Scope and sequence · English
Grade 7 Composition & Creative Writing: Commonplace, Encomium and Invective
The fifth year of classical writing: amplify a virtue or a vice with the commonplace, praise a worthy person or thing with the encomium, blame a vice fairly with invective, tell a story from three points of view, write a first sonnet, build a five-paragraph essay, and sketch a real life in the manner of Plutarch.
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What to cover
32 of 35 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: Commonplace
- MUST COVER 1.1 Amplifying a Known Virtue or Vice: Against the Tyrant, Against the Thief ★ · unit test
- MUST COVER 1.2 The Arrangement of a Commonplace · unit test
- MUST COVER 1.3 A Commonplace Against Cowardice · unit test
- MUST COVER 1.4 The Commonplace Book: Milton’s, Jefferson’s and Your Own · unit test
Unit 2: Encomium (Praise)
- MUST COVER 2.1 Praising a Person: Origin, Upbringing, Deeds, Comparison ★ · unit test
- MUST COVER 2.2 Encomium of a Hero: William Wilberforce ★ · unit test
- MUST COVER 2.3 Encomium of a Thing: The Plow, the Book, the Bridge · unit test
- MUST COVER 2.4 Hebrews 11 as Encomium · unit test
Unit 3: Invective (Blame) and Fairness
- MUST COVER 3.1 The Same Method, Turned: Blame the Deed ★ · unit test
- MUST COVER 3.2 Cicero Against Catiline · unit test
- MUST COVER 3.3 Speaking the Truth in Love · unit test
- MUST COVER 3.4 Writing Invective Against a Vice · unit test
Unit 4: ✎ Story: Point of View
- MUST COVER 4.1 First Person: Crusoe Tells His Own Story ✎ ★ · unit test
- MUST COVER 4.2 Third Person Limited: One Pair of Eyes ✎ · unit test
- MUST COVER 4.3 Omniscient: Dickens Sees All of Scrooge ✎ · unit test
- MUST COVER 4.4 One Story, Three Views ✎ · unit test
Unit 5: ✎ Poetry: The Sonnet, First Look
- MUST COVER 5.1 Shakespeare's Sonnet 18 ✎ ★ · unit test
- MUST COVER 5.2 Milton, “On His Blindness”: The Italian Sonnet ✎ · unit test
- MUST COVER 5.3 Iambic Pentameter by Ear ✎ · unit test
- MUST COVER 5.4 Write Fourteen Lines ✎ · unit test
Unit 6: The Five-Paragraph Essay as Scaffold
- MUST COVER 6.1 The Thesis Statement ★ · SAT/ACT
- MUST COVER 6.2 Body Paragraphs from the Encomium Heads · SAT/ACT
- MUST COVER 6.3 Introductions and Conclusions · unit test
- MUST COVER 6.4 Patriot’s Pen or Scholastic Entry ★ 🏆 · unit test
Unit 7: ✎ Personal Narrative: The Biographical Sketch
- MUST COVER 7.1 Plutarch’s Lives: Not Histories, but Lives ✎ ★ · unit test
- MUST COVER 7.2 Interviewing a Grandparent ✎ · unit test
- MUST COVER 7.3 Arranging a Life ✎ · unit test
- MUST COVER 7.4 The Sketch: A Life in Telling Details ✎ · unit test
Unit 8: Review
- MUST COVER 8.1 The Year in Review: Building an Encomium Speech ★ · unit test
- MUST COVER 8.2 Delivering the Encomium: Memory and Delivery · unit test
- MUST COVER 8.3 Revision: Franklin’s Method and the Second Draft · unit test
- MUST COVER 8.4 The Portfolio and the Oral Examination · unit test
Unit 9: Bonus: Contest Lab OPTIONAL unit
- OPTIONAL 9.1 VFW Patriot’s Pen: What a Veteran Taught Me About America 🏆
- OPTIONAL 9.2 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards: Choosing a Category 🏆
- OPTIONAL 9.3 Polish and Send: Rules Checklist, Word Count, Honest Work 🏆
36-week pacing calendar
This is a 18-week course. Pair it with another course in the same subject, or spread it over the year at a lighter pace.
| Week | Plan | Done | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | Lesson 1.1 Amplifying a Known Virtue or Vice: Against the Tyrant, Against the Thief ★ Lesson 1.2 The Arrangement of a Commonplace | ||
| Wk 2 | Lesson 1.3 A Commonplace Against Cowardice Lesson 1.4 The Commonplace Book: Milton’s, Jefferson’s and Your Own | ||
| Wk 3 | Lesson 2.1 Praising a Person: Origin, Upbringing, Deeds, Comparison ★ Lesson 2.2 Encomium of a Hero: William Wilberforce ★ | ||
| Wk 4 | Lesson 2.3 Encomium of a Thing: The Plow, the Book, the Bridge Lesson 2.4 Hebrews 11 as Encomium | ||
| Wk 5 | Lesson 3.1 The Same Method, Turned: Blame the Deed ★ Lesson 3.2 Cicero Against Catiline | ||
| Wk 6 | Lesson 3.3 Speaking the Truth in Love Lesson 3.4 Writing Invective Against a Vice | ||
| Wk 7 | Lesson 4.1 First Person: Crusoe Tells His Own Story ✎ ★ Lesson 4.2 Third Person Limited: One Pair of Eyes ✎ | ||
| Wk 8 | Lesson 4.3 Omniscient: Dickens Sees All of Scrooge ✎ Lesson 4.4 One Story, Three Views ✎ | ||
| Wk 9 | Lesson 5.1 Shakespeare's Sonnet 18 ✎ ★ Lesson 5.2 Milton, “On His Blindness”: The Italian Sonnet ✎ | ||
| Wk 10 | Lesson 5.3 Iambic Pentameter by Ear ✎ Lesson 5.4 Write Fourteen Lines ✎ | ||
| Wk 11 | Lesson 6.1 The Thesis Statement ★ Lesson 6.2 Body Paragraphs from the Encomium Heads | ||
| Wk 12 | Lesson 6.3 Introductions and Conclusions Lesson 6.4 Patriot’s Pen or Scholastic Entry ★ 🏆 | ||
| Wk 13 | Lesson 7.1 Plutarch’s Lives: Not Histories, but Lives ✎ ★ Lesson 7.2 Interviewing a Grandparent ✎ | ||
| Wk 14 | Lesson 7.3 Arranging a Life ✎ Lesson 7.4 The Sketch: A Life in Telling Details ✎ | ||
| Wk 15 | Lesson 8.1 The Year in Review: Building an Encomium Speech ★ Lesson 8.2 Delivering the Encomium: Memory and Delivery | ||
| Wk 16 | Lesson 8.3 Revision: Franklin’s Method and the Second Draft Lesson 8.4 The Portfolio and the Oral Examination | ||
| Wk 17 | Lesson 9.1 VFW Patriot’s Pen: What a Veteran Taught Me About America 🏆 Lesson 9.2 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards: Choosing a Category 🏆 | ||
| Wk 18 | Lesson 9.3 Polish and Send: Rules Checklist, Word Count, Honest Work 🏆 | ||
| Wk 19 | Open week: second course, project or review | ||
| Wk 20 | Open week: second course, project or review | ||
| Wk 21 | Open week: second course, project or review | ||
| Wk 22 | Open week: second course, project or review | ||
| Wk 23 | Open week: second course, project or review | ||
| Wk 24 | Open week: second course, project or review | ||
| Wk 25 | Open week: second course, project or review | ||
| Wk 26 | Open week: second course, project or review | ||
| Wk 27 | Open week: second course, project or review | ||
| Wk 28 | Open week: second course, project or review | ||
| Wk 29 | Open week: second course, project or review | ||
| Wk 30 | Open week: second course, project or review | ||
| Wk 31 | Open week: second course, project or review | ||
| Wk 32 | Open week: second course, project or review | ||
| Wk 33 | Open week: second course, project or review | ||
| Wk 34 | Open week: second course, project or review | ||
| Wk 35 | Open week: second course, project or review | ||
| Wk 36 | Open week: second course, project or review |
Grading: Writing projects 50%, Writing notebook and commonplace book 15%, Unit reviews 15%, Unit portfolio pieces and oral work 20%. Scale: A 90–100, B 80–89, C 70–79. Below 70: revise with help and resubmit.