Welcome
Welcome to your 12th grade English class. This year we will be studying British Literature. Your goal is to complete about 60-90 minutes a day on this course.
Some of things we will be focusing on this year will be:
Journal assignments
Note-taking, studying, and college/career readiness skills
Skill refreshers-vocabulary, spelling, word roots, and penmanship
Logic, critical thinking, speaking, and argument/debate skills
Reading comprehension and understanding and analyzing complex texts
Developing a love for literature and reading
Developing life skills and habits that will lead to success in your studies and career after high school
You will read a variety of novels this year. We will focus on enjoying the stories. No busy work! I won't overload you with hours of analysis, discussion and endless chapter questions. We will focus on just a few aspects of literature and allow ourselves to be immersed in great literature. Enjoyment is key! We will discuss our reading, but we will discuss the literature in a book club format. Gone are the days of drill and kill.
Weekly Packet
Every Monday morning you will be given a packet to complete for the week. You can work on the packet whenever you want. It will be due the next Monday morning when you receive your next packet.
Extra Credit
Twice a month, I will provide extra credit assignments. These assignments are optional. I recommend you try as many as you can if you have the time. All of you can earn an A this year.
Journal
You will have frequent journal assignments throughout this unit. Most of the journal entries include reading an article and writing a journal response that includes incorporating textual evidence. You will be provided opportunities to learn how to paraphrase and incorporate direct quotations and how to use MLA style to properly cite sources.
The reading journals will be comprised of responses to a variety of prompts which relate directly to the curriculum being covered. During journal prompts, students are encouraged to express themselves, rather than worry about writing grammatically correct sentences. The focus of this assignment is to encourage expression over adherence to proper conventions of writing, which often can inhibit students’ creativity and thoughts. Students will respond to quotes from the play, analyze figurative language, and record personal questions regarding text. Students’ entries must be a minimum of seven complex sentences or about 200 words. Journals must be completed in a timely manner. Students must employ mature thought and sophisticated language, and they must write the minimum amount of words required.
Essay
Essays must be typed, double-spaced, with one-inch margins, 12-point font, Times Roman, medium, one side of the paper. You will be focusing on writing 5 paragraph essays this year.
Daily Language and Vocabulary - Procedure
Every day we begin the class with a short warm-up emphasizing grammar, mechanics, spelling, usage, MLA format and/or new vocabulary words.
Sometimes we will go over the work together, as a class, and sometimes you will be on your own to apply the skills you have practiced.
Assessment Rubric for the Journals (Graded every quarter-twice per semester)
_____ A “50 point” journal is organized, meets the minimum of 200 words per entry, stays on topic, and is insightful.
_____ A “40 point” journal may have some entries below the minimum amount of words, is somewhat off-topic, uses some unsophisticated or juvenile language, and may have up to one entry missing.
_____ A “30 point” journal may have up to two entries missing, is sufficiently below the minimum number of words required, and shows a lack of mature thought.
_____ A “20 point” journal has at least three entries missing, is consistently below the minimum number of words required, and displays a lack of overall workmanship.
_____ A “10 point” journal has at least five entries missing, is usually below the minimum amount of words required, is completely unorganized, and demonstrates that the student did not follow the directions for the majority of the prompts.
Resource Book/Notebook
During the first few weeks you will build and add to your resource book. This will include charts, tips, and guidelines, and checklists on how to complete various activities and assignments throughout the year. If you follow and utilize the resources in your notebook, you will get better grades on your assignments. I will often ask you to refer back to your notebook if you miss something on an assignment. Many assignments will require that you refer to and use the resources in your notebook.
Supplies needed for this course
Pearson Literature Textbook
- Green Close Reading Workbook
- Green Common Core Workbook
- Green All in One Companion Workbook
- Green Reading Kit Workbook
Zippered pouch to store weekly work and weekly packet
3 ring notebook
Spiral bound notebooks for note taking
Semester 1
Unit 1 From Legend to History Literature of the Anglo-Saxon and the Middle Ages
The Seafarer, The Wanderer, The Wife's Lament
Beowulf
The Canterbury Tales
The Wife of Bath's Tale
Sir Gawain and the Green Night
Morte D'Arthur
Literature Elements
Use of figurative language, irony, and characterization to reflect the social and political changes of the time period;
- Plot/Conflict Development
- Legendary (or Epic) Hero
- Archetypal Literary Elements
- Kenning, Caesura, Imagery
- Context Clues
- Characterization
- Frame Story
- Point of View
- Social Commentary
- Irony
- Elegy
- Compare/Contrast
Writing Skills
Writing Workshop:
- Objective Summary
- Narrative Summary
- Super Sentences
Practice:
- Narration and description
Conventions:
- Punctuation and capitalization and dialouge
Speaking
Oral presentation
Research Skills
- Avoiding plagerism
- Selecting a topic-historical research
- Creating research questions
- Locating and evaluating sources
- Composing a working bibliography
Academic Skills
- Prefix un-
- Multiple meaning words
- Map Reading
- Venn-Diagram
- Annotation
Meeting the Standards
- Citing Textual Evidence
Novel Units
Nightly reading and homework
The Hobbit (4 weeks)
Lord of the Flies (3 weeks)
Unit 2 Celebrating Humanity Literature of the Renaissance and the Age of Reason
Sonnets by Edmund Spenser
Shakespeare Sonnets
Speech Before Her Troops
Macbeth
Literature Elements
Writing Skills
Research:
- Making effective notes
- Composing a preliminary outline
Practice:
- Expository Writing
Conventions:
- Numbers, abbreviations, sentence fragments, comma splices, and rambling sentences
Speaking
Dramatic Reading
Research Skills
Academic Skills
Meeting the Standards
Novel Units
Nightly reading and homework
Animal Farm (3 weeks)
1984
Unit 3 A Turbulent Time
Song, A Valediction, Holy Sonnet 10, Meditation 17
Sonnets by John Milton
Dine Comedy: Inferno
The Diary
Neverwhere
A Journal of the Plague Year
Gulliver's Travels
An Essay on Man
The Rape of Lock
The Aims of the Spectator
Informational Text Reading Unit
Nightly reading and homework
The Outsiders (5 1/2 weeks)
Semester 2
Unit 4 Rebels and Dreamers
Selected Poetry
Frankenstein
Tintern Abbey
The Rime of the Ancient Mariner
She Walks in Beauty
from Don Juan
Speech in Favor of Reform, Speech Against Reform, On the Passing of the Reform Bill
On Making an Agreeable Marriage
from A Vindication of the Rights of Woman
Unit 5 Progress and Decline
Unit 6 A Time of Rapid Change
Novel Choices
Hobbit (semester 1)
Robinson Crusoe
Oliver Twist
Lord of the Flies (semester 1)
The Book Thief
Animal Farm (semester 1)
1984 (semester 2)
Mastery Assignments
I CAN #1 Demonstrate knowledge of eighteenth, nineteenth and early twentieth century foundational works of American literature, including how two or more texts from the same time period treat similar themes or topics.
POWER POINT PRESENTATION
Compare 2 works of British Literature (Gulliver's Travels and The Rape of the Lock). Use the explanation and graphic organizer on page 75 and 76 of your Common Core Companion Workbook. Organize the information into a power point presentation with 16 slides. Make sure to include a title slide, the names of the reading selections and a short summary of each, the theme or topic that is common to both texts, the questions that are on pg. 76 and an answer for each selection of work. Follow the guildines and rubric on the assignment handout.
I CAN #2 Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text in informational and fiction texts, including determining where the text leaves matters uncertain.
Closing Argument
Is Beowulf a brave warrior or a selfish show off? Use the explanation and graphic organizer in your Common Core Companion Workbook to cite explicit and implied textual evidence for each conclusion. Then, pretend you are a lawyer pleading a case for or against Beowulf's character. Choose one conclusion and write a short closing argument for the court room. Follow the guidlines and rubric on the assignment handout.
I CAN #3 Determine two or more central ideas of an informational and fiction text and analyze their development over the course of the text, including how they interact and build on one another to provide a complex analysis; provide an objective summary of the text.
Using the directions on page 15 of your Common Core Workbook fill in graphic organizers on page 16 (Summarizing a Text) and page 22 (Determining Themes and Analyzing their Development and Interaction) for the book Lord of the Flies. Use the information you gathered to complete a One Pager Assignment. Follow the guidlines and rubric on the assignment handout.
I CAN #4 Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.
Persuasive Essay
Write a persuasive essay in which you take a position on an issue and include the elements listed on your handout. Choose one of the writing prompts on the assignment handout.
Use your Common Core Workbook. Use the directions/explanation on page 186. Fill in graphic organizers on page 187 (pre-writing/planning strategies), page 188 (supporting a claim), page 189 (drafting strategies), page 190 (develop your claim), page 191 (style and tone), page 192 (conclusion), page 193 (revising strategies), page 194 (revising), page 195 (editing and proofreading) and page 196 (publishing and presenting).
I CAN #5 Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital sources, using advanced searches effectively; assess the strengths and limitations of each source in terms of the task, purpose, and audience; integrate information into the text selectively to maintain the flow of ideas, avoiding plagiarism and over reliance on any one source and following a standard format for citation.
Digital Interactive Notebook
Research Report: Common Core Workbook page 248. Follow directions and fill in graphic organizers on pages 249-262. Present your research in a digital notebook.
I CAN #7 Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization and analysis of content.
Cause and Effect Flip Book
Use the Common Core Workbook pages and graphic organizers (197-208) to explain a cause and effect relationship in MacBeth. Choose a cause and effect relationship from the assignment handout. Your flip book must include text, as well as drawings, to explain the relationship.
I CAN #8 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone, including words with multiple meanings or language that is particularly fresh, engaging, or beautiful. (Include Shakespeare as well as other authors.)
Poster Display
Figurative Language Analysis Presentation for Hamlet
I CAN #9 Determine an author’s point of view or purpose in a text in which the rhetoric is particularly effective, analyzing how style and content contribute to the power, persuasiveness, or beauty of the text.
Video Essay
I CAN #10 Analyze and evaluate the effectiveness of the structure an author uses in his or her exposition or argument, including whether the structure makes points clear, convincing, and engaging.
TEST
Analyze "from a Speech on Virginia Wolf" and take a test with open ended questions.
https://writing.csusuccess.org/sites/default/files/approved_a-g_course_description.pdf