Honors English

This course is designed to extend students’ understanding of the elements of literature through study of various works of ancient and modern literature. Students will focus their attention on analyzing, discussing, and writing about what they have read. The study of vocabulary will also accompany every piece of literature studied. Because communications is so vital to the learning process, English I students will utilize the writing process during class time and be required to make an oral presentation. Students will be required to submit a minimum of three writing assignments per quarter and construct a well-written five-paragraph essay.

As an introduction to literature of the ancient world, students will read Edith Hamilton or Bullfinch’s Mythology as an introduction to polytheism in Literature. This study will complement the first semester Religion I course in World Religions.

Students will also examine the evolution of drama as an outgrowth of religious ceremony by studying the history of drama and reading Oedipus.

As students study the ancient cultures of the world and learn about the role of the oral tradition in transmitting social history, they will read the entire Epic of Gilgamesh and at least six books of The Odyssey (Robert Fitzgerald translation).  They will also learn about the history of the epic tradition in classical literature and the characteristics of this genre.

The Freshmen Literature Honors course is not limited to the works in the Western European canon. Students will also read selections from The Arabian Nights: Tales from a Thousand and One Nights (trans. by Richard Burton).

As student progress through their World History and World Religions courses, they will also read Julius Caesar. In this context, they will examine the difference between fiction and history.

In conjunction with the study of the Middle Ages, students will read The Acts of King Arthur and His Noble Knights. (Steinbeck)

Should time allow, students may also read Romeo and Juliet and/or Nectar in a Sieve.

Writing: Freshman Literature will strengthen the fundamentals of writing while introducing a variety of writing styles. Students will be given opportunities to develop their own voice and explore new ideas and styles through individual portfolios.

I Fundamentals: 

• Students will work to develop their writing beginning with the basic paragraph and progress towards a five-paragraph essay.
• They will use a process of writing that includes peer editing and revising.
• Fundamental research skills will be developed through short research activities and library orientations. They will demonstrate competent bibliographies according to the Modern Language Association’s guidelines.

 II Portfolio Products:

• Students will have one finished product for each of the following styles of writing: personal narrative, persuasive essay, compare and contrast essay, reading journal, poetry, cause & effect essay, and five-paragraph interpretive essay.

COMPETENCY GOAL 1: Language—Students will demonstrate the ability to recognize effective oral communication used by authors and to use effective oral communication skills in the classroom. Objectives:

• Students will use agreed upon rules for informal and formal discussions in small and large groups
• Students will pose questions, listen to the ideas of others, and contribute their own information and ideas in-group discussions or interviews in order to acquire new knowledge.
• Students will deliver formal oral presentations using appropriate gestures, tone, vocabulary, and organization.
• Students will recognize and analyze how the English language has developed through history.
• Students will demonstrate how oral dialects differ from each other in English, how they differ from written Standard English, and what role standard American English plays in informal and formal communication. They will analyze when these dialects is a source of positive or negative stereotypes among social groups.

COMPETENCY GOAL 2: Literature—Students will demonstrate an understanding of the mechanisms of short story, drama, epic poetry, and novel. Objectives:

• Students will decode accurately and understand new words encountered in their reading material, drawing on a variety strategies as needed and then use these words accurately in speaking and writing.
• Students will demonstrate an understanding of the basic facts and essential ideas in what they have read, heard or viewed, drawing on focusing, planning, monitoring, and assessing strategies as needed.
• Students will demonstrate an understanding of the characteristics of different genres.
• Students will compare, contrast, and evaluate the different styles of various authors
• Students will use their knowledge of literary allusions to capture the full flavor and resonance when used in other literary works.
• Students will recognize and analyze themes in literature and provide evidence to support their understanding.
• Students will apply themes across time and texts.
• Students will analyze the moral and philosophical arguments presented in novels, films plays, or poems. They will interpret an author’s political ideology and it’s relevance to society.
• Students will identify and analyze the ways in which historical and cultural contexts influence literature.
• Students will interpret the meaning of literary works, non-fiction, films,  and media by using different critical perspectives and analytical techniques.
• Students will recognize and understand how an author’s choice of words appeals to the senses, creates imagery, suggests mood, and sets tone.
• Students will analyze and compare figurative language, imagery, suggests mood and sets tone.
• Students will locate and interpret character development in literature, supporting heir ideas with evidence from the text.
• Students will demonstrate an understanding of the structure and elements of fiction by supporting their ideas with evidence from the text. Specifically, students will locate and analyze point of view, foreshadowing, and irony.
• Students will demonstrate an understanding of the structure, elements, and meaning of non-fiction or information material, including speeches and literary criticism.
• Students will demonstrate an understanding of the structure, elements and theme of poetry
• Students will compare and contrast similar myths and narratives from different cultures and geographical regions.
• Students will analyze and compare the role of such elements as journeys, supernatural helpers, magical objects, and tests in literary works of literature and nonfiction.
• Students will plan and present effective dramatic readings, recitations, and presentations.
• Students will demonstrate an understanding of the function of playwrights, directors, and actors by writing, directing or acting in a play.

COMPETENCY GOAL 3: Composition - Students will demonstrate the ability to construct well written paragraphs and essays. Objectives:

• Students will develop their own voice in writing.
• Students will be able to write in a variety of forms.
• Students will write coherent compositions with a clear controlling idea and adequate detail, drawing on focusing and planning strategies as needed to generate and organize their ideas.
• Students will select and use appropriate genres, modes of reasoning, and speaking styles when writing for different audiences. And rhetorical purposes.
• Students will improve organization, content, paragraph development, level of detail, style, tone, and word choice in their compositions, drawing on a variety of revising strategies as needed.
• Students will develop their writing through a process of multiple drafts, conferences, revision, and editing.
• Students will demonstrate an understanding of English Grammar and Standard English conventions for sentence structure, usage, punctuation, capitalization, and spelling and use their knowledge to edit their writing.
• Students will demonstrate an understanding of theme through formal essay writing.
• Students will demonstrate an understanding of character development through formal essay writing.
• Students will use self-generated questions, note-taking, summarizing,  precise writing, and outlining in their learning activities. 
• Students will use open-ended research questions, different sources of information, and appropriate research methods to gather information for their research products.
• Students will evaluate the utility and credibility of information resources.
• Students will understand the definition and consequences of plagiarism and cite their sources according to MLA guidelines.

COMPETENCY GOAL 4: Media. Objectives:

• Students will select appropriate technology to enhance their efficiency in selecting pertinent or appropriate information and use it effectively to carry out research.
• Students will identify the aesthetic effects of a media presentation and identify and evaluate the techniques used to create them.
• Students will use media to demonstrate an understanding of the social or political philosophy of a literary unit or a particular issue.

Technology Learning Outcomes: The student can