HS ELA Guide

Sample Theme

Sample Essential Questions

●​ What is the significance of a rite of passage, and why do we have them? ●​ How have rites of passage affected your life? ●​ Why do cultures need rites of passage? What purpose do they serve? ●​ How do authors use language to create meaning?

Rites of Passage

Literary Texts

Informational Texts

●​ “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” by Nicolas Carr ●​ “Rebel With a Cause: Rebellion in Adolescence” by Dr. Carl Pickhardt (CommonLit) ●​ “Adolescence and the Teenage Crush” by Dr. Carl Pickhardt (CommonLit) ●​ “Is Your Reality Real?: The Dual Existence of Hobbes in Calvin and Hobbes as an Example of Subjective Realities” by Kira Lyle ●​ “What is a bar mitzvah, and how has the Jewish rite of passage evolved?” by Jonathan D. Sarna (Newsela) ●​ “With proms canceled, this family held a festive prom for two” by Washington Post (Newsela)

Unit 1 in Mirrors and Windows Level V covers plot, point of view, and theme Novels ●​ Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury ●​ To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee ●​ A Long Way Gone by Ishamel Beah ●​ I’m Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L. Sanchez Chapters ●​ “ Eleven” The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros Short Stories ●​ “The Scorpion and the Frog” Fable ●​ “First Confession” by Frank O’Connor ●​ “Love” by William Maxwell ●​ “Through the Tunnel” by Doris Lessing ( Mirrors and Windows, p. 29-36) Poetry ●​ Gilgamesh ●​ Beowulf

Sample Theme

Sample Essential Questions

●​ What is justice? ●​ What are the roles and responsibilities of citizens in a democracy? ●​ How does culture affect justice? ●​ Is what is just always fair? ●​ What are some obstacles to justice? ●​ Is freedom of expression an essential component of democracy? ●​ What limitations might a government place on freedom of expression? ●​ What responsibilities, if any, do schools have to teach students how to engage in informed, civic discourse?

Justice and Democracy

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Jun 4, 2026

Last Updated

High School ELA, Page 75