Unit 1Procedures and Book Talks
2 lessons1 Week
Procedures and Book Talks
 Week 1
Lesson 1
Welcome & Procedures
Develop a tight-knit community and learn how we roll (and intro to grammar, reading, homework, and how to engage in class).
Lesson 2
Book Talks
Learn how to analyze the structure of a narrative and how to prepare for your oral presentations (students give a presentation in every class). This is a fancy, more analytical oral book report. 
Unit 2Opinion Writing with Fables
7 lessons4 Weeks
Opinion Writing with Fables
 Week 2
Lesson 3
Opinion Writing: Screen Time
Learn to express an opinion and support it.
Lesson 4
Opinion Writing: Wasting Kindness on the Evil
Learn to express an opinion and support it.
 Week 3
Lesson 5
Opinion Writing: Friendship
Learn to express an opinion and support it.
Lesson 6
Opinion Writing: Love vs Infatuation
Learn to express an opinion and support it.
 Week 4
Lesson 7
Write & Illustrate a Fable, part 1
Learn how to write a fable.
Lesson 8
Write & Illustrate a Fable, part 1
Learn how to write a fable.
 Week 5
Lesson 9
Opinion Writing on Your Own Fable
Learn to express the counter-argument to your own opinion and support it.
Unit 3Informational / Expository Essay Writing
11 lessons6 Weeks
Informational / Expository Essay Writing
 Week 5
Lesson 10
Genre, Structure, & Organization
Explore genres & the expository essay structure and organization.
 Week 6
Lesson 11
Structure & Organization, part 2
Using exemplars, explore the expository essay structure and organization.
Lesson 12
How to Develop Main Idea / Body Paragraphs
Learn to avoid boring main ideas that overlap other main ideas and read like "mud."
 Week 7
Lesson 13
How to Elaborate in the Main Idea / Body Paragraphs
Do the critical thinking required to develop main idea paragraphs, then practice writing topic sentences.
Lesson 14
Student Essays: Prewriting
Go get it! You begin your essay with step 1 of the writing process. It's all about that "PAFT."
 Week 8
Lesson 15
Student Essays: Using Google Docs and Writing the 1st Body Paragraph
Learn to follow MLA (Modern Language Association) formatting guidelines, use Google Docs, how to organize the body paragraph. 
Lesson 16
Student Essays: Workshop Time to Write the 2nd and 3rd Body Paragraphs
Organize the 1st paragraph and being writing.
 Week 9
Lesson 17
Student Essays: Elaboration
Learn 4 techniques to write more!
Lesson 18
Student Essays: The Introduction
Learn 6 ways to grab your reader's attention, how to introduce your topic, and how to write the thesis statement.
 Week 10
Lesson 19
Student Essays: The Conclusion
Learn how to restate the thesis in a way that's not boring, use a questioning technique to mix things up, and end your essay with a final breath that satisfies your reader.
Lesson 20
Student Essays: The Works Cited
Learn how to integrate in-text citations and how to create the Works Cited page. It's a love-hate relationship with technology today!
Unit 4Socratic Seminars
4 lessons2 Weeks
Socratic Seminars
 Week 11
Lesson 21
"The Necklace"
Read, Discuss, and Prepare for the seminar. 
Lesson 22
Socratic Seminar
Learn to communicate (listen, think, and speak), assert, provide evidence, ponder, ask, answer, and have an academic discussion with your peers. 
 Week 12
Lesson 23
"All Summer in A Day" 
Read, Discuss, and Prepare for the seminar. 
Lesson 24
Socratic Seminar
Learn to communicate (listen, think, and speak), assert, provide evidence, ponder, ask, answer, and have an academic discussion with your peers.