English III

Course Description

Having successfully completed English II, students will study American literature, working towards answering the overarching question: What is the American experience? The course includes units that focus on establishing roots, justice, rhetoric, ideologies and philosophies, and the American Dream. Within the course, students will explore an array of genres such as fiction, non-fiction, poetry, drama, visual texts, and literary non-fiction, comparing how themes or messages are presented across different genres. Throughout the semester, students will read and analyze various seminal texts, take part in discussions, strengthen grammar and vocabulary skills, develop an individual writer’s voice, and explore writing through the lens of the American experience and its evolution over time. Students will also explore how literature is influenced by society and written in response to society. The power of language to effect change is a core component of this course. English III culminates in a writing portfolio. This course prepares students for their experience in English IV or CHS Composition.

Course Big Ideas

Explore American literature from Native American and early settlers through today.
Understand that the American identity is complex and the canon is ever-evolving.
Recognize that literature is a mirror and a critique of society.
Evaluate the important role literature plays in effecting change.
Examine storytelling as a universal and powerful tool to communicate or preserve a person’s and community’s identity.
Trace the evolution of the American dream and disillusionment.
Recognize that American literature is rich with a variety of voices.
Develop an individual writer’s voice.

Course Essential Questions

What does it mean to be “American,” and how has that definition evolved over time?
How do American authors explore the idea of "roots"—personal, cultural, or national—and why do these origins matter?
In what ways has literature been used to challenge systems of injustice in America?
How do different texts define or critique the American Dream?
How do American writers resist dominant ideologies and philosophies of their time?
What role does justice—or the absence of it—play in shaping American narratives?
How do place, gender, background, culture, and society influence American identity and literature?
How do American authors use storytelling to preserve culture, critique history, and imagine the future?
What powerful role has language played in shaping American history and American identity?

Course Competencies

Investigations
Analysis of Perspectives
Analysis of Errors
Comparison
Reasoning
Synthesis

Course Assessments

Written responses
Class discussions
Quizzes
Unit exams
College or career research project
College essay
Culminating writing portfolio

Course Units

Unit 1: Establishing Roots

Standards

PA Core Standards- ELA

CC.1.2.11.A Determine and analyze the relationship between two or more central ideas of a text, including the development and interaction of the central ideas; provide an objective summary of the text.
CC.1.2.11.B Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences and conclusions based on and related to an author's implicit and explicit assumptions and beliefs.
CC.1.2.11.H Analyze seminal texts based upon reasoning, premises, purposes, and arguments.
CC.1.2.11.I Analyze foundational U.S. and world documents of historical, political, and literary significance for their themes, purposes, and rhetorical features.
CC.1.3.11.C Analyze the impact of the author's choices regarding how to develop and relate elements of a story or drama.
CC.1.3.11.F Evaluate how words and phrases shape meaning and tone in texts.
CC.1.3.11.G Analyze multiple interpretations of a story, drama, or poem (e.g., recorded or live production of a play or recorded novel or poetry), evaluating how each version interprets the source text. (Include at least one play by an American dramatist.)
CC.1.3.11.H Demonstrate knowledge of foundational works of literature that reflect a variety of genres in the respective major periods of literature, including how two or more texts from the same period treat similar themes or topics.

Writing

CC.1.4.11.N Engage and orient the reader by setting out a problem, situation, or observation and its significance, establishing one or multiple points of view, and introducing a narrator and/or characters.
CC.1.4.11.O Use narrative techniques such as dialogue, description, reflection, multiple plot lines, and pacing, to develop experiences, events, and/or characters; use precise words and phrases, telling details, and sensory language to convey a vivid picture of the experiences, events, settings, and/or characters.
CC.1.4.11.P Create a smooth progression of experiences or events using a variety of techniques to sequence events so that they build on one another to create a coherent whole and build toward a particular tone and outcome; provide a conclusion that follows from and reflects on what is experienced, observed, or resolved over the course of the narrative.
CC.1.4.11.S Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research, applying grade level reading standards for literature and literary non-fiction.
CC.1.4.11.X 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 discipline-specific tasks, purposes and audiences.

Read and comprehend an American seminal text and/or historical document.
Compare the historical presentation of key American events (like interactions between Natives and colonists, the Salem Witch Trials, Redlining, and McCarthy trials) to their fictional representations.
Write original myths and other creative texts.
Determine the central idea of a text.
Determine the theme or purpose of a complex text.
Apply knowledge of context clues.
Select relevant text evidence to support a claim.
Analyze the purpose of a historical text.
Evaluate the choices a writer makes given the context.
Analyze the complex relationship between the writer and their readership.
Evaluate American voices and how their experiences influence their contributions to literature.
Articulate how each American voice contributes to the concept of American identity.
Recognize the relationship between word choice and tone.

Unit Essential Questions

How do our roots determine who we are and who we may become?
How do our roots and values influence our relationships with others?
What important role does context play in understanding perspectives and relationships among groups of Americans?
How has multiculturalism contributed to American literature?
To what extent have the arts been informed by the social and political realities of the time and vice versa?
What makes American literature American?

Lesson Essential Questions

What are the characteristics of a healthy relationship?
What is at the heart of most conflicts?
What factors contribute to a person’s desperate actions?
How can struggle become part of a person’s identity?
Is the American dream more likely to inspire or to destroy us?
To what extent can rumor, gossip, and suspicion undermine the bonds of a community?
How do A Raisin in the Sun and The Crucible remain relevant today?
To what extent can rumor, gossip, and suspicion undermine the bonds of a community?
How can cultural heritage empower individuals and communities?

Materials/Resources

Anchor Text: A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry
Visual Text: The Crucible 1996 film adaptation of Arthur Miller’s original screenplay, or A Raisin in the Sun 1961 or 1989 film adaptation

Short Texts

“How a New Deal Housing Program Enforced Segregation” by Becky Little (History.com)
Native American Creation Myths
Shorts Stories by Nathanial Hawthorne

Poetry

“Sympathy” by Paul Laurence Dunbar
“Mother to Son” by Langston Hughes
“They Don’t Love You Like I Love You” by Natalie Diaz

Essays & Speeches

The Declaration of Independence
“I Have a Dream” Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Art & Music

Various Native American Artworks and Music Samples
1950s American Jazz
Historically Relevant Musical Selections

Other Resources

A Raisin in the Sun film (1961)
American Settlers Crash Course Videos
America: The Story of Us, “Rebels” (documentary)
The Geography of Inequality TED Talk by Kevin Ehrman-Solberg
Lorraine Hansberry PBS Documentary Excerpts
Newsela Resources
CommonLit Resources
NoRedInk.com
Paperrater.com
Grammarcheck.me
Hemingwayapp.com

CC.1.2.11.C Analyze the interaction and development of a complex set of ideas, sequence of events, or specific individuals over the course of the text.
CC.1.2.11.E Analyze and evaluate the effectiveness of the structure an author uses in his or her exposition or argument, including whether the structure makes points clear, convincing, and engaging.
CC.1.2.11.F Evaluate how words and phrases shape meaning and tone in texts.
CC.1.3.11.D Evaluate how an author's point of view or purpose shapes the content and style of a text.
CC.1.2.11.B Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences and conclusions based on and related to an author's implicit and explicit assumptions and beliefs.
CC.1.5.11.C Evaluate how the speaker's perspective, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric affect the credibility of an argument through the author's stance, premises, links among ideas, word choice,points of emphasis, and tone.
CC.1.4.11.G Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics.
CC.1.3.11.E Evaluate the structure of texts including how specific sentences, paragraphs and larger portions of the texts relate to each other and the whole.
CC.1.2.11.G Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in different media or formats (e.g. visually, quantitatively) as well as in words in order to address a question or solve a problem.

Writing

CC.1.4.11.I Distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims; develop claim(s) and counterclaims fairly and thoroughly, supplying the most relevant evidence for each while pointing out the strengths and limitations of both in a manner that anticipates the audience's knowledge level, concerns, values, and possible biases.
CC.1.4.11.J Create organization that logically sequences claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and evidence; Use words, phrases, and clauses as well as varied syntax to link the major sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships between claim(s) and reasons, between reasons and evidence, and between claim(s) and counterclaims; provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the argument presented.
CC.1.4.11.I Distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims; develop claim(s) and counterclaims fairly and thoroughly, supplying the most relevant evidence for each while pointing out the strengths and limitations of both in a manner that anticipates the audience's knowledge level, concerns, values, and possible biases.
CC.1.5.11.D Present information, findings, and supporting evidence, conveying a clear and distinct perspective; organization, development, substance, and style are appropriate to purpose, audience, and task.
CC.1.4.11.K Write with awareness of the stylistic aspects of composition.
CC.1.4.11.K.02 Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to the norms of the discipline in which they are writing.
CC.1.4.11.X 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 discipline-specific tasks, purposes and audiences.

Compare the development of ideas across texts.
Evaluate the effectiveness of the structure an author uses.
Identify how words and phrases shape meaning and tone in texts.
Evaluate how an author's point of view, context, and purpose shapes the style of a text.
Assess the choices an author makes to develop his argument.
Evaluate a source’s bias and personal bias.
Cite strong and thorough textual evidence.
Identify an author’s credibility and its role in the argument.
Compare how an argument is delivered in multiple formats.
Craft a defensible claim.
Use a variety of evidence to support a claim.
Address possible counterarguments.
Employ a logical structure.
Choose precise connotative words to express an argument.
Include rhetorical devices in written arguments.
Maintain a tone appropriate to purpose and context.
Reflect and write regularly.

Unit Essential Questions

How does literature reflect and shape a society?
How do we use language to effect change?
How do we craft authentic arguments?
How are authors able to transcend the boundaries of human experience to reveal potential transformations of society?
What makes a good life?
How can reading, writing, and reflection aid individuals in leading a fulfilling life?
What makes something memorable or effective?

Lesson Essential Questions

What factors contribute to a person’s/group’s identity?
How can identity be expressed and formed by interacting with others’ stories?
Why does a conciliatory tone often work better than a threatening one?
How is the idea of self-reliance integral to the American character?
How have acts of civil disobedience shaped American history?
Is “home” more rooted in the place or the people?
How can one find meaning and peace (in the natural world, in families, in communities, in society)?
How can I make my voice heard?
How can I express a claim in a way that is authentic, meaningful, and memorable?
In what ways can my voice be added to the American experience?

Materials/Resources

Anchor Text: Transcendentalist Texts by Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson
- Excerpts from Walden
- “Civil Disobedience”
- “Self-Reliance”
- Excerpts from Nature

Visual/Audio Texts

“The Science of Happiness” TED Talk
Editorial Cartoons
Protest Art
Curated Public Images (from Frederick Douglass through modern times)
Movie Speeches (student choice- AmericanRhetoric.com)
Graffiti (and articles regarding the history, use, and perception of graffiti)
Popular Music of the Vietnam War Era
American Protest Music - Student Choice

Short Texts

“The Fall of the House of Usher” by Edgar Allan Poe
Civil War Texts by Bierce and Crane: “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge,” “Chickamauga,” “One Officer, One Man,” “Two Military Executions,” “A Grey Sleeve,” “An Indiana Campaign,” “Episode of War,” “The End of Battle”
Student exploration of rhetoric (student-selected texts)
“Letters to My Younger Self” by Misty Copeland
“Dear Basketball” by Kobe Bryant
Walt Whitman Poetry (selections from Song of Myself)

Other Resources

AmericanRhetoric.com
Newsela Resources
CommonLit Resources
NoRedInk.com
Paperrater.com
Grammarcheck.me
Hemingwayapp.com
Theflipside.io
Allsides.com

CC.1.2.11.A Determine and analyze the relationship between two or more central ideas of a text, including the development and interaction of the central ideas; provide an objective summary of the text.
CC.1.3.11.B Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences and conclusions based on and related to an author's implicit and explicit assumptions and beliefs.
CC.1.3.11.C Analyze the impact of the author's choices regarding how to develop and relate elements of a story or drama.
CC.1.3.11.K Read and comprehend literary fiction on grade level, reading independently and proficiently.
CC.1.3.11.A Determine and analyze the relationship between two or more themes or central ideas of a text, including the development and interaction of the themes; provide an objective summary of the text.
CC.1.3.11.E Evaluate the structure of texts including how specific sentences, paragraphs and larger portions of the texts relate to each other and the whole.
CC.1.3.11.F Evaluate how words and phrases shape meaning and tone in texts.
CC.1.3.11.J Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grade level reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies and tools.
CC.1.5.11.D Present information, findings, and supporting evidence, conveying a clear and distinct perspective; organization, development, substance, and style are appropriate to purpose, audience, and task.

Writing

CC.1.4.11.S Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research, applying grade level reading standards for literature and literary non-fiction.
CC.1.4.11.C Develop and analyze the topic thoroughly by selecting the most significant and relevant facts, extended definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples appropriate to the audience's knowledge of the topic; include graphics and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension.
CC.1.4.11.X 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 discipline-specific tasks, purposes and audiences.

Determine the relationship between two or more central ideas of a text.
Determine the theme.
Trace the development of a theme in a text.
Analyze the impact of the author's choices.
Read independently and proficiently.
Read and comprehend literary fiction on grade level.
Analyze the relationship between two or more themes or central ideas of a text.
Identify the patterns in sentence structure and word choice.
Evaluate the effect of those sentence structures and word choice.
Clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words by using knowledge of word parts and context clues.
Provide an objective summary of the text.
Write a defensible claim.
Cite strong textual evidence to support a claim or conclusion.
Organize written responses for clarity.
Explain how evidence supports a claim.
Write with varied sentence structure and word choice.
Connect ideas using transition phrases and sentences.
Format and use dialogue effectively.

Unit Essential Questions

How do Americans pursue, achieve, or sometimes fail to attain the American Dream as reflected through literature?
What are our American Dreams and how can we plan for them?
How does the American Dream change over time as is reflected in the literature of America?
How do authors use literature as a mechanism to drive social change?
How do the characters in the literature represent Americans’ relationship with America’s fundamental values?

Lesson Essential Questions

How do writers present the same ideas in a variety of texts?
How is meaning shaped by a writer’s choices (words and syntax)?
How does Fitzgerald use setting to accomplish his purpose in writing?
How does our view of others evolve over time?
How does Fitzgerald use the narrator to provide commentary on modern society?
Why did Fitzgerald write The Great Gatsby?
What does the novel reveal about the evolution of American society?
Can money buy happiness?
Can you repeat the past?
How does shared trauma create bonds?
How does greed cloud a person’s judgment?
What can we learn from The Great Gatsby?

Materials/Resources

Anchor Text: The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Poetry

Harlem Renaissance Poetry
Walt Whitman Poetry
Robert Frost Poetry
T.S. Elliot Poetry
e.e. cummings Poetry
Edwin Arlington Robinson Poetry

Art and Music

The Harlem Renaissance

Other Resources

Newsela Resources
CommonLit Resources
NoRedInk.com
Paperrater.com
Grammarcheck.me
Hemingwayapp.com
I dreamed a dream in time gone by lesson from NYT

CC.1.4.11.B Write with a sharp distinct focus identifying topic, task, and audience.
CC.1.4.11.N Engage and orient the reader by setting out a problem, situation, or observation and its significance, establishing one or multiple points of view, and introducing a narrator and/or characters.
CC.1.4.11.P Create a smooth progression of experiences or events using a variety of techniques to sequence events so that they build on one another to create a coherent whole and build toward a particular tone and outcome; provide a conclusion that follows from and reflects on what is experienced, observed, or resolved over the course of the narrative.
CC.1.4.11.T Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on addressing what is most significant for a specific purpose and audience.
CC.1.4.11–12.Q Write with an awareness of the stylistic aspects of writing:
Use parallel structure.
Use various types of phrases and clauses to convey specific meanings and add variety and interest.
Use precise language, domain-specific vocabulary, and techniques such as metaphor, simile, and analogy to manage the complexity of the topic.

Writing - College/Career Research Project

CC.1.4.11.A Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately.
CC.1.4.11.K Write with awareness of the stylistic aspects of composition.
CC.1.4.11.K.01 Use precise language, domain-specific vocabulary, and techniques such as metaphor, simile, and analogy to manage the complexity of the topic.
CC.1.4.11.K.02 Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to the norms of the discipline in which they are writing.
CC.1.4.11.T Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on addressing what is most significant for a specific purpose and audience.
CC.1.4.11.V Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question) or solve a problem; narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate; synthesize multiple sources on the subject, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.
CC.1.4.11.W Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital sources, using advanced searches effectively; assess the strengths and limitations of each source in terms of the task, purpose, and audience; integrate information into the text selectively to maintain the flow of ideas, avoiding plagiarism and over reliance on any one source and following a standard format for citation.

Career/College Readiness Standards

CC.1.5.11.A Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions on grade level topics, texts, and issues, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
CC.1.2.11.J Acquire and use accurately 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 considering a word or phrase important to comprehension or expression.

13.1.11 Career Awareness and Preparation

A. Relate careers to individual interests, abilities, and aptitudes.
B. Analyze career options based on personal interests, abilities, aptitudes, achievements and goals.
F. Analyze the relationship between career choices and career preparation opportunities, such as, but not limited to:
- Associate degree; Baccalaureate degree; Certificate/licensure; Entrepreneurship; Immediate part/full time employment; Industry training; Military training; Professional degree; Registered apprenticeship; Tech Prep; Vocational rehabilitation centers
H. Review personal high school plan against current personal career goals

Know

Understanding/Key Learning

Everyone has a story worth telling.
Reflecting on errors, mistakes, or hardship can show humility and resiliency.
Each student has a measure of control over their futures.
Determining long-term goals can guide students in present decision-making and in establishing short-term goals.
There are helpful resources (both human and other) to support future planning.

Do

Write with a sharp distinct focus.
Engage and orient the reader by crafting an original hook.
Express significant events and their relationship to sense of self.
Maintain consistent point of view and verb tense.
Create a smooth progression of experiences or events that progresses to a meaningful end/reflection.
Practice brainstorming, planning, writing, and revising as fluid steps in the writing process.
Reflect on personal interests, abilities, aptitudes, and goals.
Determine colleges or careers of interest using self-reflection, online tools, and conferencing with peers and adults.
Craft research questions.
Adjust research inquiries as needed.
Conduct sustained research on either colleges or careers of choice.
Gather relevant information from a variety of sources.
Quote, paraphrase, or summarize information.
Write a multi-page research project.
Compare the information presented in sources.
Cite sources correctly in MLA format.
Synthesize findings in order to reflect and draw conclusions.
Write with varied syntax and word choice.
Compose writing that is free of major errors.
Reflect on goals, refining goals and establishing necessary steps to make future goals attainable.

Unit Essential Questions

Lesson Essential Questions

What do colleges look for in their applicants?
How can reflecting on experiences reveal the potential for growth?
What qualities do I have that are appealing to colleges and/or employers?
What resources are available to help my career/college search?
What are the note-taking strategies that work best for me during research?
How can I organize notes from various sources?
How do I cite sources?

CC.1.3.11–12.I, K Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grade-level reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies and tools.
CC.1.3.11–12.J Acquire and use accurately 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 considering a word or phrase important to comprehension or expression.

Determine the meanings of new words based on the words’ parts.
Change the word form of a vocabulary word in order to use it in different parts of speech in a sentence.
Use synonyms and antonyms to contextualize new words and commit them to memory.
Apply knowledge of common word parts to understanding new vocabulary.
Categorize vocabulary words according to their associations and means.
Add context when including new words in original sentences.

Unit Essential Questions

Lesson Essential Questions

How can we use context clues to effectively infer a word’s meaning?
What are the most common word parts?
How do those word parts work together to create meaning?
How can we alter word parts to change the meanings of words or change their parts of speech?
How can we look for patterns in words to aid in our ability to infer an unfamiliar word’s meaning?
How can we categorize or group words by relationship in an attempt to retain new words and add nuance to our own writing?