2008-2009 Curriculum
Cool High School 11th grade English
UNIT / # of Weeks / TEXTS / OBJECTIVES / ACTIVITIES/ ASSESSMENTSOne: Speak Up!
Multivoiced Literature / 3 / *The Brimstone Journals by R. Koertge
*I am Phoenix” Poems for Two Voices by P. Fleischman / *Multi-voiced literature recognition
*Poetry
*Importance of diverse perspectives
*Voicing opinions
*Recognition of others opinions and voice / *The Cool High School Journals
*Blogging; i.e. computer usage
*Telephone
*Beginning practice of poetry writing and free writing as forms of personal expression (Writing Workshop)
*Create “About Me” posters
Two: “To Be or Not to Be”
Medieval & Renaissance Literature / 4 / *A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare
*The Canterbury Tales: The General Prologue by Geoffrey Chaucer
*Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
OPTIONAL / *Universality of Shakespeare through text and film
*Power Hierarchy
*Women’s role vs. Men’s Role
*Poetry
*Building community
*Creative expression / *A Midsummer Night’s Dream (2001) on film: comparing and contrasting paper
*Deciphering Shakespeare sonnets through classroom discussion and groups
*Revisit Writing Workshop!!
*Sketch characters of C.T. in correspondence to description
*Write descriptive essay about a character’s features and it’s symbolism
Three: “I Want to Suck Your Bloood!”
Gothic Literature / 3 / *Dracula by Bram Stoker
*The Raven by Edgar Allen Poe
*The Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allen Poe / *Interplay of horror and romance
*The discourse surrounding the supernatural
*Prominence of Gothic art in 21st century
*Poetry writing: Gothic forms of expression / *30 Days of Night (2008) film: reflective essay on the portrayal of the Gothic tradition in the 21st century
*Create short stories inclusive of various Gothic elements
*Share “scary stories” during Halloween party
Four: Never To Be Forgotten
Critical Perspective / 5 / *Excerpts of Tales From the Secret Annex by Anne Frank
*Forgotten Fire by Adam Bagdasarian
*The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
*Native American Genocide: http://www.unitednativeamerica.com/aiholocaust.html
OPTIONAL / *Defining and redefining the terms: Genocide, Holocaust, “Trail of Tears”
*Influence of time period
*Background history
*Importance and preservation of culture
*The role of the “other” in society / *Diaries/journals; Reflection
*Creating family trees/heritage lines
*Computer usage; accessing the internet for information
*Creating awareness about genocide through a classroom website creation, fliers, brochures, etc.
*Researching current events pertaining to subject of genocide (i.e. Darfur)
Five: I ain’t no holla back gurl!
Women Writers / 5 / *Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
*Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
*Various Poems by Sylvia Plath, Emily Dickinson, etc. / *Women’s role in pop culture (i.e. past and present)
*Framing women literature in regards to women rights/liberation
*Comparing and contrasting poetic styles / *Playing the part: free writing from reverse gender perspectives
*Researching important female figures: research paper and presentation
*Begin to formalizing knowledge of poetry writing (Writing Workshop)
Six: Guilty or Not? You be the judge!
17th Century Literature / 6 / *The Crucible by Arthur Miller
*The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
*To My Dear and Loving Husband by Anne Bradstreet
*Verses Upon the Burning of our Home, July 10th, 1666 by Anne Bradstreet
OPTIONAL / *Salem witch trials: superstitions and falsities
*Loyalty or love: obligations to spouse and God
*The roles of Puritan men and women
*Poetry in the 17th century / *Reading the play aloud as a class
*Creating mock witch trials: research and group discussion
*Debating Puritanical beliefs that are still prominent in society
*Critical perspectives
*Final employment of Writing Workshop…to present current or previous poems at “Poetry for Parents” night
Seven: One World, One People
Diversity Literature / 5 / *A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest Gaines
*American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang
*Ask Me No Questions by Marina Budhos
*Story-Wallah edited by Shyam Selvadurai
ALL TEXTS USED DEPENDENT UPON STUDENT DEMOGRAPHIC / *Importance of diversity within community and school
*Concept of “Melting Pot”
*Graphic novel
*Short Story
*Addressing racism and prejudice
*Revisiting the term coined “otherness” / *Creating comic strips or comic books reflecting personal image
*Reflecting on concepts of racism and prejudice through free writes and blogging
*Write personal autobiography reflecting on common themes found within the novels
*Bend it Like Beckham film OPTIONAL
Eight: You’re Not Alone
Postmodern Literature / 5 / *Staying Fat For Sarah Byrns by Chris Crutcher
*Deliever Us From Evie by M.E. Kerr
*The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
OPTIONAL / *Young adult literature
*Child abuse and neglect
*Harassment
*GLTB recognition
*Difficulties of adolescence; i.e. creating awareness / *Personal journals/free writes
*www.postsecrets.com (i.e. creating own secrets)
*”Who am I?” reflection papers in comparison to “About Me” posters done at the beginning of the year
*”Where I want to be in 5 years” letter: to be mailed out within 5 years
Curricular Map Reflection
Starting this assignment was a very difficult challenge for me. It was hard to think about designing an entire curriculum with absolutely no experience to back me up. So, I began to think about the types of books, poems, short stories, etc. that I read in high school, and soon I had somewhat of an idea of what a year long curriculum might look like. However, when I began to put it on paper and evaluate the level of creativity, diversity, and enjoyment I realized that my plan fell short. As a future English teacher I want to be one to inspire my students to think outside of the box and strive for excellence regardless of gender, age, race, ethnicity, or sexual orientation. I do not want to teach the way some of my previous English teachers did because I believe they taught to only one demographic because they did not know how to teach otherwise. Ultimately, their teaching methods became ones instructed for individuals similar to themselves; Caucasian, middle class, suburbians. For reasons based solely on escaping my past I have designed a curriculum that can be taught to anyone and by anyone…just as long as we share a desire for excellence and a desire for self-awakening.
Beginning with unit one I decided to start the year off with multivoiced literature in order to show my students that in my classroom each and every person has a voice regardless of what anyone tells you outside of our classroom walls. I included The Brimstone Journals because it deals with different perspectives of various “stereotypes” in high schools. In such a piece I am hopeful that every student can find a character to relate to. As for assessments I listed a “Writing Workshop” which could possibly be scheduled for every Friday depending on the unit being taught and it’s relativity to lesson progression. In such a sense I want to create a workshop where my students can take their writing pieces and benefit from peer revisions, teacher evaluations, mini-lessons on writing technique, etc. Hopefully this will carry on throughout the remainder of the year until the class feels comfortable with their writing skills. I also included an assessment pertaining to who they are as individuals coming IN to my class. At the end of the year I will give them the opportunity to reflect on the personal changes they have made coming OUT of my class.
Next, unit two is based on the classics of Shakespeare and Chaucer. I figured that I may as well introduce a less entertaining unit now while they are still fresh from summer vacation and not burned out. However, I have scheduled a film rendition of A Midsummer Night’s Dream in which my students will have to write a compare and contrast essay about the film and play. The Writing Workshop will be occurring so I figured to teach a mini-lesson about comparing and contrasting essays in order to refresh their memory or give them new ideas. When we move onto Chaucer an assessment I included was drawing a character based on the readings. In such a case I want to bring out the creativity I know lies within my students. I want them to realize that English and art are likely forms of personal expression in which no one can create an ugly picture or a bad poem…it’s all about interpretation!
Third, is a unit about Gothic literature which includes Poe poetry and various renditions of Dracula. In my opinion the Gothic form of expression has been widely underestimated within school systems in the resent years. The 21st century has produced many variations of “Gothic proportion” which are all widely known by its adolescent viewers; video games, movies, television shows, comic books, etc. For me this was an opportunity to relate my students’ knowledge of pop culture to something as old as Bram Stoker’s 1897 version of Dracula. Within this unit I want to show my students how technology has influenced they ways in which we view literary characters such as Dracula. Assessments include short horror stories to be shared at our Halloween party!
Unit four is based on the critical perspective of individuals who have been killed for something they cannot help: their ethnicity. For me these are books I cannot wait to teach! Genocide is such a terrible and saddening concept that I will want to prepare my students for what they will soon learn or see as adults. Another reason I cannot wait to teach such literature is because of its unawareness. It is clear that everyone knows about the Holocaust, but how many know about the Armenian Genocide? I know I did not until my junior year of college when I read the young adult novel Forgotten Fire by an Armenian man who was highly affected by the killings. Not only will I include the given texts, but I will also instruct my students to research current events surrounding the topic of genocide. Also, we will be making a class website to increase awareness and designing fliers, brochures, etc.
The next until pertains to female authors and poets who I feel do not get enough recognition within high school classrooms. My students will be reading a classic novel and a young adult novel that deals with issues of rape and secrecy. My goals for this unit are to define or “redefine” women’s role in pop culture. I want my students to be aware of the past and the present discourse and the ways in which literature has contributed. This will also be a unit involving a research paper and writing from different critical perspectives.
Unit six will bridge with its previous based on the aspects of women’s role in the 17th century during Puritanical times. My students will be diving into pieces of classic literature along with revamped and revolutionized assessments. For me in high school reading The Scarlet Letter was so boring because all we did was discuss the book and its themes, symbols, etc. I want to show my students that classic literature was written with a purpose other than to show symbolism and theme. In such a sense we will be debating Puritanical beliefes that are still present within society and creating mock witch trials. All of which will be prefaced with clear and concise research. Meanwhile the Writing Workshop will be providing a “Poetry for Parents” night in which each student will choose a poem or piece of writing and perform it for an audience of parents, teachers, and peers. (Details to be worked out later)
The next unit deals with the importance of diversity. All the texts that I have selected are to be chosen based on who my students are and what might make them uncomfortable or not. Within this unit each book deals with the aspect of identity from a culturally diverse person. Each book is geared toward young adults and is written from such a perspective. Teaching these books is going to be about addressing issues of prejudice and racism which are still prevalent in society. I believe and hope that my students will learn to appreciate diversity more despite preconceived notions and stereotypes. Spreading awareness about diversity can and will happen in my classroom even if it does not happen in their homes.
Finally, unit eight will bring my curriculum full circle. Within this five week unit we will be exploring various books that deal with controversial aspects of adolescence. When my curriculum gets challenged, I know it will, this will be the unit the parents or school board attacks first. The novels that I have included deal with GLTB issues, child abuse, ridicule, harassment, prostitution, and oh wait don’t forget suicide. In my opinion these novels meant the most to me as a teenager because they created awareness for such issues that I was scared to ask my mom about. If we want our children to appreciate literature why not give them a piece of writing that can teach them something about themselves. Why would they care about Tom Sawyer when their mother is abusing them on a daily basis? When I fight for these books, teach them, and then have one student tell me it helped her understand her friend’s suicide more it will be totally worth it! Until then I will be an advocate for young adult literature in every high school classroom.