| |
 | English Department Course Offerings |
| English Department Homework Assignments |
| Summer Reading 2008 |
| National Council of Teachers of English Language Arts Standards |
| AP corner |
| Student Submissions |
 | HOME |
|
News and Reflections: The task that remains is to cope with our interdependence-to see ourselves reflected in every other human being, and to respect and honor our differences. Melba Patillo Beals -George Washington Carver |
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Members List:
Our Favorite Links
Members:
Mr. Ross Abdelnour
Mrs. Kathleen Bisson
Mrs. Heather Bonczek
Ms. Nicole Carbonneau
Mr. Jason Chavoor
Ms. Keridan Doyle
Mr. Steven Finnegan
Mr. Michael Hoogasian
Mrs. Christine Keating
Chair:
Mr. Ray Greenwood
English Department Course Offerings
|
|
English Grade 7 (7-1) (Heterogeneous Classes)
Overview:
This course offers an introduction to literature, writing, grammar, and vocabulary. Through literature, the students will learn basic elements of different genres using Elements of Literature, First Course. Grammar basics will be taught using Elements of Writing, First Course and Write Source 2000.
The students will use cooperative and independent strategies to complete assignments. They will also read material independently and complete projects on the material that they have read and researched. This is done in place of repetitious monthly book reports. The students will use different methods of studying and analyzing information for exams. They will learn organizational and study skills in order to prepare them for the future.
Objectives:
- Students will learn the basic elements of a short story and will be able to relate each one to the stories that they read, either independently or from their literature book.
- Students will read a variety of works from different genres, different cultures, and different periods of time. These will include but are not limited to fiction, non-fiction, and science fiction.
- The students will be encouraged to agree to and argue an author's point and connect information to personal feelings and opinions.
- The students will be encouraged to pick apart the stories and think creatively and critically about the author's ideas and conclusions.
- Students will use the stories from literature and compare/contrast them with other stories and reality.
- Students will make their own conclusions about the characters' choices, conflicts, and resolutions, based on the author's writing technique.
- The students will create their own story using the knowledge they have and the short story elements they have learned.
- Through grammar lessons, the students will learn how to use basic parts of speech correctly in their writing.
- Students will learn how to correctly develop an essay, proofread, and peer-edit, and create a final copy.
- They will learn to write complete and compound thoughts and develop full detailed sentences for essays and papers.
- They will be taught how to outline, and use other graphic organizers to create well thought out essays.
- Students will study how to identify parts of speech in a sentence.
- The students will practice using phonetics to pronounce new words and learn how to identify antonyms and synonyms of words.
- The students will also learn how to identify definitions of words through context.
- The students will begin to learn analogies and understand many different relationships between words.
- Students will learn to work independently as well as cooperatively on projects and assignments.
- They will also read texts outside of the main texts and complete multiple projects during the year. This is to increase individual reading and comprehension.
- Study skills and organizational skills will be taught for each section of this class: Literature, grammar, and vocabulary.
Curriculum Guide:
First Semester
Literature
Elements of a Short Story:
Plot,
Conflict,
Character Development,
Setting,
Tone,
Mood,
Theme, Main Idea,
Point of View,
Dialogue,
Antagonist,
Protagonist,
Resolution,
Climax, and
Foreshadowing.
Collections 1-4: Out Here On My Own, Who Am I?, Do the Right Thing, and We Rookies Have to Stick Together
Vocabulary
Definitions,
Part of Speech,
Synonyms,
Antonyms,
Identification in a sentence's context, and
Usage in every day context.
Grammar and Writing
Basic Parts of Speech (Part One):
Noun, verb, adjective, pronoun;
Essay Structure;
Identification of basic parts of speech in a sentence;
Spelling, punctuation, format, and capitalization;
Subjects/predicates (simple and complete) and (compound);
Persuasive essay for independent book project (in place of a book report); and
Factual essay for independent book project (in place of a book report).
Study Skills
Basic organizational skills:
Notebook/Binder;
Scheduling; and
Study habits.
Basic study skills: Study guides and suggestions for literature/grammar/vocabulary; and Using graphic organizers.
Second Semester
Literature
Collections 5-8:
Living in the Heart;
This Old Book;
Our Classical Heritage; and
900 Cinderellas: Our World in Heritage Folklore.
Continue to connect all the Elements of the Short Story to these stories.
Vocabulary
Definitions;
Parts of Speech;
Synonyms;
Antonyms;
Identification in sentence context; and
Usage in every day context.
Analogies: Using the chapters from the year the students will learn to find the relationships between them; The students will use these relationships to solve analogies and create their own; and They will learn bridge sentences and study the most common analogy relationships.
Grammar/Writing
Basic parts of speech (Part Two):
Adverbs, prepositions, prepositional phrases, (the difference between adverbs and prepositions), conjunctions, interjections;
Types of sentences;
Identifying sentences; and
Spelling, punctuation, format, capitalization (continued).
Information essay for independent book project (in place of a book report)
Creative essay for independent book project (in place of a book report). Choosing a variety of "children?s books" the students will research the books and the authors and create an essay based on the information they found and what they learned about this creative process. This will help them with their final project when they need to create their own short story.
Original Short Story (combining grammar and literature). The students will use their knowledge from the entire year and create an original short story for a final project.
List of Reading Selections for the Seventh Grade Curriculum
Short Stories: Rikki-Tikki-tavi - Rudyard Kipling; Song of the Trees - Mildred D. Taylor; The Smallest Dragonboy - Anne McCaffrey; A Day's Wait - Ernest Hemingway; Young Ladies Don't Slay Dragons - Joyce Hovelsrud; After Twenty Years - O. Henry; The Pitch That Didn't Work - Michael Levitin; Bargain - A.B. Guthrie; Amigo Brothers - Piri Thomas; Antaeus - Borden Deal; and A Mother in Mannville - Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings.
Non-Fiction: from Homesick - Jean Fritz; from Barrio Boy - Ernesto Galarza; Fish Cheeks - Amy Tan; Names/Nombres - Julia Alvarez; The Naming of Names - Ray Bradbury; Cousins from Sweet Summer - Bebe Moore Campbell; When the Earth Shakes - Patricia Lauber; and from Survive the Sea - Dougal Robertson.
Poems: T-Bone Steak - Wing Tek Lum; Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout Would Not Take The Garbage Out - Shel Silverstein; Annabel Lee - Edgar Allan Poe; My Father is a Simple Man - Luis Omar Salinas; Mama is a Sunrise - Evelyn Tooley Hunt; The Creation - James Weldon Johnson; Sky Woman - Joseph Bruchac; Maggie and milly and mollie and may - e.e. cummings; I Am of the Earth - Anna Lee Walters; The Boy and the Wolf - Aesop; and The Blind Man and the Elephant Man - Aesop.
Myth: The Origin of the Seasons - Olivia Coolidge; Orpheus, the Great Musician - Olivia Coolidge; Echo and Narcissus - Roger Lancelyn Green; The Flight of Icarus - Sally Benson; The Labors of Hercules - Rex Warner; and King Midas and The Golden Touch.
Fables: The Fox and the Grapes - Aesop; The Fox Who Wished For a King - Aesop; The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse - Aesop; and Belling the Cat - Aesop.
Folk Tales: Aschenputtel (German) - Jakob and Wilhelm Grimm; The Algonquin Cinderella (Algonquin) - M.R. Cox; Yeh-Shen (Chinese)- Ai-Ling Louie; Oni and the Great Bird (Yoruban) - Abayomi Fuji; Master Frog (Vietnamese) - Lynetts Dyer Vuong; Sealskin, Soulskin (Inuit)- Clarissa Pinkola Estes; Judge Rabbit and the Tree Spirti (Cambodian) - Lina Mao Wall and Cathy Spignoli; and The Hummingbird King (Mayan) Argentina Palacios.
English Grade 8 (8-1) (Heterogeneous Classes)
OVERVIEW:
The purpose of this course is to introduce major literary themes and to encourage the appreciation of reading. Emphasis will be focused on the elements of literature, comprehending what you read and various vocabulary skills. Developing a student's will to want to write and express them through writing also is a target.
OBJECTIVES:
- To help students have a better understanding of what they read
- To recognize and develop literary and poetic genres
- To strengthen speech and writing skills with the introduction of vocabulary lessons
- To develop basic writing skills through daily practice
CURRICULUM GUIDE:
FIRST SEMESTER
LITERATURE
SHORT STORY:
character,
setting,
plot,
theme,
mood/tone, and
foreshadow.
NOVEL
POETRY
COMPREHENSION SKILLS: description, cause and effect, and inferences.
VOCABULARY SKILLS: word parts, context clues, dictionary, and comparison/analogies.
WRITING SKILLS: prewrite, revision, introduction/body/conclusion, descriptive writing, autobiographical writing, opinion writing, persuasive writing, and hero/personal hero.
A complete reading and discussion covered in class of a chosen selection.
SELECTIONS/AUTHORS
NOVELS: NIGHT; TUESDAY'S WITH MORRIE
SHORT STORIES: RAYMOND'S RUN; BROKEN CHAIR; FLOWERS OF ALGERNON; THE MONKEY'S PAW; THE TELL-TALE HEART; THE DOGS WOULD TEACH ME
POETRY: THE RAVEN; A TIME TO TALK; MENDING WALL; IF I CAN STOP ONE HEART FROM BREAKING; ALONE; I TOO; THE ROAD NOT TAKEN
AUTHORS: EDGAR ALLAN POE, ROBERT FROST, GARY SOTO, EMILY DICKINSON, LANGSTON HUGHES, ELIE WIESEL, and MITCH ALBOM.
SECOND SEMESTER
LITERATURE:
SHORT STORY: major/minor characters, dynamic/static characters, irony, influence, and theme.
POETRY: speaker, stanza, alliteration, end rhyme/mood, and theme.
NON-FICTION: subject, diary, personal reflection, imagery, and theme/mood.
PERSONAL ESSAYS
VOCABULARY SKILLS: using the word in context; using the dictionary; and comparison/analogies.
WRITING SKILLS AND NOVEL DISCUSSION: opinion essays/character description; plot/place; profile/situation/conclusion; short essays (3 paragraph form); and peer edit.
SELECTIONS/AUTHORS
NOVELS: OF MICE AND MEN; DIARY OF ANN FRANK.
SHORT STORY: THE MOUSTACE; THERE WILL COME SOFT RAINS; THE INN OF LOST TIME; GO ON OR DIE; and GETTYSBURG ADDRESS.
POETRY: PAUL REVERE'S RIDE; STOPPING BY THE WOODS ON A SNOWY EVENING; CHILDHOOD; LENORE; and MY MOTHER AND HER LEGACY.
AUTHORS: HENRY LONGFELLOW; ROBERT FROST; JOHN STEINBECK; ABRAHAM LINCOLN; EDNA MILLAY; and ALBERT HACKETT.
TEXT USED IN CLASS:
- ELEMENTS OF LITERATURE, SECOND COURSE
- ELEMENTS OF WRITING, SECOND COURSE
- WRITE SOURCE 2000
- VOCABULARY WORKSHOP, SECOND COURSE
- TUESDAYS WITH MORRIE
Grade 9 English, Level 1, Honors (111)
Overview:
This course offers an introduction to the study of literature, focusing on the short story,
nonfiction, poetry, legend, drama, and the novel. A structured program of development in
vocabulary, critical thinking, expository, narrative, descriptive, and creative writing is
combined with the study of literature. Grammar and composition work deals with such
topics as sentence structure and variety, paragraph development and diversity, as well as,
the writing process. Reading and writing will be coordinated, and independent work
encouraged.
Objectives:
Curriculum Guide
First Semester
I. Short Story
II. Vocabulary Lessons 1-15
III. Writing Process
IV. Grammar
Representative selections:
Second Semester
I. Nonfiction
II. Poetry
III. Drama
IV. The Epic
V. Vocabulary Lessons 16-30
VI. Writing Process
VII. Grammar
Representative Selections:
Texts:
Elements of Literature, Third Course (Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, 2000)
Write for College (Great Source, 1997)
Vocabulary Workshop, Third Course (Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, 1997)
Grade 9 English, Level 2, College Prep (112)
Overview:
Objectives:
Curriculum Guide
First Semester:
I. Short Story
II. Drama
III. Nonfiction
IV. Vocabulary Lessons 1-15
V. Writing
Representative Selections:
Second Semester
I. Nonfiction
II. Poetry
III. The Epic
IV. Vocabulary Lessons 16-30
V. Writing
Representative Selections:
Texts:
Elements of Literature, Third Course (Holt, Rinehart, Winston, 2000)
Write For College (Great Source, 1997)
Vocabulary Workshop, Third Course (Holt, Rinehart,Winston, 1997)
Grade 9, English, Level 3, College Standard (113)
Overview:
Objectives:
Curriculum Guide
First Semester
I. Greek Myth:
A. Character
B. Setting
C. Plot
D. Purpose
E. Figurative Language
F. Theme
G. Motivation
H. Conflict
II. Greek Legend:
A. Character
B. Setting
C. Plot
D. Theme
E. Internal Conflict
F. External Conflict
III. Short Story:
A. Character
B. Setting
C. Plot Diagram
1. Introduction/Exposition
2. Rising Action
3. Climax
4. Falling Action
5. Resolution/Conclusion
D. Theme
E. Figurative Language
1. Simile
2. Metaphor
3. Personification
4. Hyperbole
F. Motivation
G. Point of View
1. First Person
2. Third Person Limited
3. Third Person Omniscient
H. Characterization
1. Direct
2. Indirect
I. Mood
J. Foreshadowing
K. Tone
IV. Comprehension Skills:
A. Description
B. Time Order
C. Cause and Effect
D. Inferences
V. Vocabulary Skills:
A. Word Parts
1. Base Words
2. Prefixes
3. Suffixes
B. Context Clues
1. Comparison Clues
2. Contrast Clues
3. Example Clues
4. Definition Clues
5. Restatement Clues
6. Synonym Clues
C. Word Origins
D. Dictionary
E. Analogies
VI. Vocabulary Lessons 1-15
VII. Writing Skills:
A. Prewriting
B. Revising
C. Writing an Explanation
D. Writing a Myth
E. Writing a Description
F. Comparing Characters
G. Writing a New Solution
H. Examining Motives
I. Character Description
J. Analyzing a Hero
K. Describing a Personal Hero
L. Contrasting Characters
M. Setting a Mood
N. Changing Point of View
Representative Selections:
Second Semester
I. Short Story:
A. Major Character
B. Minor Character
C. Dynamic Character
D. Static Character
E. Irony
1. Situational
2. Dramatic
3. Verbal
F. Theme
II. Poetry:
A. Speaker
B. Stanza
C. Alliteration
D. Rhyme
1. End/External
2. Internal
E. Onomatopoeia
F. Repetition
G. Assonance
H. Mood
I. Theme
J. Rhyming Couplet
K. Structure
L. Extended Metaphor
M. Rhyme Scheme
N. Imagery
III. Nonfiction:
A. Subject
B. Purpose
C. Tone
D. Diary
E. Autobiography
F. Biography
G. Personal Recollection
H. Imagery
I. Theme
J. Mood
K. Essay
1. Formal
2. Informal
IV. Drama:
A. Play
B. Acts
C. Scenes
D. Stage Directions
E. Dialog
F. Narrator
V. Comprehension Skills:
A. Literal Language
B. Figurative Language
C. Symbols
D. Fact/Opinion
E. Evaluations
VI. Vocabulary Skills:
A. Context Clues
1. Series Clues
2. Antonym Clues
B. Denotation
C. Connotation
D. Word Origins
1. Borrowed Words
2. Words from Names
3. Clipped Words
4. Combined Words
5. Words from Sound
E. Dictionary
1. Entry Word
2. Respelling
3. Part of Speech
4. Word Origin
5. Definition
F. Homographs
G. Standard English
1. Formal
2. Informal
H. Nonstandard English
1. Slang
2. Jargon
VII. Vocabulary Lessons 16-30
VIII. Writing Skills:
A. Explaining an Opinion
B. Creating an Original Character
C. Creating a Plot
D. Describing a Place
E. Writing about a Memorable Person
F. Writing a Biographical Profile
G. Imagining a Situation
H. Writing a Conclusion
I. Summarizing Factual Information
J. Transitions
K. Writing a Parody
L. Writing Effective Dialog
Representative Selections:
Texts:
Reading Literature, Orange Level (McDougal, Littell, 1985)
Write For College (Great Source, 1997)
Vocabulary Workshop, Third Course (Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, 1997)
Grade 11 American Literature, Level One (131)
Students will be able to write an analysis of literary elements and techniques in essay
form, including the use of the thesis statement.
Students will experiment in the writing of various literary genre, incorporating some
of the techniques and elements studied.
Students will be encouraged to become aware of writing styles as they read, and to
use ideas which develop from the reading, as topics for writing.
Students will demonstrate familiarity with the prewriting, writing, evaluating, and
revising stages of composition for a variety of essay types. All students will also
recognize and use grammatically correct English in their written work.
Through vocabulary development, the student will become familiar with the use of
prefixes, roots, and suffixes. They will focus on the contextual usage of new words,
and will be encouraged to recognize the subtle differences between connotations and
denotations.
Students will demonstrate ability to apply skills learned in class to material not
reviewed in detail during class time.
A. Plot
B. Setting
C. Character
D. Characterization
E. Theme
F. Conflict
G. Figurative Language
H. Foreshadowing
I. Suspense
J. Irony
K. Mood
L. Tone
M. Motivation
N. Imagery
O. Paradox
P. Point of View
Q. Allusion
R. Symbol
A. Narrative Writing: Short Narrative
B. Expository Writing: Character Analysis
C. Persuasive Writing: Evaluation
D. Creative Writing: Short Story
A. Sentence Modeling
B. Sentence Fragments
C. Revising Sentence Beginnings
D. Run-on Sentences
The Most Dangerous Game (Richard Connell)
Poison (Roald Dahl)
Thank You, M'am (Langston Hughes)
A Christmas Memory (Truman Capote)
A Man Called Horse (Dorothy M. Johnson)
The Gift of the Magi (O. Henry)
The Necklace (Guy de Maupassant)
Blues Ain't No Mockin Bird (Toni Cade Bambara)
Marigolds (Eugenia W. Collier)
American History (Judith Ortiz Cofer)
The Scarlet Ibis (James Hurst)
A. Chronological Order
B. Biography
C. Autobiography
D. Objectivity
E. Subjectivity
F. Essay
G. Sensory Images
H. Anecdote
A. End/External Rhyme
B. Internal Rhyme
C. Onomatopoeia
D. Alliteration
E. Assonance
F. Speaker
G. Rhyme Scheme
H. Repetition
A. Protagonist
B. Antagonist
C. Stage Directions
A. Epithets
B. In Medias Res
C. Myths
D. Invocation
A. Narrative Writing: Autobiographical Incident
B. Descriptive Writing: Observational Essay
C. Persuasive Writing: Persuasive Essay
D. Expository Writing: Comparison-Contrast Essay
E. Expository Writing: Cause-and-Effect Essay
A. Prepositional Phrases
B. Participial Phrases
C. Clauses
D. Sentence Structure and Length
E. Parallel Structure
F. Appositives
When I Lay My Burden Down (Maya Angelou)
Choice: A Tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (Alice Walker)
The Best Gift of My Life (Cynthia Rylant)
Riding is an Exercise of the Mind (N. Scott Momaday)
Haven't I Made a Difference! (James Herriot)
Forgive My Guilt (Robert P. Tristram)
The Washwoman (Isaac Bashevis Singer)
If There Be Sorrow (Mari Evans)
Sympathy (Paul Laurence Dunbar)
Ballad of Birmingham (Dudley Randall)
A Narrow Fellow in the Grass (Emily Dickinson)
Fog (Carl Sandburg)
The Seven Ages of Man (William Shakespeare)
Women (Alice Walker)
Harlem (Langston Hughes)
The Road Not Taken (Robert Frost)
The Miracle Worker (William Gibson)
The Odyssey (Homer)
This course is based on the belief that classic literature endures for two reasons: it
expresses concerns that are as real and vital today as when they were first recorded and it
expresses those concerns in a style that excites the imagination of the reader. Such
literature gives people a holistic approach to thinking that reflects the development of
civilization and, in particular, the American culture. At the same time, this literature
introduces students to the elements and conventions of various genres of writing.Students will read representative works in each genre, study those elements common
to all, and be able to identify and analyze literary techniques used in each genre.
Students will be able to write an analysis of literary elements and techniques in essay
form, including the use of the thesis statement.
Students will experiment in the writing of various literary genre, incorporating some
of the techniques and elements studied.
Students will be encouraged to become aware of writing styles as they read, and to
use ideas which develop from the reading, as topics for writing.
Through vocabulary development, the student will become familiar with the use of
prefixes, roots, and suffixes. They will focus on the contextual usage of new words,
and will be encouraged to recognize the subtle differences between connotations and
denotations.
A. Character
1. Characterization
2. Motivation
B. Setting
C. Plot
1. Introduction/Exposition
2. Rising Action
3. Climax
4. Falling Action
5. Resolution/Conclusion
D. Theme
E. Conflict
1. External
2. Internal
F. Point of View
1. First Person
2. Third Person Limited
3. Third Person Omniscient
G. Irony
1. Situational
2. Dramatic
3. Verbal
H. Symbols
A. Character
1. Protagonist
2. Antagonist
3. Foil
B. Conflict
C. Theme
A. Biography
B. Autobiography
A. Creating a Setting
B. Writing About Plot
C. Writing About Conflict
D. Writing About Characters
E. Describing a Setting
F. Writing About Theme
G. Extending a Story
H. Writing a Scene
I. Writing a Review of a Play
J. Writing a Biographical Profile
K. Writing About Characterization
L. Writing From Another Point of View
M. Writing About Autobiography
The Most Dangerous Game (Richard Connell)
The Lady, or the Tiger? (Frank Stockton)
All the Years of Her Life (Morley Callaghan)
Blues Ain't No Mockin Bird (Toni Cade Bambara)
The Invalid's Story (Mark Twain)
Before the End of Summer (Grant Moss, Jr.)
The Man to Send Rain Clouds (Leslie Marmon Silko)
The Gift of the Magi (O. Henry)
The Scarlet Ibis (James Hurst)
The Necklace (Guy de Maupassant)
The Miracle Worker (William Gibson)
Jacob Lawrence: American Painter (Ellen Harkins Wheat)
A Lincoln Preface (Carl Sandburg)
Of Dry Goods and Black Bow Ties (Yoshiko Uchida)
"Across the Big Water" from Black Elk Speaks (John Neihardt)
From Kon-Tiki (Thor Heyerdahl)
A. Autobiography
1. Writer's Purpose
2. Writer's Tone
B. Essay
1. Narrative
2. Reflective
3. Expository
4. Persuasive
A. Symbols
B. Speaker
C. Sound Techniques
1. Alliteration
2. Rhyme
a. End/External
b. Internal
c. Approximate
d. Scheme
3. Assonance
4. Onomatopoeia
5. Repetition
6. Rhythm
D. Figurative Language
1. Simile
2. Metaphor
3. Personification
4. Hyperbole
E. Sensory Images
A. Conventions
B. Epic Hero
C. Epithets
A. Writing a Narrative Essay
B. Writing a Reflective Essay
C. Writing an Expository Essay
D. Writing an Observation
E. Writing an Extended Definition
F. Writing Narrative Verse
G. Continuing a Poem
H. Writing a Poem with Imagery
I. Analyzing a Poem
J. Writing About the Epic Hero
K. Writing a Dialogue
"Nameless, Tennessee" from Blue Highways (William Least Heat Moon)
"A Celebration of Grandfathers" (Rudolfo A. Anaya)
"The Loch Ness Monster" (John McPhee)
"I Have a Dream" (Martin Luther King, Jr.)
"Single Room, Earth View" (Sally Ride)
"Sympathy" (Paul Laurence Dunbar)
"Casey at the Bat" (Ernest Lawrence Thayer)
"The Raven" (Edgar Allan Poe)
"The Charge of the Light Brigade" (Alfred, Lord Tennyson)
"Incident in a Rose Garden" (Donald Justice)
"The Seven Ages of Man" (William Shakespeare)
"Macavity: The Mystery Cat" (T.S. Eliot)
"Dream Deferred" (Langston Hughes)
"Dreams" (Langston Hughes)
"I Hear America Singing" (Walt Whitman)
The Odyssey (Homer)
The purpose of this course is to introduce students to the major literary genres and to
encourage the enjoyment and appreciation of reading. Emphasis will be placed on
literary elements, reading comprehension skills, and vocabulary skills. The development
of paragraph writing skills will also be targeted.To help students read literature with ease and understanding.
To help students develop their reading comprehension skills.
To develop an understanding of major literary genres.
To recognize basic literary elements.
To help students identify and understand figurative language.
To strengthen vocabulary skills with an emphasis on context clues, affixes, and base
words.
To strengthen writing skills with an emphasis on sentence structure and the
development of a single paragraph essay.
The Beginning of the World
Pandora, The First Woman
The Flood
Perseus Slays the Gorgon
The Labors of Hercules
Theseus and the Minotaur
The Flight of Icarus
The Trojan War
The Voyage of Odysseus
Circe, the Enchantress
The Perils of Odysseus
The End of Odysseus's Voyage
The Fate of the Suitors
The Lady, or the Tiger? (Frank R. Stockton)
After Twenty Years (O. Henry)
Charles (Shirley Jackson)
A Man Who Had No Eyes (MacKinlay Kantor)
Thank You, M'am (Langston Hughes)
Raymond's Run (Toni Cade Bambara)
To Look at Any Thing (John Moffitt)
I Hear America Singing (Walt Whitman)
Song of the Truck (Doris Frankel)
Unfolding Bud (Naoshi Koriyama)
Fueled (Marcie Hans)
Macavity: The Mystery Cat (T.S. Eliot)
Nine Triads (Lillian Morrison)
The Life of Davy Crockett by Himself (Davy Crockett)
The Washwoman (Isaac Bashevis Singer)
We'll Always Sing His Songs (Carl Carmer)
Mama and Her Bank Account (Kathryn Forbes)
Punch, Brothers, Punch (Mark Twain)
How Smart are Dolphins? (Russell Freedman)
Sherlock Holmes and the Stockbroker's Clerk (Arthur Conan Doyle)
Grandpa and the Statue (Arthur Miller)
This course offers an in-depth study of the development of American Literature by time period and genre. The students will use cooperative and independent strategies to complete assignments. They will also read material independently and complete projects on the material, as well as write a formal Extended Literary Analysis during the third grading period, which will count for 40% of that quarter grade. Students will not be allowed to proceed to their senior year witout completion of this paper. The class will focus on critical thinking, as well as a variety of literary elements including theme, irony, and tone. Paper writing will focus on both form and content, in preparation for college essay writing.
Objectives:
Students will be able to:
-prepare critical and analytical essays in response to instructor generated questions
-demonstrate a knowledge of the forms and techniques used in American Literature
-clearly analyze literary pieces adn articulate opinions and attitudes regarding the same
-complete a focus paper as outlined by the instructor on an approved novel or play
-comprehend new vocabulary and use these words in context
Curriculum Guide
Semester One
I. The Puritan Era and the Revolutionary War
-Native American Writings
-William Bradford
-Anne Bradstreet
-William Byrd
-Benjamin Franklin
-Thomas Jefferson
II. The Romantics and the Transcendentalists
-Washington Irving
-Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
-William Cullen Bryant
-Oliver Wendell Holmes
-James Russel Lowell
-Henry David Thoreau
-Ralph Waldo Emerson
III. The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
IV.The Dark Romantics
-Edgar Allen Poe
-Nathaniel Hawthorne
-Herman Melville
V. Emily Dickinson and Walt Whitman
VI.Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton
Semester Two
I.Modern Poetry
-E.A. Robinson
-Edgar Lee Masters
-Edna St. Vincent Millay
-Robert Frost
-Robinson Jeffers
II. Modern Short Stories
-Willa Cather
-F. Scott Fitzgerald
-James Thurber
-William Faulkner
-Flannery O'Connor
-Eudora Welty
III. The Harlem Renaissance
-Paul Laurence Dunbar
-Claude McKay
-Langston Hughes
-Countee Cullen
-James Weldon Johnson
IV. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
V. Imagist and Symbolist Poetry
-Ezra Pound
-William Carlos Williams
-Marianne Moore
-Carl Sandburg
-e.e. Cummings
-Wallace Stevens
VI. The Crucible by Arthur Miller
VII. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
VIII. Poetry and Fiction: 1945 to the present
-Amy Tan
-John Updike
-Allen Ginsberg
-Julia Alverez
-Anne Tyler
-Anne Sexton
-Sylvia Plath
-Adrienne Rich
-Theodore Roethke
IX. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Keysey
Texts:
Elements of Literature-Fifth Course, 2003
Write For College, 1997
Vocabulary Workshop-Fifth Course
The Scarlet Letterby Nathaniel Hawthorne
Ethan Fromeby Edith Wharton
To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Keysey
