UNIT 1:
At War with Ourselves and Others
How does battle, both physical and emotional, reveal the zeniths and nadirs of humanity?
Extended Texts:
Things Fall Apart (Achebe) AND Macbeth (Shakespeare)
Vocabulary acquisition assignment for Things Fall Apart and Macbeth
Assessment Details
CCGPS Standards of Focus:
- ELACC9-10RL1&RI1: Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inference drawn from the text.
- ELACC9-10RL2&RI2: Determine a theme or central idea of text and analyze in detail its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text.
- ELACC9-10RL3: Analyze how complex characters (e.g., those with multiple or conflicting motivations) develop over the course of a text, interact with other characters, and advance the plot or develop the theme.
- ELACC9-10RI3: Analyze how the author unfolds an analysis or series of ideas or events, including the order in which the points are made, how they are introduced and developed, and the connections that are drawn between them.
- ELACC9-10RI6: Determine an author’s point of view or purpose in a text and analyze how an author uses rhetoric to advance that point of view or purpose.
- ELACC9-10W2: Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.
- ELACC9-10W4: Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
- ELACC9-10L5: Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.
- ELACC9-10L6: 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.
- ELACC9-10L1 & L2: Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage, capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing or speaking.
Week of 5 August
Monday/Tuesday
- DIAGNOSTIC ASSESSMENT main idea, purpose, rhetorical appeals (instructions)
- close reading and annotation of "Is War Inevitable?" by E. O. Wilson (Discover June 2012) examining key ideas and details as well as craft and structure (main idea template)
- MINI-LESSON: the rhetorical triangle (chart)
- discussion of summer reading assignment, specifically vocabulary (instructions, packet)
- INDEPENDENT PRACTICE: Read and annotate "No, War is Not Inevitable" by John Horgan (Discover June 2012).
Wednesday
Thursday/Friday
- DIAGNOSTIC ASSESSMENT: Henry County Schools Student Learning Objective pre-assessment
- introduction of SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT 1 (instructions, rubric): close reading of excerpt from Pope's An Essay on Man
- EXTENSION OPPORTUNITY: View Steven Pinker's TED Talk ("The Surprising Decline in Violence").
Week of 12 August
Monday/Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday/Friday
- FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT: Macbeth Act 1 Scenes 3 and 4 close reading & annotation: central idea, details, literary devices, character development (passages, annotation samples from 2nd period and 6th period)
- explanation of Assessment 4 character development essay (character development graphic organizer)
- Macbeth Act 1 viewing and discussion of scenes 4-7
- FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT: peer review of explanatory essay (instructions, rubric)
[Students who do not come to class prepared with a draft at beginning of period will write essay in class.]
- EXTENSION ACTIVITY: Macbeth vocabulary BONUS assignment (instructions)
- HOMEWORK: pre-AP multiple-choice questions (Macbeth Act 1, scene 7)
Week of 19 August
Monday/Tuesday
- SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT 1: explanatory essay (instructions, rubric) DUE
[Students who do not submit essay at beginning of period will be required to come to IF and write essay.]
- DIAGNOSTIC ASSESSMENT: Macbeth Act 1, Scene 7 pre-AP multiple-choice questions
- MINI-LESSON: multiple-choice close-reading and testing strategies
- FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT: Macbeth Act 2, Scene 1 pre-AP multiple-choice questions
- reading and viewing of Macbeth Act 2, Scene 2
- HOMEWORK: Read remainder of Macbeth Act 2 and work on character development chart (graphic organizer).
Wednesday
Thursday/Friday
Week of 26 August
Monday/Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday/Friday
- viewing and discussion of Macbeth Act 3 (Banquo's ghost scene)
- FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT: Macbeth Act 3 pre-AP multiple-choice
- introduction to SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT 2: explanatory essay comparing and contrasting two war poems' themes, tones, structures, figurative language (essay guide, rubric, trench warfare, WWI trench life, WWI propaganda vs. reality images PPT)
- small-group analysis of war poetry (texts, imagery, point of view, ballad, sonnet, tone, theme)
- SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT 1 returned and revision requirements explained (revision organizer and instructions, sample essays with commentary: 1 grade 90, 2 grade 90, 3 grade 83, 4 grade 83, 5 grade 80)
Week of 3 September
Tuesday
Wednesday
- DIAGNOSTIC ASSESSMENT: Compose theme statement for war poem.
- discussion of ASSESSMENT 1 REVISION templates for thesis and topic sentences (notes)
- MINI-LESSON: how to construct theme statement (theme)
- SMALL-GROUP WORK: collaboratively constructing theme statements for war poems
- reading and discussion of Macbeth Act 4
- HOMEWORK: Read remainder of Macbeth Act 4 and work on character development chart (graphic organizer).
Thursday/Friday
- Things Fall Apart Part 1 DUE (pages 1-125) and FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT on reading comprehension
- drafting of SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT 2 (thesis template, essay guide, rubric, tone, theme, trench warfare, WWI trench life, WWI propaganda vs. reality images PPT)
- reading and discussion of Macbeth Act 4
- FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT: pre-AP multiple-choice questions for Things Fall Apart and Macbeth Act 4
- work on ASSESSMENT 1 REVISION (essay outline and templates for thesis and topic sentences, rubric, revision self-reflection, sample essays with commentary: 1 grade 90, 2 grade 90, 3 grade 83, 4 grade 83, 5 grade 80)
Week of 9 September
Monday/Tuesday
Wednesday
- SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT 2 (explanatory essay comparing and contrasting two war poems (theme, tone, structure, figurative language) DUE [essay guide, rubric]
- HUMANITIES CONNECTION: demons, devils, and witches in Renaissance culture (PPT, notes, Dante's Divine Comedy online text and layers of Hell)
- HOMEWORK: Complete Macbeth Acts 4 & 5 pre-AP multiple-choice questions. Finish reading Things Fall Apart Part 2 (pages 129-167).
Thursday/Friday
Week of 16 September
Monday/Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday/Friday
Week of 23 September
Monday/Tuesday
Thursday
Wednesday/Friday
Week of 30 September
Monday/Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday/Friday
Week of 7 October FALL BREAK
Week of 14 October
Monday/Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday/Friday