Table Of ContentGlen Ridge Public Schools –Language Arts Literacy Curriculum
Course Title: English 12 CP
Subject: Language Arts Literacy
Grade Level: 12
Duration: 1 year
Prerequisite: English 11 CP or English 11 Honors
Elective or Required: Required
Language Arts Literacy Mission Statement:
The Glen Ridge Language Arts Program establishes a
foundation for lifelong learning and effective communication. Through a sequential and
challenging curriculum, our students will become proficient readers, effective writers, active
listeners and articulate speakers. Students learn to respect various points of view while
displaying creative, collaborative, and critical thinking skills. The Language Arts Program
enables our students to participate effectively in a technological, complex and everchanging
world.
Course Description:
English 12 College Preparatory is a survey course in World Literature. The study of World
Literature spans the globe and the centuries in its representative authors and poets. It is
organized thematically covering four major themes over the course of the year. During the first
semester students will explore the search for self, and the internal struggle. In the second
semester students will explore the nature of the individual and community and the human
condition and its impact on relationships. Through the analysis of the writings of various
cultures, students will understand connections among literary works. Expression of analysis will
be through expository and comparative writing, as well as scholarly creative projects.
Authors: Stephanie Pollak and Jody Hackmeyer
Date Submitted: Summer 2015
English 12 C.P.
Topic/Unit: Search for Self
Approximate # Of Weeks: 9
Essential Question
● How do I define myself and tell the story of me?
Objectives
Upon completion of this unit students will be able to:
● 1112.RI.1 Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text
says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining where the
text leaves matters uncertain.
● 1112.RI.2 Determine two or more central ideas of a text and analyze their development
over the course of the text, including how they interact and build on one another to
provide a complex analysis; provide an objective summary of the text
● 1112.RI.3 Analyze a complex set of ideas or sequence of events and explain how
specific individuals, ideas, or events interact and develop over the course of the text.
● 1112.RI.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text,
including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings; analyze how an author uses
and refines the meaning of a key term or terms over the course of a text
● 1112.RI.5 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
● 1112.RI.6 Determine an author’s point of view or purpose in a text in which the rhetoric
is particularly effective, analyzing how style and content contribute to the power,
persuasiveness, or beauty of the text.
● 1112.RI.10 By the end of grade 11, read and comprehend literary nonfiction in the
grades 11–CCR text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high
end of the range. By the end of grade 12, read and comprehend literary nonfiction at the
high end of the grades 11–CCR text complexity band independently and proficiently.
● 1112.RL.1 Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the
text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining
where the text leaves matters uncertain.
● 1112.RL.3 Analyze the impact of the author’s choices regarding how to develop and
relate elements of a story or drama (e.g., where a story is set, how the action is ordered,
how the characters are introduced and developed).
● 1112.RL.6 Analyze a case in which grasping point of view requires distinguishing what
is directly stated in a text from what is really meant (e.g., satire, sarcasm, irony, or
understatement).
● 1112.SL.1 Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions
(oneonone, in groups, and teacherled) with diverse partners on grades 11–12 topics,
texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and
persuasively
● 1112.W.8 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 overreliance on
any one source and following a standard format for citation.
● 1112.L.1 Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and
usage when writing or speaking.
● 1112.L.3 Apply knowledge of language to understand how language functions in
different contexts, to make effective choices for meaning or style, and to comprehend
more fully when reading or listening.
● 1112.L.4 Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiplemeaning words and
phrases based on grades 11–12 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of
strategies.
● 1112.W.2 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.
● 1112.W.3 Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using
effective technique, wellchosen details, and wellstructured event sequences.
● 1112.W.4 Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization,
and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
● 1112.W.5 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.
● 1112.W.6 Use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish, and update
individual or shared writing products in response to ongoing feedback, including new
arguments or information.
Interdisciplinary Standards (njcccs.org)
● 6.2 World History, Global Studies All students will acquire the knowledge and skills to
think analytically and systematically about how past interactions of people, cultures, and
the environment affect issues across time and cultures. Such knowledge and skills
enable students to make informed decisions as socially and ethically responsible world
citizens in the 21st century.
● 6.3 Active Citizenship in the 21st Century All students will acquire the skills needed to be
active, informed citizens who value diversity and promote cultural understanding by
working collaboratively to address the challenges that are inherent in living in an
interconnected world.
Sample Activities
● Discuss The White Tiger and how the main character is both antagonist and protagonist.
Students will work in groups to defend a position on whether they felt sympathy for the
main character. (1112.RL.3, 1112.RL.6)
● Seminar: Students will examine Sammy’s character in “A & P” and answer the questions:
Is Sammy’s action heroic? Whether heroic or not, is his action offensive or belittling to
women? (1112.RL.1)
● Seminar:
● Working with a partner, choose a work in this unit with a character facing a difficult
choice. Write and perform a dialogue with each character defending a particular option.
(1112.SL.1)
● Students will utilize laptops to access the College Board website to evaluate sample
college essays (1112.W.8)
● Compare/Contrast: Students will compare portrayals of the father/child relationship as
developed in “Arm Wrestling With My Father” and “Shooting Dad.” (1112.RI.1,
1112.RI.2, 1112.RI.3, 1112.RI.4, 1112.RI.5)
● Read and annotate segmented version of “I am a cripple” and discuss how the author
uses style and voice to convey her narrative message. (1112.RI.1, 1112.RI.4,
1112.RI.5, 1112.RI.10)
● Discussion: Listen to “Takedown Day” story from The Moth Radio Hour and discuss
narrative elements that make it a great story. (21st Century Tech) (1112.SL.1,
1112.RI.5, 1112.RL.3)
Writing Assignments
● Annotation of the text (1112.L.3; 1112.L.4)
● Write an epistolary to a figure of authority to enlighten him or her about a particular area
of interest or expertise.
● Short essay: Compare and contrast the narrators of “A & P” and “Eleven”, both young
people struggling to define themselves. (1112.W.2; 1112.W.4; 1112.W.5; 1112.W.6)
● In preparation for writing their own college essay, students will respond to the following
writing prompts (1112.W.3):
1. Write a personal narrative about your internal struggle to make some important
decision in your life. Lead up to and then focus sharply on the moment of clarity
when your mind was made up and you suddenly knew what your were going to
do or say or be.
2. Write a narrative about an infatuation you’ve had with a particular person or
lifestyle—or perhaps a person who represented a lifestyle. Tell what you did to
act on your infatuation—and/or how you got over it.
3. Using the Molson ad as a template, students will fill in the blanks with personal
assessment and then use the material to write a narrative.
4. Using social media sites such as Snap Chat, students will turn a visual narrative
into a written narrative.
● Students will write a personal essay useful for both the college application process and
as a reaction to the varied identity ideas explored in the readings (1112.W.3; 1112.L.1)
● After reading the story by David Sedaris, students will write a narrative in which they tell
of a difficult experience they’ve been through and how it has made them somehow
stronger.(1112.L.1, 1112.L.3, 1112.W.1, 1112.W.2, 1112.W.3, 1112.W.)
● (Use after listening to “Takedown Day”)Narrative Essay Topic: It isn’t always easy to do
what is right, and sometimes it can even be dangerous. Describe a time when you put
yourself at risk (physically, socially, emotionally, or professionally) to do what you
thought was right. (1112.W.3; 1112.L.1)
Enrichment Activities
● Show pyramid of caste system of India and connect with Balram’s quest in White Tiger.
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0306/feature1/
● Show clips from movie, Slumdog Millionaire
● Show pictures of various Hindu gods and discuss their relevance to Balram’s tale.
http://www.sanatansociety.org/hindu_gods_and_goddesses.htm#.VZqRDvlViko
● Read another work from any of the authors featured in this unit.
Methods of Assessments/Evaluation
● Essay Writing
● Annotation
● College Essay
● Discussion Participation
● Unit Test
Resources: Text, Literature (RL), Informational (RI)
● The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga (RL)
● Short stories, including, “Eleven” and “Barbie Q” by Sandra Cisneros; “Araby” by James
Joyce; “A & P” by John Updike;“The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin (RL)
● “I am a Cripple” and “Disability” by Nancy Mairs (RI)
● “Graduation” or “Champion of the World” by Maya Angelou (RI)
● “Fish Cheeks” by Amy Tan (RI)
● “Arm Wrestling With My Father” by Brad Manning (RI)
● “Shooting Dad” by Sarah Vowell (RI)
● “Remembering My Childhood on the Continent of Africa” by David Sedaris (RI)
● “The Chase” by Annie Dillard (RL)
● Sample essays from College Essays That Made a Difference and other sample college
essays (RI)
● The Bedford Reader, Eleventh Edition, selections on Critical Reading,.The Writing
Process, Narration
● “Who’s Irish” by Gish Jen (RL)
● Selected Poetry
“Digging” by Seamus Heaney
“Homage to My Hips” by Lucille Clifton
● Voice Lessons, by Nancy Dean
Online Resources
● Teacher webpage
● Google Apps for Education (GAFE)
● Common Application Essay Prompts
http://blog.commonapp.org/2015/03/31/20152016essayprompts/
● The White Tiger, PDF:
https://libcom.org/files/Aravind_Adiga_The_White_Tiger__2008.pdf
● “Araby” by James Joyce PDF
http://www.dpcdsb.org/NR/rdonlyres/F61778889FFF429AA76BE3D50A131CAC/1234
75/Araby.pdf
● “A&P” by John Updike http://brainstormservices.com/wcu2004/A&P.pdf
● “Barbie Q” by Sandra Cisneros
http://popcultureandamericanchildhood.com/wpcontent/uploads/2012/02/CisnerosBarbi
eQ.pdf
● “Eleven” by Sandra Cisneros
http://learning.hccs.edu/faculty/nathanael.lee/engl1302/Critical%20Analysis%20of%20Fi
ction/sandracisneroseleven/view
● “Who’s Irish” by Gish Jen
msmoorewss.weebly.com/uploads/3/1/5/2/31520979/jenirish.doc
● The Moth Radio Hour: http://themoth.org/
● “Takedown Day” from The Moth Radio Hour:
http://themoth.org/posts/stories/takedownday
● Narrative Writing Rubric (p. 102)
http://education.depaul.edu/studentresources/academicsuccesscenter/Documents/501
writingprompts.pdf
20152016 Essay Prompts
Posted on 03.31.2015 in Admissions and Access, Essay Prompts
We are pleased to share the 20152016 Essay Prompts with you. New language appears in
italics:
1. Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they
believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then
please share your story.
2. The lessons we take from failure can be fundamental to later success. Recount an
incident or time when you experienced failure. How did it affect you, and what did you
learn from the experience?
3. Reflect on a time when you challenged a belief or idea. What prompted you to act?
Would you make the same decision again? (with “A&P”, “Champion of the World”)
4. Describe a problem you’ve solved or a problem you’d like to solve. It can be an
intellectual challenge, a research query, an ethical dilemmaanything that is of personal
importance, no matter the scale. Explain its significance to you and what steps you took
or could be taken to identify a solution.
5. Discuss an accomplishment or event, formal or informal, that marked your transition from
childhood to adulthood within your culture, community, or family.
English 12 C.P.
Topic/Unit: Internal Struggle
Approximate # Of Weeks: 9 weeks
Essential Questions:
● How do individuals determine a course of action when faced with an internal conflict?
● What do people need to be happy? Does one’s environment support those needs, or
work against them?
● What makes humans feel powerless?
● Why do people sometimes feel at odds with members of their own families?
Upon completion of this unit students will be able to:
● 1112.RI.2 Determine two or more central ideas of a text and analyze their development
over the course of the text, including how they interact and build on one another to
provide a complex analysis; provide an objective summary of the text.
● 1112.RI.3 Analyze a complex set of ideas or sequence of events and explain how
specific individuals, ideas, or events interact and develop over the course of the text.
● 1112.RL.1 Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the
text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining
where the text leaves matters uncertain.
● 1112.RL.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text,
including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of specific word
choices on meaning and tone, including words with multiple meanings or language that
is particularly fresh, engaging, or beautiful. (Include Shakespeare as well as other
authors.)
● 1112.RL.5 Analyze how an author’s choices concerning how to structure specific parts
of a text (e.g., the choice of where to begin or end a story, the choice to provide a
comedic or tragic resolution) contribute to its overall structure and meaning as well as its
aesthetic impact.
● 1112.RL.7 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 Shakespeare and one play by an
American dramatist.)
● 1112.W.1 Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or
texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.
● 1112.W.2 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.
● 1112.W.4 Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization,
and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. (Gradespecific expectations
for writing types are defined in standards 1–3 above.)
● 1112.W.5 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. (Editing for conventions should demonstrate command
of Language standards 1–3 up to and including grades 11–12 on page 54.)
● 1112.W.7 Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a
question (including a selfgenerated 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.
● 1112.W.8 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 overreliance on
any one source and following a standard format for citation.
● 1112.W.9 Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis,
reflection, and research.
● 1112.L.5 Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and
nuances in word meanings.
● 1112.L.6 Acquire and use accurately general academic and domainspecific 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.
● 1112.SL.3 Evaluate a speaker’s point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and
rhetoric, assessing the stance, premises, links among ideas, word choice, points of
emphasis, and tone used.
● 1112.SL.4 Present information, findings, and supporting evidence, conveying a clear
and distinct perspective, such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning, alternative
or opposing perspectives are addressed, and the organization, development, substance,
and style are appropriate to purpose, audience, and a range of formal and informal
tasks.
● 1112.SL.5 Make strategic use of digital media (e.g., textual, graphical, audio, visual, and
interactive elements) in presentations to enhance understanding of findings, reasoning,
and evidence and to add interest.
● 1112.SL.6 Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, demonstrating a command
of formal English when indicated or appropriate. (See grades 11–12 Language
standards 1 and 3 on page 54 for specific expectations.)
Interdisciplinary Standards (njcccs.org)
● 8.1 Computer and Information Technology All students will use digital tools to access,
manage, evaluate, and synthesize information in order to solve problems individually and
collaboratively and to create and communicate knowledge.
● 9.1 21st Century Life and Career Skills All students will demonstrate the creative, critical
thinking, collaboration, and problemsolving skills needed to function successfully as
both global citizens and workers in diverse ethnic and organizational cultures.
Activities – include 21st Century Technologies:
● Listen to audio clips of the play
● Listen to the NPR piece of Hamlet in prison
http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radioarchives/episode/218/actv?act=1#play(1112.SL.3
) Form small groups, assign each group a scene and have them act it out.
● View a film version of the Hamlet (1112.RL.7)
● Seminar: What makes Hamlet a tragic figure? To what extent is he responsible for the
tragic events of the play? (1112.RI.2, 1112.RI.3)
● How is Gregor Samsa’s transformation in The Metamorphosis a metaphor for the
existential experience? Write an essay that uses specific textual evidence that supports
an original, concise thesis statement. (RL.1112.4,SL.1112.4 W.1112.5, W.1112.7,
W.1112.8, L.1112.6)
● Seminar: students will identify and analyze symbols in “Metamorphosis” including the
different breakfast habits of Gregor and his father, the implication of Gregor’s view of a
hospital, and the apple lodged in his back. (1112.L.5)
● Group Activity: groups of students will trace a given theme throughout our study of
Hamlet and create a Fever Chart that presents their findings to the class. (1112.RL.1,
1112.RL.2, 1112.RL.5, 1112.L.5, 1112.SL.4, 1112.SL.5)
Writing Assignments:
● Relate the action or situation of Hamlet to your own experience. Explain how the play is
relevant to your situation,and comment on how reading and thinking about it may have
helped you see your own life and experience more clearly. (1112.W.4, 1112.W.5)
● Read Hamlet. With special consideration to his soliloquies, is Prince Hamlet influenced
by his sense of logic or sense of emotion? Use specific textual evidence to support an
original, concise thesis statement and write a formal essay following formal MLA
guidelines. (W.1112.5, W.1112.7)
● Working individually or in pairs, think of a symbol that represents a big idea. After you
think of a symbol, incorporate it into a piece of writing up to two pages long. The piece
could be an essay on what the symbol means, a piece of fiction, a poem describing the
symbol's meaning, or some other creative masterpiece. (1112.W.2)
● In one of his most famous lines, Shakespeare’s Hamlet says, “I must be cruel, only to be
kind.” Describe a time when you, too, had to be cruel to be kind.
Enrichment Activities:
● Listening to “Once in a Lifetime” by the Talking Heads and “Ants Marching” by Dave
Matthews; discuss relevance to The Metamorphosis
● Read “Hamlet” by Sherman Alexie and “Hamlet” by Boris Pasternak and “Hamlet” by
Wole Soyinka
● Visual representation of Kafka’s Metamorphosis
http://www.randomhouse.com/crown/metamorphosis/
● View a local production of Hamlet
● Students record themselves reciting excerpts from Hamlet, inspired by this piece in the
New York Times:
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/20/theater/hamletstudentinstagramvideos.html?_r=0
● Read The Story of Edgar Sawtelle
● Continue listening to the NPR Hamlet as performed by prison inmates
http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radioarchives/episode/218/actv?act=1#play
Methods of Assessments/Evaluation:
● Text annotation
● Creative writing utilizing symbolism
● Essay test on Metamorphosis
● Takehome essay on Hamlet
Resources: Text, Literature (RL), Informational (RI)
● Hamlet by William Shakespeare (RL)
● “Metamorphosis” (RL)
● Poetry Selections
“Indian Boarding School: The Runaways” by Louise Erdrich
“A Study of Reading Habits” by Philip Larkin
“Sign for My Father, Who Stressed the Bunt” by David Bottoms
“The Street” by Octavio Paz
Online Resources:
● Teacher webpage
● Google Apps for Education (GAFE)
● Hamlet by William Shakespeare, online text: http://shakespeare.mit.edu/hamlet/full.html
● Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka, online text:
https://www.gutenberg.org/files/5200/5200h/5200h.htm
● 60 Second Shakepeare
http://www.bbc.co.uk/drama/shakespeare/60secondshakespeare/themes_hamlet.shtml
● Shakespeare Resource Center http://www.bardweb.net/index.html
Description:English 12 College Preparatory is a survey course in World Literature 6.2 World History, Global Studies All students will acquire the knowledge and skills to . Show pyramid of caste system of India and connect with Balram's quest in White Tiger. The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga (RL).
