BRITISH LITERATURE
BRITISH LITERATURE
GVCS
2016-2019
High School British Literature is a
course in which students sharpen their
reading comprehension skills and analyze
important themes in classic and modern
works of British 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, college essay or
resume, and a research paper. They
develop vocabulary skills and refresh
their knowledge of grammar, usage, and
mechanics in preparation for college and
career readiness.
British Literature - 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
READING & WORKBOOK SELECTIONS------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 8
NOVELS----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8
SHORT STORIES -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8
DRAMAS --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9
POEMS ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9
NONFICTION, GRAPHIC NOVELS, AND MEMOIRS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 9
ESSAYS, ARTICLES, AND SPEECHES --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10
VOCABULARY -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10
WRITING INFORMATION -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 11
ANNOTATING -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 11
QUICK WRITE -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 11
ESSAY WRITING ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 11
ADDITIONAL ELA RESOURCES -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 12
ASSESSMENT GUIDES/TEST PREP ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 12
CLOSE READERS ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 12
GRAPHIC ORGANIZERS, WRITING WORKSHOPS, PERFORMANCE TASKS --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 12
WRITING WORKBOOKS, ESSAY SCORERS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 12
ANALYZING POETRY -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 13
COLLEGE AND CAREER READINESS INFORMATION----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 17
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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 in MLA format.
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 in MLA format.
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 in MLA format.
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 and present 1 Research paper. (See Writing in Resources section.)
 Write 1 research paper per year.
 The topic of research paper will be agreed upon by the student, parent, and EF.
1) Research how to conduct and write a research paper.
2) Conduct research on topic from multiple sources.
3) Draft paper.
o Be sure to cite sources and carefully select reliable online sources.
4) Present paper to EF and parent. Use good presentation skills.
5) Use academic vocabulary, writing process, rubric for grading, and cite evidence.
XII.
Write 1 college essay or 1 resume. (See Writing in Resources section.)
 Write 1 college essay or 1 resume.
1) Analyze and evaluate different college essays and/or resumes. Research, read samples, and take notes.
2) Write and prepare essay or resume.
3) Use academic vocabulary and the writing process.
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.
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.
XV.
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, College Essay or Resume, (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, Research Paper, (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 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.
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,
Title of Drama/Epic
Vocabulary
Study
Audience, Central
Poem
(min. of 20
Guide
Idea, Author’s
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
Annotate 2 Quick
(at least 1 Writes
per year)
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
Nonfiction/GraphicVocabulary
Study
Audience, Central
(at least 1
Historical
(min. of 10
Guide
Idea, Author’s
per year)
Novel/Memoir
words)
Purpose and/or
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.
Graphic
Quiz /
Organizer
Overall
Test
(at least 1
Grade
Grade
per year)
Identify Audience, Tone,
Author’s Purpose and/or
Rhetoric
Analyze Text
Cite Text Evidence
Overall
Grade
Overall
Grade
Assignment VIII – Write 2 Argument essays (MLA format)
Topic of Argument Essay
Use Academic Vocabulary
Cite Evidence
Use Writing Overall
Process/Rubric Grade
Cite Evidence
Use Writing Overall
Process/Rubric Grade
Cite Evidence
Use Writing Overall
Process/Rubric Grade
1.
2.
Assignment IX – Write 2 Informative essays (MLA format)
Topic of Informative
Use Academic Vocabulary
Essay
1.
2.
Assignment X – Write 2 Narrative essays (MLA format)
Topic of Narrative Essay
Use Academic Vocabulary
1.
2.
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Assignment XI – Write 1 College essay or resume
College Essay or Resume
Use Academic Vocabulary
Use Writing
Process/Rubric
Overall
Grade
1.
Assignment XII – Write and present 1 Research paper
Topic of Research
Use Academic Vocabulary
Paper
1.
Cite Evidence
Use Writing
Process/Rubric
Overall
Grade
Assignment XIII – Select & use vocabulary workbook, if applicable. Name of selected workbook:
Assignment XIV – 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
 Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Carroll
 And Then There Were None, Christie
 Beowulf
 Brave New World, Huxley
 Canterbury Tales, Chaucer
 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the NightTime, Haddon
 Crime and Punishment, Dostoevsky
 David Copperfield, Dickens
 Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Stephenson
 Dracula, Stoker
 Emma, Austen
 Far from the Madding Crowd, Hardy
 Frankenstein, Shelley
 Great Expectations, Dickens
 Gulliver’s Travels, Swift
 Hard Times, Dickens
 The Heart of the Matter, Greene
 The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Adams
 The Hobbit, Jackson
 Hound of Baskervilles, Doyle
 I, Claudius, Graves
 Ivanhoe, Scott
 Jane Eyre, Bronte
 Lanark: A Life in Four Books, Gray
 Le Morte d’Arthur: King Arthur and the Legends
of the Round Table, Malory
 Lord Jim, Conrad
 Lord of the Flies, Golding
 The Mayor of Casterbridge, Hardy
 Middlemarch, Eliot
Short Stories (2 per semester):
 The Adventure of the Red-headed League,
Doyle
 The Adventure of the Speckled Band, Doyle
 Araby. Joyce
 At the Pitt-Rivers, Lively
 Beware of the Dog, Dahl
 Clay, Joyce
 A Cup of Tea, Mansfield
 The Demon Lover, Bowen
 A Devoted Son, Desai
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Murder on the Orient Express, Christie
Mrs. Dalloway, Woolf
The Nine Guardians, Castellanos
Oliver Twist, Dickens
Out of the Silent Planet, Lewis
A Passage to India, Forster
Pedro Paramo, Rulfo
The Pilgrim’s Progress, Bunyon
The Pillars of the Earth, Follett
Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, Joyce
The Power and the Glory, Greene
Pride and Prejudice, Austen
The Pursuit of Love, Mitford
Rebecca, du Maurier
The Riddle of the Sands, Childers
Sense and Sensibility, Austen
Silas Marner, Eliot
Sybil, Disraeli
A Tale of Two Cities, Dickens
To the Lighthouse, Woolf
The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, Bronte
Tess of the d’Urbervilles, Hardy
The Time Machine, Wells
Tom Jones, Fielding
Treasure Island, Stevenson
Ulysses, Joyce
Vanity Fair, Thackeray
Watership Down, Adams
The Way of All Flesh, Butler
The Woman in White, Collins
Wuthering Heights, Bronte
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The Door in the Wall, Wells
Federigo’s Falcon, Boccaccio
The Garden Party, Mansfield
A Haunted House, Woolf
Home, Chekhov
The King is Dead, Long Live the King, Coleridge
The Lady in the Looking Glass: A Reflection,
Woolf
The Lagoon, Conrad
A Little Cloud, Joyce
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 Man from the South, Dahl
 The Mouse, Saki
 Next Term We’ll Mash You, Lively
 The Nightingale and the Rose, Wilde
 No Witchcraft for Sale, Lessing
 The Open Window, Saki
 The Poor Relation’s Story, Dickens
 The Rain Horse, Hughes
 Rikki-Tikki-Tavi, Kipling
 The Rocking Horse Winner, Lawrence
 A Shocking Accident, Greene
Dramas (1 per semester):
 As You Like It, Shakespeare
 Doctor Faustus, Marlowe
 Faust, Wolfgang von Goethe
 Hamlet, Shakespeare
 Heartbreak House, Shaw
 An Ideal Husband, Wilde
 The Importance of Being Ernest, Wilde
 King Lear, Shakespeare
 Macbeth, Shakespeare
 A Man for All Seasons, Bolt
 Measure for Measure, Shakespeare
 Much Ado About Nothing, Shakespeare
Poems (2 per semester):
Poems by
 Alfred, Lord Tennyson
 William Blake
 Emily Bronte
 Elizabeth Barrett Browning
 Robert Browning
 Robert Burns
 William Butler Yeats
 Lewis Carroll
 John Donne
 T.S. Eliot
 George Gordon, Lord Byron
 Thomas Hardy
 George Herbert
Old English Poems:
 The Battle of Maldon
 Caedmon’s Hymn
 The Dream of the Rood
9
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Six Feet of the Country, Gordimer
The Sniper, O’Flaherty
The Stranger, Mansfield
Through the Tunnel, Lessing
The Train from Rhodesia, Gordimer
An Upheaval, Chekhov
V.S. Naipaul, Wordsworth
Wasps’ Nests, Christie
Stories from The Dubliners, Joyce
Other selections from James Joyce, D.H.
Lawrence, Joseph Conrad, Virginia Woolf
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Oedipus the King, Sophocles
Othello, Shakespeare
Pygmalion, Shaw
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead,
Stoppard
The Rising of the Moon, Gregory
She Stoops to Conquer, Goldsmith
The Taming of the Shrew, Shakespeare
Tartuffe, Poquelin Moliere
The Tempest, Shakespeare
Waiting for Godot, Beckett
The Way of the World, Congreve
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John Keats
Rudyard Kipling
Christopher Marlowe
Andrew Marvell
John Milton
Alexander Pope
Christina Rosetti
William Shakespeare
Percy Bysshe Shelley
Edmund Spenser
Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Dylan Thomas
William Wordsworth
Nonfiction, Graphic Novels, and Memoirs (1 per semester):
If a different title is preferred, please submit it to your EF for approval.
 All Creature Great and Small, Herriot
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 The Diary, Pepys
Katherine the Queen: The Remarkable Life of
Katherine Parr, Porter
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The King’s Speech: How One Man Saved the
British Monarchy, Logue & Conradi
The Last Lion I, Manchester
The Last Lion II, Manchester
The Last Lion III, Manchester
The Life and Times of Charles I, Watson
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The Life of Samuel Johnson, Boswell
My Early Life, Churchill
Tower: An Epic History of the Tower of London,
Jones
Our First Revolution, Barone
Essays, Articles, and Speeches (2 per semester):
Historical Documents, Medical Journals, Instructions, News Articles (ask EF)
 New Year’s Eve – C. Lamb
 The Advantages of Having One Leg – G. K.
 Night Walks – C. Dickens
Chesterton
 Of Anger – T. Fuller
 Aristotle at Afternoon Tea – O. Wilde
 Of Spring - S. Johnson
 Charles II’s Declaration to London – King Charles
 Of Studies – F. Bacon
II
 On 18th Century England – R. Rodriguez
 Charles Dickens – G. Orwell
 On 19th Century England – E. McCracken
 A Child’s Christmas in Wales - D. Thomas
 On Frankenstein- E. McCracken
 “Blood, Toil, Tears, and Sweat” - W. Churchill
 On Lying in Bed – G. K. Chesterton
 Broken Memories – E. Thomas
 “The Rights We Enjoy, the Duties We Owe” – T.
 Dyas of Obligation – R. Rodriguez
Blair
 A Defense of Poetry – P. Shelley
 “Shakespeare’s Sister” – V. Woolf
 England’s Gren, Fertile Land – B. Raffel
 She Would Have Enjoyed It – G. B. Shaw
 Essays – M. de Montaigne
 Shooting an Elephant – G. Orwell
 The Fallacy of Success – G. Chesterton
 Speech Before Her Troops - Queen Elizabeth I
 Gunpowder Plot Sermon – L. Andrewes
 Speech to Parliament in Defense of the Lower
 A Hanging – G. Orwell
Classes – G. Gordon, Lord Byron
 A History of the English Church and People –
 Three Men in a Boat - J. Jerome
Bede
 A Vindication of the Rights of Woman – M.
 January in the Sussex Woods – R. Jefferies
Wollstonecraft
 “The Lady’s Not for Turning” – M. Thatcher
 “We Shall Fight on the Beaches” – W. Churchill
 Life in Elizabethan and Jacobean England – F.
 We’ll Never Conquer Space – A. Clarke
Kermode
 A Wet Night in London – R. Jefferies
 Macbeth as King - I. Johnston
 The White Knight’s Song – L. Carroll
 A Modest Proposal – J. Swift
 Words and Behavior – A. Huxley
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 12, Prentice Hall Literature Common Core (student edition, answer key).
-Vocabu-Lit I Common Core Edition, Grade 12, Perfection Learning.
-Vocabulary Builder, Course 7, Glencoe. 2005.
-Vocabulary in Context for the Common Core Standards, Grade 12, Steck Vaughn School.
-Vocabulary for Achievement, Grade 12, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
-Vocabulary from Classical Roots, Level F.
-Wordly Wise Book 12, 3rd Edition, Grade 12 (CCSS aligned).
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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 All papers must be MLA format.
 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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British Literature
Additional ELA resources
12
Ask EF for additional print and/or online resources.
Assessment Guides/Test Prep
 Diagnostic and Benchmark Tests, Grade 12. Prentice Hall.
 Mirrors & Windows Common Core Assessment Practice, Level VII. EMC Publishing.
 Performance Assessment, Grade 12. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
 English Language Arts 12 Common Core State Standards. Solaro Study Guide.
Close Readers
 Collections, Grade 12. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
 Common Core ELA Exemplar Resource, Grade 11-12. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
Graphic Organizers, Writing Workshops, Performance Tasks
 Common Core Companion, Grade 12. Prentice Hall Literature Common Core Edition (student edition).
 Common Core Student Companion Workbook, Grade 12. Pearson Literature 2015.
Writing Workbooks, Essay Scorers
 All-in-One Workbook, Grade 12. 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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