1. 10 A English
Overview

2. General Goals
Continue to cultivate the students’ reading, literary appreciation, composition and general communication skills on a college prep level- to put students on track for readiness not only for freshman level literature and composition courses at the college level, but also for higher level college literature/humanities courses.

3. Meeting the Goals
Students will learn “the language of literature” and recognize various literary devices and techniques in the works studied
Students are encouraged to actively think and reflect about material studied, and express their ideas in writings and class discussions
Writings will include both the rough draft, edit and revise process, and the short essay in which a final draft must be produced under timed conditions. Writings are commonly related to, or in response to literature studied in the course.

4. Major Components Literature Literary Discussion Composition
Grammar, Usage, Mechanics
Vocabulary Building
Oral Presentation
Technology Integration
Each of these is linked to specific CCSS

5. The Year in Literature
Encounters- various short stories/ poems to illustrate literary devices, techniques and themes
Steinbeck’s The Pearl and Of Mice and Men
O. Henry- selected short stories
Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea
Wharton’s Ethan Frome
Karen Hesse’s Witness
Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar
Literary works will be studied both as a vehicle for teaching CCSS, and for their own intrinsic literary, cultural, and thematic value.

6. Composition
Focus areas: structure, coherent development of ideas via specific details, examples, reasons, incidents, proper use of grammar mechanics and punctuation, improvement via teacher, peer or self-critique
Types: analytical essay, personal narrative, creative fiction, poetry, notes for spoken presentations (both informational and argumentative

7. Grading
60% Combined average of tests, quizzes, compositions, presentations
20% Homework exercises, in-class exercises
20% Class Preparation and Participation (you get a “B” for good prep and participation, if you want an “A” it needs to be excellent in my judgment)