Our Curriculum › Writing & Grammar › 12th Grade
English 12: Composition & Grammar
The capstone year of the writing sequence: advanced craft in fiction and nonfiction, arguments in legal and constitutional styles, college-style writing, and a self-chosen capstone piece with a presentation. About half the days are scenes on a theme, mixed practice and timed prompts.
180 lessons
One a day for a school year
10 units
Each opens to its lessons
Capstone project
Drafted, revised and presented
Standards
Common Core Grade 12 writing & language
What's taught, unit by unit
Interacting themes, audience & synthesisDays 1–20
Writing with several themes, layered irony and manipulated timeframes, mixed audiences, competing counterclaims, synthesis responses on foundational documents and 20th-century literature, a legal-opinion style response, and the start of an independent project.
- 1 · Welcome to English 12 Composition: The Capstone of Your Writing Journey
- 2 · Deepening Writing with Multiple Interacting Themes
- 3 · Deepening Sophisticated POV Writing: Layered Irony
- 4 · Deepening Structural Choices: Multiple Manipulated Timeframes
- 6 · Deepening Anticipating Audience: Complex, Mixed Audiences
- 7 · Deepening Claims and Counterclaims: Multiple Competing Counterclaims
- 8 · Full Command of Usage: A Capstone Style Analysis
- 9 · Writing a Cross-Document Synthesis Response
- 11 · Deepening Full Command of Usage: Precise Vocabulary Choices
- 12 · Writing a 20th-Century Synthesis Response
- 13 · Writing Sustained Understatement Across a Longer Piece
- 14 · Writing a Legal-Opinion Style Response Comparing Eras
- 16 · Writing a Whole-Text Cumulative Effect Piece
- 17 · Independent Writing Project: Choosing a Genre and Focus
- 18 · Independent Writing Project: Drafting
- 19 · Practicing a Comprehensive Mixed Writing Prompt Set
Plus 4 review days, not listed.
Independent project, dissent & allegoryDays 21–40
Revising and finalizing the independent project, scenes about mortality, transformation, legacy and ambition, a dissent-style argument, an allegory, two endings on one theme, a constitutional-debate argument and competing historical interpretations.
- 21 · Independent Writing Project: Peer Review and Revision
- 22 · Writing About Mortality
- 23 · Writing a Character's Fundamental Transformation
- 24 · Writing a Dissenting-Style Argument on a Current Issue
- 26 · Independent Writing Project: Finalizing
- 27 · Writing About Legacy Versus Reinvention
- 28 · Practicing a Comprehensive Mixed Writing Prompt Set 2
- 29 · Timed Writing Practice: A Sophisticated Argumentative Prompt
- 31 · Writing About Ambition Versus Contentment
- 32 · Writing an Extended Allegory
- 33 · Writing 2 Different Endings on the Same Theme
- 34 · Writing About a Foundational Document’s Enduring Relevance
- 36 · Writing a Constitutional-Debate Style Argument
- 37 · Writing a Deliberate Final Word Choice
- 38 · Practicing a Comprehensive Mixed Writing Prompt Set 3
- 39 · Writing About Competing Historical Interpretations
Plus 4 review days, not listed.
Institutions, justice & syntax for effectDays 41–60
Institutions as antagonists, dramatic structure, free will and fate, collective memory, justice tested against a modern case (with To Kill a Mockingbird), multi-symbol writing, generational change, periodic and cumulative sentences, and timed practice.
- 41 · Writing Institutional Power as an Antagonist
- 42 · Writing a Full Dramatic Structure
- 43 · Writing Free Will Versus Fate
- 44 · Practicing a Comprehensive Mixed Writing Prompt Set 4
- 46 · Writing About Collective Memory
- 47 · Timed Writing Practice: A Demanding Final Prompt
- 48 · Writing About Justice, Testing Against a Modern Case
- 49 · Practicing a Comprehensive Mixed Writing Prompt Set 5
- 51 · Writing About Isolation Versus Connection
- 52 · Writing with Layered, Multi-Symbol Meaning
- 53 · Writing Generational Change
- 54 · Practicing a Comprehensive Mixed Writing Prompt Set 6
- 56 · Syntax for Effect: Periodic and Cumulative Sentences
- 57 · Applied Project: Writing a Capstone Writing Portfolio Introduction
- 58 · Practicing a Comprehensive Mixed Writing Prompt Set 7
- 59 · Timed Writing Practice: A Sophisticated Literary Analysis Prompt
Plus 4 review days, not listed.
Courage, irony & punctuation for effectDays 61–80
Scenes about moral courage, redemption, vulnerability and understated triumph, structural foreshadowing, a piece built on one irony, a recommendation for a younger reader (with The Giver), parallel structure and punctuation for effect.
- 61 · Writing About Moral Courage
- 62 · Writing Structural Foreshadowing
- 63 · Writing an Earned Redemption Arc
- 64 · Practicing a Comprehensive Mixed Writing Prompt Set 8
- 66 · Punctuation for Effect: Semicolons, Colons, and Em Dashes
- 67 · Writing 2 Different Redemption Outcomes
- 68 · Practicing a Comprehensive Mixed Writing Prompt Set 9
- 69 · Timed Writing Practice: A Sophisticated Argumentative Prompt 2
- 71 · Writing Vulnerability as Strength
- 72 · Writing an Understated Triumph
- 73 · Writing with a Central, Defining Irony
- 74 · Practicing a Comprehensive Mixed Writing Prompt Set 10
- 76 · Timed Writing Practice: A Full-Year Mixed Prompt
- 77 · Parallel Structure and the Deliberate Fragment
- 78 · Writing a Recommendation for a Younger Sibling or Friend
- 79 · Practicing a Comprehensive Mixed Writing Prompt Set 11
Plus 4 review days, not listed.
Halfway review & K-12 retrospectiveDays 81–90
Cumulative review of point of view, legal-reasoning arguments and independent writing, a halfway timed prompt and growth reflection, a retrospective on a full K-12 writing journey, usage points and mixed prompt sets.
- 81 · Cumulative Review: Sophisticated POV and Craft Writing
- 82 · Cumulative Review: Legal-Reasoning and Argument Writing
- 83 · Cumulative Review: Independent Writing Skills
- 84 · Timed Writing Practice: The Halfway Comprehensive Prompt
- 85 · Halfway-Year Writing Growth Reflection
- 86 · Applied Project: Building a Final K-12 Writing Retrospective
- 87 · Precise Usage: Which vs. That, Dangling Modifiers, and the Subjunctive
- 88 · Practicing a Comprehensive Mixed Writing Prompt Set 12
- 89 · Practicing a Comprehensive Mixed Writing Prompt Set 13
Plus 1 review day, not listed.
Capstone piece, application essay & citationDays 91–110
A capstone piece chosen, outlined, drafted, peer reviewed, finalized and presented, then a college or career application essay, a podcast script, MLA citation, a comparison of two recent award-winning texts and timed practice.
- 91 · Capstone Prep: Choosing a Final Independent Piece
- 92 · Capstone: Outlining and Planning
- 93 · Capstone: Drafting the Full Piece
- 94 · Capstone: Peer Review and Revision
- 96 · Capstone: Finalizing
- 97 · Capstone: Presentation Prep
- 98 · Capstone: Presentation Delivery
- 99 · Practicing a Comprehensive Mixed Writing Prompt Set 14
- 101 · Applied Project: Writing a College or Career Application Essay
- 102 · Applied Project: Writing a Literary Podcast Episode Script
- 103 · Reviewing Common Errors in Independent Writing
- 104 · Practicing a Comprehensive Mixed Writing Prompt Set 15
- 106 · Writing About 2 Award-Winning Recent Texts
- 107 · MLA Citation Conventions for Your Capstone Essay
- 108 · Practicing a Comprehensive Mixed Writing Prompt Set 16
- 109 · Timed Writing Practice 2: The 20% Outline Rule
Plus 4 review days, not listed.
Wisdom, APA & cumulative reviewDays 111–130
Scenes about wisdom earned through suffering, a collective narrator and inherited ideals, APA citation, three-part cumulative review, an explainer on K-12 writing skills, a growth reflection and a final K-12 writing piece.
- 111 · Writing About Wisdom Earned Through Suffering
- 112 · Writing with an Unreliable Collective Narrator
- 113 · Writing About Inherited Ideals
- 114 · Practicing a Comprehensive Mixed Writing Prompt Set 17
- 116 · Timed Writing Practice: A Comprehensive Final Prompt
- 117 · APA Citation Conventions and Choosing a Citation Style
- 118 · Practicing a Comprehensive Mixed Writing Prompt Set 18
- 119 · Timed Writing Practice: A Full-Year Mixed Prompt 2
- 121 · Full-Year English 12 Composition Cumulative Review, Part 1
- 122 · Full-Year English 12 Composition Cumulative Review, Part 2
- 123 · Full-Year English 12 Composition Cumulative Review, Part 3
- 124 · Timed Writing Practice: The Comprehensive Final Prompt
- 126 · Explainer Project: Teaching K-12 Writing Skills Synthesis
- 127 · Full-Year Writing Growth Reflection
- 128 · Practicing a Comprehensive Mixed Writing Prompt Set 19
- 129 · Applied Project: A Final K-12 Writing Journey Piece
Plus 4 review days, not listed.
Endings, truths & quiet heroismDays 131–150
Scenes that answer a central question, contrast what endures with what fades, reward rereading, reconcile opposing truths and end in a twist, each with two versions or an explainer. Many days follow the same practice pattern.
- 131 · Writing a Text’s Final Assessment of Its Central Question
- 132 · Writing What Endures Versus What Fades
- 133 · Writing a Piece that Rewards Rereading
- 134 · Practicing a Comprehensive Mixed Writing Prompt Set 20
- 136 · Writing 2 Different Resolutions to the Same Central Question
- 137 · Explainer Project: Teaching How to Reward Rereading in Your Writing
- 138 · Practicing a Comprehensive Mixed Writing Prompt Set 21
- 139 · Timed Writing Practice: A Full-Year Mixed Prompt 3
- 141 · Writing About Reconciling Opposing Truths
- 142 · Writing About Quiet Heroism
- 143 · Writing a Final Turn or Twist
- 144 · Practicing a Comprehensive Mixed Writing Prompt Set 22
- 146 · Explainer Project: Teaching How to Write Reconciling Truths
- 147 · Writing 2 Different Final Turns for the Same Piece
- 148 · Practicing a Comprehensive Mixed Writing Prompt Set 23
- 149 · Timed Writing Practice: A Sophisticated Argumentative Prompt 3
Plus 4 review days, not listed.
Legacy, restraint & final imagesDays 151–170
Scenes about legacy, restraint, coming to terms, beginning again, circular structure and final images, with an explainer and two-version exercise each week plus mixed prompts and timed argument practice.
- 151 · Writing About Legacy and What We Leave Behind
- 152 · Writing With Restraint: Showing What’s Left Unsaid
- 153 · Writing About Coming to Terms
- 154 · Practicing a Comprehensive Mixed Writing Prompt Set 24
- 156 · Explainer Project: Teaching How to Write With Restraint
- 157 · Writing 2 Different Legacy Endings for the Same Character
- 158 · Practicing a Comprehensive Mixed Writing Prompt Set 25
- 159 · Timed Writing Practice: A Sophisticated Argumentative Prompt 4
- 161 · Writing About Beginning Again
- 162 · Writing With Circular Structure
- 163 · Writing a Final Image or Symbol
- 164 · Practicing a Comprehensive Mixed Writing Prompt Set 26
- 166 · Explainer Project: Teaching How to Write Circular Structure
- 167 · Writing 2 Different Final Images for the Same Piece
- 168 · Practicing a Comprehensive Mixed Writing Prompt Set 27
- 169 · Timed Writing Practice: A Sophisticated Argumentative Prompt 5
Plus 4 review days, not listed.
Final review, portfolio & celebrationDays 171–180
Final reviews of narrative craft, argument and revision, a capstone portfolio and presentation, a written reflection, a scavenger hunt for craft in everyday writing and celebration days.
- 171 · Final Review: Narrative Craft and Voice
- 172 · Final Review: Argumentative Structure and Rhetoric
- 173 · Final Review: Revision and the Writing Process
- 174 · Preparing a Capstone Writing Portfolio: A Year of English 12
- 175 · Sharing Your Capstone Writing Portfolio
- 176 · Reflecting on a Year of English 12 Composition
- 177 · Writing Scavenger Hunt: Craft All Around You
- 178 · Previewing What’s Next: A Lifetime of Writing
- 179 · Final Reflection: My English 12 Composition Journey
- 180 · Congratulations! You completed English 12: Composition & Grammar!
By the end of the year, your child can
- Write fiction that carries meaning through theme, symbol, irony and structure
- Build arguments in legal-reasoning and constitutional-debate styles with several counterclaims
- Write for mixed audiences and choose precise words, punctuation and syntax for effect
- Plan, draft, revise and present a self-chosen capstone piece
- Cite sources in MLA and APA style
- Write a college or career application essay
Other 12th Grade subjects: Precalculus · English 12: Literature · Earth & Space Science · Economics & Personal Finance