The Purpose of the new District Curriculum Framework is to increase achievement by aligning curriculum, instruction, and assessments to state standards. Additional reading selections and material will be supplemented on an as needed basis.
Grading Policy:
Summer Reading 20% *English Department Requirement!
Classwork and Homework 15%
Quizzes 15%
Essays/Projects 25%
Tests 25%
Expectations:
*Be on time, prepared, and ready to learn everyday.
*Respect your peers, as well, as yourself, and the teacher.
*Learn one new thing everyday.
Supplies:
1. Binder
2. Flashdrive
3. Paper, pens, or pencils
Unit #1: Native American Experience and Evolving Cultural Identities
Core Novel: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
In the textbook:
1. Big Idea #1: The Sacred Earth and the Power of Storytelling (pgs. 12-13)
2. Native American Mythology (pgs. 20-21)
3. Before You Read: How the World Was Made (pgs. 22-23)
4. “How the World Was Made” (pgs. 24-26)
5. Before You Read: The Sky Tree (pg. 34)
6. “The Sky Tree” (pg.35-37)
7. “How the Leopard Got His Claws” (pgs. 38-43)
8. Wrap-Up: Comparing Literature (pg.46)
Guiding Questions:
· In the readings, how does group identity influence individual identity?
· How did Native Americans represented in the readings make sense of their world compared to how we make sense of our world today?
· Who are Native Americans today according to the selections in this unit?
Unit #2: The Puritan Tradition
Core Novel: The Crucible by Arthur Miller
In the textbook:
1. Early America (pgs.5-7 and 10-11)
2. Big Idea #2: Life in the New World (pgs. 14-15)
3. Before you Read: Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”
· How does a person determine what he or she values most?
· Why are some principles worth losing your life over?
· How much should a character’s values and belief’s motivate his or her actions?
· How does a dramatist develop characterization?
Unit #3: Revolutionary Nonfiction
In the textbook:
1. Big Idea #3: The Road to Independence(pgs. 16-17)
2. The Rhetoric of Revolution (pgs. 112-113)
3. Speech to Second Virginia Convention (pgs. 114-119)
4. Declaration of Independence (pgs. 120-126)
5. From Time Magazine: “How They Chose These Words” (pgs. 128-131)
6. From The Crisis, No.1 (pgs. 132-138)
Guiding Questions:
· Could you start a revolution with a tweet (i.e., 140 characters or less)?
· How do the readings help us better understand how revolution can be avoided or initiated?
· How can rhetorical strategies make an argument more persuasive?