High School English Curriculum When Your School Gives You None
ELA Complete – High School is for the grades 9–12 English teacher who was assigned sections with no curriculum, no common texts and no shared essay expectations. Its 100+ resources cover literary analysis of short stories, novels, drama, poetry, essays and speeches, plus narrative, informative, argumentative and analytical writing, with slides, differentiated worksheets and answer keys.
See the English curriculum →ELA Complete – High School is a no-prep English curriculum for grades 9–12 with 100+ resources, from $149.90. For a teacher whose school provides no English curriculum, it covers literary analysis of fiction, drama, poetry, essays, speeches and nonfiction, including theme, characterization, symbolism, structure, rhetoric and point of view, and narrative, informative, argumentative and analytical writing in multi-paragraph essays from planning through editing.
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 without a curriculum falls apart
In high school English, a missing curriculum often hides behind a book list. Someone hands you the titles that are in the book room, and that becomes the course. But a list of novels is not a plan for teaching analysis. Students read, take a quiz, write one essay per book, and by grade 11 their essays still summarize the plot with a quote dropped in. What is missing is the skill sequence. Students need to learn to read for theme, characterization and symbolism, and they need to see how structure and point of view shape meaning. They need rhetoric for speeches and nonfiction, and they need poetry and drama handled as their own forms, not as quick add-ons. Then that analysis has to go into writing: a clear claim, evidence that is actually explained, and multi-paragraph structure that holds up. Without a curriculum, you also have no common answer to what a ninth-grade essay should look like versus a senior's. Grades drift, students change teachers and meet different expectations, and the college-bound students who need strong analytical writing are the ones who notice most.
Why it fits
How it turns a book list into a course
The curriculum supplies the analysis and writing instruction that a set of novels on its own does not.
- Theme, characterization, symbolism and structure lessons give students tools that work on any text.
- Drama and poetry get their own attention alongside short stories and novels.
- Rhetoric and point of view lessons cover speeches, essays and nonfiction properly.
- Analytical writing is taught directly, so essays move beyond summary with quotes.
- Multi-paragraph essay work from planning to editing sets a consistent standard across grades.
- Differentiated worksheets support honors-level and struggling readers working on the same text.
Getting started
Your first weeks with it
One practical way to start. These steps are a suggestion; the curriculum does not include a fixed calendar.
- Inventory the book roomList the novels and plays your school already owns. Match them to the analysis lessons on theme, characterization and symbolism so the books you have become vehicles for skills instead of the whole course.
- Open with short textsStart the year with a short story and a speech. Short texts let you teach analysis and rhetoric quickly and assess where students stand before committing weeks to a novel.
- Diagnose with one analytical paragraphHave students write one analytical paragraph about the short story. It shows immediately who explains evidence and who only summarizes, which shapes how you group writing instruction.
- Give poetry its own unitSchedule a poetry unit early in the year rather than squeezing it into May. Close reading of short poems sharpens attention to word choice and structure for every later text.
- Set essay expectations by gradeWrite down what a grade 9 essay must show and what a grade 12 essay must add, using the curriculum's writing lessons. Share it with students so expectations stay clear.
Which version
Which version fits
The $149.90 version holds all 100+ curriculum resources and is what a teacher without a curriculum needs. The $189.90 version adds Teach-Life-Balance, a digital course with a planner, guides and templates for managing workload. High school English teachers often carry several preps and large stacks of essays, so the planning help can matter, but it does not add any English content. If you only need lessons and texts, the base version is enough.
Honest limits
What it leaves to you
Full-length novels and plays are not included as class sets. You use what your school owns or can order. The curriculum is not an AP course or a test-prep program, and it does not settle credit requirements, so check it against your school's course descriptions and your state or district English requirements. If other teachers in the department want to use it, send Teach Lessons a short message first. If it does not fit, you can exchange it within 7 days for store credit of equal value; cash is not returned.
Good to know
Frequently asked questions
Does this curriculum meet my state's English standards?
It is written for U.S. high school classrooms and covers literary analysis, rhetoric and four types of writing, but it is not endorsed or adopted as meeting Common Core or any state's standards. If your school asks for alignment documentation, compare the units against your state's high school ELA standards and record which ones you have checked yourself before submitting anything.
Can I use it with the novels my school already has?
Yes, and that is a good way to use it. The analysis lessons on theme, characterization, symbolism, structure and point of view apply to any novel or play. Use the curriculum's shorter texts to teach a skill, then apply the same skill to the book your students are reading, so the novel becomes practice rather than the entire plan.
Is there enough for four different grade levels?
With 100+ resources it covers a wide range of literature and writing, and units can be taught individually. Many teachers in your position use the core analysis and essay lessons across grades and raise expectations each year, while choosing different texts per grade. Check the product page listing to see how far it stretches for your particular sections.
Does it prepare students for college writing?
It teaches argumentative and analytical writing in multi-paragraph essays, with planning, drafting, revising and editing, which is the kind of writing college courses expect. It does not promise any test score or college placement, and it is not designed around a specific exam. Treat it as solid essay instruction you can extend.
How does it handle poetry and drama?
Poetry and drama are listed as text types in the literary analysis strand, alongside short stories, novels, essays, speeches and nonfiction. That lets you teach them as distinct forms with their own structure and conventions. For a full play, you will need your own copies if the excerpts in the curriculum are not enough.
Can my department share one purchase?
Use within your own teaching team or school is possible, but send Teach Lessons a short message before you share it so the licence question is handled properly. Questions about school purchasing can also go to Teach Lessons before buying. Redistribution or posting the materials publicly is not allowed.
Give your English sections a real sequence
Check the product page for everything included and see whether it fits the courses you were assigned.
See the English curriculum →