CommonLit 360 is a comprehensive, full-year ELA curriculum for grades 6-12 designed to support student growth in reading, writing, 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 360 unit equips educators with all the materials needed to provide this learning experience.
CommonLit 360 Edition 2.0 for grades 9 and 10
The updates we made to Edition 2.0 for grades 6-8 were contributing factors to CommonLit 360 receiving an “all green” rating from EdReports. We are eager to bring these enhancements to our high school curriculum as well!
These new and updated Edition 2.0 units for grades 9-10 are designed to deepen student learning and engagement by featuring:
- Expanded texts: More texts to support knowledge-building and increase reading stamina.
- New full-length works: Works that come with more opportunities for sustained reading and deeper analysis.
- Project-Focused Culminating Tasks: Tasks that aim to provide formal speaking and listening opportunities for students.
- Additional skill lessons: Lessons that will bring more multimedia analysis, vocabulary, grammar, and discussion skills — including Socratic Seminars.
- Streamlined teacher resources: New and refreshed supports, including pacing guides tailored for 45-minute instructional blocks.
New Year-Long Thematic Arcs
In Edition 2.0, our team has redesigned grades 9-10 to be centered around compelling, year-long thematic arcs that cohesively tie all units together.
In Edition 2.0, each unit in 9th grade will encourage students to explore the theme “Civic Responsibility.” With each unit, students will be pushed to think about themselves as having both rights and duties in our society. Students consider questions like: What is my role in society? What is the best way to structure a government? Who is responsible for the way society functions and develops? The texts in these units provide complex viewpoints on how our government and society function and whom they serve.
Throughout the year, 10th grade students will explore the theme “Finding your Voice.” In each unit, they’ll encounter texts full of people facing an inflection point and deciding who they want to be. They will see examples of characters who become stronger, braver people through their failures. The units in 10th grade Edition 2.0 feature texts across a wide variety of genres, preparing students for the range of tasks they may encounter on state tests.
More Full-Length Texts
The Edition 2.0 for 9th and 10th grade will also include new opportunities to read full-length works to build students' reading stamina. These selections are closely aligned to grade-level standards, and focus on key themes and knowledge-building that are important across each grade level.
In 9th grade, students will read the novel Animal Farm and the drama Antigone.
In 10th grade, students will read the novel Fahrenheit 451, the drama A Raisin in the Sun, and the novel Things Fall Apart.
These units also include paired texts, writing lessons, and related media explorations to support students' analysis of these complex texts.
Brand New Units
In addition to enhancing some of our original units from Edition 1.0, we’re also adding brand new units to give students opportunities to work with different genres and modes of texts.
9th Grade Unit 3 will be a new thematic unit focusing on speeches and rhetoric. The texts in this unit will build on what students have learned in Unit 2 about how the skillful use of rhetoric affects society. Students will study effective historical and contemporary speeches. They will then write their own speeches persuading others to take action to improve their community.
9th Grade Unit 4 will be a new research unit focused on investigative journalism. Building on Unit 3’s themes of resisting injustice, students will learn about the history of investigative journalism in the United States and the crucial role that free press plays in a democratic society.
Finally, we’ll be adding a new unit, Unit 4, for 10th grade. This research unit will focus on the topic of voting rights. Voting gives citizens a voice in government. Students will study how voting laws have changed in the US over time and who is allowed to vote in their own state today. This unit directly builds upon a few of the key themes addressed in the previous unit, “A Raisin in the Sun,” and allows students to explore historical examples of finding and fighting for one’s voice.
New project-based Culminating Tasks
We are also excited to include several new project-based assessments as culminating tasks, which will allow students to demonstrate their learning in creative ways.
Culminating Tasks may include working independently or with peers on activities such as:
- Developing argumentative and narrative essays that explore unit themes, craft, and style
- Writing and delivering an original speech using engaging rhetorical moves
- Conducting independent research and creating engaging presentations to inform and persuade
- Developing infographics, social media posts, podcasts, or other visuals to share what students have learned
Guiding principles of instruction
When the literacy experts at CommonLit create 360 units, they have a number of guiding principles that ground their work, which is evident all throughout the curriculum, including Edition 2.0 for 9th and 10th grade.
- 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).
When will 9th Grade and 10th Grade Edition 2.0 be published?
The first 3 units of Edition 2.0 for grades 9 and 10 will be available on CommonLit.org before the start of school year 2025-2026, and all 6 units for grades 9 and 10 will be available by winter of the 2025-2026 school year.
Can teachers continue using the 1.0 units for grades 9 and 10?
Yes! Teachers will continue to have access to Edition 1.0 for grades 9 and 10 as we continue to release newly updated 2.0 units. Teachers are welcome to explore the new 2.0 units to become familiar with the content and new resources.
How can I bring CommonLit 360 to my school or district?
Gain access to school- and district-wide data reports, benchmark assessments, personalized professional development, and more with School Essentials PRO Plus.
