English 4 Pacing Guide - Callahan.xlsx

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1	English 4 Pacing Guide
2	Two-week summary of major instructional content and skills • 36 instructional weeks
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4	Week(s)	Unit / Text	Major Content	Major Skills and Assessments
5	Weeks 1–2	Unit 1 / Shakespeare & Hamlet 10 instructional days	Literary terms and quiz; Shakespeare relevance research; Shakespeare conspiracy theories; questioning/inference reading strategy; conspiracy-theory research presentation.	Define, paraphrase, and apply literary terms; research Shakespeare and conspiracy theories; gather and evaluate evidence; write an evidence-based position; make inferences while reading; create a cited Google Slides presentation. Assessments: literary-terms quiz, evidence-based writing, research presentation.
6	Weeks 3–4	Unit 1 / Hamlet, Act 1 10 instructional days	Independent freewriting; Hamlet Act 1 reading; summarizing and inference practice; Act 1 re-readables/Socratic discussion; advice freewrite; Act 1 test.	Write clearly and independently with attention to grammar and tone; summarize Act 1 events and Denmark’s political situation; analyze key character motivations; make inferences and summaries; defend interpretations of character, plot, and theme in discussion. Assessment: Act 1 test.
7	Weeks 5–6	Unit 1 / Hamlet, Act 2 11 instructional days	Hamlet character visualization; Act 2 reading; Aristotle’s definition of tragedy; Act 2 freewrite and vocabulary; questioning strategy; Christmas-song memory writing and playlist.	Use textual evidence to justify character portrayals and compare interpretations; summarize Hamlet events and analyze political context/character motivations; read informational text and answer/correct questions; write independently; define/apply vocabulary; generate questions while reading; connect personal memories to music.
8	Weeks 7–8	Unit 1 / Reading, Writing & Mid-Term 11 instructional days	Secrets and Matrix freewrites; prediction strategy; CommonLit fiction; fiction vs. reality reflection/discussion; fate vs. destiny argument; mid-term.	Write independently with grammar and tone; make predictions while reading; analyze point of view and theme in fiction; define and reflect on fiction and reality, discuss ideas, and participate in an Act 2 class vote; write an evidence-based argument about fate/destiny and peer edit/debate. Assessment: mid-term reading/comprehension.
9	Weeks 9–10	Unit 2 / Hamlet, Act 3 10 instructional days	Causal-relationship reading strategy; Groundhog Day/sliding-glass-doors freewrite; Hamlet Act 3; foil characters; Black History Month artist research.	Identify causal relationships while reading; write about a philosophical idea and peer edit; summarize Act 3 and analyze developing characters/themes; define and research foil-character examples; research a Black artist and explain biography, work, and historical/cultural impact.
10	Weeks 11–12	Unit 2 / Hamlet, Act 3 11 instructional days	Character archetypes; “To Be or Not to Be” interpretation; integrated reading strategies; fate/destiny freewrite; Act 3 re-readables/Socratic discussion; Act 3 test.	Identify and analyze character archetypes and examples; paraphrase/translate the soliloquy into modern language; identify reading strategies used; write and peer edit on fate/destiny; defend Act 3 character, plot, and theme interpretations in discussion. Assessment: Act 3 test.
11	Weeks 13–14	Unit 2 / Hamlet, Act 4 9 instructional days	Insanity freewrite; Black History Month presentations; autobiographical movie-planning freewrite; Hamlet Act 4; Act 4 re-readables/Socratic discussion; Act 4 test.	Write and peer edit about Hamlet’s sanity and personal movie ideas; present, listen to, and rate classmates’ research projects; summarize Act 4 and analyze character/theme development; defend Act 4 interpretations of character, plot, and theme. Assessment: Act 4 test.
12	Weeks 15–16	Unit 2 / Hamlet, Act 5 & Film 13 instructional days	Hamlet Act 5; Irish-history research freewrite; Senior Trip; Hamlet film; New Jersey travel-planning freewrite.	Summarize Act 5 and analyze continuing character/theme development; research, cite, and explain an Irish-history topic and its impact; answer film-comprehension and critical-thinking questions; compare/contrast the play and film in writing; read about New Jersey destinations and plan two trips.
13	Weeks 17–18	Unit 3 / Shakespearean & Pop Sonnets 11 instructional days	One Shining Moment descriptive freewrite; integrity reflection; connotation vs. denotation; Shakespearean sonnet structure; pop-sonnet interpretation; creation of a pop sonnet.	Write a description using varied adjectives; paraphrase and apply the idea of integrity; distinguish connotation and denotation; identify sonnet meter, rhyme scheme, quatrains/stanzas/couplets; interpret pop sonnets; transform a familiar song into Shakespearean sonnet form using paraphrase, synonyms, and rhyme scheme.
14	Weeks 19–20	Unit 3 / Figurative Language & Symbolism 10 instructional days	Literal vs. figurative language; passion/belief freewrite and vocabulary; paradoxes and oxymorons; symbolism in poetry/popular culture; tattoo-symbolism project.	Distinguish literal and figurative language and explain clichés; plan/write and peer edit a response, define vocabulary, and complete a vocabulary quiz; define, create, identify, and explain paradoxes/oxymorons; identify and interpret symbolism; select personal symbols and explain each in writing.
15	Weeks 21–22	Unit 3 / Speeches, Simile & Allusion 8 instructional days	Graduation speeches; best man/maid of honor speeches; simile and allusion notes/activities.	Research graduation speeches and write a graduation speech; interview a partner, gather information, outline, write, and present a best man/maid of honor speech; identify and interpret similes and allusions.
16	Weeks 23–24	Unit 3 / Figurative Language & Poetry Review 7 instructional days	Metaphors; alliteration, idioms, and clichés; personification, puns, double entendres, and irony; poetry review/test.	Identify and interpret metaphors in a song and poem; interpret idioms and clichés; identify examples of irony and create puns; review poetic devices collaboratively and through Kahoot. Assessment: poetry test/review.
17	Weeks 25–26	Unit 3 / Poetry Mix Tape 7 instructional days	Poetry Mix Tape project: topic/theme selection, poem/song evidence, poetic-device analysis, and theme interpretation.	Choose a topic; identify that topic in poems and songs; cite evidence and explain how each selection develops the topic; identify, interpret, and explain poetic devices; analyze the theme of each poem/song. Assessment: Poetry Mix Tape project.
18	Weeks 27–28
19	Weeks 29–30
20	Weeks 31–32
21	Weeks 33–34
22	Weeks 35–36
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