Scope and sequence · English
Grade 11 Composition & Creative Writing: The Persuasive and Research Essay
The ninth year of classical writing: take apart a great speech with the canons of rhetoric, ask a real question and answer it in a research paper with honest citations, write a ten-minute play after Shakespeare, revise poems the way the masters did, argue at the level of the international essay prizes, and tell a true story for your college application.
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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: Rhetorical Analysis
- MUST COVER 1.1 Analyzing a Speech: Reagan at Pointe du Hoc (1984) ★ · unit test
- MUST COVER 1.2 Analyzing an Editorial: The Federalist No. 1 · unit test
- MUST COVER 1.3 Analyzing an Advertisement: Barnum and the Art of the Pitch · unit test
- MUST COVER 1.4 The Written Analysis: A Timed Essay on the Gettysburg Address · SAT/ACT
Unit 2: The Research Paper I
- MUST COVER 2.1 Choosing a Research Question ★ · unit test
- MUST COVER 2.2 Library and Database Search · unit test
- MUST COVER 2.3 Evaluating Sources: Weighing the Witnesses · unit test
- MUST COVER 2.4 The Annotated Bibliography · unit test
Unit 3: The Research Paper II
- MUST COVER 3.1 Outlining: The Canon of Arrangement ★ · unit test
- MUST COVER 3.2 Drafting: From Outline to Pages · unit test
- MUST COVER 3.3 Citations: MLA and Chicago · unit test
- MUST COVER 3.4 The Final Paper: Revision, Format and Submission ★ 🏆 · unit test
Unit 4: ✎ Drama: The Ten-Minute Play
- MUST COVER 4.1 Scenes from Shakespeare: The Quarrel in Brutus’s Tent ✎ ★ · unit test
- MUST COVER 4.2 Format and Stage Directions ✎ · unit test
- MUST COVER 4.3 Writing the Ten-Minute Play ✎ · unit test
- MUST COVER 4.4 The Table Read and the Final Script ✎ 🏆 · unit test
Unit 5: Poetry Workshop
- MUST COVER 5.1 Revision by the Masters: Yeats and Frost ✎ ★ · unit test
- MUST COVER 5.2 Workshop Etiquette: Truth and Candor ✎ · unit test
- MUST COVER 5.3 Three Revised Poems ✎ · unit test
- MUST COVER 5.4 Submission: Foyle, Bennington and Scholastic ✎ 🏆 · unit test
Unit 6: Argument at the Highest Level
- MUST COVER 6.1 Essay Prizes and Their Judges ★ · SAT/ACT
- MUST COVER 6.2 Steelmanning: Stating the Other Side at Its Strongest · unit test
- MUST COVER 6.3 The John Locke Institute Essay (Theology or History) 🏆 · SAT/ACT
- MUST COVER 6.4 The Institute for Faith & Culture Essay: Citizens of Two Cities 🏆 · SAT/ACT
Unit 7: ✎ Personal Narrative: The College Essay
- MUST COVER 7.1 What Admissions Readers Want ✎ ★ · unit test
- MUST COVER 7.2 Finding a True Story ✎ · unit test
- MUST COVER 7.3 Drafting 650 Words ✎ ★ · unit test
- MUST COVER 7.4 Revision: From Draft to 650 ✎ · unit test
Unit 8: Review: Portfolio, Timed Essay, Résumé and Cover Letter
- MUST COVER 8.1 The Year in Review: Gathering the Sheaves · unit test
- MUST COVER 8.2 The Timed Essay: Arguing Against the Clock · SAT/ACT
- MUST COVER 8.3 The Résumé and the Cover Letter ★ · unit test
- MUST COVER 8.4 The Portfolio and the Oral Defense · unit test
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 Analyzing a Speech: Reagan at Pointe du Hoc (1984) ★ | ||
| Wk 2 | Lesson 1.2 Analyzing an Editorial: The Federalist No. 1 | ||
| Wk 3 | Lesson 1.3 Analyzing an Advertisement: Barnum and the Art of the Pitch | ||
| Wk 4 | Lesson 1.4 The Written Analysis: A Timed Essay on the Gettysburg Address | ||
| Wk 5 | Lesson 2.1 Choosing a Research Question ★ | ||
| Wk 6 | Lesson 2.2 Library and Database Search | ||
| Wk 7 | Lesson 2.3 Evaluating Sources: Weighing the Witnesses | ||
| Wk 8 | Lesson 2.4 The Annotated Bibliography | ||
| Wk 9 | Lesson 3.1 Outlining: The Canon of Arrangement ★ | ||
| Wk 10 | Lesson 3.2 Drafting: From Outline to Pages | ||
| Wk 11 | Lesson 3.3 Citations: MLA and Chicago | ||
| Wk 12 | Lesson 3.4 The Final Paper: Revision, Format and Submission ★ 🏆 | ||
| Wk 13 | Lesson 4.1 Scenes from Shakespeare: The Quarrel in Brutus’s Tent ✎ ★ | ||
| Wk 14 | Lesson 4.2 Format and Stage Directions ✎ | ||
| Wk 15 | Lesson 4.3 Writing the Ten-Minute Play ✎ | ||
| Wk 16 | Lesson 4.4 The Table Read and the Final Script ✎ 🏆 | ||
| Wk 17 | Catch-up and review week (no new lessons) | ||
| Wk 18 | Lesson 5.1 Revision by the Masters: Yeats and Frost ✎ ★ | ||
| Wk 19 | Lesson 5.2 Workshop Etiquette: Truth and Candor ✎ | ||
| Wk 20 | Lesson 5.3 Three Revised Poems ✎ | ||
| Wk 21 | Lesson 5.4 Submission: Foyle, Bennington and Scholastic ✎ 🏆 | ||
| Wk 22 | Lesson 6.1 Essay Prizes and Their Judges ★ | ||
| Wk 23 | Lesson 6.2 Steelmanning: Stating the Other Side at Its Strongest | ||
| Wk 24 | Lesson 6.3 The John Locke Institute Essay (Theology or History) 🏆 | ||
| Wk 25 | Lesson 6.4 The Institute for Faith & Culture Essay: Citizens of Two Cities 🏆 | ||
| Wk 26 | Lesson 7.1 What Admissions Readers Want ✎ ★ | ||
| Wk 27 | Lesson 7.2 Finding a True Story ✎ | ||
| Wk 28 | Lesson 7.3 Drafting 650 Words ✎ ★ | ||
| Wk 29 | Lesson 7.4 Revision: From Draft to 650 ✎ | ||
| Wk 30 | Lesson 8.1 The Year in Review: Gathering the Sheaves | ||
| Wk 31 | Lesson 8.2 The Timed Essay: Arguing Against the Clock | ||
| Wk 32 | Lesson 8.3 The Résumé and the Cover Letter ★ | ||
| Wk 33 | Lesson 8.4 The Portfolio and the Oral Defense | ||
| 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 35%, Research paper (bibliography, outline, draft and final paper) 20%, Writing notebook and Style Clinic 15%, Timed essay and unit reviews 15%, Table read, workshop and portfolio 15%. Scale: A 90–100, B 80–89, C 70–79. Below 70: revise with help and resubmit.