Starting High School English Mid-Year: Curriculum for January Hires
ELA Complete – High School is for English teachers who start a grade 9–12 job in January with no plans to follow. It provides 100+ resources in literary analysis and analytical, argumentative, informative and narrative writing, covering poetry, drama, novels, essays and speeches. You can teach it from the first week of semester 2 while you work out which students did the fall work.
View ELA Complete – HS →ELA Complete – High School is a no-prep English curriculum for grades 9–12 with 100+ resources, starting at $149.90. A teacher hired in January can use it to teach semester 2 from the start: analysis of short stories, novels, drama, poetry, essays and speeches through theme, characterization, symbolism, structure and rhetoric, plus multi-paragraph analytical and argumentative writing from planning to editing. Units can be taught individually.
The curriculum
ELA Complete – High School, Grades 9–12
Start with the full curriculum. The other resources below are optional add-ons. Open any cover for the full contents and price.
The real problem
Why high school English is hard to pick up in winter
By January, high school English students have a clear idea of how much the class asks of them, and if the fall was unstable, that idea may be 'not much'. Juniors may be looking toward college applications, seniors toward graduation, and freshmen are still learning what a thesis is. You probably teach two or three different preps, each with a different reading list that someone else chose. The book closet tells you what was ordered, not what was read. Essay writing is where the gaps hurt most. An analytical essay depends on claims, evidence and commentary, and students who missed that instruction in the fall will write summaries and call them analysis. You also have a stack of papers coming in that you need to grade fairly before students trust you. And you cannot assign a novel on day one: students need a way into close reading with texts short enough to finish in class. The first weeks have to restart the habits of reading closely and writing with evidence, without treating older students like beginners.
Why it fits
What makes it workable for a mid-year start
The curriculum covers many text types, so you can open with short pieces and work up to longer works.
- Poetry and short story analysis gives you complete texts students can finish within one period.
- Rhetoric and point of view lessons on speeches and essays engage students who resist fiction.
- Multi-paragraph essay instruction rebuilds claim, evidence and commentary after an uneven fall.
- Theme, symbolism and characterization lessons can accompany whatever novel your department assigns.
- Planning-to-editing writing steps make essay grading manageable while you learn the students.
- Differentiated materials help when freshmen and upperclassmen sit in different sections.
Getting started
How you might open semester 2
One sequence that works for a new teacher. The product has no fixed calendar, so adapt it.
- Close-read a poem on day oneA short poem with lessons on structure and symbolism lets you see who reads closely and who skims. It also signals right away that you expect analysis, not summary.
- Analyze a speech for rhetoricNext, take a speech from the nonfiction materials and work on rhetoric and point of view. Students who tuned out of fiction often engage with argument.
- Write one analytical paragraphCollect a single paragraph with a claim and textual evidence. It is fast to grade and shows who can analyze and who needs to rebuild the basics.
- Connect to the assigned novelIf your department requires a novel, introduce it now with the theme and characterization lessons as a frame, rather than as a list of chapter questions.
- Build the first full essay in stagesUse the planning, drafting and revising materials so the first multi-paragraph essay arrives in steps. You grade progress and avoid one huge pile at once.
Which version
Picking a version for your semester
The standard $149.90 version includes all 100+ resources, enough for several preps over the semester. The $189.90 version adds Teach-Life-Balance, a digital course with a planner, guides and templates that helps you organize your time. It does not add literature or writing lessons. English teachers spend more time grading than most, so if a new job plus a full essay load already looks like too much, that course may be worth it. Otherwise, the standard version is enough.
Honest limits
Limits to know before you buy
Full-length novels and plays are not included. Your school supplies class sets, and you teach them alongside the analysis lessons. AP exam preparation and college application essays are not specific parts of the product. Check the units against your state standards and your school's course requirements. If other members of your department want to use it, send Teach Lessons a short message first. Should it not suit your classes, the 7-day window lets you swap it for store credit of the same value. There is no cash refund.
Good to know
Frequently asked questions
Does it align with Common Core or state English standards?
It is not endorsed, adopted or certified by any state or Common Core body, and alignment is not guaranteed. It is written for U.S. high school English and covers literary analysis, rhetoric and writing. Before planning the semester, check the units against your state standards and the course descriptions your school uses for each grade.
Can I use it with the novel my department assigns?
Yes. The lessons on theme, characterization, symbolism and structure are not tied to one specific book, so you can apply them to the novel or play on your reading list. The curriculum does not include the books themselves, so make sure class sets are available.
I have both ninth grade and eleventh grade preps. Does it cover both?
It covers grades 9–12, with materials you can use at different depths. You choose which texts and writing tasks go to which section. Teaching two preps from one structure makes planning easier than juggling two sets of unrelated materials. Keep a simple list of which units each section has already used.
My students cannot write an analytical essay. Where do I start?
Start smaller than an essay. The writing materials cover multi-paragraph essays from planning through editing, so you can teach one paragraph with a claim and evidence first, then build up. It is slower at first but avoids grading a pile of summaries. Model one strong paragraph aloud first.
Is this enough for one semester or a full year?
With 100+ resources across grades 9–12, a single semester will not use everything, especially if you teach one or two grades. If you stay next year, the remaining units are already there. The product page shows the full list of what you get. Units can also serve as review before finals.
How do I get it if I start next week?
Access is instant after purchase. The download link arrives by email, and the files also stay in your customer account under Orders. Materials work for printing or for a digital classroom, so you can have the first lesson ready the same day. Nothing ships by mail.
Bring structure to an English class in its second half
See what the product page includes for grades 9–12 and choose the version that fits your workload.
View ELA Complete – HS →