Sunday, August 31, 2008

English 10 Major Units of Study

Finding Self: Animal Dreams by Barbara Kingsolver and Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse

Hero Quest: The Odyssey by Homer and Oh, Brother Where Art Thou (film)

Ethical Dilemmas: Antigone by Sophocles and All My Sons by Arthur Miller

Comic Relief: A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare and screwball romantic comedy films

Cultures Collide: Nectar in a Sieve by Kamala Markandaya and Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

Persecution: Night by Elie Wiesel and choice of In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez, Slaughterhouse 5 by Kurt Vonnegut or The Weight of All Things by Sandra Benitez

Tying it all Together: Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi and Rabbit Proof Fence (film)

Ongoing areas of study:

Visual literacy, including photography, film, and other images
Poetry
Vocabulary
Grammar, usage, and mechanics
Digital Literacies

Some notes about literature selection in our school district:

  • Literature that is studied and read as part of a course has been sited for excellence by an independent source. For example, it has won literary awards, received positive reviews by independent book reviewers and/or recommendations from professional organizations.
  • Students should read and analyze a variety of literature in print, auditory and visual texts including: Fiction, poetry, drama, short stories and nonfiction.
  • Students should study a diverse selection of topics and themes including race, gender, age, economics, and geography through a combination of contemporary and classic selections.
  • In grades 9-12 literature is adult, not young adult.

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