Redkudu

Students will be able to identify key literary elements in any work and be
able to explain how/why the author choose this element.

This is a great objective, sort of the one thing I always keep in mind but don't always put down in my plans. I probably should. I also add something to the end of it in most lessons, such as and how does it affect mood, tone, theme, etc. One of my goals is always to have students realize that particular words and phrases are chosen for a reason in literature and rhetoric - people don't just jot down whatever comes into their mind and then have it published. Writing is a deliberate act, and revision and editing purposeful techniques for strengthening whatever the original idea was by cutting or expanding on previous ideas, changing words for strongest effect, etc. My goal is to have them transfer that to their own writing.

Do you use a particular lesson plan model for your plans?

The election project sounds very interesting. I'm going to have to check with our social studies department to see if they are doing something similar - we have a very good department, so I imagine they are probably planning something. I might be able to find a way to collaborate with them.

What do you think about collaborating on an assignment or two together and teaching them around the same time, then comparing results? It wouldn't be scientific, but it might be interesting. We could use something from my Native American unit, since it's complete, and something from a unit you develop later on when you have it ready. I'm thinking just a one day activity. Would you be interested in trying something like that?

I tend to want to cover everything and am slowly coming to the realization
I must be picky and choose one or two concepts per piece and just remember to
point them out in future works.

Me too. What's unfortunate is that there is so much we're expected to "cover." It makes teaching to mastery within a single unit difficult, and then ends up requiring a sort of spiral curriculum for reinforcement, which doesn't always work, especially when the next unit requires a new set of concepts.

In fact, I want to try to relate major works to current events every time we
reach a new time period.

Again, me too. I feel that if we can get students to understand there's a reason so many works remain in our canon as "classic" literature, and are continually referenced (especially in parody or satire), they can begin to make greater connections between themselves and the more global community they are about to become part of.

What, in your experience, are the most difficult concepts for students to learn? For myself, it's usually recognizing irony and satire, and being able to analyze tone, mood, and theme.