1. YEAR’S BIG QUESTION: What are life’s big questions? SELECTION: “The School Play” GENRE: Fiction - Realistic Fiction SELECTION’S BIG QUESTION: What do you fear most? LITERARY CONCEPTS: * plot * setting * conflict * connotation and denotation GRAMMAR/WRITING SKILLS: * sentence fragments VOCABULARY: * narrative * prop * relentless * smirk UNIT 1: Plot, Conflict, and Setting ESSENTIAL QUESTION(S): 1. How does setting impact the events of the story? 2. What are the essential elements of plot? 3. What does conflict do to motivate characters and advance the plot? 4. How do plot, setting, and conflict address your life’s big questions? UNIT 1 ACADEMIC VOCABULARY author’s purpose chronological order climax compare conflict contrast exposition falling action foreshadowing inferences plot resolution rising action setting suspense text features

2. YEAR’S BIG QUESTION: What are life’s big questions? SELECTION: “The Good Deed” GENRE: Fiction - Realistic Fiction SELECTION’S BIG QUESTION: Can first impressions be trusted? LITERARY CONCEPTS: * conflict * sequencing using clue words * context clues GRAMMAR/WRITING SKILLS: * suffixes * run-on sentences VOCABULARY: * accusation * generic * impaired * incredibly * pert * trite UNIT 1: Plot, Conflict, and Setting ESSENTIAL QUESTION(S): 1. How does setting impact the events of the story? 2. What are the essential elements of plot? 3. What does conflict do to motivate characters and advance the plot? 4. How do plot, setting, and conflict address your life’s big questions? UNIT 1 ACADEMIC VOCABULARY author’s purpose chronological order climax compare conflict contrast exposition falling action foreshadowing inferences plot resolution rising action setting suspense text features

3. YEAR’S BIG QUESTION: What are life’s big questions? SELECTION: “All Summer in a Day” and “Settling in Space” GENRE: Fiction - Science Fiction; Non-Fiction - Magazine Article SELECTION’S BIG QUESTION: What if your whole world changed? LITERARY CONCEPTS: * setting * making inferences * using text features * foreshadowing * cause and effect GRAMMAR/WRITING SKILLS: * synonyms * commas in dates, addresses, and letters VOCABULARY: *apparatus *resilient *savor *tumultuously UNIT 1: Plot, Conflict, and Setting ESSENTIAL QUESTION(S): 1. How does setting impact the events of the story? 2. What are the essential elements of plot? 3. What does conflict do to motivate characters and advance the plot? 4. How do plot, setting, and conflict address your life’s big questions? UNIT 1 ACADEMIC VOCABULARY author’s purpose chronological order climax compare conflict contrast exposition falling action foreshadowing inferences plot resolution rising action setting suspense text features

4. YEAR’S BIG QUESTION: What are life’s big questions? SELECTION: “Woodsong” GENRE: Nonfiction - Memoir SELECTION’S BIG QUESTION: Does nature demand respect? LITERARY CONCEPTS: * setting analysis - nonfiction * author’s purpose GRAMMAR/WRITING SKILLS: * pronoun-antecedent agreement VOCABULARY: * coherent * eject * novelty * scavenging * toll * truce UNIT 1: Plot, Conflict, and Setting ESSENTIAL QUESTION(S): 1. How does setting impact the events of the story? 2. What are the essential elements of plot? 3. What does conflict do to motivate characters and advance the plot? 4. How do plot, setting, and conflict address your life’s big questions? UNIT 1 ACADEMIC VOCABULARY author’s purpose chronological order climax compare conflict contrast exposition falling action foreshadowing inferences plot resolution rising action setting suspense text features

5. YEAR’S BIG QUESTION: What are life’s big questions? SELECTION: “The Prince and the Pauper” GENRE: Drama SELECTION’S BIG QUESTION: Who would you be if you could? LITERARY CONCEPTS: * conflict in drama * stage directions GRAMMAR/WRITING SKILLS: * possessive nouns VOCABULARY: * affliction * imposter * pauper * recollection * sane * successor UNIT 1: Plot, Conflict, and Setting ESSENTIAL QUESTION(S): 1. How does setting impact the events of the story? 2. What are the essential elements of plot? 3. What does conflict do to motivate characters and advance the plot? 4. How do plot, setting, and conflict address your life’s big questions? UNIT 1 ACADEMIC VOCABULARY author’s purpose chronological order climax compare conflict contrast exposition falling action foreshadowing inferences plot resolution rising action setting suspense text features cast of characters prop scenery stage directions stage placements

6. YEAR’S BIG QUESTION: What are life’s big questions? SELECTION: _______________________________________ GENRE: ________ - _________ SELECTION’S BIG QUESTION: _______________________ __ _______________________________________________ LITERARY CONCEPTS: * GRAMMAR/WRITING SKILLS: * VOCABULARY: * UNIT ____: ____________________________________ ESSENTIAL QUESTION(S): 1) __________________________________________ 2) __________________________________________ 3) __________________________________________ 4) __________________________________________ UNIT ___ ACADEMIC VOCABULARY ~