Course Title, Number, Grade Level: Expository Writing: LWH5213J: Grade 11

Instructors: Kim Blanchard, Estelle Noda, Sheri Uecke, George Olivas, Katelyn Tamashiro
E-mail: [email protected], [email protected],
[email protected], [email protected],
[email protected]
Course Description: In this course students will focus on vocabulary development and
engage in specific reading, writing, and thinking skills that will prepare them for college
and/or career experiences. Students will also learn to evaluate critically what they read and
write. They will explore fiction and non-fiction works and respond to readings through
discussion and writing. Emphasis will be placed on the writing process; modes include
informational and synthesis papers, persuasive and argument essays, and literary analysis.
The research process is also explored. Three AR books will be read each quarter. The national
Common Core Standards, as well as benchmarks and performance indicators, for reading
literature and non-fiction, writing, and speaking and listening in Language Arts are addressed
in this course. All grade 11 content standards are covered. These standards can be viewed at
www.corestandards.org.
Course Text/Content: Students will utilize the Springboard Grade 11 consumable
textbooks and will be responsible for their own textbooks. Should the textbook be lost or
damaged, the student will be responsible for purchasing a replacement. To avoid any
potential mishaps, I will require that students keep their textbooks in our classroom, unless
other arrangements are made with me in advance.
Prerequisites: None
Course Credit:
Semester 1- half credit
Semester 2- half credit
AppendixA
Strand 1: READING LITERATURE: Text complexity and the growth of comprehension
Key Ideas and Details
Standard 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.
Standard 2: Determine two or more themes or 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 produce a complex account; provide an objective summary of the text.
Standard 3: Analyze the impact of the authors 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).

Craft and Structure

Standard 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.)
Standard 5: Analyze how an authors 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.
Standard 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).
Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
Standard 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.)
Standard 8: (Not applicable to literature)
Standard 9: Demonstrate knowledge of eighteenth-, nineteenth- and early-twentiethcentury foundational works of American literature, including how two or more texts from
the same period treat similar themes or topics.
Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity
Standard 10: By the end of grade 11, read and comprehend literature, including stories,
dramas, and poems, in the grades 11CCR text complexity band proficiently, with
scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range. By the end of grade 12, read and
comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poems, at the high end of the grades
11CCR text complexity band independently and proficiently.
Strand 1: READING INFORMATIONAL TEXTS: Text complexity and the growth of
comprehension
Key Ideas and Details
Standard 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
Standard 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.
Standard 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.
Craft and Structure
Standard 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 (e.g., how Madison
defines faction in Federalist No. 10).

 Standard 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.
Standard 6: Determine an authors 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.
Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
Standard 7: 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.
Standard 8: Delineate and evaluate the reasoning in seminal U.S. texts, including the
application of constitutional principles and use of legal reasoning (e.g., in U.S. Supreme
Court majority opinions and dissents) and the premises, purposes, and arguments in works
of public advocacy (e.g., The Federalist, presidential addresses).
Standard 9: Analyze seventeenth-, eighteenth-, and nineteenth-century foundational U.S.
documents of historical and literary significance (including The Declaration of
Independence, the Preamble to the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and Lincolns Second
Inaugural Address) for their themes, purposes, and rhetorical features.
Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity
Standard 10: By the end of grade 11, read and comprehend literary nonfiction in the
grades 11CCR 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 11CCR text complexity band independently and proficiently.
Strand 2: WRITING: Text types, responding to reading, and research
Text Types and Purposes
Standard 1: Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts,
using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.
Standard 2: Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas
and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and
analysis of content.
Standard 3: Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using
effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences.
Production and Distribution of Writing
Standard 4: Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization,
and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
Standard 5: Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing,
rewriting, or trying a new approach.
Standard 6: Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and to
interact and collaborate with others.
Research to Build and Present Knowledge
Standard 7: Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects based on focused
questions, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.

 Standard 8: Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, assess the
credibility and accuracy of each source, and integrate the information while avoiding
plagiarism.
Standard 9: Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis,
reflection, and research.
Range of Writing
Standard 10: 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 tasks,
purposes, and audiences.
Strand 3: SPEAKING and LISTENING: Flexible communication and collaboration
Comprehension and Collaboration
Standard 1: Prepare for and participate effectively in a range of conversations and
collaborations with diverse partners, building on others ideas and expressing their own
clearly and persuasively.
Standard 2: Integrate and evaluate information presented in diverse media and formats,
including visually, quantitatively, and orally.
Standard 3: Evaluate a speakers point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and
rhetoric.
Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas
Standard 4: Present information, findings, and supporting evidence such that listeners can
follow the line of reasoning and the organization, development, and style are appropriate
to task, purpose, and audience.
Standard 5: Make strategic use of digital media and visual displays of data to express
information and enhance understanding of presentations.
Standard 6: Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and communicative tasks, demonstrating
command of formal English when indicated or appropriate.
Strand 4: LANGUAGE: Conventions, effective use, and vocabulary
Conventions of Standard English
Standard 1: Demonstrate command of the conventions of Standard English grammar and
usage when writing or speaking.
Standard 2: Demonstrate command of the conventions of Standard English capitalization,
punctuation, and spelling when writing.
Knowledge of Language
Standard 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.
Vocabulary Acquisition and Use
Standard 4: Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words
and phrases by using context clues, analyzing meaningful word parts, and consulting
general and specialized reference materials, as appropriate.
Standard 5: Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and
nuances in word meanings.

 Standard 6: Acquire and use accurately a range of 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.