American Literature/Composition H

American Literature/Composition H

Garfield High School, L.A.U.S.D. Interim draft, August 12, 2002CA Standards alignmnent pending

CURRICULUM FOR HONORS ENGLISH COURSES

GRADE 11: AMERICAN LITERATURE/CONTEMPORARY COMPOSITION

Course Content

  1. American literature of a wide variety of styles and genres including, but not limited to, the following:

HawthorneThe Scarlet Letter

PoePoetry and fiction

TwainThe Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

CraneThe Red Badge of Courage

FitzgeraldThe Great Gatsby

HemingwayThe Sun Also Rises, In Our Time and/or short stories

WrightNative Son

SteinbeckThe Grapes of Wrath

WilderOur Town

MillerThe Crucible

WilliamsThe Glass Menagerie

WilsonFences

Poetry by Longfellow, Whitman, Dickinson, Masters, Frost, Eliot (Prufrock, etc.)

  1. Concept, skill & vocabulary development
  2. Review of literary terms & concepts from grade 9 & 10 curriculum
  3. Critical thinking skills
  4. Alternate modes of writing beyond the 5-paragraph method (research writing, abstracts, etc.)
  5. Academic writing skills: citation of sources, academic vocabulary, etc.
  6. Media Unit for development of speaking and listening skills
  7. Continued mastery of MLA-based writing format

Methodology

  1. Close reading of prose and poetry (explication, reading logs, etc.).
  2. Writing in drafts beyond the five-paragraph essay and mandatory writing process with revisions and peer evaluation.
  3. Comparative essays based on literary characters.
  4. Poetry analysis using grouping and oral presentation.
  5. Performance activities related to contemporary personal and social issues and ideas (panels, role-playing, etc.).
  6. Continued weekly formal writing assignments and reading comprehension tests (multiple-choice as well as short-answer).
  7. Independent reading of two novels of literary merit: 1000 pages per semester, off-track as well as on-track, including use of the Star/Accelerated Reader program.
  8. Monthly collaborative meetings with entire on-track Honors faculty.
  9. Language Arts Portfolio construction. Additions to the portfolio in Honors 11 courses will include at least two essays, an example of creative writing and two research papers, all of which will be used to document student progress, and will represent the student’s best work. The Language Arts Portfolio must contain further examples of narrative/descriptive, reflective, persuasive or expository essays demonstrating further mastery in these areas. The portfolio will contain an original piece of creative writing (a poem/sonnet or short story) and two detailed research papers in MLA-based writing format. The portfolio will be maintained by the individual student or by the teacher at the teacher’s discretion. The student will be expected to bring his/her Language Arts Portfolio to the next grade level for assessment by his/her new teacher.

Assessment

  1. Formal writing assignments, teacher-constructed tests, classroom performance and portfolio review.
  2. An Honors student must complete a substantial portion (i.e. 60%) of the above content and methodology at a minimal level of competence in order to pass the course. (Some kind of points-based grading system is recommended.)
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