 9, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
 Mirrors & Windows Exceeding the Standards II Grammar & Style, Level IV, EMC Publishing (with vocabulary).
 Write Source 2012 Writing and Grammar, Grade 9, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
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Writing Information
Annotating
 Annotating a text is like taking notes, but instead of a set of note papers the information is together and inseparable,
with notes very close to the text for easier understanding. The reader will get a deeper initial reading and an
understanding of the text (plot, characters, themes, etc.) that lasts. Please research how to annotate effectively.
 Annotating should be done throughout the text, in the margins, or on post it notes. It can be a question, comment,
compliment, argument, feeling, thought, memory, comparison, contrast, etc. You can paraphrase, analyze, highlight,
underline, or circle important or unknown words or phrases. Some pages will have a lot of annotating, some will
have a little, and some might not have any.
 Annotating is for a more critical analysis of a text and not intended when reading for pleasure.
Quick Write
 A quick write should be 5-10 sentences and completed after a daily reading.
 It can be used as a mini-assessment or to check for understanding.
 A quick write can be an objective summary, critical analysis, summary of theme, central idea, setting, characters, or
symbolism. It can be a review, evaluation, statement, observation, opinion, anecdote, facts, examples, predictions,
or comparing & contrasting the text.
 If a prompt is given, cite textual evidence to support responses.
Essay Writing
 Each essay/speech/paper should be a minimum of 5 paragraphs, typed, error-free grammar, and single spaced.
 Research papers should be 3-5 pages. A paper used as a mid term or final project/assessment for a year’s course
should be 5-7 pages. Topic should be agreed upon with parent/EF.
 Each essay/speech/paper must follow the steps of the writing process, including: a) pre-writing/brainstorming; b)
drafting/writing; c) revising; d) editing/proofreading; and e) publishing in final draft format.
 Each essay must address a key concept in literary response & analysis from the completed readings above, such as
characterization, thesis, theme, voice, imagery, compare & contrast, etc. or from a writing prompt. Use an approved
study guide or conduct online research to determine essay questions/topics. Topics should be challenging, require
greater critical thinking and analytic skills, and show a deeper understanding of the material.
 Each essay/speech/paper must be graded with an approved writing rubric, available on the website or from your EF.
SEE SAMPLE GRADED ESSAYS ON GVCS WEBSITE OR ONLINE.
 Each essay/speech/paper must use academic vocabulary and descriptive language.
 Writer should support his or her claim(s) with sound reasoning and relevant, sufficient evidence from text.
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Additional ELA resources
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Ask EF for additional print and/or online resources.
Assessment Guides/Test Prep
 Diagnostic and Benchmark Tests, Grade 9. Prentice Hall.
 Mirrors & Windows Common Core Assessment Practice, Level IV. EMC Publishing.
 Performance Assessment, Grade 9. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
 English Language Arts 9 Common Core State Standards. Solaro Study Guide.
Close Readers
A close reading is thoughtful, critical analysis of a small portion of text that focuses on significant details or patterns in
order to develop a deep, precise understanding of the text's form, craft, meanings, etc. It is a key requirement of the
Common Core State Standards and directs the reader's attention to the text itself. It focuses on Language, Narrative,
Syntax, and Context of a text. It should be a challenging text for the reader and it should be read more than one time. It
should include short responses citing textual evidence. More information and close reading passages/questions can be
found online or purchased from the following options below.
 Collections, Grade 9. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
 Common Core ELA Exemplar Resource, Grade 9-10. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
Graphic Organizers, Writing Workshops, Performance Tasks
 Common Core Companion, Grade 9. Prentice Hall Literature Common Core Edition (student edition).
 Common Core Student Companion Workbook, Grade 9. Pearson Literature 2015.
Writing Workbooks, Essay Scorers
 All-in-One Workbook, Grade 9. Prentice Hall Literature Common Core (student edition, answer key).
 Elegant Essay. Institute for Excellence in Writing.
 Holt McDougal Literature Online Essay Scoring 1-yr High School.
 MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 7th Edition.
 Pearson Essay Scorer (online).
 Writers INC. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
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Analyzing Poetry
Poetry is a compact language that expresses complex feelings. To understand the multiple meanings of a poem, readers
must examine its words and phrasing from the perspectives of rhythm, sound, images, obvious meaning, and implied
meaning. Readers then need to organize responses to the verse into a logical, point-by-point explanation. A good
beginning involves asking questions that apply to most poetry.
The Context of the Poem
Clear answers to the following questions can help establish the context of a poem and form the foundation of
understanding:
-Who wrote the poem? Does the poet’s life suggest any special point of view, such as a political affiliation, religious sect,
career interest, musical talent, family or personal problems, travel, or handicap—for example, H. D.’s feminism, Amiri
Baraka’s radicalism, T. S. Eliot’s conversion to Anglicanism, William Carlos Williams’ career as a physician, A. R. Ammons’
training in chemistry, Amy Lowell’s aristocratic background or John Berryman’s alcoholism?
-When was the poem written and in what country? Knowing something about the poet’s life, times, and culture helps
readers understand what’s in a poem and why.
-Does the poem appear in the original language? If not, readers should consider that translation can alter the language
and meaning of a poem.
-Is the poem part of a special collection or series? Examples of such series and collections include Edna St. Vincent
Millay’s sonnets, Carl Sandburg’s Chicago Poems, or Rita Dove’s triad, “Adolescence—I, II, and III.”
-Does the poem belong to a particular period or literary movement? For example, does the poem relate to imagism,
confessional verse, the Beat movement, the Harlem Renaissance, the Civil Rights era, the American Indian renaissance,
or feminism?
The Style
Into what category does the poem fit — for example, Carl Sandburg’s imagism in “Fog” or Gwendolyn Brooks’ epic “The
Anniad”? Readers should apply definitions of the many categories to determine which describes the poem’s length and
style:
-Is it an epic, a long poem about a great person or national hero?
-Is it a lyric, a short, musical verse?
-Is it a narrative, a poem that tells a story?
-Is it a haiku, an intense, lyrical three-line verse of seventeen syllables?
-Is it confessional? For example, does it examine personal memories and experiences?
The Title
-Is the title’s meaning obvious? For example, does it mention a single setting and action, such as W. S. Merwin’s “The
Drunk in the Furnace” or James A. Wright’s “Autumn Begins in Martins Ferry, Ohio”?
-Does it imply multiple possibilities? For example, Jean Toomer’s “Georgia Dusk,” which refers to a time of day as well as
to dark-skinned people.
-Does it strike a balance, as in Rita Dove’s “Beulah and Thomas”?
-Is there an obvious antithesis, as with Robert Frost’s “Fire and Ice”?
-Is there historical significance to the title? For example, Robert Lowell’s “The Quaker Graveyard in Nantucket.”
Repetition
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Readers should read through a poem several times, at least once aloud. If it is a long poem, such as Allen Ginsberg’s
Howl or Hart Crane’s The Bridge, readers should concentrate on key passages and look for repetition of specific words,
phrases, or verses in the poem.
-Why is there a repeated reference to the sea in Robinson Jeffers’s poetry?
-Why does the pronoun “we” recur in Gwendolyn Brooks’ “We Real Cool”?
-Why does Edgar Lee Masters reprise epitaphs for Spoon River Anthology?
If readers note repetition in the poem, they should decide why certain information seems to deserve the repetition.
The Opening and Closing Lines
-Does the poet place significant information or emotion in these places? For example, when reading Marianne Moore’s
“Poetry,” readers may question the negative stance in the opening lines.
-Does the poet intend to leave a lasting impression by closing with a particular thought? For example, why does
Langston Hughes’ “Harlem” lead to the word “explode”?
The Passage of Time
-Can readers pin down a time frame? What details specify time?
-Does the poet name a particular month or season, as with Amy Lowell’s “Patterns”?
-Is there a clear passage of time, as with the decline of the deceased woman in Denise Levertov’s “Death in Mexico”?
-How long is the period of time? Are there gaps?
The Speaker
-Who is the speaker? Is the person male or female?
-Does the voice speak in first person (I, me, my, mine), for example, John Berryman’s “Huffy Henry”?
-Does the speaker talk directly to a second person, as with Adrienne Rich’s “Diving into the Wreck”?
-Is the voice meant to be universal—for example, applicable to either sex at any time or place?
Names of Characters
-Does the name of a character suggest extra meaning, such as Eben Flood (an alcoholic) in Edwin Arlington Robinson’s
“Mr. Flood’s Party” and T. S. Eliot’s prissy protagonist in “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock”?
Basic Details
-Is the poet deliberately concealing information from the readers, as with the source of depression in Robert Lowell’s
“Skunk Hour”?
-Why does the poet leave out significant facts? Are readers supposed to fill in the blanks, for example, the relationship
between mother and daughter in Cathy Song’s “The White Porch” or the perplexity of a modern tourist in Allen Tate’s
“Ode to the Union Dead”?
Culture
-Does the poem stress cultural details, such as the behavior, dress, or speech habits of a particular group or a historical
period or event—for instance, the death of an airline stewardess in James Dickey’s “Falling”?
-Are any sections written in dialect, slang, or foreign words, as with the Deep South patois of Sterling Brown’s “Ma
Rainey”?
Fantasy versus Reality
-Is the poem an obvious fantasy, as is the case with the intense confrontation in Sylvia Plath’s “Daddy” and the setting of
Rita Dove’s “Geometry”?
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The Mood and Tone
-What is the mood of the poem? Is it cheerful or jolly like limericks? Is it mysterious, provocative, zany, ominous, festive,
fearful, or brooding, as with Randall Jarrell’s “Sad Heart at the Supermarket”? Does the mood change within the body of
the work, as with Joy Harjo’s “The Woman Hanging from the Thirteenth Floor Window”? Why does the mood shift?
Where does the shift begin?
-What is the poet’s tone? Is it satiric, serious, mock serious, playful, somber, brash, or teasingly humorous, as with
Robert Frost’s “Departmental: The End of My Ant Jerry”? Does the poet admire, agree with, ridicule, or condemn the
speaker, as in the touch of mock heroic in Richard Wilbur’s “The Death of a Toad”? Is there an obvious reason for the
poet’s attitude, as suggested by the suffering in James Dickey’s “Angina”? Does the poet withhold judgment, as is the
case with the epitaphs of Edgar Lee Masters’ Spoon River Anthology?
Themes
Locating and identifying theme is crucial to understanding dominant ideas; theme is the poem’s essence.
-Is the subject youth, loss, renewal, patriotism, nature, love? Are there several themes? How do these themes relate to
each other?
-Is the poet merely teasing or entertaining or trying to teach a lesson, as do Robinson Jeffers’ “Hurt Hawks” and
Marianne Moore’s “The Mind Is an Enchanted Thing”?
-Does the poet emphasize the theme by means of onomatopoeia, personification, or controlling images?
Rhythm
-Is there a dominant rhythm? Does it dance, frolic, meander, slither, or march? Is it conversational, like a scene from a
drama? Is it a droning monologue, as found in a journal, diary, or confessional?
-Does the rhythm relate to the prevalent theme of the poem? Or does it seem at odds with the theme?
-Does the rhythm increase or decrease in speed, as does Ezra Pound’s Hugh Selwyn Mauberley: Life and Contacts? Why?
Use of the Senses
-Does the poem stress sense impressions—for example, taste, touch, smell, sound, or sight? Are these impressions
pleasant, unpleasant, or neutral?
-Does the poet concentrate on a single sense or a burst of sensation, as in Wallace Stevens’s “Peter Quince at the
Clavier” or Elizabeth Bishop’s “The Fish”?
Imagery
-Are there concrete images or pictures that the poet wants readers to see?
-Are the pictures created by means of comparisons—for instance, metaphor or simile? Do inanimate objects take on
human traits (personification)? Does the speaker talk to inanimate objects or to such abstract ideas as freedom?
Language
-Does the poet stress certain sounds, such as pleasant sounds (euphony) or harsh letter combinations (cacophony), as
demonstrated by Wendy Rose’s title “Academic Squaw”?
-Are certain sounds repeated (alliteration, sibilance), as in the insistent a sounds in Amiri Baraka’s “A Poem for Willie
Best”?
-Are words linked by approximate rhyme, like “seem/freeze,” or by real rhyme, such as “least/feast”? Is there a rhyme
scheme or sound pattern at the ends of lines, as with the interlocking rhymes of Robert Frost’s “Stopping by Woods on a
Snowy Evening”? Does rhyming occur within a line (internal rhyme), as in “black flak” in Randall Jarrell’s “The Death of
the Ball Turret Gunner”?
-Is there onomatopoeia, or words that make a sound that imitates their meaning, such as swoosh, ping pong, ricochet,
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clangor, plash, wheeze, clack, boom, tingle, slip, fumble, or clip-clop, as with the verb “soar” in Edna St. Vincent Millay’s
“On Thought in Harness”?
Supplemental Materials
-Has the editor included any preface, explanatory notes, or concluding comments and questions; for example, T. S.
Eliot’s dedication of The Waste Land or Wendy Rose’s use of epigraphs?
-Are there notes and comments in a biography, poet’s letters and essays, critical analyses, Web site, or anthology, such
as biographical footnotes to Anne Sexton’s “Sylvia’s Death” and the many commentaries on Hart Crane’s The Bridge?
-Is there an electronic version, such as the poet reading original verse on the Internet? Are there notes on the record
jacket, cassette box, or CD booklet, as found on recordings of Adrienne Rich’s feminist verse?
Drawing Conclusions
After answering the questions presented in this introduction, readers should paraphrase or restate the poem in
everyday words, as though talking to someone on the telephone. A summary of the poem should emphasize a pattern of
details, sounds, or rhythm. For example, do various elements of the poem lead readers to believe that the poet is
describing an intense experience? Is the poet defining something, such as parenthood, risking a life, curiosity, marriage,
religious faith, or aging, as in Denise Levertov’s “A Woman Alone”? Is the poet telling a story event by event? Does the
poet want to sway the reader’s opinion, as Louise Bogan does in “Evening in the Sanitarium”?
Before reaching a conclusion about the meaning of a poem, readers should summarize their personal responses. Are
they emotionally moved or touched by the poem? Are they entertained or repulsed, terrified or stirred to agree? Do
words and phrases stick in their memory? How has the poet made an impression? And most important, why?
Snodgrass, Mary Ellen. Cliffs Notes on American Poets of the 20th Century. 26 Mar 2007
http://www.cliffsnotes.com/WileyCDA/LitNote/id-11.html.
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College and Career Readiness Information
Students Who Are College and Career Ready in Reading, Writing, Speaking, Listening, & Language:
Demonstrate independence.
Students can, without significant scaffolding, comprehend and evaluate complex texts across a range of types and
disciplines, and they can construct effective arguments and convey intricate or multifaceted information. Likewise,
students are able independently to discern a speaker’s key points, request clarification, and ask relevant questions. They
build on others’ ideas, articulate their own ideas, and confirm they have been understood. Without prompting, they
demonstrate command of standard English and acquire and use a wide-ranging vocabulary. More broadly, they become
self-directed learners, effectively seeking out and using resources to assist them, including teachers, peers, and print and
digital reference materials.
Build strong content knowledge.
Students establish a base of knowledge across a wide range of subject matter by engaging with works of quality and
substance. They become proficient in new areas through research and study. They read purposefully and listen
attentively to gain both general knowledge and discipline-specific expertise. They refine and share their knowledge
through writing and speaking.
Respond to the varying demands of audience, task, purpose, and discipline.
Students adapt their communication in relation to audience, task, purpose, and discipline. They set and adjust purpose
for reading, writing, speaking, listening, and language use as warranted by the task. They appreciate nuances, such as
how the composition of an audience should affect tone when speaking and how the connotations of words affect
meaning. They also know that different disciplines call for different types of evidence (e.g., documentary evidence in
history, experimental evidence in science).
Comprehend as well as critique.
Students are engaged and open-minded—but discerning—readers and listeners. They work diligently to understand
precisely what an author or speaker is saying, but they also question an author’s or speaker’s assumptions and premises
and assess the veracity of claims and the soundness of reasoning.
Value evidence.
Students cite specific evidence when offering an oral or written interpretation of a text. They use relevant evidence
when supporting their own points in writing and speaking, making their reasoning clear to the reader or listener, and
they constructively evaluate others’ use of evidence.
Use technology and digital media strategically and capably.
Students employ technology thoughtfully to enhance their reading, writing, speaking, listening, and language use. They
tailor their searches online to acquire useful information efficiently, and they integrate what they learn using technology
with what they learn offline. They are familiar with the strengths and limitations of various technological tools and
mediums and can select and use those best suited to their communication goals.
Come to understand other perspectives and cultures.
Students appreciate that the twenty-first-century classroom and workplace are settings in which people from often
widely divergent cultures and who represent diverse experiences and perspectives must learn and work together.
Students actively seek to understand other perspectives and cultures through reading and listening, and they are able to
communicate effectively with people of varied backgrounds. They evaluate other points of view critically and
constructively. Through reading great classic and contemporary works of literature representative of a variety of
periods, cultures, and worldviews, students can vicariously inhabit worlds and have experiences much different than
their own.
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Common Core English-Language Arts Anchor Standards
College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Reading
Key Ideas and Details:
1. Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual
evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text.
2. Determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze their development; summarize the key supporting details and
ideas.
3. Analyze how and why individuals, events, or ideas develop and interact over the course of a text.
Craft and Structure:
4. Interpret words and phrases as they are used in a text, including determining technical, connotative, and figurative
meanings, and analyze how specific word choices shape meaning or tone.
5. Analyze the structure of texts, including how specific sentences, paragraphs, and larger portions of the text (e.g., a
section, chapter, scene, or stanza) relate to each other and the whole.
6. Assess how point of view or purpose shapes the content and style of a text.
Integration of Knowledge and Ideas:
7. Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse media and formats, including visually and quantitatively, as well
as in words.
8. Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, including the validity of the reasoning as well as the
relevance and sufficiency of the evidence.
9. Analyze how two or more texts address similar themes or topics in order to build knowledge or to compare the
approaches the authors take.
Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity:
10. Read and comprehend complex literary and informational texts independently and proficiently.
*To build a foundation for college and career readiness, students must read widely and deeply from among a broad
range of high-quality, increasingly challenging literary and informational texts. Through extensive reading of stories,
dramas, poems, and myths from diverse cultures and different time periods, students gain literary and cultural
knowledge as well as familiarity with various text structures and elements. By reading texts in history/social studies,
science, and other disciplines, students build a foundation of knowledge in these fields that will also give them the
background to be better readers in all content areas. Students can only gain this foundation when the curriculum is
intentionally and coherently structured to develop rich content knowledge within and across grades. Students also
acquire the habits of reading independently and closely, which are essential to their future success.
College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Writing
Text Types and Purposes:
1. Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts using valid reasoning and relevant and
sufficient evidence.
2. Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas and information clearly and accurately
through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.
3. Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details and
well-structured event sequences.
Production and Distribution of Writing:
4. Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task,
purpose, and audience.
5. Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach.
6. Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and to interact and collaborate with others.
Research to Build and Present Knowledge:
7. Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects based on focused questions, demonstrating understanding
of the subject under investigation.
8. Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, assess the credibility and accuracy of each source,
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and integrate the information while avoiding plagiarism.
9. Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
Range of Writing:
10. Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a
single sitting or a day or two) for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences.
*To build a foundation for college and career readiness, students need to learn to use writing as a way of offering and
supporting opinions, demonstrating understanding of the subjects they are studying, and conveying real and imagined
experiences and events. They learn to appreciate that a key purpose of writing is to communicate clearly to an external,
sometimes unfamiliar audience, and they begin to adapt the form and content of their writing to accomplish a particular
task and purpose. They develop the capacity to build knowledge on a subject through research projects and to respond
analytically to literary and informational sources. To meet these goals, students must devote significant time and effort
to writing, producing numerous pieces over short and extended time frames throughout the year.
College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Speaking and Listening
Comprehension and Collaboration:
1. Prepare for and participate effectively in a range of conversations and collaborations with diverse partners, building
on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
2. Integrate and evaluate information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and
orally.
3. Evaluate a speaker's point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric.
Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas:
4. Present information, findings, and supporting evidence such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning and the
organization, development, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
5. Make strategic use of digital media and visual displays of data to express information and enhance understanding of
presentations.
6. Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and communicative tasks, demonstrating command of formal English when
indicated or appropriate.
*To build a foundation for college and career readiness, students must have ample opportunities to take part in a variety
of rich, structured conversations—as part of a whole class, in small groups, and with a partner. Being productive
members of these conversations requires that students contribute accurate, relevant information; respond to and
develop what others have said; make comparisons and contrasts; and analyze and synthesize a multitude of ideas in
various domains.
New technologies have broadened and expanded the role that speaking and listening play in acquiring and sharing
knowledge and have tightened their link to other forms of communication. Digital texts confront students with the
potential for continually updated content and dynamically changing combinations of words, graphics, images,
hyperlinks, and embedded video and audio.
College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Language
Conventions of Standard English:
1. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
2. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.
Knowledge of Language:
3. Apply knowledge of language to understand how language functions in different contexts, to make effective choices
for meaning or style, and to comprehend more fully when reading or listening.
Vocabulary Acquisition and Use:
4. Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases by using context clues,
analyzing meaningful word parts, and consulting general and specialized reference materials, as appropriate.
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5. Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.
6. Acquire and use accurately a range of general academic and domain-specific words and phrases sufficient for reading,
writing, speaking, and listening at the college and career readiness level; demonstrate independence in gathering
vocabulary knowledge when encountering an unknown term important to comprehension or expression.
*To build a foundation for college and career readiness in language, students must gain control over many conventions
of standard English grammar, usage, and mechanics as well as learn other ways to use language to convey meaning
effectively. They must also be able to determine or clarify the meaning of grade-appropriate words encountered
through listening, reading, and media use; come to appreciate that words have nonliteral meanings, shadings of
meaning, and relationships to other words; and expand their vocabulary in the course of studying content. The inclusion
of Language standards in their own strand should not be taken as an indication that skills related to conventions,
effective language use, and vocabulary are unimportant to reading, writing, speaking, and listening; indeed, they are
inseparable from such contexts.
For more information on Common Core State Standards visit http://www.corestandards.org/.
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