Grade 11

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Key elements of a literary text are setting, plot, characterization, conflict, point of view, theme, and tone.  

For layers of meaning, any methodology or model may be used as long as students understand that text may have multiple layers and that authors use techniques to achieve those layers. A very workable model for looking at layers of meaning is that of I.A. Richards: Layer 1) the literal level, what the words actually mean Layer 2) mood, those feelings that are evoked in the reader Layer 3) tone, the author’s attitude Layer 4) author’s purpose (interpretation of author’s purpose as it is often inferred)

Style is the way in which the writer uses techniques for effect. It is distinct from meaning, but can be used to make the author’s message more effective. The components of style are diction, syntax, grammar, and use of figurative language. Style helps to create the author’s voice.  

A universal theme is an idea that applies to anyone, anywhere, regardless of cultural differences. Examples include, but are not limited to, an individual’s or a community’s confrontation with nature; an individual’s struggle toward understanding, awareness, and/or spiritual enlightenment; the tension between the ideal and the real; the conflict between human beings and advancements in technology/science; the impact of the past on the present; the inevitability of fate; the struggle for equality; and the loss of innocence. 

Juxtaposition is the technique of putting two or more elements side by side to invite comparison or contrast. 

The term perspective means “a particular attitude toward or way of regarding something.” 

Poetry for this benchmark should be selected from one of the following literary periods.  

Classical Period (1200 BCE–455 CE) 

Medieval Period (455 CE–1485 CE) 

Renaissance Period (130–1600)

Restoration and 18th Century (1660–1790) British Literature

Colonial and Early National Period (1600–1830) American Literature 

Romantic Period (1790–1870) 

Realism and Naturalism Period (1870–1930)

Modernist Period (1910–1945) 

Contemporary Period (1945–present)

For more information, see Literary Periods. 

Students will evaluate the use of the following structures: description, problem/solution, chronological, compare and contrast, cause and effect, and sequence.

Students will evaluate the use of the following features: table of contents, headings, captions, photographs, graphs, charts, illustrations, glossary, footnotes, annotations, and appendices. 

See Rhetorical Appeals and Rhetorical Devices. 

Validity refers to the soundness of the arguments. 

For more information on types of reasoning, see Types of Logical Reasoning. 

Examples of allegory should be taken from the following periods: 

Classical Period (1200 BCE–455 CE) 

Medieval Period (455 CE–1485 CE)  

Renaissance Period (1300–1600)

Restoration and 18th Century (1660–1790) British Literature

Colonial and Early National Period (1600–1830) American Literature

Romantic Period (1790–1870)

Realism and Naturalism Period (1870–1930)

Modernist Period (1910–1945)

Figurative language use that students will analyze are metaphor, simile, alliteration, onomatopoeia, personification, hyperbole, meiosis (understatement), allusion, and idiom. Other examples can be used in instruction. 

See Secondary Figurative Language. 

Most grade-level texts are appropriate for this benchmark. 

Contemporaneous authors here refers to authors who are contemporaries of each other, writing within any of the following literary periods:

Classical Period (1200 BCE–455 CE)

Medieval Period (455 CE–1485 CE) 

Renaissance Period (1300–1600)

Restoration and 18th Century (1660–1790) British Literature

Colonial and Early National Period (1600–1830) American Literature

Romantic Period (1790–1870)

Realism and Naturalism Period (1870–1930)  

Modernist Period (1910–1945) 

For more information on types of reasoning, see Types of Logical Reasoning.  

Students will evaluate the appropriateness of appeals and the effectiveness of devices. In this grade level, students are using and responsible for all four appeals; kairos is added at this grade level.  

Rhetorical devices for the purposes of this benchmark are the figurative language devices from 11.R.3.1 with the addition of irony, rhetorical question, antithesis, zeugma, metonymy, synecdoche, asyndeton, and chiasmus. 

See Secondary Figurative Language. 

See Rhetorical Appeals and Rhetorical Devices.  

Communicating Through Writing ELA.11.C.1

Communicating Orally ELA.11.C.2

Following Conventions ELA.11.C.3

ResearchingELA.11.C.4

Creating and Collaborating ELA.11.C.5

See Writing Types and Narrative Techniques. 

See Writing Types and Elaborative Techniques. 

Appropriate tone is expected to continue from 9th and 10th. Use narrative techniques to strengthen argument writing where appropriate. 

These written works will take longer and are meant to reflect thorough research and analysis.  

See Writing Types. 

At this grade level, the emphasis is on the content, but students are still expected to follow earlier expectations: appropriate volume, pronunciation, and pacing. This benchmark introduces rhetorical devices to the benchmark, building on what students have learned in R.3.2 and giving them a chance to apply it. 

For further guidance, see the Secondary Oral Communication Rubric. 

Skills to be mastered at this grade level are as follows: 

Use knowledge of usage rules to create flow in writing and presenting

See Conventions Progression by Grade Level for more information. 

While the benchmark does require that students consult multiple sources, there is no requirement that they use every source they consult. Part of the skill in researching is discernment— being able to tell which information is relevant and which sources are trustworthy enough to include. 

At this grade level, students are using multiple elements. The presentation may be delivered live or delivered as a stand-alone digital experience. The elements should be of different types. The elements should relate directly to the presentation and be incorporated in a way that engages the audience. 

Finding Meaning  ELA.11.V.1

To integrate vocabulary, students will apply the vocabulary they have learned to authentic speaking and writing tasks independently. This use should be intentional, beyond responding to a prompt to use a word in a sentence. 

Academic vocabulary appropriate to grade level refers to words that are likely to appear across subject areas for the current grade level and beyond, vital to comprehension, critical for academic discussions and writing, and usually require explicit instruction. 

Etymology refers to the study of word origins and the ways that words have changed over time. 

Derivation refers to making new words from an existing word by adding affixes. 

Review of words learned in this way is critical to building background knowledge and related vocabulary. 

See Context Clues and Word Relationships. 

See 11.R.3.1 and Secondary Figurative Language.