Instructional Timeline – 10th Grade ELAR
Unit One: The Short Story and Narrative Writing
Suggested Time Frame: ≈ 4 weeks
Introduction
The Instructional Timeline is provided for teachers to assist with the organization of the
nine/six weeks of TEKS/SE into shorter periods of time. This timeline includes 0 week(s) for
teachers to extend instruction and/or to reteach as necessary.
Description
Students will analyze similarities and differences in moral dilemmas across different cultures,
analyze short stories for what they suggest about the historical period and cultural context in
which they were written, and compare and contrast themes across different cultures.
Students should also be able to apply these themes to their own understanding of the
immediate world. Cooperative learning and class discussion should be incorporated
throughout the unit to aid in this process.
The writing portion of the unit will focus on narrative writing. The narrative should contain an
engaging story with a well-developed conflict and resolution, interesting and believable
characters, a range of literary strategies and devices to enhance the plot, and sensory details
that define the mood or tone. The topic of the narrative should be related to a theme explored
through the study of the short story unit.
Extension TEKS are included for teachers to use as appropriate within the context of lessons;
extension TEKS are not required in the unit and will be addressed in subsequent units.
TEKS/SE
taught during
this period and
eligible for
testing on
district
assessments
Bold and
underlined
TEKS/SE are
high stakes for
our district
(less than
___% mastery
on TAKS)
Bold TEKS/SE
are assessed
on TAKS
Reading/Vocabulary
Reading/Comprehension Skills. Students use a flexible range of metacognitive reading
skills in both assigned and independent reading to understand an author’s message.
Students will continue to apply earlier standards with greater depth in increasingly more
complex texts as they become self-directed, critical readers. The student is expected to:
(A) reflect on understanding to monitor comprehension (e.g., asking questions,
summarizing and synthesizing, making connections, creating sensory images);
(B) make complex inferences about text and use textual evidence to support
understanding.
(1) Reading/Vocabulary Development. Students understand new vocabulary and use it
when reading and writing. Students are expected to:
(A) determine the meaning of grade-level technical academic English words in
multiple content areas (e.g., science, mathematics, social studies, the arts) derived
from Latin, Greek, or other linguistic roots and affixes;
(B) analyze textual context (within a sentence and in larger sections of text) to
distinguish between the denotative and connotative meanings of words;
(C) infer word meaning through the identification and analysis of analogies and other
word relationships;
(D) show the relationship between the origins and meaning of foreign words or
phrases used frequently in written English and historical events or developments
(e.g., glasnost, avant-garde, coup d'état); and
(E) use a dictionary, a glossary, or a thesaurus (printed or electronic) to determine or
confirm the meanings of words and phrases, including their connotations and
denotations, and their etymology.
(2) Reading/Comprehension of Literary Text/Theme and Genre. Students analyze, make
inferences and draw conclusions about theme and genre in different cultural, historical, and
contemporary contexts and provide evidence from the text to support their understanding.
Students are expected to:
(A) compare and contrast differences in similar themes expressed in different time
periods;
(C) relate the figurative language of a literary work to its historical and cultural
setting.
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Instructional Timeline – 10th Grade ELAR
Unit One: The Short Story and Narrative Writing
(5) Reading/Comprehension of Literary Text/Fiction. Students understand, make
inferences and draw conclusions about the structure and elements of fiction and provide
evidence from text to support their understanding. Students are expected to:
(A) analyze isolated scenes and their contribution to the success of the plot as a
whole in a variety of works of fiction;
(B) analyze differences in the characters' moral dilemmas in works of fiction across
different countries or cultures;
(C) evaluate the connection between forms of narration (e.g., unreliable, omniscient)
and tone in works of fiction; and
(D) demonstrate familiarity with works by authors from non-English-speaking literary
traditions with emphasis on 20th century world literature.
(6) Reading/Comprehension of Literary Text/Literary Nonfiction. Students understand,
make inferences and draw conclusions about the varied structural patterns and features of
literary nonfiction and provide evidence from text to support their understanding. Students are
expected to evaluate the role of syntax and diction and the effect of voice, tone, and imagery
on a speech, literary essay, or other forms of literary nonfiction.
(7) Reading/Comprehension of Literary Text/Sensory Language. Students understand,
make inferences and draw conclusions about how an author's sensory language creates
imagery in literary text and provide evidence from text to support their understanding.
Students are expected to explain the function of symbolism, allegory, and allusions in literary
works.
(8) Reading/Comprehension of Informational Text/Culture and History. Students
analyze, make inferences and draw conclusions about the author's purpose in cultural,
historical, and contemporary contexts and provide evidence from the text to support their
understanding. Students are expected to analyze the controlling idea and specific purpose of
a passage and the textual elements that support and elaborate it, including both the most
important details and the less important details.
(9) Reading/Comprehension of Informational Text/Expository Text. Students analyze,
make inferences and draw conclusions about expository text and provide evidence from text
to support their understanding. Students are expected to:
(A) summarize text and distinguish between a summary and a critique and identify
non-essential information in a summary and unsubstantiated opinions in a critique
(B) distinguish among different kinds of evidence used to support conclusions and
arguments in texts
(12) Reading/Media Literacy. Students use comprehension skills to analyze how words,
images, graphics, and sounds work together in various forms to impact meaning. Students
will continue to apply earlier standards with greater depth in increasingly more complex texts.
Students are expected to:
(A) evaluate how messages presented in media reflect social and cultural views in
ways different from traditional texts;
(D) evaluate changes in formality and tone within the same medium for specific
audiences and purposes.
Writing and Oral/Written Conventions
(13) Writing/Writing Process. Students use elements of the writing process (planning,
drafting, revising, editing, and publishing) to compose text. Students are expected to:
(A) plan a first draft by selecting the correct genre for conveying the intended
meaning to multiple audiences, determining appropriate topics through a range of
strategies (e.g., discussion, background reading, personal interests, interviews), and
developing a thesis or controlling idea;
(C) revise drafts to improve style, word choice, figurative language, sentence variety,
and subtlety of meaning after rethinking how well questions of purpose, audience,
and genre have been addressed;
(D) edit drafts for grammar, mechanics, and spelling;
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Instructional Timeline – 10th Grade ELAR
Unit One: The Short Story and Narrative Writing
(E) revise final draft in response to feedback from peers and teacher and publish
written work for appropriate audiences.
(14) Writing/Literary Texts. Students write literary texts to express their ideas and feelings
about real or imagined people, events, and ideas. Students are responsible for at least two
forms of literary writing. Students are expected to:
(A) write an engaging story with a well-developed conflict and resolution, interesting
and believable characters, a range of literary strategies (e.g., dialogue, suspense)
and devices to enhance the plot, and sensory details that define the mood or tone
(17) Oral and Written Conventions/Conventions. Students understand the function of and
use the conventions of academic language when speaking and writing. Students will continue
to apply earlier standards with greater complexity. Students are expected to:
(A) use and understand the function of the following parts of speech in the context of
reading, writing, and speaking:
(i) more complex active and passive tenses and verbals (gerunds, infinitives,
participles);
(ii) restrictive and nonrestrictive relative clauses;
(iii) reciprocal pronouns (e.g., each other, one another);
(C) use a variety of correctly structured sentences (e.g., compound, complex,
compound-complex).
(18) Oral and Written Conventions/Handwriting, Capitalization, and Punctuation.
Students write legibly and use appropriate capitalization and punctuation conventions in their
compositions. Students are expected to:
(A) use conventions of capitalization;
(B) use correct punctuation marks including:
(i) comma placement in nonrestrictive phrases, clauses, and contrasting
expressions;
(ii) quotation marks to indicate sarcasm or irony;
(iii) dashes to emphasize parenthetical information.
(19) Oral and Written Conventions/Spelling. Students spell correctly. Students are
expected to spell correctly, including using various resources to determine and check correct
spellings.
Listening and Speaking
(24) Listening and Speaking/Listening. Students will use comprehension skills to listen
attentively to others in formal and informal settings. Students will continue to apply earlier
standards with greater complexity. Students are expected to:
(A) listen responsively to a speaker by taking notes the summarize, synthesize, or
highlight the speaker's ideas for critical reflection and by asking questions related to
the content for clarification and elaboration
(B) follow and give complex oral instructions to perform specific tasks, answer
questions, solve problems, and complete processes
(26) Listening and Speaking/Teamwork. Students work productively with others in teams.
Students will continue to apply earlier standards with greater complexity. Students are
expected to participate productively in teams, building on the ideas of others, contributing
relevant information, developing a plan for consensus-building and setting ground rules for
decision-making.
Extension
TEKS
(Optional)
(9) Reading/Comprehension of Informational Text/Expository Text. Students analyze,
make inferences and draw conclusions about expository text and provide evidence from
text to support their understanding. Students are expected to:
(C) make and defend subtle inferences and complex conclusions about the ideas in
text and their organizational patterns.
(D) synthesize and make logical connections between ideas and details in several
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Instructional Timeline – 10th Grade ELAR
Unit One: The Short Story and Narrative Writing
texts selected to reflect a range of viewpoints on the same topic and support those
finding with textual evidence.
(11) Reading/Comprehension of Informational Text/Procedural Texts. Students
understand how to glean and use information in procedural texts and documents. Students
are expected to:
(B) synthesize information from multiple graphical sources to draw conclusions
about the ideas presented (e.g., maps, charts, schematics).
(12) Reading/Media Literacy. Students use comprehension skills to analyze how words,
images, graphics, and sounds work together in various forms to impact meaning. Students
will continue to apply earlier standards with greater depth in increasingly more complex
texts. Students are expected to:
(B) analyze how messages in media are conveyed through visual and sound
techniques.
(C) examine how individual perception or bias in coverage of the same event
influences the audience.
(14) Writing/Literary Texts. Students write literary texts to express their ideas and feelings
about real or imagined people, events, and ideas. Students are responsible for at least two
forms of literary writing. Students are expected to:
(C) write a script with an explicit or implicit theme and details that contribute to a
definite mood or tone.
Generalizations
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Essential
Questions
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© Round Rock I.S.D.
Readers use a variety of strategies and tools to comprehend text.
Similar themes expressed in different time periods have similarities and differences.
Figurative language reflects the historical and cultural setting of a literary work.
The success of the plot is influenced by the contribution of individual scenes within a
fictional work.
The moral dilemmas characters face in works of fiction may vary across countries or
cultures.
Tone is influence by the form of narration (e.g., unreliable, omniscient) used in a
fictional work.
Literary nonfiction is constructed any number of ways and is not limited to the
organizational patterns normally associated with nonfiction texts.
Effective readers distinguish among different kinds of evidence (e.g., logical, empiral,
anecdotal), used to support conclusions and arguments.
Media reflects social and cultural views differently than texts.
Writers use the writing process (planning, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing)
to compose written works for various purposes.
Regardless of cultural or social circumstances, similar moral and social dilemmas
present themselves as a universal part of human experience.
Universal themes that often appear in literary texts include: love, coming of age,
identity, good vs. evil, power, triumph over adversity, redemption, etc.
What strategies and tools do readers use to comprehend text?
How do the themes of different time periods compare/contrast?
Why do similar themes occur in different pieces of literature?
How do works of literature reveal important information about the time period or
culture in which they were written?
How does sensory language used in literature help readers to understand a work’s
cultural origins?
How are ideas and values represented in literature from different cultures
similar/different to commonly held ideas and values in our culture?
What common ideas about humanity are represented in literature from various
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Instructional Timeline – 10th Grade ELAR
Unit One: The Short Story and Narrative Writing
cultures?
Core
Components
Teaching Notes
Ongoing Suggested Teaching Practices: Reader's/Writer's Workshop, Literature Circles,
Pair/Share, Jigsaw
Pacing Considerations: consider teaching a minimum 3-4 short stories for this unit
Vocabulary
TEA Glossary – English / Spanish
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Curricular
Connections
(within,
between, and
among
disciplines)
A-M
Allegory
Allusion
Anecdotal evidence
Antagonist
Author’s purpose
Characterization
Conflict
Connotation
Cultural diversity
Critique
Denotation
Diction
Dynamic
Empirical evidence
Figurative language
Flat
Imagery
Inference
Logical evidence
Mood
Moral dilemma
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N-Z
Narrative
Plot
Point of view
Protagonist
Round
Setting
Static
Symbolism
Syntax
Theme
Tone
Voice
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ELAR/TEKS Vertical Alignment K-12
Social Studies Alignment (Optional)
Fine Arts (Optional)
Required
Lessons
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Theme
Characterization (Direct and Indirect)
Narrative Writing (including the writing process)
Open Ended Literary Response questions
Recommended
Lessons and
Learning
Experiences
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Review/Reteach Literary Terms (plot, character, conflict, etc.) - Glencoe p. 34
Vocabulary Workshops – Glencoe
Inference - Glencoe p. 58
Writing Process – Glencoe p. 68
Theme and Character – Glencoe p. 70-71
Narrator and Voice – Glencoe p. 148-149
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Instructional Timeline – 10th Grade ELAR
Unit One: The Short Story and Narrative Writing
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Differentiation:
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Instructional
Resources
Suggestions for scaffolding learning by employing strategies for diverse learners
within the classroom setting (i.e.: Special Education, TAG, 504, ESL).
English Language Proficiency Standards Student Expectations with Sentence
Stems and Activities to support implementation of the Standards (Note: when
you open the link, it may ask you for a certificate or if it is OK to open the file, click
OK each time you see the screens.)
Websites
 Read Write Think
 Rubistar Rubric Builder
 Reading and Writing Inventories/Surveys
Kits
SmartCard kits
Textbook
 The Open Window by Saki (10-16)
 Contents of a Dead Man’s Pocket by Jack Finney
 An Astrologer’s Day by R. K. Narayan (38-46)
 Civil Peace by Chinua Achebe (48-55)
 The Masque of Red Death by Edgar Allan Poe (57-68)
 Two Kinds by Amy Tan (72-86)
 Tuesday Siesta by Gabriel Garcia Marquez (88-97)
 Living to Tell the Tale by Gabriel Garcia Marquez (99-101)
 When Mr. Pirzada Came to Dine by Jhumpa Lahiri (102-120)
 To Da-duh, in Memorium by Paule Marshall (123-135)
 The Censors by Luisa Valenzuela (136-141)
 Cry of the Ancient Mariner by Carl Safina (142-146)
 Everyday Use by Alice Walker (150-161)
 Through the Tunnel, The Vision Quest, Dear Pie (162-181)
 Catch the Moon by Judith Ortiz Cofer (182-193)
 And of Clay We Are Created by Isabel Allende (194-208)
 Lullaby by Leslie Marmon Silko (215-227)
Professional References
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Anderson, Jeff - Everyday Editing
Anderson, Jeff - Mechanically Inclined: Building Grammar, Usage, and Style into Writer’s
Workshop
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Burke, Jim - Writing Reminders
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Daniels, Harvey and Steineke, Nancy - Mini-Lessons for Literature Circles
Geye, Susan - Mini Lessons for Revision: How to Teach Writing Skills, Language Usage,
Grammar, and Mechanics in the Writing Process
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Golden,John – Reading in the Dark: Using Film as a Tool in the English Classroom
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© Round Rock I.S.D.
Graff, Gerald and Birkenstein, Cathy - “They Say/ I Say”: The Moves That Matter in Academic
Writing
Ledbetter, Mary Ellen - Ready-to-Use English Workshop Activities for Grades 6-12: 180
Daily Lessons Integrating Literature, Writing & Grammar Skills
Muschla, Gary Robert - Reading Workshop Survival Kit
Urbanski, Cynthia - Using the Workshop Approach in the High School English
Classroom: Modeling Effective Writing, Reading, and Thinking Strategies for Student
Success
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Instructional Timeline – 10th Grade ELAR
Unit One: The Short Story and Narrative Writing
Assessment
Resources
Non-Negotiable Assessments/Work Products
 Narrative Writing - The narrative should contain an engaging story with a welldeveloped conflict and resolution, interesting and believable characters, a range of
literary strategies and devices to enhance the plot, and sensory details that define
the mood or tone. The topic of the narrative should be related to a theme explored
through the study of the short story unit.
Suggested Assessments/Work Products
 Reading and Writing Inventories/Surveys - Students evaluate their skills and
preferences for reading and writing activities. “Inventories” are similar to surveys.
 Group and Individual Discussions (i.e. Socratic seminar, literature circles)
Ongoing Assessments
 Conferencing
Tools
 Rubrics
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