Curriculum Scope & Sequence – English
Grade: 7
Texts: Writing & Grammar Grade Seven, various novels and plays (The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Kidnapped, The Diary of Anne Frank, The Hobbit, Escape from Warsaw)
General Goals:
To develop the following skills:
- developing reading comprehension, vocabulary and explore literary devices by reading a variety of literature from the 19th & 20th centuries
- developing and utilizing organizational skills
- developing and expanding the use of the library for research projects
- reviewing and utilizing proper use of grammar (parts of speech, punctuation, and capitalization)
- reviewing the steps of writing and demonstrate skills in writing through the use of expository, descriptive, research-oriented tasks, and book reports
Goals By Term
Term 1 – Organizational skills; review parts of speech, punctuation, and capitalization; 19th century novel; the Writing Process; how to write a proper paragraph
Term 2 – Organization skills; trouble areas in parts of speech, punctuation, and capitalization; 20th century drama; how-to essay.
Term 3 – Organization skills; trouble areas in parts of speech, punctuation, and capitalization; 20th century novel; descriptive essay
Term 4 – Organizational skills and research/library skills; review parts of speech, punctuation, and capitalization; poetry; factual report requiring research
Grade: 8
Texts: Writing & Grammar Grade Eight, various novels and plays (The Golden Fleece, A Christmas Carol, Across Five Aprils, Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry)
General Goals:
To develop the following skills:
- developing reading comprehension, vocabulary and explore literary devices by reading a variety of literature from the 19th & 20th centuries
- developing and utilizing organizational skills
- developing and expanding their use of the library for research projects
- reviewing and utilizing proper use of grammar(sentence structure, usage, and punctuation)
- reviewing the steps of writing and demonstrate skills in writing through the use of expository, descriptive, and research-oriented tasks as well as book reports
Goals By Term
Term 1:
Organizational skills
Sentence structure, usage, and punctuation
Greek mythology
The Writing Process
Proper, original thought essay
Term 2:
Organization skills
Review of trouble areas in sentence structure, usage, and punctuation
19th century novel
Persuasive essay
Term 3:
Organization skills
Review of trouble areas in sentence structure, usage, and punctuation
20th century novel
Descriptive essay
Term 4:
Organizational skills and research/library skills
Sentence structure, usage, and punctuation
Drama
Research paper
Grade: 9
Texts: Writing and Grammar Ruby Level, The Crucible, Our Town, To Kill a Mockingbird , The Old Man and the Sea, various short stories and poems
General Goals:
To accomplish the following:
- read and understand 20th century drama and associated elements
- read and understand 19th century short stories and associated elements
- review and utilize proper use of grammar, usage, and mechanics demonstrated through a variety of writing tasks
- introduced to the main types of poetry and study examples from each time period from Anglo-Saxon to the 21st century
- develop and utilize in-class essay writing skills and reading comprehension skills
- begin preparation for the PSAT
- demonstrate proficiency in writing through the use of persuasive, narrative, and research oriented tasks
- read a 20th century novel and demonstrate an understanding of the associated elements
Goals By Term
Term 1 –
Chapters 17-19: Grammar review
Proper procedure for writing an in-class essay
20th century drama – vocabulary, elements of drama, literary devices, and character types
Exposition using comparison and contrast
Term 2 –
Chapters 20-25: Grammar review
20th century novel and associated vocabulary and literary devices
Persuasion paper (advertisement)
Term 3 –
Chapter 30: Reading comprehension skills
Chapters 26-27: Grammar review
Elements and structure of 19th century short stories (plot, tone, point of view, theme, atmosphere, and genre)
Narration (autobiography)
Term 4 –
PSAT preparation
Poetry (narrative, dramatic, lyric, free verse), historical overview of poetry, and literary devices (pastoral, anticlimax, onomatopoeia, personification, hyperbole, alliterations, refrain, simile, and metaphor)
Research paper utilizing the proper MLA format
Extra Information:
Outside of class time, students will read and complete three book reports from a non-fiction book, classic book, and a modern or international book. One book report will be presented orally.
Grade: 10
Texts: Writing & Grammar Diamond Level, A Tale of Two Cities, Great Expectations, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Twelfth Night, Measure for Measure, The Winter’s Tale, The Tempest, various short stories and poem
General Goals:
To accomplish the following:
- read and understand the background of a Shakespeare comedy or romance
- study 20th century short-stories, focusing on the use of literary devices
- read and understand a 19th century novel and associated elements
- study the main four categories of poetry and write a specific type of poem for each
- review and utilize proper use of grammar, usage, and mechanics through a variety of writing tasks
- demonstrate proficiency in writing through the use of expository, persuasive, narrative, and research-oriented tasks
- develop and utilize in-class essay writing skills and note-taking skills
- prepare for the PSAT and SAT through the use of vocabulary worksheets and sample questions
Goals By Term
Term 1 –
Proper procedure for writing an in-class essay
PSAT preparation
Chapters 17-19: Grammar review
19th century novel and associated literary devices (style, juxtaposition, irony)
Cause and effect essay
Term 2 –
Chapters 20-25: Grammar review
Shakespearean comedy and romance and associated literary devices (prose, verse, pun, monologue) Persuasive speech (debate)
Term 3 –
Note taking techniques
SAT vocabulary
Chapters 26-27: Grammar review
20th century short stories and associated literary devices (flashback, stream of consciousness, satire, parody, conflict, mood, dialogue, allegory)
Narration in the form of a short story
Term 4 –
Writing poems (free verse, continuous form, stanzaic pattern, fixed form) and using associated literary devices (denotation, connotation, imagery, rhythm, meter, paradox, oxymoron, symbol, repetition)
Research paper in proper MLA format focusing on proper citations
General grammar review
Extra Information:
Outside of class time, students will read and complete three book reports from a non-fiction book, classic book, and a modern or international book. One book report will be presented orally.
Grade: 11
Texts: Silas Marner; Animal Farm; Wuthering Heights; Jane Eyre; Far from the Madding Crowd; Cry, the Beloved Country; Great Gatsby; The Oedipus Cycle
General Goals:
To accomplish the following:
- read and understand a Greek drama and associated elements
- read and understand a variety of literature from the 19th and 20th centuries and associated elements
- be introduced to poetry and poem analysis
- demonstrate acquired grammatical and syntactic knowledge through a variety of writing tasks
- demonstrate writing proficiency through the use of persuasive, analytical, narrative, and research-oriented tasks
- prepare for the SAT
Goals By Term
Term 1 –
SAT preparation (SAT vocabulary and SAT essay)
19th century novel and associated literary devices (euphemism)
Persuasion (spoken debate)
General grammar review
Term 2 –
SAT and ACT preparation
Poem analysis
Sonnet overview (Italian and English) and associated literary devices (couplet)
Analytical essay connected to the poetry studied
General grammar review
Term 3 –
SAT preparation
20th century novel
Narration
General grammar review
Term 4 –
SAT preparation
Greek drama (mythology, fantasy)
Research paper on a current event following proper MLA format
General grammar review
Extra Information:
Outside of class time, students will read and complete three book reports from a non-fiction book, classic book, and a modern or international book. One book report will be presented orally.
Students will begin to keep samples of their work for their senior portfolio.
Grade: 12
Texts: Writing & Grammar Diamond Level, Pride and Prejudice, Emma, Last of the Mohicans, Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, Hamlet, Julius Caesar, Othello, and Henry IV Part I
General Goals:
To accomplish the following:
- read and understand a Shakespearean tragedy or history
- read and understand a 18th century novel and associated elements
- demonstrate acquired grammatical and syntactic knowledge through a variety of writing tasks
- demonstrate a applicable understanding of academic and practical writing through an introduction to the college application (including essay), job applications, business letters, resumes, and portfolio development
- prepare for oral presentations through practical instruction in speech preparation and delivery
- write weekly narrative, descriptive, expository, persuasive, and analytical papers
Goals By Term
Term 1 –
Senior portfolio (college application essays, a business letter, job application, job request, and resume)
Job interviews
General grammar review
Term 2 –
18th century novel
Compare/contrast essay connected to a novel
General grammar review
Term 3 –
One paper per week in the following categories (narrative, descriptive, expository, persuasive, and analytical)
Short story analysis using the following criticisms (reader response, biographical/historical/new historical, new criticism, deconstruction, psychological, gender)
General grammar review
Term 4 –
Senior speeches
Shakespearean tragedy and associated elements (vocabulary, soliloquy, anachronism, aside, archaism)
Research paper connected to Shakespearean play studies including proper use of MLA format
General grammar review
Extra Information:
Outside of class time, students will read and complete three book reports from a non-fiction book, classic book, and a modern or international book. One book report will be presented orally.
