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English · Grade 10

Develop Sustained Analytical Writing

Learners grow the analytical paragraph into a full essay, working on Percy Bysshe Shelley's sonnet “Ozymandias.” They sharpen a thesis that is arguable and specific, plan an essay whose topic sentences advance that thesis, write layered commentary joined by logical transitions, and frame the argument with an introduction and a conclusion that extend it. An optional Going further lesson weighs two invented critics' readings of the poem and asks learners to join the conversation.

  • 5 lessons
  • About 145 minutes
  • Analytical essay check: 9 questions
  • Ways to answer: fill in the blanks, choose an answer, highlight a text, match pairs, put in order and sort into groups
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What learners will discover

  • Write a precise, arguable thesis about a literary text that states what the author does, how, and why it matters.
  • Organize a multi-paragraph essay whose topic sentences are claims that advance the thesis.
  • Develop layered commentary and use transitions that show the logical relationship between ideas.
  • Write introductions that frame the argument and conclusions that extend it beyond restatement.

Lessons

  1. A thesis worth defending 6 steps3 practiceabout 32 min
  2. Topic sentences that build an argument 6 steps4 practiceabout 30 min
  3. Layered commentary and logical transitions 5 steps3 practiceabout 32 min
  4. Introductions and conclusions 5 steps3 practiceabout 30 min
  5. Going further: two critics, one poem 4 steps2 practiceabout 21 min
  6. Analytical essay check 9 questions at the end

Keep exploring

More 10th grade reading

Guide for grown-ups