Academic English 4 V. 2015 - 2016

Academic English 4 v. 2015 - 2016

Academic English 4

Students in this 12th grade English course develop an understanding of the skills necessary for success in advanced collegiate literature and composition courses. To this end, students complete an APA-formatted research essay, write critical analyses using literary lenses, craft creative narratives, and practice revision strategies in composing personal memoirs. Additional emphasis is placed on British history’s role on British literature, advanced figures of speech, and SAT-level vocabulary. Assessments consist of cooperative learning activities, quizzes, tests, and projects.

Course Information:

Frequency & Duration: Daily for 42 minutes

Text: Chaucer, Geoffrey. (2003). The Canterbury Tales. New York: Penguin Books.

Shakespeare, William. (1992). The Taming of the Shrew. New York: Washington Square Press.

Shakespeare, William. (1999). The Tragedy of Hamlet. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston.

Wilde, Oscar. (1985). The Picture of Dorian Gray. New York: Penguin Books.

Orwell, George. (1977). 1984. New York: Signet Classics.

Duration: August/ September (5weeks)

• Short and Sustained Research Projects, Self-Generated Question, and Multiple Sources.
• Relevant Information, Multiple Authoritative Print and Digital Sources, Advanced Searches, Strengths and Limitations, Task, Purpose, and Audience, Information, Flow of Ideas, Plagiarism, Overreliance on One Source, and Standard Format for Citation.
• Claims, Alternate or Opposing Claims, Counterclaims, Evidence, Strengths and Limitations, Knowledge Level, Concerns, Values, and Possible Biases.
• Organization, claims, counterclaims, reasons, and evidence, words, phrases, and clauses, syntax, cohesion, relationships, concluding statement, and argument.

• Multiple Sources of Information, Visual Media, and Quantitative Formats
• Literary Non-fiction and Informational Text

• Understand and harness the process for completing short and sustained research projects, how to be narrow or broad in related inquiry, and strategies for synthesizing information from multiple sources in conducting research project.
• Gather relevant information from a variety of sources, utilize advanced searches effectively, assess the strengths and limitations of each source, integrate information into the text, maintain the flow of ideas, avoid plagiarism, avoid overreliance on any one source, and follow a standard format for citation.
• Understand, analyze, and create claims, alternate or opposing claims, and counterclaims, including their similarities, differences, and fairness, while accounting for knowledge level, concerns, values, and possible biases.
• Identify effective organizational techniques, create organization that logically sequences claim, counterclaims, reasons and evidence, establish cohesion and clarify the relationship between claims and reasons, between reasons and evidence, and between claims and counterclaims, and provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the argument presented.

• Examine multiple sources of non-fiction media or formats, determine effectiveness of visual media or quantitative format in addressing a question or solving a problem, and evaluate quality, function, and impact of non-fiction media source.
• Independently and proficiently read and interpret literary non-fiction and informational text on grade level.

• Students will demonstrate understanding of the process for completing short and sustained research projects, how to be narrow or broad in related inquiry, and strategies for synthesizing information from multiple sources to answer a self-generated question.
• Students will recognize techniques to distinguish between credible and flawed sources to complete a research project that utilizes valid, reliable, and credible sources, avoids plagiarism and overreliance on any one source, and creates a proper works cited page and appropriate in-text citations.
• Students will examine, compare and contrast, and compose claims, alternate or opposing claims, and counterclaims for knowledge level, concerns, values, and possible biases.
• Students will analyze effectively organized outlines and essays, write an effectively organized essay that logically sequences claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and evidence, offer organization within their essays that link the major sections of the text to create cohesion and clarify the relationships between claim(s) and counterclaims, and write effective conclusions.

• Students will incorporate non-fiction visual media of quantitative format into properly constructed argument and categorize relationship between media or quantitative format and its source in addressing a question or solving a problem. (i.e. biased or unbiased).
• Students will summarize and demonstrate proficiency in comprehending and interpreting literary non-fiction and informational text on grade level.

Comments:

Duration: October (4weeks)

• Awareness, Stylistic Aspects of Composition, Precise Language, Domain Specific Vocabulary, Techniques such as Metaphor, Simile and Analogy, Complexity of the Topic, Formal Style and Objective Tone, and Norms of the Discipline
• English Grammar and Usage and Capitalization, Punctuation, and Spelling
• Narratives, Real or Imagined Experiences, and Real or Imagined Events
• Progression of Experiences or Events, Variety of Techniques, Events, Coherent Whole, Particular Tone and Outcome, Conclusion, and Narrative
• Evidence, Literary or Informational Texts, Analysis, Reflection, Researchgrade-level Reading Standards, Literature and Literary nonfiction
• Information, findings and supporting evidence, clear and distinct perspective, organization, development, substance and style, and purpose, audience, and task

• Central Idea/Theme, Multiple Central Ideas, Objective Summary, and Interaction of Ideas or Themes
• Inferences, Conclusions, and Explicit Ideas, Textual Evidence, and Author’s Assumptions and Beliefs
• Foundational Works of Literature from Variety of Genres, Major Periods of Literature, and Similar Themes and Topics

• Define, analyze, explain, and create precise language, domain-specific vocabulary, and techniques such as metaphor, simile, and analogy to create a formal style and objective tone while attending to the norms of the discipline in which they are writing.
• Understand, explain, and implement proper usage of English grammar, including capitalization, punctuation, and spelling, into personal writing abilities.
• Identify, explain, and craft the proper elements of narrative in both the fictional and non-fictional contexts.
• Create a smooth progression, use a variety of techniques to sequence events, provide a conclusion that follows from and reflects on what is experienced, observed, or resolved over the course of the narrative.
• Identify, examine, and incorporate techniques and strategies for identifying evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research of student-created arguments.
• Present information, findings, and supporting evidence, convey a clear and distinct perspective, and consider purpose, audience and task to organize, develop and substantiate the presentation.

• Determine two or more ideas in fiction, provide an objective summary of fictional text, and analyze development and explain interaction of of central idea/themes with detail in fiction.
• Cite strong and thorough textual support for determining author inferences and conclusion, identify and analyze author assumptions and beliefs, and analyze relationship between fiction and author beliefs.
• Identify objective events of, analyze themes and topics within, and explain how themes and topics interact within foundational works of literature from variety of genres and time periods.

• Students will state, describe, and write a story using precise language, domain-specific vocabulary, and techniques such as metaphor, simile, and analogy to establish a formal style and objective tone while attending to the norms of the discipline in which they are writing.
• Students will state, practice, and write with proper usage of English grammar, including capitalization, punctuation, and spelling.
• Students will define the proper elements of narrative, analyze how elements of narrative function in both the fictional and non-fictional contexts, and write fictional and non-fictional narratives using proper elements.
• Students will analyze effectively organized narratives, recognizing appropriate techniques for sequencing events, establish a smooth progression within narrative prose, and build toward a particular tone within their narratives and offer an effective conclusion.
• Recognize techniques and strategies to identify, draw conclusions about, and write a response to evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research of student-created arguments.
• Students will research, write, and deliver oral presentations conveying a clear and distinct perspective, students will consider purpose, audience, and task to develop and substantiate the presentations, and students will vary style, development, substance, and organization to meet the needs of the audience.

• Students will write an objective summary of fiction and identify, describe and analyze development of, and explain the emergence of central idea over a text.
• Students will identify explicit ideas with textual evidence, identify implicit ideas based on author’s beliefs, and analyze how author assumptions and beliefs influence inferences and conclusions.
• Students will state objective events related to plot of, explain impact of themes and topics as they occur in, and connect themes and topics of foundational works of literature across time periods.

• Use precise language, domain-specific vocabulary, and techniques such as metaphor, simile, and analogy to manage the complexity of the topic.
• Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to the norms of the discipline in which they are writing.

Comments:

Duration: November (4weeks)

• Arguments and Substantive Topics
• Reader, Problems, Situation, or Observation, Significance, Multiple Points of View, Narrator and/ or Characters
• Stylistic Aspects of Writing, Parallel Structure, Various Types of Phrases and Clauses, Specific Meanings, Variety and Interest, Precise Language, Domain Specific Vocabulary, Metaphor, Simile, and Analogy, and Complexity of the Topic
• Grade appropriate command and Conventions of Standard English Grammar, Usage, Capitalization, Punctuation, and Spelling
• Speech and Variety of Contexts and Tasks

• Point of View in Fiction, Purpose, and Content and Style
• Texts, Sentences, Paragraphs, and Short and Long Term Interrelatedness
• General Academic and Domain-Specific Words and Phrases and Vocabulary Knowledge

• Examine, evaluate, and craft arguments that support claims in an analysis of substantive topics.
• Recognize strategies and techniques for orienting a reader by setting out a problem, situation, or observation, analyze the significance of how an author orients a reader, establishes multiple points of view using problem, situation, or observation, and compose an essay that orients its reader appropriately and clearly introduces the narrator and/or characters.
• State, explain, and write narratives that show the definitions and characteristics of the stylistic aspects of writing, including parallel structure, various types of phrases and clauses to convey specific meanings and add variety and interest, and precise language, domain-specific vocabulary, and techniques such as metaphor, simile, and analogy to manage the complexity of the topic. Demonstrate command of conventions of language.
• Identify key elements of speech and how it’s modified for certain contexts and tasks, compare and contrast speeches from a variety of contexts, understanding the speaker’s task in the process as well, and evaluate a speaker’s performance in terms of the context and task.

• Determine, analyze, and explain author point of view and purpose and how point of view and purpose shape content and style in fiction.
• Identify, describe, and analyze key sentences and paragraphs relevant to a text’s overall plot, theme, and/or meaning.
• Comprehend, identify, and understand general academic and domain-specific words and phrases.

• Students will read, analyze, and create examples of arguments that support claims in an analysis of substantive topics.
• Students will verbally recall strategies and techniques for orienting a reader by setting out a problem, situation, or observation, illustrate how an author orients a reader and establishes multiple points of view using problem, situation, or observation, and write a narrative that orients its reader appropriately and clearly introduces the narrator and/or characters.
• Students will recognize, discuss, and compose narratives using the definitions and characteristics of the stylistic aspects of writing, including parallel structure, various types of phrases and clauses to convey specific meanings and add variety and interest, and precise language, domain-specific vocabulary, and techniques.
• Students will understand, write to avoid, and evaluate peers’ common errors in conventions, usage, capitalization, punctuation, and spelling, identifying proper and improper use of standard English grammar.
• Students will list key elements of speech and how it’s modified for certain contexts and tasks, deconstruct speeches from a variety of contexts, understand the speaker’s task in the process as well, and critique a speaker’s performance in terms of the context and task.

• Students will Identify, explain, and evaluate how content and point of view influence author purpose in fiction.
• Students will highlight key sentences and paragraphs important to a text’s overall plot, theme, and/or meaning and deconstruct and demonstrate understanding of how structure of a text influences individual plot components of the text and the text as a whole.
• Students will state, apply, and explain the definition of domain-specific words and phrases.

Comments: