explain which grades 11-12 standards 11B introduces or deepens, and how the year’s through-line connects the two semesters.
English 11A and 11B together cite all 76 codes in the grades 11-12 standards file; a coverage check was run when the course was written. 11B is not a repeat of 11A with later texts. It introduces demands 11A did not assess, and it completes the year’s argument.
The through-line. 11A asked who the founding arguments were written for, and who answered back. 11B follows the same question into the period of expansion, Reconstruction and the 1920s: who belongs to the American promise, and on what terms? The capstone asks students to answer a version of that question themselves. Say it aloud on the first day of 11B and put it on the wall.
New in 11B: drama in versions (RL.11-12.7). Students compare Glaspell’s play Trifles with her story version and with their own staged reading, evaluating how each interprets the same events. It is the only place in the year that assesses this standard, so protect the performance lab.
New in 11B: research (W.11-12.7, W.11-12.8). 11A required one outside source. 11B’s capstone is a sustained research project on a self-generated question, 1,800-2,500 words, with an annotated bibliography of at least eight sources. This is the heaviest writing task in the charter English sequence so far.
New in 11B: multimedia integration (RI.11-12.7, SL.11-12.2, SL.11-12.5). Unit 3 uses a cartoon and a birch-bark pamphlet as sources, and the capstone presentation must use digital media strategically.
Deepened: legal reasoning (RI.11-12.8). 11A delineated one Supreme Court opinion. 11B delineates a treaty, a statute and three opinions, including a dissent that contains its own prejudice. Expect students to be better at delineation, and raise your expectations accordingly.
Deepened: foundational literature (RL.11-12.9). Two full-length novels, and paired texts from the same period in every unit. The Squatter and the Don is less familiar than the rest of the canon; that is deliberate. It puts a Mexican American California writer in the foundational tradition.
Continuity. The recursive pipeline, the seminar roles and the best-advocate counterclaim exercise continue from 11A. Students who took 11A elsewhere need a one-period introduction to the premise chart and the pipeline in week 1.
What English 11B adds, and where
| Demand | Standard | Where taught | Where assessed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drama compared across versions and performance | RL.11-12.7 | 2.3 | 2.5 |
| Sustained research on a self-generated question | W.11-12.7, W.11-12.8 | 4.4 | 4.5 |
| Sources in different media | RI.11-12.7, SL.11-12.2 | 3.4 | 3.5 |
| Digital media in presentations | SL.11-12.5 | 4.5 | 4.5 |
| Legal reasoning in treaties, statutes and opinions | RI.11-12.8 | 1.3, 3.3 | 1.5, 3.5 |
| Nuance and domain vocabulary | L.11-12.5.b, L.11-12.6 | 2.2, 3.2 | All essays |
Which 11B lesson is the only place in the year that teaches RL.11-12.7?
How confident are you that you can explain what 11B adds and how the year’s through-line connects the semesters?