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English I Pacing Guide College Prep
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Two-week summary of major instructional content and skills • 36 instructional weeks
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Week(s)Unit / TextMajor ContentMajor Skills and Assessments
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Weeks 1–2Course Launch, Community & Baseline Assessments10 instructional days — Classroom procedures and goals; About Me slide creation/presentations; CommonLit preassessment; IXL benchmark.Follow classroom routines; set personal/academic goals; organize and present personal information; practice active listening; demonstrate baseline reading, writing, and language skills; reflect on assessment as a starting point for growth.
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Weeks 3–4Professional Communication, Independent Reading, Vocabulary 1 & “The Lady, or the Tiger”9 instructional days — Email etiquette; syllabus and independent reading expectations/book selection; CommonLit preassessment review; Vocabulary Lesson 1; “The Lady, or the Tiger” anticipation activity.Compose a professional email; explain independent reading expectations and select a suitable book; analyze correct/incorrect responses with textual evidence; use vocabulary accurately in context; articulate and support positions related to a literary text.
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Weeks 5–6“The Lady, or the Tiger” Analysis & Irony11 instructional days — Debate and audio reading; collaborative literary analysis; MLA/evidence review; analytical writing and conferences; introduction and practice with verbal, situational, and dramatic irony.Defend interpretations with evidence; identify plot, conflict, character motivation, and theme; gather and evaluate textual evidence; write and revise a claim-based analytical response using MLA citation; identify and explain the three types of irony.
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Weeks 7–8Irony, Vocabulary 2 & Figurative Language10 instructional days — Irony practice and quiz; Vocabulary Lesson 2 introduction, practice, and test; figurative language notes, review, and quiz.Differentiate and explain verbal, situational, and dramatic irony; apply vocabulary accurately in reading/writing contexts; define, recognize, and analyze eleven types of figurative language; demonstrate mastery through quizzes and written examples.
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Weeks 9–10Language Skills & “The Most Dangerous Game”10 instructional days — Commonly confused words; survival/anticipation activity; guided annotation; close reading and literary analysis of “The Most Dangerous Game.”Use commonly confused words correctly; make predictions and discuss survival/human behavior; annotate for key details, vocabulary, conflict, and character; analyze figurative language, suspense, tone, conflict, and developing theme.
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Weeks 11–12“The Most Dangerous Game” Completion & Poe Introduction11 instructional days — Vocabulary 3 introduction/practice; “The Most Dangerous Game” quiz and written reflection; Edgar Allan Poe biography/themes; modern theme connections; first-line analysis and bracket tournament.Apply vocabulary in context; demonstrate comprehension and analysis of “The Most Dangerous Game”; write an evidence-based claim with MLA citation; explain how author experience and timeless themes shape literature; analyze and evaluate opening lines for tone, effect, and craft.
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Weeks 13–14“The Cask of Amontillado”11 instructional days — Setting/mood and catacomb context; Vocabulary 3 test; first-line and first-paragraph annotation; guided reading; irony/theme analysis; argument preparation; close-reading assessment.Explain how setting creates mood; annotate for tone, prediction, characterization, and conflict; evaluate narrator motivation/reliability; identify irony and trace revenge as a theme; formulate an evidence-based argument with MLA citation; analyze author’s purpose and craft.
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Weeks 15–16“The Black Cat” — Close Reading & Literary Analysis8 instructional days — Psychological anticipation; first-line/narrator reliability work; first-paragraph close reading; character, symbolism, conflict, setting/mood, irony, and foreshadowing analysis.Make predictions about guilt and instability; analyze diction, tone, narrator reliability, characterization, symbolism, conflict, setting, and theme; explain how irony and foreshadowing build horror, suspense, and meaning.
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Weeks 17–18“The Black Cat” Assessment & Midterm Preparation10 instructional days — Theme/message work; Question Trail; passage-based assessment; cold-read multiple-choice and short-response practice; midterms.Interpret theme and author message; justify multiple-choice reasoning with evidence; analyze passage tone, symbolism, and theme; write concise claim-evidence-explanation responses; revise reasoning collaboratively; demonstrate readiness on the midterm.
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Weeks 19–20Independent Reading Book Talks & “The Hate U Give” Introduction10 instructional days — Book-talk slide preparation and presentations; introduction to “The Hate U Give” and its pairing with “To Kill a Mockingbird.”Organize and design a cohesive presentation; present clearly and engage in active listening; analyze themes, characters, and personal connections in independent reading; identify initial thematic connections between “The Hate U Give” and “To Kill a Mockingbird.”
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Weeks 21–22Historical Context, Characters & Novel Pairing10 instructional days — Great Depression/New Deal context; Naviance presentation; “To Kill a Mockingbird” character preparation and Tea Party; character quiz; “The Hate U Give” reading/project expectations.Explain how historical context influences characters and themes; connect economic conditions, justice, and inequality; present and gather accurate character information; identify character relationships; explain independent-reading expectations and comparative purpose.
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Weeks 23–24“To Kill a Mockingbird” Chapters 11–13 & Code Switching10 instructional days — Film adaptation of Part 1; Chapter 11 reading/analysis; Chapters 12–13; code-switching instruction and character analysis.Analyze character development, symbolism, courage, setting, and theme; compare film choices with textual expectations; define code switching; explain how language reflects identity, culture, power, and social expectations using evidence from the novel.
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Weeks 25–26“To Kill a Mockingbird” Chapters 14–17 & Trial Context11 instructional days — “The Hate U Give” reading/quiz; Chapters 14–16 reading and quizzes; mob mentality/historical context; courtroom procedures; Chapter 17 testimony.Sustain independent reading and demonstrate comprehension; summarize and analyze Chapters 14–16; connect mob mentality to historical context; explain courtroom roles; analyze testimony, bias, perspective, and Atticus’s questioning strategy.
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Weeks 27–28Trial Analysis: Chapters 18–23 & “The Hate U Give”9 instructional days — Mayella and Tom Robinson testimony; Chapter 19 questions; vocabulary assessment; Chapter 20/Atticus’s closing argument; THUG reading check; Chapter 23 review and Question Trail.Evaluate witness credibility, power dynamics, evidence, rhetoric, and tone; analyze race, justice, equality, character development, and trial outcomes; support responses with textual evidence; demonstrate independent-reading comprehension and correct misunderstandings through review.
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Weeks 29–30“To Kill a Mockingbird” Completion & Character Perspective9 instructional days — Chapters 17–23 review/quiz; “In My Shoes” project; Chapters 24–27 quiz; Chapters 28–31 reading/analysis; comparative project introduction.Demonstrate comprehension of the trial and later chapters; analyze character perspective, motivation, suspense, conflict resolution, Boo Radley’s significance, empathy, justice, and innocence; support creative and analytical work with specific textual evidence.
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Weeks 31–32Comparative Analysis & Shakespeare/Elizabethan Context10 instructional days — Critical perspectives on “To Kill a Mockingbird”; comparative project work with “The Hate U Give”; “Swift or Shakespeare?”; Shakespeare introduction; Elizabethan England research.Evaluate praise and criticism of a text; compare themes, characters, and ideas across the paired novels using evidence; interpret unfamiliar language through context; identify Shakespearean influence and dramatic conventions; research and present historical/cultural context.
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Weeks 33–34Romeo & Juliet, NJSLA Practice & Writing11 instructional days — Prologue translation; NJSLA reading, argumentative/informative, and narrative practice; “Romeo and Juliet” Acts 1–3.Translate and analyze Shakespearean language; identify conflict, foreshadowing, character relationships, dramatic irony, and turning points; apply close-reading and evidence skills; organize informative/argumentative responses and narratives using NJSLA-aligned techniques.
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Weeks 35–36Romeo & Juliet Conclusion & Final Exam Review4 instructional days — Acts 4–5 and debrief; final review of CommonLit skills, MLA/writing, Romeo & Juliet, figurative language, and literary devices.Analyze desperation, dramatic irony, fate, character responsibility, and the tragedy’s resolution; review theme, character, conflict, tone, central idea, MLA citation, literary argument, figurative language, and test-taking strategies for the final exam.
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