Phone-Free High School English in Atlanta: Printable Analysis Units
Phone-Free High School English in Atlanta: Printable Analysis Units
For Atlanta Public Schools English teachers who want lessons that run with phones put away, the High School ELA Text Analysis & Writing Bundle gives you nine printable units on close reading and writing: characterization, argumentative essays, speeches and rhetoric, political cartoons, Macbeth, Orwell's 1984 and the American Dream. It costs $109.99, and students work on paper, in pairs and in whole-class discussion.
Open the ELA bundleThe High School ELA Text Analysis & Writing Bundle costs $109.99 for nine units: analysis vocabulary, characterization, argumentative essays, cartoon analysis, political speeches, Macbeth, Orwell's 1984, the American Dream and a listening and viewing practice pack. It suits Atlanta high school English teachers who want lessons that work on paper with discussion. It is not written for Georgia's ELA standards, and Georgia's phone law applies to elementary and middle schools, not high schools.
The resources
High School ELA Text Analysis & Writing Bundle, Grades 9–12
9 resources in one download: $109.99 instead of $224.91 bought separately.
Start with the first resource; the others are optional add-ons. Open any cover for the full contents and price.
High School ELA Text Analysis & Writing Bundle | Fiction, Speeches, Essays, Macbeth & 1984 | 9 Units | Grades 9–12
English Language Arts Complete – Ready-to-Use Curriculum for High School ELA (Grades 9–12)
English Language Arts Complete – Ready-to-Use Curriculum for Middle School ELA
Teach-Life-Balance: The Complete Time-Saving Course for Teachers (incl. Planner, Guides & Templates)
The real problem
What the phone rules mean for an Atlanta high school classroom
Georgia's Distraction Free Education Act, passed in March 2025, requires elementary and middle schools to keep student phones stored from bell to bell, with each district deciding how, starting in summer 2026. High schools are not part of that requirement, so your phone rules as a ninth or eleventh grade teacher come from APS and your own school, and they may differ from what the middle school down the street now does. In practice many high school English teachers want the same result in their own room anyway: a lesson where students read a speech, mark it up and argue about it without a screen in hand. That is harder than it sounds. Plenty of current lessons lean on a slideshow and a quick online quiz, and the moment phones disappear, the period needs more structure on paper. Your building may also be in flux. APS Forward 2040, the district's facilities plan approved in December 2025, closes Carver STEAM Academy after 2026-27, and the first school closures take effect in fall 2027. Teachers moving between buildings need units that travel easily. Georgia's K-12 ELA standards, approved in May 2023, took effect in 2025-26, so check any new material against them.
Why it fits
How the units hold up without devices
Each unit is built around a text and a written task, which is exactly what a phone-free period needs.
- Analysis Vocabulary and Operators gives students a shared language for discussing texts aloud.
- Characterisation and Analysing Fiction works on paper, with students annotating passages in pencil.
- The political speeches unit on rhetoric and stylistic devices suits paired close reading and discussion.
- Analysing Cartoons – Step by Step gives a printed image and a clear routine students can follow.
- Macbeth and Orwell's 1984 units give longer studies that run for several class periods.
- Writing a Comment and Argumentative Essay turns discussion into a written argument students hand in.
Getting started
A two-week phone-free sequence
One suggested way to string three units together. Rearrange it to fit your course and your school's phone procedure.
- Days 1–2: the vocabulary of analysisStart with Analysis Vocabulary and Operators so everyone uses the same terms. Print the word lists and keep them on desks for the whole sequence, so students stop reaching for a phone to look up a term.
- Days 3–5: speeches and rhetoricUse the political speeches unit. Students mark rhetorical devices on a printed speech in pairs, then defend their choices to the class. The discussion is the lesson, so plan time for it.
- Days 6–7: cartoons as a warm changeSwitch to Analysing Cartoons for a shorter, visual task. The step-by-step method gives quieter students a clear way in before they speak, and it is a good day for a guest or a sub.
- Days 8–9: draft the argumentMove to the argumentative essay unit. Students plan and draft by hand, using evidence from the speech or cartoon they already analyzed. Collect drafts at the end of each period.
- Day 10: revise and reflectStudents revise from your written comments and write a short note on what they changed. You end the sequence with paper evidence of learning instead of a screen score.
What to buy
Bundle or full curriculum
If you need a strong analysis and writing strand for Grades 9–12, buy the High School ELA Text Analysis & Writing Bundle at $109.99; the nine units bought separately would cost $224.91. If you want a whole-year high school sequence instead, ELA Complete – High School starts at $149.90 and covers literary analysis and writing across Grades 9–12. Middle school ELA teachers, who are covered by the Distraction Free Education Act, should look at ELA Complete – Middle School at $149.90. Teach-Life-Balance ($89.90) is a separate time-saving course, not lesson content.
Honest limits
What to check before you buy
These units are not written for Georgia and carry no Georgia ELA standards codes, so check each one against the standards for your course. The bundle is a strand, not a full-year course. The listening and viewing practice pack needs audio or video played from the front of the room, so it is not entirely device-free. Class sets of novels and plays are yours to arrange; see the product page for what each unit includes. The license covers your own classroom; for department use, message Teach Lessons first. Not a fit? Exchange it within 7 days for store credit of equal value.
Good to know
Frequently asked questions
Is this bundle aligned to the Georgia K-12 ELA standards?
No. It is not aligned to Georgia's K-12 English Language Arts Standards and is not approved by APS or the state. It is general high school analysis and writing material. Compare each unit with the standards for your course and grade, and use it where it fits your pacing guide.
Does Georgia's phone law apply to my high school class?
As described in 2025, the Distraction Free Education Act requires bell-to-bell phone storage in elementary and middle schools, starting in summer 2026. High schools are not part of that requirement. Check APS policy and your school's own rules for what applies in your building this year.
Do students need laptops for any of the units?
Most of the work is reading, annotating and writing on paper. The listening and viewing comprehension pack is the exception, since it needs audio or video. You can play that from your classroom display so students listen and take notes without opening their own devices.
Can I teach Macbeth and 1984 with this alone?
The bundle gives you a unit on each, built around analysis and discussion. Whether you also need full copies of the play and the novel depends on how much of each work you teach. Check the product page for each unit's contents and plan class sets through your school.
I am moving schools under APS Forward 2040. Is this portable?
Yes. It is a digital download in your customer account, so it goes with you to a new building. The license covers your own teaching, so you can keep using it after a move. If a new team wants to share it, message Teach Lessons first.
What if the units do not suit my students?
Within 7 days you can exchange the bundle for store credit of equal value. There is no cash refund, so look through the nine linked parts on the product page before buying. Each unit is also sold on its own if you only need one or two.
Put the phones away and the pencils out
Review all nine units on the product page and plan your first paper-only week.
Open the ELA bundle