Our Curriculum › Writing & Grammar › 11th Grade
English 11: Composition & Grammar
A full-year course in composition and grammar centered on rhetorical choices: writing for specific audiences, irony and satire, legal and founding-document style arguments, and writing in the voices of American literary movements. Many later weeks are craft scenes, timed practice and review.
180 lessons
One a day for a school year
10 units
Each opens to its lessons
Writing in American styles
Realist, Beat, Transcendentalist and more
Standards
Common Core Grade 11 writing & language
What's taught, unit by unit
Audience, irony & argument stylesDays 1–20
Anticipating what an audience knows, worries about and values, developing counterclaims thoroughly, irony, understatement and satire, arguments in legal-reasoning and founding-document style, rhetorical devices, and peer review.
- 1 · Welcome to English 11 Composition: Writing Grows More Sophisticated
- 2 · Anticipating Audience Knowledge
- 3 · Anticipating Audience Concerns
- 4 · Anticipating Audience Values and Biases
- 5 · Developing Claims and Counterclaims Fairly and Thoroughly
- 6 · Full Command of Usage: Rhetorical Syntax Choices
- 7 · Resolving Usage Issues via References
- 8 · Writing with Irony
- 9 · Writing with Understatement
- 11 · Writing with Satire
- 12 · Structuring an Argument Around Multiple Interacting Considerations
- 13 · Analytical Writing on Foundational American Literature
- 14 · Writing a Legal-Reasoning Style Argument
- 15 · Rhetorical Devices in Persuasive Writing
- 16 · Choosing Sentence Connectors for Rhetorical Effect
- 17 · Writing a Foundational-Document-Style Argument
- 18 · Peer Review: Audience Awareness
- 19 · Revising for Rhetorical Sophistication
Plus 2 review days, not listed.
Advanced style & dissenting argumentsDays 21–40
Writing in the realist style, fragmented structure, fresh language, laying out an argument's reasoning, precedent and dissent-style arguments, confessional voice, sustained irony (with The Lottery), plus timed writing and peer review.
- 21 · Writing in the Realist Style
- 22 · Writing with Fragmented Structure
- 23 · Writing Fresh, Surprising Language
- 24 · Delineating Your Own Argument's Reasoning
- 25 · Writing a Legal-Precedent Style Argument
- 26 · Writing About Multiple Interacting Themes
- 27 · Full Command of Usage: Resolving a Style Dispute
- 28 · Writing an Argument Anticipating Multiple Audience Types
- 29 · Timed Writing Practice: Should Schools Require Media Literacy?
- 31 · Writing in the Confessional Style
- 32 · Writing that Withholds and Reveals Information Deliberately
- 33 · Writing Poetry with Multiple-Meaning Words
- 34 · Writing a Response to a Foundational Text
- 35 · Writing a Dissenting-Style Counterargument
- 36 · Writing Sustained Irony Across a Longer Piece
- 37 · Revising for Cumulative Structural Impact
- 38 · Timed Writing Practice: A Sophisticated Literary Analysis Prompt
- 39 · Peer Review: Rhetorical Sophistication
Plus 2 review days, not listed.
American literary styles & voiceDays 41–70
Writing in the style of Transcendentalists, testimony, regional voice, naturalism and the Beat Generation (with On the Road), dramatic scenes, extended metaphor, unreliable narrators, a cross-era comparison, timed practice and mixed prompt sets.
- 41 · Writing in the Transcendentalist Style
- 42 · Writing Testimony-Style Nonfiction
- 43 · Writing in a Regional Voice
- 44 · Writing a Naturalist Scene
- 46 · Writing Dialogue with Multiple-Meaning Words
- 47 · Writing a Second Foundational-Document-Style Argument
- 48 · Writing Embedded Satire in a Realistic Scene
- 49 · Full Command of Usage: A Style-Consistency Editing Pass
- 51 · Writing in the Beat Generation Style
- 52 · Writing a Dramatic Scene: Family Under Pressure
- 53 · Writing with 2 Interacting Themes in a Scene
- 54 · Writing a Contemporary-Voice Piece
- 56 · Writing Contemporary Irony
- 57 · Writing a Cross-Era Comparative Response
- 58 · Writing a Contemporary Argumentative Essay
- 59 · Practicing a Comprehensive Mixed Writing Prompt Set
- 61 · Writing a Poem with an Extended Metaphor
- 62 · Writing 2 Voices on the Same Concern
- 63 · Writing an Unreliable Narrator's Bias Reveal
- 64 · Evaluating and Revising Your Own Argument's Persuasiveness
- 66 · Writing with Deliberate Time Manipulation
- 67 · Timed Writing Practice: A Sophisticated Poetry Analysis Prompt
- 68 · Writing Understatement that Reveals Rather Than Conceals
- 69 · Practicing a Comprehensive Mixed Writing Prompt Set 2
Plus 6 review days, not listed.
Applied projects & first-half reviewDays 71–86
A rhetorical devices explainer, a cover letter, a letter to an elected official, a product or media review, a writing portfolio, mixed prompt sets, cumulative reviews and a halfway-year growth reflection.
- 71 · Explainer Project: Teaching Rhetorical Devices
- 72 · Applied Project: Writing a Cover Letter
- 73 · Applied Project: Writing a Formal Letter to an Elected Official
- 74 · Practicing a Comprehensive Mixed Writing Prompt Set 3
- 76 · Applied Project: Writing a Product or Media Review
- 77 · Applied Project: Building a Writing Portfolio
- 78 · Practicing a Comprehensive Mixed Writing Prompt Set 4
- 79 · Timed Writing Practice: A Sophisticated Narrative Prompt
- 81 · Cumulative Review: Audience Awareness and Claims/Counterclaims
- 82 · Cumulative Review: Irony, Satire, and Understatement Writing
- 83 · Cumulative Review: Literary-Style Craft Writing
- 84 · Cumulative Review: Legal-Reasoning Style Arguments
- 85 · Timed Writing Practice: The Halfway Comprehensive Prompt
- 86 · Halfway-Year Writing Growth Reflection
Plus 2 review days, not listed.
Source synthesis, podcast, college essay & capstoneDays 87–102
Synthesizing sources that disagree, a literary podcast script, a college or scholarship essay, an explainer, then a capstone piece the writer chooses, outlines, drafts, peer reviews, revises, finalizes and shares.
- 87 · Research Synthesis: Writing Through Source Disagreement
- 88 · Guided Practice: Synthesizing Sources That Conflict
- 89 · Independent Project: Synthesizing a Real-World Debate
- 91 · Applied Project: Writing a Literary Podcast Script
- 92 · Applied Project: Writing a College or Scholarship Essay
- 93 · Explainer Project: Teaching Foundational American Literature Response Writing
- 94 · Practicing a Comprehensive Mixed Writing Prompt Set 6
- 96 · Capstone Prep: Choosing a Final Independent Piece
- 97 · Capstone: Outlining and Planning
- 98 · Capstone: Drafting the Full Piece
- 99 · Capstone: Peer Review and Revision
- 101 · Capstone: Finalizing and Preparing for Publication
- 102 · Capstone: Sharing and Reflecting
Plus 3 review days, not listed.
Film, symbols, author style & practiceDays 103–120
Analysis of a film adaptation's choices and a recent award-winning text, tracing a symbol, a themed poem collection, imitating an author's style, a translation exercise, explainers on evidence integration, mixed prompts and timed practice.
- 103 · Applied Project: Writing About a Film Adaptation’s Choices
- 104 · Practicing a Comprehensive Mixed Writing Prompt Set 7
- 106 · Writing an Analysis of a Recent Award-Winning Text
- 107 · Writing a Piece That Traces a Symbol
- 108 · Practicing a Comprehensive Mixed Writing Prompt Set 8
- 109 · Timed Writing Practice: A Sophisticated Argumentative Prompt 2
- 111 · Applied Project: Writing an Original Themed Poem Collection
- 112 · Applied Project: Writing in the Style of a Studied Author
- 113 · Reviewing Common Errors in Evidence Integration
- 114 · Practicing a Comprehensive Mixed Writing Prompt Set 9
- 116 · Applied Project: Writing a Short Translation Exercise
- 117 · Explainer Project: Teaching How to Integrate Evidence Smoothly
- 118 · Practicing a Comprehensive Mixed Writing Prompt Set 10
- 119 · Timed Writing Practice: A Full-Year Mixed Prompt
Plus 4 review days, not listed.
Morally complex scenes & cumulative reviewDays 121–140
Scenes with ambiguous morality, inherited trauma, restraint, reconciliation and moral dilemmas, then cumulative reviews, an explainer on legal-reasoning arguments, two timed writings, an error review and a year reflection.
- 121 · Writing a Scene with Ambiguous Morality
- 122 · Writing About Inherited Trauma
- 123 · Writing with Deliberate Restraint
- 124 · Mixed Practice: Ambiguity, Inheritance, and Restraint
- 126 · Writing a Reconciliation Scene
- 127 · Timed Writing Practice: A Sophisticated Full-Length Prompt
- 128 · Writing a Moral Dilemma Scene with 2 Valid Choices
- 129 · Mixed Practice: Reconciliation, Timed Argument, and Dilemma
- 131 · Cumulative Review: Audience Awareness and Sophisticated POV Writing
- 132 · Cumulative Review: Literary-Style Craft Writing and Legal-Reasoning Arguments
- 133 · Cumulative Review: Structural Choices and Cumulative Word Choice Writing
- 134 · Explainer Project: Teaching Legal-Reasoning Style Arguments
- 136 · 2 Timed Writing Practices, Part 1: Argumentative Essay in Legal-Reasoning Form
- 137 · 2 Timed Writing Practices, Part 2: Narrative Using Structural Choice and Cumulative Word Choice
- 138 · Common Error Review: English 11 Composition's Trickiest Skills
- 139 · Final Year Reflection: My Year in English 11 Composition
Plus 4 review days, not listed.
Legacy, belonging & more scene craftDays 141–160
Scenes about legacy, silence, hope and despair, belonging, compromise and parallel storylines, a deliberately unanswered question, an epilogue, and timed writing and mixed prompt sets. Many days repeat the same practice format.
- 141 · Writing About Legacy
- 142 · Writing Silence as Communication
- 143 · Writing that Balances Hope and Despair
- 144 · Practicing a Comprehensive Mixed Writing Prompt Set 13
- 146 · Writing a Deliberately Unanswered Central Question
- 147 · Writing 2 Contrasting Views of Legacy
- 148 · Practicing a Comprehensive Mixed Writing Prompt Set 14
- 149 · Timed Writing Practice 2: Capstone Projects vs. Final Exams
- 151 · Writing About Belonging
- 152 · Writing a Scene of Compromise
- 153 · Writing 2 Parallel Storylines
- 154 · Mixed Prompt Set: Loyalty and a Finance Requirement
- 156 · Writing an Epilogue
- 157 · Timed Writing: Social Media and Public Discourse
- 158 · Mixed Prompt Set: A Storyline Echo and the School Calendar
- 159 · Timed Writing: A Moment of Verbal Irony
Plus 4 review days, not listed.
Cumulative reviews & growth reflectionDays 161–172
Three-part cumulative review of the year, a final timed prompt, an explainer on anticipating an audience, mixed prompts, a growth reflection, a look ahead to English 12 and a final pass at audience, point of view and argument skills.
- 161 · Full-Year English 11 Composition Cumulative Review, Part 1
- 162 · Full-Year English 11 Composition Cumulative Review, Part 2
- 163 · Full-Year English 11 Composition Cumulative Review, Part 3: Combining Techniques
- 164 · Timed Writing Practice: The Comprehensive Final Prompt
- 166 · Explainer Project: Teaching Anticipating Audience
- 167 · Full-Year Writing Growth Reflection
- 168 · Practicing a Comprehensive Mixed Writing Prompt Set 17
- 169 · Looking Ahead: English 12 Composition Next Year
- 171 · Cumulative/Final Review: Audience Awareness and Sophisticated POV Writing
- 172 · Cumulative/Final Review: Literary-Style Craft Writing and Legal-Reasoning Arguments
Plus 2 review days, not listed.
Year-end presentation & celebrationDays 173–180
Preparing and delivering a short presentation on a favorite piece, celebration days including a favorite line challenge, a look ahead to English 12 and a final reflection.
- 173 · Preparing Your Year-End Writing Presentation
- 174 · Delivering Your Year-End Writing Presentation
- 175 · Celebration Day: Reflecting on a Year of English 11 Composition!
- 176 · Celebration Day: A Favorite Line Challenge
- 177 · Celebration Day: Sophisticated Writing All Around You
- 178 · Looking Ahead: The Skills I Want to Keep Building in English 12
- 179 · Final Reflection: My Year in English 11 Composition
- 180 · Congratulations! You Completed English 11 Composition & Grammar!
By the end of the year, your child can
- Write arguments tailored to what a specific audience knows, fears and values
- Use irony, understatement and satire on purpose
- Build an argument in a legal-reasoning or founding-document style
- Write in the style of several American literary movements
- Synthesize sources that disagree and integrate quotations smoothly
- Write a cover letter, a letter to an elected official and a college essay
Other 11th Grade subjects: Algebra II · English 11: Literature · Physics · US Government & Civics