You are on page 1of 8

Grade Ten General

North Branford Public Schools Department: English

Name_________________________________________________

date______________

Mr. Robert Darragh rdarragh@northbranfordschools.org Welcome to English Ten General! Keep this sheet in your binder at all times. Hopefully, you will find 2013-2014 to be challenging, productive, enjoyable and fun. I know I will! Please read the following information carefully, refer to it when you need clarification, or for my e-mail address. Course Overview
This course will focus on continuing to develop language and reading skills and vocabulary development in preparation for more rigorous academic courses. Big Ideas / Enduring Understandings Literature speaks to the human condition America offers opportunities for individuals to share their ideas and perspectives The frontier experience and individuality help define American literature Anyone can achieve success with hard work and determination Individuals can transcend class distinctions to achieve success America is a melting pot of cultures American literature is marked by attempts to overcome intolerance, whether by gender, race, culture, or religion The geography of the United States both unites and divides Americans

Essential Questions
What does it mean to be an American? o What does the American Dream encompass? o What makes great literature? o How does our literature reflect the historical time period, and vice versa? o What themes are particularly American? o How does the geography of the United States affect American literature? o How is our literature influenced by various cultures, religions, races, and genders? o What limitations and opportunities exist for individuals striving to succeed?

Skills Required
Students will produce a minimum of two publishable written texts, including narrative/expository and persuasive Students will focus on writing impromptu essays during Marking Periods Two and Three which will be assessed using the CAPT Response to Literature rubric Students will produce a minimum of two oral or visual texts, one per semester Independent reading of two books is required (one per semester), at least one of which must be a novel A summer reading assignment is required (a list of books is provided for students)

Content
Emphasis in each unit will be placed on defining the literary period and discussing illustrative examples in the context of the essential questions Romanticism and Transcendentalism (18001849) o This literary period will be examined during Marking Period One o Suggested authors: Washington Irving, Edgar Allan Poe, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, Emily Dickinson, Louisa May Alcott o Essential sub-questions to be addressed:

How does the geography of the United States affect American literature? How does our literature reflect the historical time period, and vice versa? How is our literature influenced by various cultures, religions, races, and genders? Realism, Naturalism, and Regionalism (18501914) o This literary period will be examined during Marking Period Two o Required text: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer o Suggested texts and authors: The Professors House; Bret Harte, Jack London, Willa Cather, Ambrose Bierce, Stephen Crane, Frederick Douglass, Walt Whitman, Sojourner Truth, Kate Chopin, Harriet Tubman o Essential sub-questions to be addressed: What does the American Dream encompass? How is our literature influenced by various cultures, religions, races, and genders? How does our literature reflect the historical time period, and vice versa? How does the geography of the United States affect American literature? What themes are particularly American? Modernism (19141946) o This literary period will be examined during Marking Period Three o Required text: Of Mice and Men o Suggested texts and authors: The Glass Menagerie, A Streetcar Named Desire, Our Town; Marianne Moore, Eudora Welty, Katherine Anne Porter, Zora Neale Hurston, Robert Frost, Langston Hughes, Thornton Wilder, William Carlos Williams, Shirley Jackson o Essential sub-questions to be addressed: What does the American Dream encompass? What makes great literature? How does our literature reflect the historical time period, and vice versa? What themes are particularly American? What limitations and opportunities exist for individuals striving to succeed? Post-Modernism (1946Present) o This literary period will be examined during Marking Period Four o Suggested texts and authors: 8 Plus 1, The Catcher in the Rye, Different Seasons, The Crucible, A Raisin in the Sun, The Miracle Worker, Poetry 180 ; Joyce Carol Oates, John Updike, Kurt Vonnegut, Flannery OConnor, Alice Walker, e e cummings o Essential sub-questions to be addressed: How is our literature influenced by various cultures, religions, races, and genders? What limitations and opportunities exist for individuals striving to succeed? What themes are particularly American? What makes great literature? Nonfiction (to support literature throughout the year) o Nonfiction texts will be incorporated in every marking period o Emphasis will be placed on aspects of nonfiction texts such as Students will be expected to respond to a variety of nonfiction texts which will be assessed using the CAPT Reading for Information rubric; responses will be short answer and multiple choice Types of nonfiction: Persuasive, narrative, expository, informational; formal vs. informal language Elements of authors craft: Voice, organization of ideas, fact vs. opinion, theme/purpose, dialogue o Suggested texts and authors: A Night to Remember, J. F. K. Inaugural Speech, Mother Tongue; Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, Abigail Adams, Annie Dillard, William Safire, Anna Quindlen o Essential sub-questions to be addressed: What themes are particularly American? What does the American Dream encompass? What limitations and opportunities exist for individuals striving to succeed? How does our literature reflect the historical time period, and vice versa? Writing and Language o Persuasive essay o Narrative or expository essay o Short-answer literary analysis o Development and technique: Introduction, thesis, supporting details, transitional devices,

conclusion Writing process: Brainstorming, writing a thesis, organization of ideas, drafting, peer/teacher conferencing, revision; paragraph unity and coherence, development of ideas, sentence structure and variety, word choice, English conventions; writing for an audience

Resources
Prentice Hall Literature: Timeless Voices, Timeless Themes, The American Experience Warriners Grammar and Composition Vocabulary Workshop, level C (optional) o Vocabulary skills may be developed through context and/or the Vocabulary Workshop text Numerous books Videos and DVDs o Various film adaptations of texts o Rain Man o Titanic (selected clips)

Technology Integration
Smart technology Power Point presentations Internet-based research Student video projects

Assessments / Checks for Understanding


Pre-reading activities (e.g., journal, freewrite) Individual responses to texts Group application of important concepts Small- and large-group discussions Individual and group presentations Written homework assessments Essay (e.g., analytic, narrative)

Differentiated Instruction
Student choice on independent reading Variety of assessments o Such as video projects, artistic representations, song lyrics, poems, group presentations, discussions, etc.

Connections to other Disciplines


History Art Music

Goals and Standards Addressed Complete ones that apply Standard 1: Reading Literature and Informational Text 1.1 Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text 1.2 Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze in detail its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text 1.3 Literature: Analyze how complex characters (e.g., those with multiple or conflicting motivations) develop over the course of a text, interact with other characters, and advance the plot or develop the theme; Informational text: Analyze how the author unfolds an analysis or series of ideas or events, including the order in which the points are made, how they are introduced and developed, and the connections that are drawn between them 1.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone (e.g., how the language evokes a sense of time and place; how it sets a formal or informal tone; how the language of a court

opinion differs from that of a newspaper) 1.5 Literature: Analyze how an authors choices concerning how to structure a text, order events within it (e.g., parallel plots), and manipulate time (e.g., pacing, flashbacks) create such effects as mystery, tension, or surprise; Informational text: Analyze in detail how an authors ideas or claims are developed and refined by particular sentences, paragraphs, or larger portions of a text ( e.g., a section or chapter) 1.6 Literature: Analyze a particular point of view or cultural experience reflected in a work of literature from outside the United States, drawing on a wide reading of world literature; Informational text: Determine an authors point of view or purpose in a text and analyze how an author uses rhetoric to advance that point of view or purpose 1.7 Literature: Analyze the representation of a subject or a key scene in two different artistic mediums, including what is emphasized or absent from each treatment ( e.g., Audens Muse des Beaux Arts and Breughels Landscape with the Fall of Icarus); Informational text: Analyze various accounts of a subject told in different mediums (e.g., a persons life story in both print and multimedia), determining which details are emphasized in each account 1.8 Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, assessing whether the reasoning is valid and the evidence is relevant and sufficient; identify false statements and fallacious reasoning 1.9 Literature: Analyze how an author draws on and transforms source material in a specific work (e.g., how Shakespeare treats a theme or topic from Ovid or the Bible, or how a later author draws on a play by Shakespeare); Informational text: Analyze seminal U.S. documents of historical and literary significance (e.g., Washingtons Farewell Address, the Gettysburg Address, Roosevelts Four Freedoms speech, Kings I Have a Dream speech), including how they address related themes and concepts 1.10 Read and comprehend grade-appropriate texts, including literary nonfiction, stories, dramas, and poems with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range Standard 2: Writing 2.1 Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence a. Introduce precise claim(s), distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims, and create an organization that establishes clear relationships among claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and evidence b. Develop claim(s) and counterclaims fairly, supplying evidence for each while pointing out the strengths and limitations of both in a manner that anticipates the audiences knowledge level and concerns c. Use words, phrases, and clauses to link the major sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships between claim(s) and reasons, between reasons and evidence, and between claim(s) and counterclaims d. Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to the norms and conventions of the discipline in which they are writing e. Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the argument presented 2.2 Write informational/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content a. Introduce a topic; organize complex ideas, concepts, and information to make important connections and distinctions; include formatting (e.g., headings), graphics (e.g., figures, tables), and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension b. Develop the topic with well-chosen, relevant, and sufficient facts, extended definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples appropriate to the audiences knowledge of the topic c. Use appropriate and varied transitions to link the major sections of the text,

create cohesion, and clarify the relationships among complex ideas and concepts d. Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to manage the complexity of the topic e. Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to the norms and conventions of the discipline in which they are writing f. Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the information or explanation presented (e.g., articulating implications or the significance of the topic) 2.3 Write narrative to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences a. Engage and orient the reader by setting out a problem, situation, or observation+, establishing one or multiple point(s) of view, and introducing a narrator and/or characters; create a smooth progression of experiences or events b. Use narrative techniques, such as dialogue, pacing, description, reflection, and multiple plot lines, to develop experiences, events, and/or characters c. Use a variety of techniques to sequence events so that they build on one another to create a coherent whole d. Use precise words and phrases, telling details, and sensory language to convey a vivid picture of the experiences, events, setting, and/or characters e. Provide a conclusion that follows from and reflects on what is experienced, observed, or resolved over the course of the narrative 2.4 Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience 2.5 Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on addressing what is most significant for a specific purpose and audience 2.6 Use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish, and update individual or shared writing products in response to ongoing feedback, including new arguments or information 2.7 Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question) or solve a problem; narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate; synthesize multiple sources on the subject, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation 2.8 Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital sources, using advanced searches effectively; assess the usefulness of each source in answering the research question; integrate information into the text selectively to maintain the flow of ideas, avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation 2.9 Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research 2.10 Write routinely over extended time frames (e.g., time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (e.g., a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences Standard 3: Speaking and Listening 3.1 Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions ( e.g., oneon-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade-appropriate topics, texts, and issues, building on others ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively a. Come to discussions prepared, having read and researched material under study; explicitly draw on that preparation by referring to evidence from texts and other research on the topic or issue to stimulate a thoughtful, wellreasoned exchange of ideas b. Work with peers to set rules for collegial discussions and decision-making (e.g., informal consensus, taking votes on key issues, presentation of alternate views), clear goals and deadlines, and individual roles when needed

c. Propel conversations by posing and responding to questions that relate the current discussion to broader themes or larger ideas; actively incorporate others into the discussion; and clarify, verify, or challenge ideas and conclusions d. Respond thoughtfully to diverse perspectives, summarize points of agreement and disagreement, and, when warranted, qualify or justify their own views and understanding and make new connections in light of the evidence and reasoning presented 3.2 Integrate multiple sources of information presented in diverse media or formats ( e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) evaluating the credibility and accuracy of each source 3.3 Evaluate a speakers point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence, identifying any fallacious reasoning or exaggerated or distorted evidence 3.4 Present information, findings, and supporting evidence clearly, concisely, and logically such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning, and the organization, development, substance, and style are appropriate to purpose, audience, and task 3.5 Make strategic use of digital media (e.g., textual, graphic, audio, visual, and interactive elements) in presentations to enhance understanding of findings, reasoning, and evidence and to add interest 3.6 Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, demonstrating a command of formal English when indicated or appropriate Standard 4: Language 4.1 Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking a. Use parallel structure b. Use various types of phrases (noun, verb, adjectival, adverbial, participial, prepositional, absolute) and clauses (independent, dependent; noun, relative, adverbial) to convey specific meanings and add variety and interest to writing or presentations 4.2 Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing a. Use a semicolon (and perhaps a conjunctive adverb) to link two or more closely related independent clauses b. Use a colon to introduce a list or quotation c. Spell correctly 4.3 Apply knowledge of language to understand how language functions in different contexts, to make effective choices for meaning or style, and to comprehend more fully when reading or listening a. Write and edit work so that it conforms to the guidelines in a style manual (e.g., MLA Handbook, Turabians Manual for Writers) appropriate for the discipline and writing type 4.4 Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grade-appropriate reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies a. Use context (e.g., the overall meaning of a sentence, paragraph, or text; a words position or function in a sentence) as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase b. Identify and correctly use patterns of word changes that indicate different meanings or parts of speech (e.g., analyze, analysis, analytical; advocate, advocacy) c. Consult general and specialized reference materials (e.g., dictionaries, glossaries, thesauruses), both in print and digital, to find the pronunciation of a word or determine or clarify its precise meaning, its part of speech, or its etymology d. Verify the preliminary determination of the meaning of a word or phrase (e.g., by checking the inferred meaning in context or in a dictionary) 4.5 Demonstrate understandings of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings

a. Interpret figures of speech (e.g., euphemism, oxymoron) in context and analyze their role in the text b. Analyze nuances in the meaning of words with similar denotations 4.6 Acquire and use accurately general academic and domain-specific words and phrases, sufficient for reading, writing, speaking, and listening at the college and career readiness level; demonstrate independence in gathering vocabulary knowledge when considering a word or phrase important to comprehension or expression Development Comments - Post-instruction Reflection: How successful was our instruction? Consider:
What do we want students to learn? How do we know when theyve learned it? What do we do if they havent learned it? What do we do if they have learned it?

Materials Needed for class: three-ring binder with loose-leaf and room for handouts dividers/ tabs for different topics FLASH/ external drive blue and or black pens must be brought every day; I am not a pen supplier! assignment pad

Grading Policy: GRADING POLICY: Grades are calculated each marking period based on categories: CATEGORY 1: Participation, Classwork, and Homework = 25% of your grade CATEGORY 2: Formative and Summative Assessments = 75% of your grade Point Values for each assignment will fall in the following ranges: Homework, classwork, participation 5-15 points each Formative assessments, quizzes 20-50 points each Tests, formal essays, major projects 60-100 points each

Makeup Work Policy: Since class meets every other day, students should report to me as soon as they return from an absence, even if class does not meet that day.

Homework/Class work: Homework can only be made up in the event of a legitimate absence and must be handed in by the start of the next class period. Failure to do so will result in a serious penalty or loss of points. Quizzes/Tests: If a student misses a quiz or test, he or she is expected to take the quiz or test immediately upon their return. If they are present for the announcement of a quiz or test, but absent the class before, they are still required to take the quiz or test with the rest of the class. Formal Essays: If a student is absent on the day an assignment is due, or is having computer or printer problems, he or she should email the paper to me. A hard copy of the assignment should be brought to class upon your return. E-mailing the assignment only locks in the assignment, so please dont ask me to print out your work! Make sure that when you come to class you have printed out whatever printed work is due- dont waste your time or my time asking permission to print!

Tests/ Formal Papers/ Projects Formal assessments may take the form of projects, tests, common assessments, formal essays. Usually formal assessments are given to assess learning over a period of time, during a particular unit, or to measure growth. All of these assessments should be approached with great care and pride. Failure to complete any of these assignments in a timely manner will seriously impact your grade and overall performance. Quizzes Quizzes may be given frequently, and may take any of the following forms: Collected homework pop quiz, based on class discussions, homework, etc. formal quiz with advance notice Homework/ Classwork/ Participation and Behavior Homework and classwork are essential for your success. It is very important that you make your best effort to participate positively in this process and complete all in-class assignments and work outside of class in a timely and dedicated manner. Be an active and enthusiastic learner at all times, and you will be successful. Being unprepared and unwilling to participate rarely produces positive results. Remember our school moral code for all of your behaviors and interactions. Respect and proper behavior should be the rule. Go Full CIRCLE!

You might also like