CommonLit 360 is a comprehensive, full-year ELA curriculum for grades 6-12 designed to support student growth in reading, writing, and speaking and listening skills. Our curriculum provides teachers with researched-based instructional materials designed by literacy experts, many of whom are former teachers. We believe that students learn best when they are engaged in meaningful, relevant, and challenging work. Every CommonLit 360 unit equips educators with all the materials needed to provide this learning experience.
Explore the latest addition to CommonLit 360: updated Edition 2.0 Units for 11th and 12th grade!
As with all CommonLit 360 units, these updated units give teachers everything they need for engaging and effective standards-aligned instruction. In addition to integrated reading and writing lessons centered around an essential question and leading to a topical Culminating Task, all units also feature a variety of lessons and activities that help students master academic vocabulary and improve discussion skills.
Additionally, schools and districts can unlock two Unit Skills Assessments for each of these units with a School Essentials PRO Plus partnership. These assessments provide teachers with formative insights into how well their students understand and apply unit skills.
11th Grade, Unit 1: The Great Gatsby
In 11th grade Unit 1 of CommonLit 360 Edition 2.0, students will read F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby over 5-7 weeks and examine his critique of 1920s society while making connections to the world today. The updated unit adds a new student-led debate and a bilingual poem selection, "A Julia de Burgos" by Julia de Burgos, translated by Jack Agüeros. Students will work toward answering the essential questions: How has the American Dream evolved over the last hundred years? How do authors use symbolism to create meaning?
Students will love exploring the American Dream, wealth and class, and appearance vs. reality in Fitzgerald's classic novel. For the Culminating Task, they'll write an argumentative essay arguing whether one of Fitzgerald's critiques of American society still holds true, supported by independent research.
11th Grade, Unit 2: The Social Contract
In 11th grade Unit 2 of CommonLit 360 Edition 2.0, students will spend 5-7 weeks with seminal texts by Hobbes, Locke, Jefferson, Emerson, Thoreau, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Dolores Huerta, and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The updated unit adds a new Related Media Exploration on the Delano Grape Strike and Boycott. Students will work toward answering the essential questions: What do governments owe their citizens? What do citizens owe their governments?
Students will love investigating one of democracy's most enduring questions. For the Culminating Task, they'll create an argumentative presentation identifying a contemporary or historical example of citizens breaking the social contract and arguing whether that choice was justified.
12th Grade, Unit 1: Writing Your Story: Memoir and Application Essays
In 12th grade Unit 1 of CommonLit 360 Edition 2.0, students will spend 5-7 weeks learning to write memoirs and application essays that capture their personal stories. The updated unit adds a moving new memoir, "Excerpt from Ordinary Girls" by Jaquira Díaz, and a newly blended narrative and argumentative writing arc. Students will work toward answering the essential questions: What moments and experiences define me? How do I tell my story?
Students will love producing memoirs and application essays they can use beyond the classroom. For the Culminating Task, they'll write a 250-650 word essay responding to one of the Common Application prompts.
12th Grade, Unit 2: Frankenstein
In 12th grade Unit 2 of CommonLit 360 Edition 2.0, students will read Mary Shelley's Frankenstein over 5-7 weeks and consider how its themes still resonate in modern society. The updated unit adds a new embedded poem, "Dear Dr. Frankenstein" by Jericho Brown, a discussion skill lesson on group collaboration, and a creative narrative task. Students will work toward answering the essential question: How do scientific advancements affect human connection?
Students will love grappling with the dangers of unchecked ambition and scientific advancement in Shelley's iconic novel. For the Culminating Task, they'll research a contemporary scientific advancement, connect what they learn to the novel’s thematic ideas, and present their ideas in a visually compelling presentation.
Guiding principles of instruction
When the literacy experts at CommonLit create 360 units, they have a number of guiding principles. These include:
- Students can and should engage with rigorous grade-level content with appropriate support in place.
- Teachers drive student outcomes and create meaningful and engaging learning experiences.
- Deep engagement fosters deep learning and occurs when students have content that matters to them.
- Learning is a social process with students acquiring knowledge and skills through social interactions, collaboration, and observation.
Each CommonLit 360 unit centers these principles and features integrated reading and writing lessons that are appropriately rigorous to provide teachers with a core curriculum that is structured (not scripted).
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