English Language Arts
10th Grade
10th Grade ELA Course Summary
In 10th Grade English Language Arts, students explore the tension between being an individual and being part of a community through diverse, rigorous, and relevant texts from the twentieth and twenty-first centuries: Fahrenheit 451, Purple Hibiscus, Antigone, magical realism short stories and Chronicle of a Death Foretold, Reading Lolita in Tehran, and thematically aligned texts: short stories, articles, poems, and digital media. Students will examine the reciprocal relationship between individuals and the society in which they live, considering how an individual's values impact its relationship with a community and vice versa.
Building upon the knowledge and English Language Arts skills they’ve developed in previous years, students deeply engage with complex texts through both independent reading and guided Close Reading, prepare for and engage in longform whole class discussions including Socratic Seminars, and write multi-paragraph responses to Essential Questions by gathering evidence and effectively communicating their thoughts.
Recommended Sequence
Unit 1
23 Lessons
"If This Goes On..." Technology, Truth, and Happiness in Fahrenheit 451
Students will explore the effects of technology and censorship in Ray Bradbury's dystopian novel and make connections between his futuristic society and their own.
Unit 2
25 Lessons
Flowers of Freedom: Voice, Defiance, and Coming of Age in Purple Hibiscus
Students will explore how Adichie uses characterization, structure, point of view, and motifs to develop themes connected to freedom, cultural identity, and coming of age.
Unit 3
23 Lessons
"I was born to join in love, not hate—that is my nature": Civil Disobedience in Antigone
Students will examine the central conflict in Antigone between loyalty to one's family and religion and loyalty to society and the law, exploring how characters use rhetorical appeals and devices to convey their stance about their allegiance.
Unit 4
22 Lessons
Making the Ordinary Extraordinary: Magical Realism in Latin American Literature
Students will explore the literary genre of magical realism through a selection of short stories and the novella Chronicle of a Death Foretold, analyzing how writers blend realism with fantastical elements to reveal truths about human nature.
Unit 5
29 Lessons
Reading as Resistance: Reading Lolita in Tehran
In Reading Lolita in Tehran, students will examine the central conflict between citizens and their oppressive government, considering how fiction, as well as the reading and discussion of it, can be a powerful form of resistance.
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