Grade 11 English Curriculum

Pre-assessment: English 11
First days of school
Reading Comprehension: Multiple choice & open endedWriting: SAT essay sample, goal setting for writing, concept and development of writing folders
(3.1.12.H.2) (3.2.12.B.12) (3.3.12.B.9) (3.4.12.B.5)
Vocabulary: Demo how to do word wall (pre-assessment can take place with each list)
Grammar: Pre-assessment can take place with each unit
Unit 1: Aesthetic Judgment
Essential Questions:
  • How do the individual elements of a text interrelate? (3.1.A)
  • How does the context of a word contribute to an understanding of its meaning? (3.1.C)
  • How does one effectively read multiple texts across genres? (3.1.D)
  • What strategies do effective readers use before, during, and after the reading of a text? (3.1.E)
  • How can one use etymology to decode the meanings of unfamiliar words? (3.1.F)
  • How do literary techniques contribute to the overall meaning of a text? (3.1.G)
  • How do multiple texts communicate similar meanings? (3.1.H)
  • How can one utilize knowledge gained through reading within his/her own writing? (3.2.B)
  • How can one determine the effectiveness of a text? (3.2.D)
  • How can a speaker clarify his/her position in response to on-the-spot audience questions? (3.3.B)
  • How can one construct meaning through various media? (3.5.A)
  • How can a presenter incorporate images, text, graphics, and sound in order to establish point of view? (3.5.C)

Common Reading / Intertextual Analysis / Writing Argument
September-Mid October
Essential Question:
What is aesthetic value? (What is beauty?)
How does The Great Gatsby exhibit aesthetic value?
The Great Gatsby
(3.1.12.E.3)
(3.1.12.G.4)
(3.1.12.G.12)
(3.1.12.G.13) / September-Mid October
Intertextual Thinking:
Essential Question:
How does the aesthetic value of Bodega Dreams compare with the aesthetic value of The Great Gatsby?
(3.1.12.A.2)
(3.1.12.G.14)
(3.1.12.H.9)
Bodega Dreams / Mid October-November
Argument I: Aesthetic Argument(3.1.12.G.24)
(3.1.12.A.1)
(3.1.12.A.4)
(3.1.12.A.5)
(3.1.12.A.6)
(3.1.12.A.7)
(3.1.12.A.8)
(3.1.12.B.3)
(3.1.12.B.7)
(3.1.12.B.8)
(3.1.12.B.9)
(3.1.12.B.11)
(3.1.12.C.1)
(3.1.12.C.4)
(3.1.12.C.5)
(3.1.12.C.6)
(3.1.12.C.7)
(3.1.12.D.1)
(3.1.12.D.2)
(3.1.12.D.3)
(3.1.12.D.5)
(3.1.12.D.7)
(3.1.12.D.8)
Word Study:
Independent: portable word wall
Shared: SAT vocabulary
Focused on: 3.1.12.F.1 / Word Study:
Independent: portable word wall
Shared: SAT vocabulary
Focused on: 3.1.12.F.1 / Word Study:
Independent: portable word wall
Shared: SAT vocabulary
Focused on: 3.1.12.F.2
Grammar Study:
Signal words (SAT sentence completion: Part One)
(3.2.12.B.13)
(3.2.12.C.2)
(3.2.12.C3)
Performance Assessment (Group):
Using your understanding of aesthetics, create a text (PowerPoint, Movie Maker, iMovie) comparing two works, one classical (a painting or sculpture, piece of “serious” music, critically acclaimed film, established piece of literature) with a contemporary piece from the same or a similar genre, though it must be clear that you know the characteristics of the genres (3.1.12.H.7; 3.1.12.H.8; 3.2.12.B.10; 3.2.12.D.4; 3.3.12.B.6; 3.5.12.A.1; 3.5.12.A.2; 3.5.12.A.3; 3.5.12.A.4; 3.5.12.C.4).
Unit 2: Using Definition to Frame Reading and Writing
Essential Questions:
  • How do effective readers use textual features in order to better comprehend information? (3.1.A)
  • What is the relationship between past literary traditions and contemporary writing? (3.1.G)
  • How are time period and genre reflected in the text of choice? (3.1.G)
  • How do effective writers utilize varying sentence structure? (3.2.C)
  • How do effective presenters select passages from a text that illustrate a larger meaning? (3.3.B)
  • How are texts within a specific time period indicative of an overall social reality? (3.5.A)

Common Reading / Writing / Problem-Based Reading
November – December
Using Definition to Frame Reading: Modernism and Postmodernism (minimum: three texts from each category, with representation from each genre)
(3.1.12.G.1)
(3.1.12.G.2)
(3.1.12.G.12)
Essential Question:
How are time period and genre reflected in the text of choice?
Modernist
Ernest Hemingway (short story)
John Steinbeck (“Flight”)
William Faulkner (“Two Soldiers”)
Flannery O’Connor
Joyce Carol Oates (“Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been”)
William Carlos Williams
ee cummings
W.H. Auden
Wallace Stevens
Postmodernist
Alice Walker
Paul Auster (selections from The Art of Hunger)
Raymond Carver
John Updike (“A&P”)
Tim O’Brien (“How to Tell a True War Story”)
Ernest Gaines (A Lesson Before Dying)
Ginsberg
Kerouac
Plath
Pinsky
Collins / November – December
Respond to a Text
Study of structure and style in poetry and application of knowledge to nonfiction text.
(3.1.12.G.4)
(3.1.12.A.1)
(3.1.12.A.4)
(3.1.12.A.5)
(3.1.12.A.6)
(3.1.12.A.7)
(3.1.12.A.8)
(3.1.12.B.1)
(3.1.12.B.3)
(3.1.12.B.9)
(3.1.12.B.11)
(3.1.12.C.1)
(3.1.12.C.4)
(3.1.12.C.5)
(3.1.12.C.6)
(3.1.12.C.7)
(3.1.12.D.1)
(3.1.12.D.2)
(3.1.12.D.3)
(3.1.12.D.5)
(3.1.12.D.7)
(3.1.12.G.10) / December-January
Literature Circles (Basic & CP): Students apply definitions of movements to reading of their own choice:
(3.1.12.D.1)
Old School, Tobias Wolff
Am I Blue, Marion Bauer
Fallen Angels, Walter Dean Meyers
Quaking, Kathryn Erskine
In the Shadow of No Towers, Art Spiegelman
The Body of Christopher Creed, Carol Plum-Ucci
After the First Death, Robert Cormier
No Exit, Jean-Paul Sartre
Author Study (Honors): Students apply definitions of movements to multiple texts from single author of choice:
(3.1.12.D.1)
Modernist
Thornton Wilder (Our Town, Skin of Our Teeth)
Ernest Hemingway (In Our Time, The Sun Also Rises)
William Faulkner (The Sound and the Fury, “The Bear”)
Tennessee Williams (A Streetcar Named Desire, The Glass Menagerie)
Arthur Miller (The Crucible, Death of a Salesman)
Postmodernist
Pat Conroy (Lords of Discipline, My Losing Season)
August Wilson (Fences, The Piano Lesson)
Andre Dubus II (“The Killings”, essay)
Kurt Vonnegut (Slaughterhouse Five, Welcome to the Monkey House)
Word Study:
Independent: portable word wall
Shared: SAT vocabulary
Focused on: 3.1.12.F.2 / Word Study:
Independent: portable word wall
Shared: SAT vocabulary
Focused on: 3.1.12.F.5 / Word Study:
Independent: portable word wall
Shared: SAT vocabulary
Focused on: 3.1.12.F.5
Grammar Study:
Sentence types (SAT sentence completion: Part Two)
(3.2.12.B.13)
(3.2.12.C.2)
(3.2.12.C3)
Performance Assessment (Group):
Using your understanding of literary traditions, create a lesson for the class that defines a past literary tradition using a teacher-assigned text unique to your group, and then evaluates the relationship of that tradition to a contemporary literary tradition, using a text of your group’s choice.
MIDTERM EXAMINATION
Unit 3
Essential Questions:
  • Why does a writer choose a particular form of writing? (3.2.D)
  • How do writers develop a well-written product? (3.2 B)
  • How do writers critique the validity of arguments advanced in public documents? (3.1.12.H.6)
  • How do writers select appropriate electronic media for research and evaluate the quality of the information received? (3.1.12.H.1)
  • How do writers critically select works to support a research topic? (3.1.12.H.3)
  • How does a speaker demonstrate effective delivery? (3.3.12.D.3)

Inquiry and Research / Inquiry and Research / Inquiry and Research
Midterm-early February
I-Search
(3.1.12.D.3)
(3.1.12.g.15)
(3.1.12.G.16)
(3.1.12.G.17)
(3.1.12.G.18)
(3.1.12.G.20)
(3.1.12.H.1)
(3.1.12.H.3)
(3.1.12.H.4)
(3.1.12.H.5) / February-early March
Essential Question:
In research-based writing, how are process and product related?
I-Search
(3.1.12.A.1)
(3.1.12.A.2)
(3.1.12.A.4)
(3.1.12.A.5)
(3.1.12.A.6)
(3.1.12.A.7)
(3.1.12.A.8)
(3.1.12.B.2)
(3.1.12.B.3)
(3.1.12.B.7)
(3.1.12.B.9)
(3.1.12.B.11)
(3.1.12.C.1)
(3.1.12.C.4)
(3.1.12.C.5)
(3.1.12.C.7)
(3.1.12.D.1)
(3.1.12.D.2)
(3.1.12.D.3)
(3.1.12.D.4)
(3.1.12.D.5)
(3.1.12.D.7) / March
 I-Search
Word Study:
Independent: portable word wall
Shared: SAT vocabulary
Focused on: 3.1.12.F.3 / Word Study:
Independent: portable word wall
Shared: SAT vocabulary
Focused on: 3.1.12.F.3 / Word Study:
Independent: portable word wall
Shared: SAT vocabulary
Focused on: 3.1.12.F.4
Grammar Study:
Sentence combining: subordinate clauses
(3.2.12.B.13)
(3.2.12.C.2)
(3.2.12.C3)
Performance Assessment (Individual):
Live presentation of abstract of I-Search and “snapshot” that captures the essence of the paper, with feedback from the audience (3.1.12.H.8; 3.3.12.C.1; 3.3.12.C.2; 3.3.12.D.1; 3.3.12.D.2; 3.3.12.D.3; 3.3.12.D.4; 3.3.12.D.5; 3.3.12.D.6; 3.4.12.A.1; 3.4.12.A.3; 3.4.12.B.1).
Unit 4: The Expression of Self in Writing
Essential Questions:
  • How do good writers express themselves? (3.2.A)
  • How does process shape the writer’s product? (3.2.A)
  • How do readers construct meaning through text? (3.1.G)
  • How do readers analyze how an author’s use of words creates tone and mood, and how an author’s choice of words advances the theme of the work? (3.1.12.G.9)
  • How do writers use literary devices to affect reading emotions and understanding? (3.1.12.G.6)
  • (Need EQ(s) re: Performance Assessment)

Common Reading / Personal Writing / Literature Circles
April-first week in May
Readings from Common Ground
(3.1.12.G.4)
(3.1.12.G.6)
(3.1.12.G.7)
(3.1.12.G.8)
(3.1.12.G.9)
(3.1.12.G.10) / May
Essential Question:
How do good writers express themselves?
College Essay
(3.1.12.G.19)
(3.1.12.A.1)
(3.1.12.A.4)
(3.1.12.A.5)
(3.1.12.A.6)
(3.1.12.A.7)
(3.1.12.A.8)
(3.1.12.B.1)
(3.1.12.B.9)
(3.1.12.B.11)
(3.1.12.C.1)
(3.1.12.C.4)
(3.1.12.C.5)
(3.1.12.C.6)
(3.1.12.C.7)
(3.1.12.D.1)
(3.1.12.D.2)
(3.1.12.D.5)
(3.1.12.D.6)
(3.1.12.D.7) / June
A Boy’s Life, Tobias Wolff
Manchild in the Promised Land, Claude Brown
Who Killed My Daughter? Lois Duncan
The Autobiography of Malcolm X
Down These Mean Streets, Piri Thomas
Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman! Richard Feynman
The Color of Water, James McBride
Funny in Farsi: A Memoir of Growing Up Iranian in America, Firoozeh Dumas
Pedro and Me, J. Winnick
Lost in Translation, Eva Hoffman
When I Was Puerto Rican, Esmerelda Santiago
The Woman Warrior, Maxine Hong Kingston
Hunger of Memory, Richard Rodriguez
(3.1.12.A.2)
(3.1.12.D.1)
(3.1.12.G.14)
(3.1.12.H.9)
Word Study:
Independent: portable word wall
Shared: SAT vocabulary
Focused on: 3.1.12.F.4 / Word Study:
Independent: portable word wall
Shared: SAT vocabulary
Focused on: Review of 3.1.12.F / Word Study:
Independent: portable word wall
Shared: SAT vocabulary
Focused on: Review of 3.1.12.F
Grammar Study:
Sentence combining: combining coordinate & subordinate structures
(3.2.12.B.13)
(3.2.12.C.2)
(3.2.12.C3)
Performance Assessment (Individual):
Creation of an electronic portfolio that could be sent to colleges. Portfolio should include presentation of college essay and/or best piece of writing, along with images, film, and sound (including voice-over narration) that support what the essay is saying (3.1.12.H.2; 3.1.12.H.7; 3.2.12.B.10; 3.2.12.B.12; 3.2.12.D.4).
FINAL EXAMINATION

GRADE 11 / Unit 1

Aesthetic Judgment
Essential Questions
How do the individual elements of a text interrelate? (3.1.A)
How does the context of a word contribute to an understanding of its meaning? (3.1.C)
How does one effectively read multiple texts across genres? (3.1.D)
What strategies do effective readers use before, during, and after the reading of a text? (3.1.E)
How can one use etymology to decode the meanings of unfamiliar words? (3.1.F)
How do literary techniques contribute to the overall meaning of a text? (3.1.G)
How do multiple texts communicate similar meanings? (3.1.H)
How can one utilize knowledge gained through reading within his/her own writing? (3.2.B)
How can one determine the effectiveness of a text? (3.2.D)
How can a speaker clarify his/her position in response to on-the-spot audience questions? (3.3.B)
How can one construct meaning through various media? (3.5.A)
How can a presenter incorporate images, text, graphics, and sound in order to establish point of view? (3.5.C)
NJCCCS (keyed throughout Curriculum Map, Teaching Points & Assessments)

TIMEFRAME

September – November

TEACHING POINTS

At the end of this unit…
Students will know… / Students will be able to… / As evidenced by…
  • the criteria for establishing aesthetic value
  • the ways in which different genres communicate ideas
  • the ways in which different texts connect
  • the differences between classic texts and contemporary texts
/
  • identify personal and shared criteria for evaluating the aesthetic value of a text
  • identify unique characteristics of different genres
  • determine how a specific text within a particular genre communicates its ideas
  • evaluate the effectiveness of a text’s presentation of its ideas
  • establish connections between different texts and genres
/
  • student creation of rubric designed to evaluate the aesthetic value of a text
  • written reflections on aesthetic value of a shared text: The Great Gatsby.
  • double entry reading journals on connections between The Great Gatsby
  • individual essays arguing for the aesthetic value of a student-selected text

FORMAL (PERFORMANCE) ASSESSMENT indicated on curriculum map

GRADE 11 / Unit 2

Using Definition to Frame Reading and Writing
Essential Questions
How do effective readers use textual features in order to better comprehend information? (3.1.A)
What is the relationship between past literary traditions and contemporary writing? (3.1.G)
How are time period and genre reflected in the text of choice? (3.1.G)
How do effective writers utilize varying sentence structure? (3.2.C)
How do effective presenters select passages from a text that illustrate a larger meaning? (3.3.B)
How are texts within a specific time period indicative of an overall social reality? (3.5.A)
NJCCCS (keyed throughout Curriculum Map, Teaching Points & Assessments)

TIMEFRAME

November – January

TEACHING POINTS

At the end of this unit…
Students will know… / Students will be able to… / As evidenced by…
  • the shared characteristics of texts within a specific time period
  • the shared characteristics of texts within a specific genre
  • the shared characteristics of multiple texts from a single author (honors)
  • the ways in which structure and style affect meaning within poetry
/
  • identify connections between historical events and expression of ideas within a particular time period
  • identify ways in which multiple texts within a single genre communicate ideas in similar ways
  • identify ways in which an author’s style and ideas extend across multiple writings
  • analyze the relationship between structure and meaning within the poetic form
/
  • completion of graphic organizers that establish similarities and differences among texts within and across time periods and genres
  • literature circle roles to enhance understanding and group analysis of texts
  • double entry reading journals on connections between text and time period, and text and genre

FORMAL (PERFORMANCE) ASSESSMENT indicated on curriculum map

GRADE 11 / Unit 3

Inquiry and Research
Essential Questions
Why does a writer choose a particular form of writing? (3.2.D)
How do writers develop a well-written product? (3.2 B)
How do writers critique the validity of arguments advanced in public documents? (3.1.12.H.6)
How do writers select appropriate electronic media for research and evaluate the quality of the information received? (3.1.12.H.1)
How do writers critically select works to support a research topic? (3.1.12.H.3)
How does a speaker demonstrate effective delivery? (3.3.12.D.3)
NJCCCS (keyed throughout Curriculum Map, Teaching Points & Assessments)

TIMEFRAME

Midterm – March

TEACHING POINTS

At the end of this unit…
Students will know… / Students will be able to… / As evidenced by…
  • the criteria for choosing a particular form of writing
  • the criteria for developing a well-written research paper topic
  • the criteria for critiquing the validity of arguments
  • the criteria for selecting appropriate electronic media for research
  • the criteria for critically selecting works to support a research topic
  • the criteria for demonstrating effective delivery
/
  • identify effective research-based persuasive writing techniques
  • write for an audience and purpose and include appropriate variation of form and style
  • determine the viability of topics for research-based persuasive writing
  • determine the validity of arguments
  • determine material appropriate for purpose and topic
  • demonstrate effective oral delivery of research-based persuasive findings
/
  • student selection of appropriate topic for research-based persuasive writing
  • student selection of appropriate arguments to support topic
  • student selection of appropriate electronic media to support purpose and topic
  • student selection of additional works to support purpose and topic
  • submission of individual I-Search paper
  • presentation of abstract of I-Search

FORMAL (PERFORMANCE) ASSESSMENT indicated on curriculum map

GRADE 11 / Unit 4

The Expression of Self in Writing
Essential Questions
How do good writers express themselves? (3.2.A)
How does process shape the writer’s product? (3.2.A)
How do readers construct meaning through text? (3.1.G)
How do readers analyze how an author’s use of words creates tone and mood, and how an author’s choice of words advances the theme of the work? (3.1.12.G.9)
How do writers use literary devices to affect reading emotions and understanding? (3.1.12.G.6)
(Need EQ(s) re: Performance Assessment)
NJCCCS (keyed throughout Curriculum Map, Teaching Points & Assessments)

TIMEFRAME

April – June

TEACHING POINTS

At the end of this unit…
Students will know… / Students will be able to… / As evidenced by…
  • the characteristics of effective personal writing techniques
  • the characteristics of personal writing as a genre
  • writers choose an audience and purpose
  • writers vary form and style to meet the needs of their purpose and audience
  • words create tone and mood
  • choice of words advance the theme of a work
  • the utilization of literary devices affect reading emotions and understanding
  • (Need in re: Performance Assessment)
/
  • identify the characteristics of effective personal writing techniques
  • identify the characteristics of personal writing as a genre
  • vary form and style to meet the needs of their purpose and audience
  • identify words used to create tone and mood
  • use diction to create tone and mood
  • identify words that advance the theme of a work
  • use diction that advances theme
  • identify those literary devices the affect emotion and understanding
  • use literary devices that affect emotion and understanding
  • (Need in re: Performance Assessment)
/
  • student annotation of teacher selected personal writings
  • open-ended assessment: What is personal writing?
  • written reflections on emotions and themes created through the use of diction
  • journal entries on the connection of literary devices to the development of mood/tone and theme
  • submission of individual personal narrative
  • (Need in re: to Performance Assessment)

FORMAL (PERFORMANCE) ASSESSMENT indicated on curriculum map