Hawkins County Schools

Class Syllabus

2016-2017

Course Title:English I

Course Description:

English 9A

This course is designed to strengthen competency in the structural skills necessary to produce grade appropriate written language and oral expression. Reading comprehension, vocabulary development and standard spelling will be strengthened. Concentration is on essay writing and editing activities: organization, mechanics, usage, parts of speech, and sentence structure and blending. Reading skills, embedded in grade appropriate literature and media are strengthened and basic literary concepts are reviewed. Study skills, test taking and organizational strategies, and reading strategies appropriate to texts across the curriculum are practiced.

English 9B

This course is designed to increase reading skills by exploring the major literary genres, expanding word recognition, and using reading comprehension and analysis strategies. The literary concepts of short stories, non-fiction essays, poetry, drama, the epic, and current media analysis are taught. Preparation for the End of Course exam is included.

Honor’s English 9A/B

This course is designed for the college bound student and is reading and writing intensive. Students will creatively explore the major literary genres, expand word recognition, reading comprehension and analysis, and evoke a greater appreciation for literature. Major works spanning time and genre will be studied including Romeo and Juliet, The Odyssey, To Kill a Mockingbird, and I Have a Dream. Students will also hone public speaking skills by creating presentations utilizing current technology. Students should obtain a flash drive. End of Course exam will be given.

Teacher:Mrs. Sarah ClonceMiss. Stephanie Howington

Miss. Stacie RadfordMrs. Rachel Andies,

Materials Needed for Class:

Paper, Pencils, Pens, 3-Ring Binder, 5-Tab Dividers, Composition Notebook, Highlighters

Unit 1 – Ancient Greek Literature and Mythology/7 weeks

Texts: Oedipus Rex, The Odyssey, Medea, The Myth of Sisyphus

  • Standards
  • RL –1, 2, 3, 5
  • Medea and Oedipus Rex
  • In each of the texts, have the students focus on the following items:
  • Connotative and Denotative meanings of the texts and words within the texts using textual evidence.
  • Start introducing evidence as “Grounds” for “Claims”
  • Determine over-arching themes or central ideas.
  • Diagram the themes visually to show how it is shaped by details provided through character or setting.
  • Perform an overall summary plot diagram for each work. Compare and contrast them. (i.e. look for “similarities” and “”differences” (Vocab)
  • Analyze the complexity of the characters. Show, how they change or are static.
  • Write “Claims” for each piece. What was the author’s main purpose of writing this. There can be more than one claim, but make sure that the claims can be backed up textually.
  • W – 1 (a-e)
  • SL – 2, 5
  • Odyssey Project
  • Each student must create his or her life “Odyssey”. This can be in book form, or it can be poster boarded, or in any way that you as the teacher sees fit. The task must have artifact, writing, AND presentation components involved.
  • This task is to have them think about one’s own journey thus far, and to get each of them thinking about collecting data, artifacts, and pictures. This will help them for the research component of this course.
  • Have them write a narrative essay that goes along with their “odyssey”.
  • The narrative must focus on the following:
  • Clear point of view
  • Plot
  • Coherent sequence of event with idea of reader as the perspective
  • Clear resolution
  • Language, Usage, Vocabulary

UNIT 2 – Shakespeare/5 weeks

  • Texts – Romeo and Juliet, Timon of Athens, or Anthony and Cleopatra
  • Standards/Assignments
  • RL – 4, 7, 9
  • Research William Shakespeare in some manner
  • Life and Times
  • Culture of the area and time period
  • Globe Theater
  • Language
  • Read and Analyze an entire grade level Shakespeare play from the grade level approved list.
  • Discover figurate and connotative meanings of words
  • Determine multiple (minimum 3) over-arching themes or central ideas.
  • Analyze plot using plot diagram strategies like, but not limited to, Freytag’s pyramid.
  • Analyze the tragic and/or comedic resolutions Shakespeare exhibits.
  • Analyze Shakespeare’s satire, sarcasm, irony, and understatement.
  • Introduce Allusion to the students by finding an example of an author using a scene from the Shakespeare play you read and adapting it to his/her writing.
  • You must read, in its entirety, one of the approved Shakespeare plays in class.
  • Look at Greek tragedy and Shakespeare, and analyze the point of view of the authors. Focus on the cultural similarities and differences compared to the modern United States.
  • How would the works have to change for today’s culture?
  • What would be the criticism from the press?
  • Any other cultural discussion you can bring in.
  • W – 4
  • Write an argumentative essay on a main claim that Shakespeare was making. This essay must be prompt driven and encompass the following concepts:
  • Precision in the claim made
  • Claim and counterclaim development and effective communication of both
  • Formal style
  • Clear evidence for both claims and counterclaims
  • Transition words, phrases, and sentences
  • Strong and unique conclusion
  • Watch a movie or drama related to the play chosen and write an informative comparison contrast essay.This should be an approved Hollywood depiction or live recording of the play done. Example: If reading Romeo and Juliet, there are multiple plays available on YouTube, and there are Hollywood versions as well.
  • This will require teaching a compare-contrast model of writing such as, but not limited to, the block method or point-to-point method.
  • Topics for review, or teaching, will include:
  • Issue
  • Similarities (and words that mean)
  • Differences (and words that mean)
  • SL – 1 (a-d)

Conduct 1 Socratic Seminar/Fishbowl discussion over the themes found in Shakespeare’s play and argue the timeless nature of his work.

Unit 3 – American Non-Fiction/2 weeks

  • Texts: I Have a Dream, The Gettysburg Address, Washington’s Farewell Address
  • Standards
  • RIT – 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 9
  • Read and analyze the designated texts. This is a minimum; if you have favorites, you may add them if there is time.
  • Analysis must include the following topics:
  • Theme, purpose, and rhetorical features
  • Figurative, Connotative, and Technical meanings
  • Effectiveness of clear, convincing, and engaging structure
  • Determine and clarify an unknown or multiple-meaning words.
  • When doing this, consult reference material to determine meaning, parts of speech, etymology, and standard usage.
  • W – 2 (a-f), 6, 8
  • SL – 5, 6
  • Have the students find information, write an informational essay, and present on one of the documents. This presentation should include the following:
  • Images of the documents
  • Cartoons depicting the documents
  • Some other digital media relating to the documents to add interest to the document.
  • This will require teaching informational text strategies, presentation strategies, as well as digital research strategies.
  • Topics for review, or teaching will include:
  • Internet researching
  • PowerPoint
  • Digital saving to a cloud or flash drive
  • Presentation skills including body, voice, and authority

Unit 4 – Research/4 weeks

  • This research unit is to be completed by all year-long English I classes. The focus on this unit is to introduce students to various aspects of research and to incorporate these skills in later units this semester.
  • Standards
  • RIT – 1
  • W – 2 (a-e), 5, 6, 8
  • Choose a popular social issue in the media today and develop a research paper on your findings.
  • Introduce students to the OWL Purdue website thoroughly; students should be able to navigate this site to answer many writing questions.
  • Students should be familiar with MLA formatting (in-text and citation pages).
  • Discuss the importance and practice narrowing focus in essay topics.
  • Understand how to conduct appropriate internet research (what is credible and what is not).

Unit 5 – American Literature/7 weeks

  • Texts: To Kill a Mockingbird, The Raven, The Cask of Amontillado, Legend of Sleepy Hollow, The Road Not Taken, The Glass Menagerie
  • Standards
  • RL - 1, 5, 7
  • Analyze the recurring literary devices found in Poe’s work.
  • Analyze for literary devices, theme, plot, etc.
  • Focus instruction on literary devices (symbolism, allusion, theme, etc.) when analyzing these short stories.
  • RIT – 5, 8, 10
  • W – 7, 9
  • Write an argumentative essay on whether Lee’s novel challenges the nation’s status quo or merely portrays the daily life in Maycomb Co. Focus on how the racial tension of the Jim Crow south shapes Lee’s novel. Students must bring in outside research supporting their argument and identify the central claims made in their supplementary sources.
  • Write an informative short essay comparing Frost’s poem to Lee’s novel. Students must cite textual evidence from both.
  • SL – 3, 4
  • Find an appropriate controversial topic related to To Kill a Mockingbird and share with the students the facts of the case the day before they will debate. The students must write affirmative and negative opinions on notecards. These need to be ready for the next day. Utilize some debate strategy and allow the students to formally debate the issues. Make sure some are on the affirmative and some are on the negative. You will also need an impartial judge per group.
  • Ideas to incorporate:
  • Accountable talk
  • Claims
  • Evidence
  • Counter-claims
  • Differing opinions

Unit 6 – European Literature/6 weeks

  • Texts: Lord of the Flies, The Necklace, Ode on a Grecian Urn, Silas Marner
  • Standards
  • RL – 6, 10
  • Lord of the Flies (To Kill a Mockingbird)
  • Examine the two works for the way they approached young people coping with situations.
  • W – 3 (a-e), 10
  • Choose a minor/supporting character from any of the assigned texts read during this unit and write a creative narrative from their perspective.
  • Lord of the Flies and To Kill a Mockingbird
  • Write an essay comparing and contrasting the two novels from the perspective of the children. How did they cope? What were the techniques they used? This should be an argumentative essay.

Unit 7 – Teacher’s Choice/4 weeks

  • Choose 1 short work, and one set of similarly themed non-fictional works to teach over the last two weeks.
  • The assessment on this can be either project based or essay based.
  • You may show one full length film during this unit. The film must be submitted to administration for approval and must align with a text read previously this semester or with a current text.

9th Grade Level Reading List:

If there is a text in your assigned textbook, and it is not listed, you may teach without needing approval.

Bold text = required

  • Shakespeare Plays: (Must Teach 1)
  • Romeo and Juliet
  • Timon of Athens
  • Anthony and Cleopatra
  • Dramas
  • Oedipus Rex
  • Medea
  • The Glass Menagerie
  • Our Town
  • Twelve Angry Men
  • Epics
  • The Odyssey
  • Song of Hiawatha
  • Novels
  • To Kill a Mockingbird
  • Gulliver’s Travels
  • Silas Marner
  • Lord of the Flies
  • Non-Fiction
  • Star Spangled Banner
  • I Have a Dream
  • Barack Obama’s 2009 Inaugural Address
  • The Gettysburg Address
  • Washington’s Farewell Address
  • Short Stories
  • The Most Dangerous Game
  • The Cask of Amontillado
  • The Tell-Tale Heart
  • An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge
  • Lamb to the Slaughter
  • The Necklace
  • Rip Van Winkle
  • A Child’s Christmas in Whales
  • Legend of Sleepy Hollow
  • Interpreter of Maladies
  • A Clean, Well-Lighted Place
  • To Build a Fire
  • Araby
  • Roman Fever
  • The Interlopers
  • How Much Land Does a Man Need
  • Sherlock Holmes
  • Poetry
  • The Raven
  • The Road Not Taken
  • T’is So Much Joy
  • I, Too
  • I Hear America Singing
  • Do Not Go Into That Good Night
  • Still I Rise
  • The New Colossus

Link to online resources: