High School English Units for Text Analysis, Macbeth, 1984 and Essays
High School English Units for Text Analysis, Macbeth, 1984 and Essays
If you want a high school English strand for text analysis and argument writing that you can teach as written, the High School ELA Text Analysis & Writing Bundle has nine units for Grades 9–12: analysis vocabulary, characterization, argumentative essays, political cartoons, speeches and rhetoric, Macbeth, Orwell's 1984, the American Dream, and listening and viewing. It costs $109.99, against $224.91 for the parts.
View the 9 ELA unitsThe High School ELA Text Analysis & Writing Bundle ($109.99) is a nine-unit literature and writing strand for Grades 9–12: Analysis Vocabulary and Operators for Text Analysis; Characterisation and Analysing Fiction; Writing a Comment and Argumentative Essay; Analysing Cartoons; Analysing Political Speeches; Shakespeare – Analysing a Drama (Macbeth); Dystopia – Orwell's 1984 and Beyond; The American Dream – Myth and Reality; and a Listening and Viewing Comprehension practice pack.
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
Why analysis writing stalls in high school English
Ask high school students to analyze a text and many will retell it. They know the plot of Macbeth and can list what happens to Winston Smith, but they struggle to say how a writer creates an effect or why it matters. The gap is usually vocabulary and method. Students need words for what writers do and a clear sequence for turning an observation into a claim backed by evidence. Argument writing has the same problem from the other side: students can state an opinion but not build it into a structured essay that deals with the other side. Nonfiction makes it harder still. Political speeches and cartoons are some of the most useful texts for teaching rhetoric, yet they rarely come with ready classroom tasks, so teachers write new questions for every speech. And because classes include strong readers next to students still building basic comprehension, the same Macbeth scene has to work at several levels. A strand that teaches analysis vocabulary early and then applies it to fiction, drama, dystopia, speeches and visuals gives students repeated practice with one method, which is how analytical writing actually improves.
Why it fits
What each unit does for analysis and argument
The nine units move from tools to texts, so students reuse the same analytical language across very different material.
- Analysis Vocabulary and Operators gives students precise words for describing what a writer does.
- Characterisation and Analysing Fiction applies those words to character, the most common analysis task.
- Writing a Comment and Argumentative Essay teaches structured argument writing students can use in any course.
- Macbeth and Orwell's 1984 bring a Shakespeare drama and a dystopian novel into the strand.
- Political speeches, rhetorical devices and step-by-step cartoon analysis build nonfiction and visual reading skills.
- The American Dream – Myth and Reality gives students a theme to argue about with evidence.
Getting started
A suggested order for a semester or a year
Treat this as a starting point. Each unit stands on its own, so place Macbeth or 1984 wherever your book schedule allows.
- Build the toolkitStart with Analysis Vocabulary and Operators for Text Analysis. Post the key terms in the room; students will need them in every later unit and in each essay they write.
- Practice on fictionTeach Characterisation and Analysing Fiction with shorter texts. Students practice turning observations into claims with evidence before they take on a full play or a novel.
- Teach the argument essay earlyUse Writing a Comment and Argumentative Essay early in the course, so students can write argument pieces on the speeches, the American Dream and 1984 later on.
- Rhetoric and visualsPair Analysing Political Speeches with Analysing Cartoons – Step by Step. Both ask how a creator persuades an audience, one through words and one through images.
- The big textsTeach Macbeth, then Dystopia – Orwell's 1984 and Beyond, then The American Dream. Use the Listening and Viewing Comprehension pack throughout for shorter practice days.
What to buy
This bundle or a complete ELA curriculum?
Choose the High School ELA Text Analysis & Writing Bundle at $109.99 (parts $224.91) when you want an analysis and argument strand to add to your existing course. If you need a whole high school ELA program, with literary analysis across short stories, novels, drama, poetry, essays and speeches plus narrative, informative and analytical writing, ELA Complete – High School (from $149.90) is the broader choice. Teaching Grades 6–8 as well? ELA Complete – Middle School is also from $149.90, and buying two Complete Curriculum packages lets you use TEACHMORE15 for 15% off; the code does not work on this bundle. Teach-Life-Balance ($89.90) is a separate course on cutting planning time.
Honest limits
What to know before you buy
The nine units are a strand, not a complete Grades 9–12 English program, and they are not aligned to Common Core, AP or any state's ELA standards, so check them against your course map. Look at the individual unit pages to see which text excerpts are included, and plan for full copies of Macbeth and 1984 if you want students to read the whole works. Some titles use British spelling, such as characterisation. Using the units across an English department needs a short message to Teach Lessons first. If they do not fit, exchange the bundle within 7 days for store credit of equal value, not cash.
Good to know
Frequently asked questions
Is this aligned to Common Core or my state's ELA standards?
It is not aligned to, endorsed by or approved under Common Core or any state's English language arts standards, and it carries no standards codes. Text analysis, argument writing, rhetoric and speaking and listening are common in high school frameworks, so compare the nine units with your state standards and your department's course map yourself.
Do I need class sets of Macbeth and 1984?
The two units are built around analyzing those works. Check the individual unit pages, linked from the bundle page, for what each one includes. If you want students to read the full play and the full novel, plan for copies through your school library or book room before the unit starts.
Which grade should use which unit?
The bundle is listed for Grades 9–12. One common approach is to teach characterization and the argumentative essay in the earlier grades and Macbeth, 1984 and political speeches later, but that is your decision. Every unit stands alone, so you can split the bundle across the different courses you teach.
Does it help with argumentative essay writing?
Yes, that is one of its main strands. Writing a Comment and Argumentative Essay teaches the structure directly, and the speeches, cartoons, American Dream and 1984 units give students topics and evidence to argue about. The analysis vocabulary unit gives them the language to write about technique precisely.
Can I use it with mixed-ability classes?
You can scale the strand. Use the vocabulary unit with everyone, give stronger readers longer passages and more independent analysis, and use the cartoon and listening and viewing units for students who need a different way into a text. Check each unit's page for how its tasks are set up.
What happens if it does not suit my course?
Within 7 days you can exchange the bundle for store credit of equal value and use it on another product, such as ELA Complete – High School. It is not a cash refund. Downloads are available right after purchase, so look through the units soon after you buy.
Analysis and argument, unit by unit
Open the bundle page to see all nine units and decide where Macbeth and 1984 fit in your year.
View the 9 ELA units