This Red Rising unit is built for the modern English classroom where students increasingly need authentic thinking, deep discussion, and creative work that can’t be outsourced to AI. Designed for grades 9–12, this novel study blends fast-paced dystopian storytelling with rigorous literary analysis, structured close reading, and original creative writing.
Students engage immediately with the novel’s moral dilemmas, political systems, and world-building, making it especially powerful for reluctant readers and students who love fantasy, sci-fi, and video games. Red Rising has recently exploded in popularity on BookTok, but I wrote this unit well before the trend. I simply love the novel and thought the genuine literary richness would be able to move non-readers into deep engagement. Many students go on to read the entire series!
The unit channels this engagement into discussion-centered lessons, AI-resistant activities, and projects that ignite genuine student voice. Teachers get a completely mapped, zero-prep plan. You can open and teach.
What’s Inside
Detailed daily lesson plans
Handouts for every activity
Themed warm-up questions
Frequent quote responses to build close reading fluency
Discussion questions for major chapters and themes
Fan-fiction final project with scaffolding, revision, and presentations
Creative, interdisciplinary activities
Rubrics, pacing guide, and content notes
Google Slides for close reading and thematic lessons
Why Teachers Love This Unit
AI-proof design: All major tasks rely on in-class thinking, discussion, and original writing.
High interest: Leveraging both authentic student appeal and BookTok momentum.
Deep rigor: Symbolism, tone, archetypes, and thematic analysis emerge naturally through discussion and project work.
Future-ready: Students practice the skills universities and digital humanities scholars emphasize: collaborative meaning-making, ethical reasoning, and creative experimentation.
Who It’s For
High school ELA teachers (honors, college-prep, mixed-ability classes)
Homeschool groups and microschools
Teachers wanting to have a ton of fun in their classrooms with a truly enjoyable novel
Red Rising creates the kind of classroom energy, conversation, and writing growth students remember. It’s one of my favorite things to teach!
This Red Rising unit is built for the modern English classroom where students increasingly need authentic thinking, deep discussion, and creative work that can’t be outsourced to AI. Designed for grades 9–12, this novel study blends fast-paced dystopian storytelling with rigorous literary analysis, structured close reading, and original creative writing.
Students engage immediately with the novel’s moral dilemmas, political systems, and world-building, making it especially powerful for reluctant readers and students who love fantasy, sci-fi, and video games. Red Rising has recently exploded in popularity on BookTok, but I wrote this unit well before the trend. I simply love the novel and thought the genuine literary richness would be able to move non-readers into deep engagement. Many students go on to read the entire series!
The unit channels this engagement into discussion-centered lessons, AI-resistant activities, and projects that ignite genuine student voice. Teachers get a completely mapped, zero-prep plan. You can open and teach.
What’s Inside
Detailed daily lesson plans
Handouts for every activity
Themed warm-up questions
Frequent quote responses to build close reading fluency
Discussion questions for major chapters and themes
Fan-fiction final project with scaffolding, revision, and presentations
Creative, interdisciplinary activities
Rubrics, pacing guide, and content notes
Google Slides for close reading and thematic lessons
Why Teachers Love This Unit
AI-proof design: All major tasks rely on in-class thinking, discussion, and original writing.
High interest: Leveraging both authentic student appeal and BookTok momentum.
Deep rigor: Symbolism, tone, archetypes, and thematic analysis emerge naturally through discussion and project work.
Future-ready: Students practice the skills universities and digital humanities scholars emphasize: collaborative meaning-making, ethical reasoning, and creative experimentation.
Who It’s For
High school ELA teachers (honors, college-prep, mixed-ability classes)
Homeschool groups and microschools
Teachers wanting to have a ton of fun in their classrooms with a truly enjoyable novel
Red Rising creates the kind of classroom energy, conversation, and writing growth students remember. It’s one of my favorite things to teach!
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