Overview
Pre-AP English 1 focuses on the close reading, analytical writing, and language skills that have immediate relevance for students across their current courses and that are most essential for their future work in high school, college, and careers.
Texts take center stage in the Pre-AP English 1 classroom, where students engage in close, critical reading of a wide range of materials. The course trains the reader to observe the small details within a text to arrive at a deeper understanding of the whole. It also trains the writer to focus on crafting complex sentences as the foundation for writing to facilitate complex thinking and communicate ideas clearly.
Areas of Focus
Pre-AP English 1 emphasizes the following instructional priorities:
- Reading closely: Students read closely and analyze a range of complex literary and informational texts.
- Valuing evidence: Students value textual evidence and incorporate it effectively in writing and speaking.
- Noticing language choices: Students understand how writers and speakers use specific words and sentences to move the thoughts, emotions, and actions of readers and listeners.
Course at a Glance
The tabs below show the English 1 course organized by four units of study. Each unit is shaped by a focus area, a collection of high-quality readings, and lesson sets that support the readings and focus areas.
Content and Skills focus across all units:
- Close reading
- Evidence-based writing
- Vocabulary in context
- Precise language
- Collaborative communication
Unit title: Telling Details
Featured text types: Short stories and visual texts
Timeframe: 7 weeks
Skills Focus
- Critical reading of literary texts
- Making meaning from visuals
- Writing a literary analysis
Unit title: Pivotal Words and Phrases
Featured text types: Poetry and drama
Timeframe: 7 weeks
Skills Focus
- Critical reading of poetry and drama
- Purposeful revision
- Oral delivery and dramatic presentations
Unit title: Compelling Evidence
Featured text types: Essays and arguments
Timeframe: 7 weeks
Skills Focus
- Critical reading of essays and arguments
- Synthesizing ideas across texts
Unit title: Powerful Openings
Featured text types: Openings from novels
Timeframe: 7 weeks
Skills Focus
- Critical reading of literary texts
- Writing a literary analysis
Underlying Unit Foundations
These big ideas are addressed across units:
- Engaging with texts
- Constructing texts
- Focusing on language
- Researching to learn
- Entering the conversation
Instructional Resources
Schools that officially implement a Pre-AP course will receive access to instructional resources for each unit. These resources don’t constitute a full day-by-day curriculum. Instead, they provide support and modeling as teachers design instruction for each unit.
Pre-AP English 1 instructional resources include:
- A course framework, texts, and targeted lessons that provide guidance and models for teaching the course.
- Pre-AP resources that can be used alongside local school or district materials during the unit with continued infusion of the areas of focus and shared principles.
Assessments and Feedback
Each unit includes a variety of opportunities for meaningful feedback:
- Curriculum-embedded assessments: learning checkpoints consisting of short writing tasks scored by teachers
- 2 unit quizzes: short online assessments with automated scoring and reporting
- 1 performance task: writing prompts that build readiness for the SAT Essay and AP English exam, with clear scoring guidelines for teachers