Scope and sequence · English
Grade 10 Composition & Creative Writing: Thesis II and the Proposal of Law
The eighth year of classical writing: sharpen the thesis under the clock, argue for or against a law with the last of the progymnasmata, persuade an audience with Lincoln at Cooper Union, write a historical short story and poems in fixed forms, read a Shakespeare sonnet closely, and profile a working man or woman in your own town.
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What to cover
32 of 32 lessons are MUST COVER. They are tested on the unit tests and exams, or are skills the SAT/ACT relies on. OPTIONAL lessons are enrichment. Do them if time allows. The course is complete when the MUST COVER lessons are done.
Unit 1: Thesis Review and Timed Essays
- MUST COVER 1.1 Thesis Heads Review ★ · SAT/ACT
- MUST COVER 1.2 Timed Essay Strategy: The Forty-Minute Thesis ★ · SAT/ACT
- MUST COVER 1.3 Evidence from History · unit test
- MUST COVER 1.4 Peer Review: Iron Sharpeneth Iron · unit test
Unit 2: Law (Introduction of a Law)
- MUST COVER 2.1 Arguing For or Against a Law: The Last Progymnasma ★ · unit test
- MUST COVER 2.2 The Five Heads: Clarity, Justice, Expedience, Possibility, Custom · unit test
- MUST COVER 2.3 Historic Cases: Magna Carta, Clause 39, and the Northwest Ordinance (1787) · SAT/ACT
- MUST COVER 2.4 Write a Proposal for a Local Ordinance ★ · unit test
Unit 3: The Persuasive Speech
- MUST COVER 3.1 Lincoln at Cooper Union (1860): Research That Persuades ★ · unit test
- MUST COVER 3.2 Delivery and Memory: The Last Two Canons · unit test
- MUST COVER 3.3 Preparing for the Optimist Oratorical Contest 🏆 · unit test
- MUST COVER 3.4 Deliver the Speech: Paul on Mars’ Hill and Your Own Platform · unit test
Unit 4: Story: The Historical Short Story
- MUST COVER 4.1 Research for Fiction ✎ ★ · unit test
- MUST COVER 4.2 Period Voice ✎ · unit test
- MUST COVER 4.3 Scene Drafting ✎ · unit test
- MUST COVER 4.4 A Complete Historical Story ✎ 🏆 · unit test
Unit 5: ✎ Poetry: Forms
- MUST COVER 5.1 The Villanelle: Two Refrains and a Circle ✎ ★ · unit test
- MUST COVER 5.2 The Petrarchan Sonnet: Octave, Turn and Sestet ✎ · unit test
- MUST COVER 5.3 Herbert’s Shaped Poems: When the Page Becomes a Picture ✎ · unit test
- MUST COVER 5.4 A Form Poem for Contest ✎ 🏆 · unit test
Unit 6: Literary Analysis
- MUST COVER 6.1 Close Reading: Why This Word and Not Another ★ · unit test
- MUST COVER 6.2 The Analytical Paragraph · SAT/ACT
- MUST COVER 6.3 Quoting and Citing Honestly · unit test
- MUST COVER 6.4 Essay on a Shakespeare Sonnet · SAT/ACT
Unit 7: Personal Narrative: The Profile
- MUST COVER 7.1 Profiles of Working Men and Women ✎ ★ · unit test
- MUST COVER 7.2 The Interview: Asking, Listening, Quoting ✎ · unit test
- MUST COVER 7.3 Structure: Lead, Center, Turn and Close ✎ · unit test
- MUST COVER 7.4 Profile of a Local Tradesman or Business Owner ✎ · unit test
Unit 8: Review
- MUST COVER 8.1 Revision: Seeing the Year’s Work Again ★ · unit test
- MUST COVER 8.2 The Portfolio: Setting the Year in Order · unit test
- MUST COVER 8.3 Debate: Arguing a Law Face to Face · unit test
- MUST COVER 8.4 The Final Timed Essay · SAT/ACT
36-week pacing calendar
From the course’s own 32-week pacing guide, with catch-up and review weeks added to fill a 36-week (180-day) year.
| Week | Plan | Done | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | Lesson 1.1 Thesis Heads Review ★ | ||
| Wk 2 | Lesson 1.2 Timed Essay Strategy: The Forty-Minute Thesis ★ | ||
| Wk 3 | Lesson 1.3 Evidence from History | ||
| Wk 4 | Lesson 1.4 Peer Review: Iron Sharpeneth Iron | ||
| Wk 5 | Lesson 2.1 Arguing For or Against a Law: The Last Progymnasma ★ | ||
| Wk 6 | Lesson 2.2 The Five Heads: Clarity, Justice, Expedience, Possibility, Custom | ||
| Wk 7 | Lesson 2.3 Historic Cases: Magna Carta, Clause 39, and the Northwest Ordinance (1787) | ||
| Wk 8 | Lesson 2.4 Write a Proposal for a Local Ordinance ★ | ||
| Wk 9 | Lesson 3.1 Lincoln at Cooper Union (1860): Research That Persuades ★ | ||
| Wk 10 | Lesson 3.2 Delivery and Memory: The Last Two Canons | ||
| Wk 11 | Lesson 3.3 Preparing for the Optimist Oratorical Contest 🏆 | ||
| Wk 12 | Lesson 3.4 Deliver the Speech: Paul on Mars’ Hill and Your Own Platform | ||
| Wk 13 | Lesson 4.1 Research for Fiction ✎ ★ | ||
| Wk 14 | Lesson 4.2 Period Voice ✎ | ||
| Wk 15 | Lesson 4.3 Scene Drafting ✎ | ||
| Wk 16 | Lesson 4.4 A Complete Historical Story ✎ 🏆 | ||
| Wk 17 | Catch-up and review week (no new lessons) | ||
| Wk 18 | Lesson 5.1 The Villanelle: Two Refrains and a Circle ✎ ★ | ||
| Wk 19 | Lesson 5.2 The Petrarchan Sonnet: Octave, Turn and Sestet ✎ | ||
| Wk 20 | Lesson 5.3 Herbert’s Shaped Poems: When the Page Becomes a Picture ✎ | ||
| Wk 21 | Lesson 5.4 A Form Poem for Contest ✎ 🏆 | ||
| Wk 22 | Lesson 6.1 Close Reading: Why This Word and Not Another ★ | ||
| Wk 23 | Lesson 6.2 The Analytical Paragraph | ||
| Wk 24 | Lesson 6.3 Quoting and Citing Honestly | ||
| Wk 25 | Lesson 6.4 Essay on a Shakespeare Sonnet | ||
| Wk 26 | Lesson 7.1 Profiles of Working Men and Women ✎ ★ | ||
| Wk 27 | Lesson 7.2 The Interview: Asking, Listening, Quoting ✎ | ||
| Wk 28 | Lesson 7.3 Structure: Lead, Center, Turn and Close ✎ | ||
| Wk 29 | Lesson 7.4 Profile of a Local Tradesman or Business Owner ✎ | ||
| Wk 30 | Lesson 8.1 Revision: Seeing the Year’s Work Again ★ | ||
| Wk 31 | Lesson 8.2 The Portfolio: Setting the Year in Order | ||
| Wk 32 | Lesson 8.3 Debate: Arguing a Law Face to Face | ||
| Wk 33 | Lesson 8.4 The Final Timed Essay | ||
| Wk 34 | Catch-up week: finish any MUST COVER lesson not yet done | ||
| Wk 35 | Catch-up week: finish any MUST COVER lesson not yet done | ||
| Wk 36 | Year-end review, portfolio and records |
Grading: Writing projects 45%, Writing notebook and Style Clinic 15%, Timed essays and unit reviews 20%, Speech, debate and portfolio 20%. Scale: A 90–100, B 80–89, C 70–79. Below 70: revise with help and resubmit.