In this unit, students explore the tension between individual excellence and societal pressure by pairing Kurt Vonnegut’s satirical short story “Harrison Bergeron” with Ralph Waldo Emerson’s classic essay “Self-Reliance.” Through close reading, annotations, Socratic discussion, and cross-text analysis, students examine how both authors confront conformity, enforced equality, and the human need for self-trust. Students learn to identify literary and rhetorical devices, synthesize ideas across genres, and apply these timeless questions to modern issues of authenticity, achievement, and social expectation.
4(E) Make connections to personal experiences, ideas in other texts, and society.
4(F) Make inferences and use evidence to support understanding.
4(H) Synthesize information from multiple texts to create new understanding.
4(I) Monitor comprehension and make adjustments such as re-reading, using background knowledge, asking questions, and annotating when understanding breaks down.
5(B) Write responses that demonstrate understanding of texts, including comparing texts within and across genres.
5(C) Use text evidence and original commentary to support an interpretive response.
5(E) Interact with sources in meaningful ways such as notetaking, annotating, freewriting, or illustrating.
5(G) Discuss and write about the explicit or implicit meanings of text.
5(H) Respond orally or in writing with appropriate register, vocabulary, tone, and voice.
5(J) Defend or challenge the authors’ claims using relevant text evidence.
6(A) Analyze how themes are developed through characterization and plot, including comparing similar themes in a variety of literary texts.
6(B) Analyze how authors develop complex yet believable characters, including archetypes, through historical and cultural settings and events.
8(A) Analyze the author’s purpose, audience, and message within a text.
8(D) Analyze how the author’s use of language informs and shapes the perception of readers.
8(E) Analyze the use of literary devices such as irony, sarcasm, and motif to achieve specific purposes.
8(F) Analyze how the author’s diction and syntax contribute to the mood, voice, and tone of a text.
8(G) Analyze the purpose of rhetorical devices such as appeals, antithesis, parallelism, and shifts...
1(A) Engage in meaningful and respectful discourse by listening actively, responding appropriately, and adjusting communication to audiences and purposes.
1(D) Participate collaboratively, building on the ideas of others, contributing relevant information...
9(A) Plan a piece of writing appropriate for various purposes and audiences by generating ideas through a range of strategies such as brainstorming, journaling, reading, or discussing.
9(B) Develop drafts into a focused, structured, and coherent piece of writing in timed and open-ended situations by:
(i) using an organizing structure appropriate to purpose, audience, topic, and context;
(ii) developing an engaging idea reflecting depth of thought with specific details and examples;
(iii) creating a well-controlled organizational structure with purposeful transitions and a clear thesis or claim.
9(C) Revise drafts to improve clarity, development, organization, style, diction, and sentence effectiveness…
9(D) Edit drafts using standard English conventions, including:
(i) a variety of complete, controlled sentences and avoidance of unintentional splices, run-ons, and fragments;
(v) punctuation, including commas, semicolons, colons, dashes, and parentheses to set off phrases and clauses as appropriate; and
10(B) Compose informational texts, including analytical essays, that convey information clearly and accurately…
10(C) Compose argumentative texts using genre characteristics and craft
Colored schedule open and on your desk
You will need a spiral or composition notebook for this class! Purchase one ASAP! I have some extra for $0.50 each.
If you do not have a notebook, use a sheet of paper for today and you can transfer it before Friday.
For each category below choose between the two and briefly explain why
Equality vs. Excellence
Grading Policies
Equality: Everyone gets the same passing grade or curving scores so no one feels left behind.
Excellence: Strict merit based grading that rewards the highest performers and allows failure as a learning opportunity.
Athletics Awards/Abilities
Equality: Participation trophies for every player and limiting playing time so everyone gets a chance.
Excellence: Competitive tryouts, starting lineups, and individual awards for standout talent and effort.
Advanced Classes
Equality: Capping enrollment or eliminating honors/AP classes so no student feels “unequal.”
Excellence: Open access based on ability and interest, allowing advanced students to accelerate and challenge themselves.
College Admissions / Scholarships
Equality: Heavy emphasis on demographic quotas or “equity” adjustments to ensure proportional representation.
Excellence: Primarily merit based decisions using grades, test scores, and achievements.
Pre-reading & Context Background
Vonnegut: WWII/Cold War, debates over communism vs. capitalism, civil rights movement, and early discussions of equality of opportunity vs. outcome.
Emerson: Transcendentalism reaction against rationalism/Unitarianism; emphasis on intuition, nature, individualism.
Vocabulary
Literary Devices (Fiction): satire, situational irony, dramatic irony, verbal irony, symbolism, hyperbole, characterization (protagonist, foil, dynamic/static, archetype), climax, foreshadowing, point of view, tone.
Rhetorical Devices (Essay/Nonfiction): rhetorical question, parallelism (anaphora), aphorism, metaphor, antithesis, direct address, tone (exhortative, persuasive), allusion.
Thematic / Conceptual: individualism vs. collectivism, self-reliance, conformity, non-conformist, enforced equality (equality of outcome vs. opportunity), dystopia, transcendentalism, societal pressure, human potential / genius, rebellion.
Models thinking aloud about one of the debate categories (e.g., “Equality vs. Excellence”), showing how a person might form a stance and support it with reasoning.
Evaluate personal stances on these categories:
Communism vs. Capitalism
Equal Opportunity vs. Equal Outcome
#1 - Bell Work Week 1
Evaluate personal stances on various societal categories through a structured debate/discussion.
Communism vs. Capitalism
Equal Opportunity vs. Equal Outcome
Equality vs. Excellence
Civil Rights Movement (as it relates to equality)
Choose one of the four debate topics from today:
Equality vs. Excellence
Communism vs. Capitalism
Civil Rights Movement
Equal Opportunity vs. Equal Outcome
On an index card or in your notebook, answer the following questions:
What is my current stanze on the topic?
What in your life shows (concrete example) you that you actually support this stance?
Why are you against the antithesis?
Colored schedule open and on your desk
Get you notebooks out of the bin.
For each category below choose between the two and briefly explain why
Conformity vs. Authenticity
Social Media Behavior
Conformity: Posting only what is popular, using filters, or copying trends so you get likes and avoid being “canceled.”
Authenticity: Sharing your real opinions, unfiltered photos, or unique interests even if it means fewer likes or pushback.
Fashion & Appearance
Conformity: Dressing exactly like the popular group or following current trends to fit in.
Authenticity: Wearing what actually expresses your personality, even if it stands out or isn’t “in.”
Peer Pressure & Friend Groups
Conformity: Going along with the group’s opinions, activities, or jokes even when you disagree, just to stay included.
Authenticity: Speaking up when something feels wrong or choosing friends who accept the real you.
Classroom Participation & Opinions
Conformity: Giving the “safe” or expected answer that matches what the teacher or majority wants to hear.
Authenticity: Sharing a genuine, different viewpoint even if it risks looking wrong or different.
Students know how to apply a structured 3-pass close-reading and annotation process to “Harrison Bergeron” in order to identify irony, symbolism (especially the handicaps), characterization, and emerging themes of enforced equality versus individuality.
Close Reading & Annotation of "Harrison Bergeron" by Kurt Vonnegut
Pass 1: First Read – Plot, Argument & Reactions
Read the section once without stopping too much.
Underline or highlight powerful, confusing, or important lines.
Write a quick 1-sentence summary of what happens or what the main idea is in the margin.
Note your first reaction or question (use ?).
Pass 2: Devices & Craft – How the Author Creates Meaning
Re-read and focus on literary and rhetorical devices.
Use the Annotation Key below to code the text.
Note the effect of the device (e.g., "This irony makes the equality seem ridiculous").
Pay attention to tone and how it shifts.
Pass 3: Theme, Inference & Cross-Text Synthesis
Identify and write emerging theme statements in the margins.
Make inferences (what is implied but not directly stated?).
Make connections to the other text (e.g., "This is like Emerson's 'conspiracy' quote because...").
Star or highlight the strongest evidence you might use in a response or quiz answer.
Analyze the next section of the text together. Read a new short section aloud.
Pass 1 - underline, summary sentence, reaction/question
Pass 2 - discussing the effect of each device as a class.
Pass 3 - create one emerging theme statement and one inference
#1 - Bell Work Week 1
#2 - Close Reading & Annotation of "Harrison Bergeron"
Students annotate independently or in partners for homework. Focus on the symbolism of handicaps, irony, characterization of Harrison / parents / all characters, and theme development.
Assignment: Close Reading & Annotation of “Harrison Bergeron”
Students complete the full 3-pass annotation process independently (or with a partner if assigned) on the remainder of the story
Focus areas for annotation:
Symbolism of the handicaps
Irony throughout the story
Characterization of Harrison, George, Hazel, and other key figures
Theme development (enforced equality vs. individuality)
Look at your annotations of the dance/climax scene.
Choose one piece of strong evidence (quote or detail) you marked with IR, SYM, TH, or EVI. In 2–3 sentences, explain:
What device or technique Vonnegut is using
How that moment develops the theme of enforced equality vs. individuality
Colored schedule open and on your desk
Get you notebooks out of the bin.
Ponder and Question
After thinking about the short story "Harrison Bergeron," Use the Leveled Question Chart to create two level 3 questions and two level 4 question. Read the directions on how to utilize the chart!
Think about the big ideas we discussed yesterday: author's craft, symbolism, irony, characterization, theme development, and thematic topics (equality, conformity, assimilation, power, control, etc. etc.)
Students know how to engage in and document a structured Socratic Seminar (Fishbowl) in order to deepen understanding of the themes of enforced equality, individuality, self-reliance, and societal pressure in “Harrison Bergeron”
Socratic Seminar - Fishbowl
Inner Group - Discuss questions asked by the teacher. All students are required to meaningful contribute to the conversation.
Outer Group - Listen and document by taking notes using one of the three options
Cornell - Divide the page into three sections:
Right column (main/larger area): Take notes during the discussion or lecture.
Left column (narrow): Write key questions, vocabulary, or main ideas.
Bottom section: Summary/reflection (written after class).
Two Column - Split the page into two columns:
Left: “What Others Said” or “Key Ideas from Text/Discussion”
Right: “My Thinking / Connections / Questions”
Concept Map - Start with the main topic or text title in the center.
Branch out with key ideas, quotes, themes, character connections, etc.
Use arrows, colors, symbols, and short phrases to show relationships.
Practice the Fishbowl process with a short practice round
One sample seminar question related to the text
Inner Circle discussion
Misconceptions
Strong vs. weak contributions
How to cite evidence
How to respond to peers
Outer-circle students practice taking notes in their chosen format
#1 - Bell Work Week 1
#3 - Class Discussion / Socratic Seminar - Fish Bowl with Notes (Cornell, Two Column, or Concept Map)
Make at least one meaningful, text-based contribution when in the inner circle.
Actively listening and recording key ideas, questions, connections, and evidence using one of the three note-taking formats (Cornell Notes, Two-Column Notes, or Concept Map) when in the outer circle.
Inner Circle Requirements
Make at least one meaningful, text-based contribution
Use evidence from “Harrison Bergeron”
Engage with peers’ ideas (agree, disagree, build, or question)
Outer Circle Requirements
Actively listen
Record key ideas, questions, connections, and evidence using one of the three note-taking formats:
Cornell Notes
Two-Column Notes
Concept Map
Using the notes you took today (Cornell, Two-Column, or Concept Map), complete the following:
Write one strong idea or quote from the seminar that deepened your understanding of individuality vs. conformity.
In 1–2 sentences, explain why that idea mattered or how it connects to one of the texts.
Commas with Items in a Series & Dates
Quick Tip: Use commas to separate three or more items and between the day and year in dates.
Instructions: Rewrite each sentence and add commas where needed in the following sentences.
The students read analyzed and discussed the poem “Invictus.”
On July 4 1776 the Declaration of Independence was signed in Philadelphia Pennsylvania.
Shakespeare wrote plays sonnets and histories that are still studied today.
My favorite short stories include “The Raven” “The Lottery” and “The Most Dangerous Game.”
We Will analyze key passages from Emerson’s “Self-Reliance” through a structured three-pass close-reading process (comprehension → craft → theme/inference/cross-text synthesis) so we can explain how Emerson builds his argument for radical individualism and connect those ideas to the enforced equality in “Harrison Bergeron.”
I Will complete the full three-pass annotation process on the assigned sections of “Self-Reliance,” using the annotation key consistently, writing clear margin notes on effect of devices, tone, inferences, and cross-text connections, then produce a short constructed response or discussion contribution that uses my strongest annotated evidence.
Know
Emerson and Transcendentalism as a reaction against rationalism/Unitarianism, emphasizing intuition, nature, and individualism.
The three-pass close-reading process:
– Pass 1: first-read comprehension, powerful lines, one-sentence summary, initial reaction/question
– Pass 2: literary/rhetorical devices, effect of each device, and shifts in tone
– Pass 3: emerging theme statements, inferences, and cross-text connections to “Harrison Bergeron”
How Emerson’s ideas about self-reliance, nonconformity, and the danger of envy/comparison stand in tension with the forced equality and handicapping in “Harrison Bergeron.”
Show
Accurate, consistent annotations on the selected passages (RQ, PAR, APH, ANT, MET, TH, EVI, ?, etc.) with margin notes that address:
– effect of the device
– tone
– inferences
– cross-text connections to “Harrison Bergeron”
– strongest evidence starred or highlighted
A short constructed response or discussion contribution that uses the strongest annotated evidence to support a claim about Emerson’s argument or its relationship to “Harrison Bergeron.”
Close Reading & Annotation of "Self-Reliance" by Ralph Waldo Emerson
Pass 1: First Read – Plot, Argument & Reactions
Read the section once without stopping too much.
Underline or highlight powerful, confusing, or important lines.
Write a quick 1-sentence summary of what happens or what the main idea is in the margin.
Note your first reaction or question (use ?).
Pass 2: Devices & Craft – How the Author Creates Meaning
Re-read and focus on literary and rhetorical devices.
Use the Annotation Key below to code the text.
Note the effect of the device (e.g., "This irony makes the equality seem ridiculous").
Pay attention to tone and how it shifts.
Pass 3: Theme, Inference & Cross-Text Synthesis
Identify and write emerging theme statements in the margins.
Make inferences (what is implied but not directly stated?).
Make connections to the other text (e.g., "This is like Emerson's 'conspiracy' quote because...").
Star or highlight the strongest evidence you might use in a response or quiz answer.
Analyze the next section of the text together. Read a new short section aloud.
Pass 1 - underline, summary sentence, reaction/question
Pass 2 - discussing the effect of each device as a class.
Pass 3 - create one emerging theme statement and one inference
#4 - Bell Work Week 2
#5 - Close Reading & Annotation of "Self-Reliance"
Effect of the device
Tone
Inferences
Cross-text connections to “Harrison Bergeron”
Star or highlight the strongest evidence
SCR (short constructed response)
If envy reveals that we do not truly know ourselves, what would it actually look like to know yourself so completely that comparison and envy those their power over you?
Organize your bell work.
Everyday write the date, subheading bell work, and title of the bell work.
Then create a subheading for notes.
Look at the center board for an example.
Commas in Compound and Complex Sentences
Quick Tip: Compound = comma before coordinating conjunction (FANBOYS). Complex = comma after the dependent clause if it comes first (identify the subordinating conjunction).
Instructions: Rewrite each sentence and insert commas where needed. If the sentence is correct, write correct.
The hero faced many challenges but he never gave up.
Although the storm was fierce the ship continued its journey.
Julius Caesar was warned yet he still went to the Senate.
When we read complex texts we must pay close attention to punctuation.
We will analyze how Emerson develops the themes of self-trust, nonconformity, and society as a conspiracy against the individual through key literary devices (aphorisms, rhetorical questions, metaphors, parallelism, and an urgent, direct, empowering tone), then synthesize these ideas by comparing and contrasting them with the enforced equality, handicapping, and individual rebellion in “Harrison Bergeron.”
I will complete a Theme & Device Comparison Chart that includes accurate quotes or key moments from both texts, clear thematic statements, identification of literary devices with evidence, thoughtful cross-text connections, and relevant modern applications.
Know
Emerson’s core arguments in “Self-Reliance”: self-trust as the foundation of genius and integrity; nonconformity as a moral duty; society as an active “conspiracy” that pressures individuals to surrender their unique potential.
How Emerson advances these ideas through specific devices: concise, absolute aphorisms; pointed rhetorical questions; metaphors (especially “conspiracy”); parallelism for emphasis and rhythm; and an urgent, direct, empowering tone that calls the reader to action.
Parallel and contrasting ideas in “Harrison Bergeron”: government-mandated handicaps as a literal, extreme form of Emerson’s “conspiracy”; enforced equality that destroys excellence; Harrison’s rebellion as a violent, exaggerated attempt at the self-reliance Emerson demands.
How authors across genres use literary devices to explore the tension between individual self-expression and societal demands for conformity or equality.
Show
Accurately select and analyze at least two strong quotes or key moments (one from Emerson, one from Vonnegut or a clear cross-reference).
Write clear thematic statements that name self-trust, nonconformity, society-as-conspiracy, enforced equality, individuality, or related ideas.
Identify and explain key devices with specific textual evidence (aphorisms, rhetorical questions, metaphors, parallelism, tone, symbolism of handicaps, irony, characterization).
Make thoughtful, evidence-based cross-text connections that compare and contrast the two works.
Provide relevant modern applications that show the continued tension between authenticity and social pressure.
Complete the full Theme & Device Comparison Chart (Quote Text | Theme Statement | Key Devices/Evidence | Cross-Text Connection | Modern Application) and respond to deeper-thinking prompts about how devices strengthen arguments, how ideas appear or are twisted across texts, and where modern versions of the same tension appear.
Synthesis & Cross-Text Analysis
Graphic Organizer: Complete Theme & Device Comparison Chart
Columns: Quote Text | Theme Statement | Key Devices/Evidence | Cross-Text Connection | Modern Application
Think: self-trust, society as conspiracy, nonconformist, aphorisms, rhetorical questions, metaphors, parallelism, tone (urgent, direct, empowering) and how it affects the story, synthesis (compare and contrast) with "Harrison Bergeron" [ideas, conspiracy related to handicaps] or [Harrison embody self-reliance], and thematic statements.
Complete 1–2 rows of the Theme & Device Comparison Chart
Quote / Text
Emerson: “Society everywhere is in conspiracy against the manhood of every one of its members.”
Theme Statement
Society actively pressures individuals to conform and suppresses their true potential and independence.
Key Devices / Evidence
Metaphor “conspiracy” – presents society as deliberately working against the individual.
Aphorism – short, memorable, absolute statement.
Tone – urgent, direct, and empowering; calls the reader to resist.
Cross-Text Connection
In Harrison Bergeron, the handicaps (weights, ear radios, masks) are a literal version of Emerson’s “conspiracy.” The government forces everyone to be average, destroying individual excellence just as Emerson warned society would try to do. Harrison’s rebellion is an extreme attempt at the self-reliance Emerson demands.
Modern Application
Social media “cancel culture” or pressure to post only what is popular can act like a modern conspiracy against authenticity, people hide their real opinions or talents to fit in and avoid criticism or controversy.
Deeper thinking
How does this device strengthen Emerson’s argument?
In what way does this idea appear (or get twisted) in Harrison Bergeron?
Where do we see a modern version of this tension?
Second key quote from “Self-Reliance” or a strong moment from “Harrison Bergeron.”
#4 - Bell Work Week 2
#6 - Theme & Device Comparison Chart (GO) [Example]
Minimum of four = two from each text
Complete a Theme & Device Comparison Chart that includes:
Accurate quote selection from both texts (or clear reference to key moments)
Clear thematic statements (self-trust, nonconformity, society as conspiracy, enforced equality, individuality, etc.)
Identification of key devices and evidence (aphorisms, rhetorical questions, metaphors, parallelism, tone, symbolism of handicaps, irony, characterization, etc.)
Thoughtful cross-text connections between “Self-Reliance” and “Harrison Bergeron”
Relevant modern applications
How do authors across genres use devices to explore individual self-expression vs. societal demands for conformity or equality?
Commas to Set Off Transitions and Introductory Elements
Quick Tip: Use a comma after introductory transitions (however, therefore, for example) and after introductory phrases/clauses (think complex sentence).
Instructions: Rewrite each sentence and add commas to set off introductory words, phrases, or transitions.
However the main character’s decision changed everything.
In the beginning of the story the setting seems peaceful.
Therefore we must support our claims with textual evidence.
After reading the article the class had a lively debate.
We will engage in a collaborative Socratic Seminar Hot Seat discussion to analyze and synthesize how Emerson and Vonnegut develop related themes of individualism, self-trust, and resistance to societal control. We will examine each author’s purpose, message, and craft, and practice using evidence from both texts to support, challenge, and connect ideas to society.
I will rotate into the Hot Seat and respond to synthesis-level questions from my peers using specific evidence from both “Self-Reliance” and “Harrison Bergeron.” I will offer original commentary that includes inferences, cross-text connections, and analysis of themes (self-reliance versus enforced equality), author’s purpose, and message. When not in the Hot Seat, I will ask thoughtful synthesis questions and take structured notes (Cornell, Two-Column, or Concept Map) while actively listening.
Students will know how Emerson and Vonnegut develop related themes of individualism, self-trust, and resistance to societal control; how each author’s purpose, message, and craft shape meaning; and how evidence from both texts can be synthesized, connected to society, and used to support or challenge ideas.
Students will show understanding during the Socratic Seminar Hot Seat by using text evidence and original commentary to discuss explicit and implicit meanings, make inferences and cross-text connections, synthesize ideas from both texts, analyze how themes of self-reliance versus enforced equality are developed, examine each author’s purpose and message, and defend or challenge claims while responding orally with appropriate academic register, vocabulary, tone, and voice.
Collaborative Discussion Socratic Seminar Hot Seat Method
Students will rotate turns in the socratic seminar hot seat.
One at a time, other students will ask synthesis level questions to the student in the hot seat.
All students (minus the student in the hot set) will take notes (Cornell, Two-Column, or Concept Map)
A confident volunteer sits in the Hot Seat first.
1–2 strong synthesis questions for the volunteer
How does Harrison’s rebellion both fulfill and complicate Emerson’s idea of self-reliance?
In what ways does the handicapping system in Harrison Bergeron make Emerson’s claim that society is a ‘conspiracy’ more concrete and urgent?
Hot Seat responds using evidence from both texts while the class practices taking notes.
Coach:
Quality of the question
Strength of the evidence and commentary
Academic register and clarity
#4 - Bell Work Week 2
#7 - Class Discussions / Socratic Seminar Hot Seat
My understanding during the Socratic seminar by using text evidence and original commentary to discuss explicit and implicit meanings, make inferences and cross-text connections, synthesize ideas from both texts, analyze how themes of self-reliance versus enforced equality are developed, examine each author’s purpose and message, and defend or challenge claims while responding orally with appropriate academic register, vocabulary, tone, and voice.
When in the Hot Seat
Respond to synthesis-level questions from peers
Use specific text evidence from both “Self-Reliance” and “Harrison Bergeron”
Offer original commentary that includes inferences, cross-text connections, and analysis of themes (self-reliance vs. enforced equality), author’s purpose, and message
Defend or challenge claims using academic vocabulary, tone, and voice
When not in the Hot Seat
Ask thoughtful, synthesis-level questions
Actively listen and take notes using one of the three formats:
Cornell Notes
Two-Column Notes
Concept Map
How did being in the hot seat (or watching a classmate in the hot seat) challenge or strengthen your understanding of the texts? What specific question or response during that moment pushed you to think more deeply about self-reliance, conformity, or the authors’ messages?
Commas to Set Off Words, Phrases, and Clauses
Quick Tip: Direct address, interjections (yes, no, well), and nonessential phrases/clauses need commas.
Instructions: Rewrite each sentence and add commas to correctly set off the underlined words, phrases, or clauses.
My friend please pass me the graphic organizer.
The teacher who inspires us the most is the one who challenges us.
Yes I finished my STAAR practice essay.
We need to revise our papers in other words add stronger commentary.
We will learn the difference between summary, comparison, and synthesis so we can put ideas from Emerson’s “Self-Reliance” and Vonnegut’s “Harrison Bergeron” together to create a new understanding that neither text fully states alone. We will practice identifying a common idea, noticing tension or difference, and building a fresh claim supported by evidence from both texts.
I will use the synthesis sentence stems and graphic organizer to combine a key idea from each text with evidence, then write one clear new insight that emerges only when the two texts are read together. I will color-code my response (green = answer, yellow = evidence from Text A, blue = evidence from Text B, red = original commentary/new insight) and apply test-taking strategies during the analytical writing assessment.
Students will know how to synthesize ideas from “Self-Reliance” and “Harrison Bergeron,” make inferences supported by evidence, compare how themes of individualism and conformity are developed across the texts, and use text evidence with original commentary to support an interpretive response.
Students will show understanding by completing a multiple-choice assessment and writing an analytical synthesis response that compares themes, makes evidence-based inferences, and supports claims with specific textual evidence and original commentary from both texts.
Define
Summary
What it is: Retelling the main ideas of a text in your own words.
Focus: What the text says.
Key feature: Stays inside one text (or treats each text separately).
Example: In Self-Reliance, Emerson argues that people should trust themselves and avoid conforming to society’s expectations.
Comparison
What it is: Showing how two texts are similar and/or different.
Focus: Side-by-side analysis (alike vs. different).
Key feature: Points out connections, but does not yet create a new idea.
Example: Both Emerson and Vonnegut show that society pressures individuals, but Emerson focuses on quiet conformity while Vonnegut shows extreme, forced equality through handicaps.
Synthesis
What it is: Putting ideas from both texts together to create a new understanding that neither text fully states on its own.
Focus: “What new insight emerges when I read these texts together?”
Key feature: Goes beyond listing similarities/differences; it builds a fresh claim.
Example: When read together, Self-Reliance and ‘Harrison Bergeron’ suggest that any society, whether it pressures people quietly or forces equality through handicaps, ultimately threatens true individuality, revealing that the greatest danger is not the method of control, but the loss of self-trust itself.
So what?
What new idea do you now understand that you didn’t fully see when reading the texts separately?
Know the text!
Identify a common idea
Notice a difference or tension
Create a new claim that neither text fully states alone
Synthesis Sentence Stems
When read together, both texts suggest that…
While X focuses on ___, Y reveals ___, creating a deeper understanding that…
The tension between these two texts highlights…
Synthesizing these ideas shows that the real issue is not ___, but ___.
Neither text alone fully captures ___; together they reveal…
Organizer
Key idea from Text A + evidence
Key idea from Text B + evidence
New Understanding (the synthesis claim)
One New Insight
Write one sentence that creates a new understanding using both texts.
What do these two texts teach us together that neither teaches alone?
Color Code
Green = answer
Yellow = evidence from Text A
Blue = evidence from Text B
Red = original commentary / new insight
Test Taking Strategies
Prompt Analysis
Elimination of Answer Choices
Vocabulary
Cheating
Zero! NO RETAKES!
Parent & Coach/Director Meeting
#4 - Bell Work Week 2
#8 - Test: Analytical Writing (Synthesis) + Multiple Choice Question
My understanding by completing a multiple-choice assessment and writing an analytical synthesis response that compares themes, makes evidence-based inferences, and supports claims with specific textual evidence and original commentary from both texts.
In 4–5 sentences, explain one new understanding you gained by synthesizing Self-Reliance and “Harrison Bergeron.” Support your idea with evidence from both texts and explain how the authors develop related or contrasting themes.
Commas in Nonrestrictive Phrases and Clauses
Quick Tip: Nonrestrictive (extra info) = commas. Restrictive (necessary to identify) = no commas.
Instructions: Rewrite each sentence and correct each sentence by deciding if the sentence contains restrictive (essential no commas) or nonrestrictive (extra information add commas).
The book that we are reading in class is Julius Caesar.
Mr. Matherne my English teacher wrote excellent recommendation letters.
Students who complete their bell work daily usually perform better on quizzes.
“Invictus” which means “unconquered” is a powerful poem about resilience.
We will apply advanced close-reading, vocabulary-in-context, and text-analysis strategies to accurately demonstrate our current reading and language skills on the NWEA MAP Growth assessment.
I will carefully read each passage and question, use process-of-elimination and evidence-based reasoning, and answer every item to the best of my ability so that my MAP results accurately reflect my growth as an Honors English student.
Know
Analyze complex literary and informational texts for central ideas, author’s craft, tone, and structure
Determine the meaning of academic and domain-specific vocabulary using context clues and word parts
Distinguish between literal and inferential meaning
Evaluate evidence and draw logical conclusions under timed, adaptive conditions
Show
Selecting the strongest evidence-based answers on both literature and informational passages
Accurately interpreting vocabulary in sophisticated contexts
Maintaining focus and stamina throughout the adaptive MAP assessment
Producing a RIT score that reflects meaningful academic growth from my previous MAP administration
Test taking strategies.
Outlines
Prompt Analysis
Elimination
Test Taking Strategies
Prompt Analysis
Elimination of Answer Choices
Vocabulary
#4 - Bell Work Week 2
#9 - MAP Testing
Where did your score fall according to your required window?
In this mini unit, students will read and discuss two incredible text: Edgard Allan Poe's poem "The Raven" and Pericles’ Funeral Oration (Thucydides). Paired, these works explore various thematic topics such as: Responses to Loss, Death, and Legacy; Personal Despair vs. Public Honor; Individual Grief vs. Collective Memory; The Power of Language in Processing Tragedy and Finding Meaning.
7(B) – Analyze the effects of metrics; rhyme schemes; types of rhymes such as end, internal, slant, and eye; and other conventions in poems.
8(F) – Analyze how the author’s diction and syntax contribute to the mood, voice, and tone of a text.
8(D) – Analyze how the author’s use of language informs and shapes the perception of readers.
8(E) – Analyze the use of literary devices (repetition/refrain, alliteration, internal rhyme, symbolism beginnings).
5(C) – Use text evidence and original commentary to support an interpretive response (ATC exit ticket).
7(B) – Effects of rhyme, refrain, and poetic conventions.
8(B) – Analyze use of text structure to achieve the author’s purpose.
8(E) – Literary devices (motif, symbolism of the raven on Pallas).
8(F) – Diction, syntax, mood, and tone (escalating questions and fixed reply).
5(C) – Text evidence + commentary (ATC paragraph on the refrain).
6(A) – Analyze how themes are developed… (grief as self-torment, memory as burden, limits of reason).
8(D), 8(F) – Language, diction, imagery, and structure developing theme.
5(B) – Write responses that demonstrate understanding of texts.
5(C) – Use text evidence and original commentary (theme paragraph with ATC).
8(A) – Analyze the author’s purpose, audience, and message within a text.
7(A) – Read and analyze world literature across literary periods (classical Greek oratory).
8(B) – Text structure (opening movement from dead to living city).
Supporting: historical/cultural context influencing the text.
8(G) – Analyze the purpose of rhetorical devices such as appeals, antithesis, parallelism, and shifts.
8(A) – Purpose, audience, and message (claims about democracy, equality, merit, freedom).
8(D) – How language shapes perception of Athens.
Supporting argumentative/informational analysis of claims and evidence.
8(A) & 8(B) – Purpose, message, and structure (consolation and exhortation).
6(A) – Theme development (good death, imperishable renown, duty of the living).
5(B) – Comparing texts within and across genres (explicit contrast with “The Raven”).
5(C) – Text evidence + commentary (ATC response).
8(G) – Rhetorical devices (ethos, pathos, logos, parallelism, antithesis, shifts).
8(A) – Purpose, audience, and message.
8(D) – Language shaping perception and persuasion.
Supporting full rhetorical analysis.
5(B) – Write responses that demonstrate understanding of texts, including comparing texts within and across genres.
6(A) – Analyze how themes are developed… including comparing similar themes.
8(A–G) – Purpose/craft analysis applied comparatively (private vs. public, memory as burden vs. glory, “Nevermore” vs. renown).
5(C) – Evidence and commentary for comparative thesis.
5(B) & 5(C) – Comparative understanding and evidence-based interpretive response.
Oral language / discussion skills (meaningful discourse, building on others’ ideas, using text evidence).
9(A–B) – Writing process (planning and developing a focused comparative analytical draft).
8 series (continued craft analysis through discussion).
5(B) – Comparing texts within and across genres.
5(C) – Text evidence and original commentary.
6(A) – Theme analysis and comparison.
7(B) – Poetic conventions in “The Raven.”
8(A–G) – Full author’s purpose and craft (literary devices + rhetorical devices).
9 / 10 – Composition of an analytical response using genre characteristics and craft (comparative essay or multi-paragraph ECR).
#9 - Bell Work Week 3
#10 - Close Read Annotations "The Raven"
#11 - GO: Stanza Analysis Chart
#12 - Refrain
#13 - Analysis Writing - Theme
#14 - Bell Work Week 4
#15 - Close Read Annotations "Pericles Funeral Oration (Thucydides)"
#16 - GO: Claim Evidence Reasoning
#17 - Outline for Analytical Writing
#18 - Analytical Writing
#19 - Summative Assessment
Quick write – “Describe a time when a memory felt heavier than the present. What made it so?” (3–4 sentences). Share 2–3 responses.
We will analyze how Edgar Allan Poe uses sound devices and poetic structure to create a gothic atmosphere of grief and obsession in the opening stanzas of “The Raven.”
I will identify and explain at least three sound devices (alliteration, internal rhyme, and refrain) and describe how they work together to establish the poem’s dark, obsessive mood.Know / Show
I need to know the definitions and effects of key sound devices (alliteration, internal rhyme, and refrain), how poetic structure and repetition intensify mood, the characteristics of a gothic atmosphere, and brief context of Poe and the 1845 publication of “The Raven.”
I will show this understanding by annotating the first six stanzas, completing the stanza analysis graphic organizer, and writing an ATC-formatted explanation of one sound device and its contribution to the poem’s atmosphere of grief and obsession.
Vocabulary
Literary Devices: Repetition, Symbolism, Alliteration / Assonance, Internal Rhyme, Allusion, Structure / Form, and Tone Shift.
Rhetorical Devices: Antithesis, Parallelism / Anaphora, Ethos, Pathos, Logos, Shift,
Thematic / Conceptual Topics: Responses to Loss, Death, and Legacy; Personal Despair vs. Public Honor; Individual Grief vs. Collective Memory; The Power of Language in Processing Tragedy and Finding Meaning.
Brief bio context (Poe, loss, death of women in his life) without over-biographizing the poem.
Model annotation of Stanza 1: circle “dreary/weary,” underline internal rhyme and alliteration, note the late-night setting and “forgotten lore.”
Think-aloud: Poe is building a soundscape that feels closed in and obsessive even before the raven appears.
Class reads Stanzas 2–4 aloud (choral or teacher + selected students).
Together identify additional internal rhymes, the emerging refrain idea, and the introduction of Lenore.
Complete first two rows of stanza analysis chart as a class.
#3 - Bell Work Week 3
#10 - Annotations "The Raven"
Annotated the first 6 stanzas + exit ticket explaining one sound device and its effect.
Complete corresponding rows on the graphic organizer.
I will identify and explain at least three sound devices (alliteration, internal rhyme, refrain) and describe the overall mood of the opening stanzas.
Quick Write: Using ATC format, explain one sound device Poe uses in the opening six stanzas and how it contributes to the mood of the poem.
Quote Analysis: "Perched upon a bust of Pallas just above my chamber door"
The “bust of Pallas” is a sculpture (bust = head and shoulders) of Pallas Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom, reason, strategy, and the arts.
What is the significance of the Raven landing on the "bust of Pallas"?
Refrain as structural and thematic device; motif; the speaker’s self-torment; Pallas (wisdom) vs. the raven.
Trace how the refrain “Nevermore” shifts in meaning as the speaker’s questions escalate.
Model the first two speaker questions and the raven’s reply. Show how meaning is generated by the speaker, not the bird.
Highlight the bust of Pallas as symbolic of reason being overtaken.
Whole class tracking of remaining questions through the middle stanzas.
Chart the escalating stakes: curiosity - hope of forgetting - hope of reunion - despair
Completed Stanza analysis chart + short written response.
Students finish the refrain chart for the final stanzas and write a 5–7 sentence ATC paragraph answering: How does the fixed refrain create a sense of inescapable grief?
Map the speaker’s questions and the raven’s single answer, then explain the psychological effect of the fixed refrain.
One sentence: What does the raven perched on Pallas ultimately symbolize about the speaker’s mind?
Textual vocabulary quiz.
We will determine a central theme of “The Raven” and analyze how diction, imagery, and structure develop that theme.
Possible themes: grief as self-inflicted torment; memory as burden rather than comfort; the limits of reason in the face of loss.
Model crafting a precise theme statement (not a topic): “In ‘The Raven,’ Poe suggests that intense grief can become a form of self-torment when the mourner repeatedly seeks confirmation of permanent loss.”
Small groups generate alternative theme statements and select strongest evidence.
Theme paragraph + peer feedback notes.
We will write a theme statement and support it with three pieces of textual evidence using the ATC framework.
Rate your confidence with the poem’s craft and theme on a 1–5 scale and name one question you still have.
12–15 item quiz covering vocabulary, sound devices, refrain function, and basic themes (multiple choice + 1 short ATC response).
?
We will build background knowledge on Athenian democracy, the Peloponnesian War context, and the genre of the funeral oration (epitaphios logos).
Context of 431/430 BCE; Pericles as statesman; public funeral custom; democracy as “rule by the many”; contrast with private grief studied earlier.
Mini-lecture + visual timeline: Athens, Sparta, early war years, public funerals for the war dead.
Model reading of the opening paragraphs: Pericles’ reluctance to speak vs. the need to honor the dead and the city.
Together annotate the opening for purpose, audience (citizens + strangers), and the shift from the dead to the living city.
I will identify the historical occasion, speaker, audience, and primary purpose of the speech.
Students finish annotating the first major section and complete a purpose/audience/message graphic organizer.
Completed context notes + purpose/audience statement.
In one sentence each: Who is speaking? To whom? For what primary purpose?
What makes a city or country worth defending? List three qualities and rank them.
We will analyze Pericles’ definition of democracy and the values he claims distinguish Athens.
Know: Key claims: equality before the law, advancement by merit (not class or wealth), freedom in private life, openness, love of beauty and wisdom without softness.
Model close reading of the famous democracy paragraph (“Our constitution does not copy… it is called a democracy…”).
Highlight parallelism and antithesis as rhetorical tools.
Class discussion: How does Pericles balance equality with recognition of excellence? Is this still a relevant ideal?
I will identify at least three claims Pericles makes about Athenian government and society and support each with textual evidence.
Show: Annotated section + claim-evidence chart.
Students complete claim-evidence-reasoning rows for 3–4 major claims in the democracy and way-of-life sections.
Choose one claim about Athens. Quote the text and explain in your own words why Pericles presents it as a source of strength.
?
We will analyze how Pericles transforms private loss into public inspiration and defines a “good death.”
Know: Key ideas: heroes have the whole earth for their tomb; happiness = freedom = courage; love of honor never grows old; duty of the living.
Model the “whole earth for their tomb” passage and the exhortation to the living.
Contrast explicitly with the speaker of “The Raven” who is trapped by memory.
Paired reading of the consolation to parents and the charge to sons/brothers; discuss tone shifts.
I will explain Pericles’ argument that the dead have gained “imperishable renown” and that the living should take them as models.
Show: Annotated closing sections + short analytical response.
Write a 6–8 sentence ATC response: How does Pericles try to give meaning to the deaths of these men, and what does he ask of the living?
One key difference between how the speaker of “The Raven” and Pericles treat the memory of the dead.
?
We will analyze Pericles’ use of rhetorical appeals and devices to persuade his audience.
Know: Ethos, pathos, logos; parallelism, antithesis, rhetorical questions, shifts; how structure serves purpose.
Model filling the rhetorical triangle and identifying one clear appeal and one device with its effect on the audience.
Small groups locate additional appeals and devices; report out.
I will complete a rhetorical analysis graphic organizer identifying purpose, audience, appeals, and at least two devices with effects.
Show: Completed rhetorical organizer + short written synthesis.
Finish organizer and write a concise paragraph evaluating the overall effectiveness of the speech’s rhetoric for its original audience.
Which appeal do you think is strongest in the oration? Why? (ATC, 3–4 sentences)
?
We will compare and contrast how “The Raven” and Pericles’ Funeral Oration construct meaning around death, memory, and the response of the living.
Know: Points of comparison: private vs. public; memory as burden vs. glory; self-torment vs. civic inspiration; language of finality (“Nevermore”) vs. language of immortality (renown, whole earth as tomb).
Model one row of the comparison matrix (e.g., “View of Memory”) with evidence from both texts.
Pairs complete 2–3 additional rows; share strongest insights.
I will complete a comparison matrix and draft a thesis for a cross-textual analytical paragraph or essay.
Show: Completed comparison matrix + working thesis.
Finish matrix and write a clear comparative thesis statement that could drive a multi-paragraph response.
Submit your thesis. Teacher provides quick feedback for Day 9–10 writing.
?
We will deepen understanding through structured academic discussion and begin drafting the summative analytical response.
Know: Discussion norms; how to build on others’ ideas; structure of a comparative analytical response (claim, evidence from both texts, commentary).
Review seminar norms and model one high-quality contribution that uses evidence from both texts.
Opening question: Which response to death—private obsession or public honor—offers more lasting meaning for the living, and why?
Follow-up probes on language, audience, and modern relevance.
I will participate productively in Socratic seminar using text evidence and begin outlining or drafting the comparative essay/paragraph.
Show: Seminar participation notes + draft outline or first body paragraph.
Students outline or begin drafting the summative written response using ATC and evidence from both texts.
One insight from the seminar that strengthened or changed your thesis.
We will demonstrate mastery of both texts and the ability to compare them analytically.
Know: All prior content and skills: poetic craft, rhetorical analysis, thematic comparison, precise use of textual evidence.
?
?
I will complete the summative assessment (comparative analytical writing + selected-response items) and reflect on growth.
Show: Completed summative product.
Selected-response section (15–20 items) covering vocabulary, poetic devices in “The Raven,” rhetorical devices and key claims in Pericles, and basic comparison items.
Extended constructed response: Comparative analytical essay or multi-paragraph response (prompt options provided below).
Optional quick reflection: “What is one idea about grief, honor, or language that you will carry forward?”
?