English I Unit Plan

Unit I: Violence
Unit Essential Questions
1. Is violence ever justified or necessary to bring about change? (argumentative)
2. How does violence impact society and/or change society? (informative)
3. What solutions are viable to prevent violence?

Lesson Essential Questions

1. What is the author’s purpose in writing this text?
2. Who is the intended audience?
3. What words does the author choose for a specific
reason? What does it matter?
4. What text structure choices did the author use to
produce a tone for the work?
5. Whose voice is presented in this text? Why?
6. What connections do you see between this text and
real-world events?

Discipline Specific Vocabulary

Denotation Diction
Connotation Inference
Allusion Paraphrase
Anecdote Analogy
Symbolism Prefix
Euphemism Suffix Parallelism Clause: Main, Subordinate

Unit Vocabulary
Appeals: Logical, Emotional Reliability Rhetoric Mood
Persuasion Bias
Anecdote Call to Action
Tone Sequence

Standards:

 RL4
 RI 1  RL1  RL5
 RI 3  RL10
 RL2  W1
 RI 5  W2
 RL3  W4
 Unit I: Violence
Unit Time: 2 Weeks

Day Standards Readings/Activities

Day 1 Diagnostic Exam

Clown article (Newsela), clown story(textbook), find evidence from the

Day 2 RI.1, RL.1
text, “Find Evidence” game, define inference
Find evidence peer sharing, introduction to Author’s Purpose Pyramid,
Day 3 RI.1, RL.1, RL.2
begin Langston Hughes “Thank You, Ma’am”
“Thank You, Ma’am” Author’s Purpose Pyramid, peer investigation,
Day 4 RL.1, RL.2, RL.3
introduction to tone/mood
RL./RI.1 quiz, finish Author’s Purpose Pyramid, cont. introduction to
Day 5 RL.1, RL.2, RL.3
tone/mood, introduction to denotation & connotation
Read Richard Wright “Black Boy” excerpt, “Thank You, Ma’am”
Day 6 RL.1, RL.2, RL.4
comparison, determine tone, mood, and word choice (intro to diction)
RI.1, RL.1, RL.2, Stations: “Black Boy” Author’s Purpose, Amy Tan article author’s
Day 7
RL.3, RL.4 purpose & diction, Langston Hughes poem diction, tone, and mood
Introduction to text structure. Suspense heartbeat (Monster’s Inc.
Day 8 RL.1, RL.4, RL.5 excerpt). Read “A Sound of Thunder”, highlight key words (diction
practice)
RL.1, RL.4, RL.3, Text structure cont., Finish “A Sound of Thunder”, introduction to
Day 9
RL.5 characterization
RL.1, RL.3, RL.4, Write your own horror story (text structure practice activity), “A Sound
Day 10
RL.5 of Thunder” quiz (RL.1, RL.5)
Write your own horror story peer editing, peer text structure identifying
Day 11 RL.1, RL.3, RL.5 activity (identify the suspense elements, identify the peer’s structural
decisions)
Day 12 Horror story reading party

RI.1, RL.1, RL.2,

Day 13 Unit review activities
RL.3, RL.3, RL.4
RI.1, RL.1, RL.2,
Day 14 Unit review activities
RL.3, RL.3, RL.4
RI.1, RL.1, RL.2,
Day 15 End of Unit Exam
RL.3, RL.3, RL.4