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English I General Pacing Guide
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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 1–2 • 10 instructional daysCourse launch; CommonLit; IXLClassroom procedures, routines, expectations, goal setting, community-building presentations, and baseline CommonLit/IXL assessments.Follow classroom procedures and expectations; set and reflect on personal/academic goals; organize and present personal information; practice active listening and respectful participation; demonstrate baseline reading, writing, and language skills. Excerpts, more scaffolding, reading in class. supported prompts.
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Weeks 3–4 • 9 instructional daysIndependent Reading; Vocabulary Lesson 1; The Lady, or the TigerProfessional email communication, syllabus and independent-reading expectations, pre-assessment review, vocabulary study/application, and anticipation for The Lady, or the Tiger.Use professional email conventions; explain course and independent-reading expectations; select and begin an appropriate independent-reading book; analyze pre-assessment answers with textual evidence; use context, pronunciation, and parts of speech to develop vocabulary; apply vocabulary in context; make predictions about a text. Excerpts, more scaffolding, reading in class. supported prompts.
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Weeks 5–6 • 9 instructional daysThe Lady, or the TigerThe Lady, or the Tiger through debate, listening, collaborative analysis, evidence gathering, MLA review, analytical writing, and conferences.Analyze themes and perspectives in The Lady, or the Tiger; listen/read for comprehension; collaborate in text analysis; develop claims; gather and cite relevant textual evidence; apply MLA formatting; draft and revise analytical writing through conferencing. Excerpts, more scaffolding, reading in class. supported prompts.
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Weeks 7–8 • 9 instructional daysIrony; Vocabulary Lesson 2; Figurative LanguageVerbal, situational, and dramatic irony; Vocabulary Lesson 2; figurative-language introduction and assessment practice.Define, identify, distinguish, and explain verbal, situational, and dramatic irony; apply vocabulary accurately in context; demonstrate vocabulary mastery; define and identify initial figurative-language types and explain examples. Excerpts, more scaffolding, reading in class. supported prompts.
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Weeks 9–10 • 9 instructional daysFigurative Language; Commonly Confused Words; The Most Dangerous GameFigurative-language review/assessment, commonly confused words, and introduction, anticipation, reading, and annotation of The Most Dangerous Game.Define, recognize, and distinguish figurative language; demonstrate mastery through review/quiz; apply commonly confused words correctly; make predictions about survival/human behavior; read and annotate The Most Dangerous Game for details, vocabulary, conflict, and character. Excerpts, more scaffolding, reading in class. supported prompts.
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Weeks 11–12 • 9 instructional daysThe Most Dangerous Game; Vocabulary Lesson 3Close reading and literary analysis of The Most Dangerous Game; Vocabulary Lesson 3; story quiz and post-reading written reflection.Analyze figurative language, conflict, theme, suspense, tone, and character in The Most Dangerous Game; use vocabulary accurately; demonstrate story comprehension and literary analysis; make and support a claim in a post-reading reflection. Excerpts, more scaffolding, reading in class. supported prompts.
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Weeks 13–14 • 10 instructional daysEdgar Allan Poe; The Cask of AmontilladoPoe biography and themes, author craft in opening lines, setting and mood, Vocabulary Lesson 3 assessment, and opening-line annotation of The Cask of Amontillado.Identify enduring themes and Poe's literary significance; connect themes across older and modern texts; analyze and evaluate opening lines; explain how setting creates mood/theme; demonstrate vocabulary mastery; annotate the opening of The Cask of Amontillado for tone, inference, vocabulary, prediction, and author craft. Excerpts, more scaffolding, reading in class. supported prompts.
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Weeks 15–16 • 10 instructional daysThe Cask of Amontillado; The Black CatClose reading of The Cask of Amontillado for tone, characterization, conflict, irony, theme, argument, and assessment; introduction to The Black Cat and narrator reliability.Closely read The Cask of Amontillado for vocabulary, tone, characterization, conflict, irony, theme, and author purpose; formulate and support an argument with textual evidence; analyze a passage; predict behavior and examine guilt/instability in The Black Cat; evaluate narrator reliability. Excerpts, more scaffolding, reading in class. supported prompts.
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Weeks 17–18 • 10 instructional daysThe Black Cat; Midterm preparationThe Black Cat close reading for character, symbolism, conflict, setting, mood, irony, foreshadowing, and theme; passage-based assessment and cold-read practice.Analyze The Black Cat for character change, symbolism, conflict, setting, mood, irony, foreshadowing, and theme; justify answers with textual evidence; demonstrate passage-based literary analysis; practice evidence-based reasoning on cold-read multiple-choice questions. Excerpts, more scaffolding, reading in class. supported prompts. Excerpts, more scaffolding, reading in class. supported prompts.
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Weeks 19–20 • 10 instructional daysMidterm preparation; Midterms; Independent Reading Book TalkCold-read short-response practice, midterm assessments, and preparation/slide development for independent-reading book talks.Write focused cold-read responses using claim, evidence, and explanation; complete midterm assessments; organize independent-reading content into a cohesive presentation and design slides that communicate key information clearly. Excerpts, more scaffolding, reading in class. supported prompts. Excerpts, more scaffolding, reading in class. supported prompts.
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Weeks 21–22 • 10 instructional daysIndependent Reading Book Talk; The Hate U Give; To Kill a MockingbirdIndependent-reading book talks; introduction to The Hate U Give and To Kill a Mockingbird; Great Depression/New Deal context; Naviance; character role-play preparation.Present and discuss independent-reading books clearly; identify thematic connections between The Hate U Give and To Kill a Mockingbird; explain how historical context, the Great Depression, and the New Deal shape literature and social issues; engage appropriately with Naviance; identify and present major characters. Excerpts, more scaffolding, reading in class. supported prompts.
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Weeks 23–24 • 10 instructional daysTo Kill a Mockingbird; The Hate U GiveTo Kill a Mockingbird character role-play/review, The Hate U Give reading expectations, Part 1 film adaptation, and Chapter 11 reading.Explain character traits, relationships, and roles in To Kill a Mockingbird; demonstrate character knowledge; follow The Hate U Give reading/project expectations; analyze Part 1 characters, conflicts, setting, and themes across film/text; analyze Chapter 11 character development, narration, and symbolism. Excerpts, more scaffolding, reading in class. supported prompts.
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Weeks 25–26 • 10 instructional daysTo Kill a Mockingbird, Ch. 11–15; The Hate U GiveTo Kill a Mockingbird Chapters 11–15: symbolism, theme, code switching, character analysis, and rising tension; The Hate U Give reading and quiz.Analyze Chapters 11–15 for symbolism, theme, character development, language, identity, power, and social expectations; define and analyze code switching; summarize key events and rising tension; read The Hate U Give independently and demonstrate comprehension. Excerpts, more scaffolding, reading in class. supported prompts.
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Weeks 27–28 • 10 instructional daysTo Kill a Mockingbird, Ch. 15–19; The Hate U GiveTo Kill a Mockingbird Chapters 15–19: historical context, courtroom procedures, witness testimony, evidence, credibility, and analysis; The Hate U Give independent reading.Analyze Chapters 15–19 using historical context; explain courtroom roles and procedures; evaluate testimony, evidence, credibility, tone, word choice, and character; connect race, power, and social expectations to events; sustain independent reading of The Hate U Give. Excerpts, more scaffolding, reading in class. supported prompts.
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Weeks 29–30 • 10 instructional daysTo Kill a Mockingbird, Ch. 20–27; The Hate U GiveVocabulary assessment; To Kill a Mockingbird Chapters 20–27, trial analysis/review, The Hate U Give reading check, and character-perspective project.Apply vocabulary knowledge; analyze Atticus's closing argument, rhetoric, tone, justice, trial outcomes, character development, and Chapters 17–23; demonstrate The Hate U Give comprehension with evidence; justify review/quiz responses; analyze and represent a character's perspective and motivations. Excerpts, more scaffolding, reading in class. supported prompts.
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Weeks 31–32 • 10 instructional daysTo Kill a Mockingbird, Ch. 24–31; Comparative Literary Analysis ProjectTo Kill a Mockingbird Chapters 24–31, suspense, resolution, critical perspectives, and comparative literary analysis project work.Demonstrate comprehension of Chapters 24–27; analyze suspense, plot turns, conflict resolution, Boo Radley's role, Scout's final understanding, and major themes; evaluate differing perspectives on To Kill a Mockingbird; compare themes, characters, and ideas across To Kill a Mockingbird and The Hate U Give using textual evidence. Excerpts, more scaffolding, reading in class. supported prompts.
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Weeks 33–34 • 9 instructional daysShakespeare; Elizabethan England; Romeo & Juliet Prologue; NJSLA PracticeConnections between Shakespeare and modern music, Shakespearean language/conventions, Elizabethan England research, Romeo & Juliet Prologue translation, and NJSLA practice.Identify timeless themes across Shakespeare and modern music; develop familiarity with Shakespearean language and dramatic conventions; research and present Elizabethan cultural context; translate and analyze the Romeo & Juliet Prologue; apply close-reading, literary/informational analysis, vocabulary, and evidence skills in NJSLA practice. Excerpts, more scaffolding, reading in class. supported prompts.
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Weeks 35–36 • 10 instructional daysNJSLA Writing Practice; Romeo & Juliet; Final Exam ReviewNJSLA informative/narrative writing practice; Romeo & Juliet Acts 1–5; tragedy, conflict, dramatic irony, fate, responsibility, and final-exam review.Plan and develop informative/explanatory and narrative writing with relevant evidence, organization, details, dialogue, and sensory language; analyze Romeo & Juliet characters, relationships, conflict, dramatic irony, turning points, fate, responsibility, and resolution; review CommonLit skills, MLA/citation, figurative language, and final-exam content. Excerpts, more scaffolding, reading in class. supported prompts.
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