Semester 1
Unit 1: Literacy Narrative
Central Text: Sherman Alexie’s “Superman and Me”
Practicing active reading and reflection, students explore foundational essays on why literature matters, then read short works like Amy Tan’s “Fish Cheeks” and George Saunders’s “Sticks.” Weekly topics include theme, tone, and perspective, leading into a personal literacy narrative that connects reading and identity.
Unit 2: Personal Narrative
Central Text: Ken Liu’s “The Paper Menagerie”
This unit investigates point of view, symbolism, voice, and composition. Students experiment with how perspective and style shape storytelling while crafting their own personal narratives.
Unit 3: Persuasive / Op-Ed Essay
Central Text: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s “The Thing Around Your Neck”
Students analyze setting, mood, conflict, and subtext. They then channel these insights into persuasive writing, composing op-ed style essays that link literature to contemporary questions.
Semester 2
Unit 4: Critical Analysis
Central Text: Flannery O’Connor’s “A Good Man Is Hard to Find”
This unit emphasizes characterization, irony, juxtaposition, and commentary. Students practice sustained literary analysis, developing arguments supported by close reading.
Unit 5: Literary Analysis Essay
Central Text: James Baldwin’s “Sonny’s Blues”
Students study narrative structure, dialogue, motif, and ambiguity. The final essay asks them to make nuanced claims about meaning and artistry, drawing together multiple techniques in one cohesive analysis.
Unit 6: Comparative Essay
Central Text: Sherman Alexie’s “This Is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona”
This final unit focuses on context, imagery, flashback/foreshadowing, and allusion. Students write a comparative essay connecting two works, demonstrating advanced critical thinking.
Unit 7: Final Reflection
Students return to their first literacy narrative, revising it with new skills, and complete a Writer’s Reflection that assesses their growth as readers, writers, and thinkers. Together, this forms their completed portfolio.
