The work that we do this year in English will be designed with several goals in mind, all of which will support your development as a literate individual.  You will explore your identity as a reader, a writer, a speaker, and a listener.  You will develop and refine your skills in all of these areas while encountering and responding to a variety of texts and genres of literature.  All the work that we do will be specifically mapped to the Benchmark and Graduation Portfolios in skills and in content.

The essential question that will guide the entire year in all Water classrooms is:

What is the nature of power?

In order to address this question, we will look at power in a multiplicity of ways:

•How is persuasion powerful?

•Who has power over one’s perspective?

•How does power affect community?

•What does it take to be powerful?

You will explore power in the stories that we read as well as through how we encounter and process text.  You will consider the power of multiple perspectives as you are introduced to literary critical theory.  You will develop and sharpen your ability to interpret and respond to text using a variety of writing and discussion techniques.

Academic Skill Goals

By the end of this course you will demonstrate the ability to:

•Practice and utilize descriptive writing to enhance all genres of writing, from creative and reflective to persuasive and analytical

•Recognize and produce the elements of standard academic expository writing in an organized and polished form

•Verbally and in written form reflect on your identity and development as a reader, writer, speaker, and listener

•Write a persuasive text containing  the appropriate  technical elements and conventions

•Write a multi-draft literary analysis essay, utilizing one or more critical lenses;  driven by a developed thesis and supported with textual evidence

•Contribute to critical classroom discussions around ongoing content

Course Texts

You will read a variety of genres of writing which includes poetry, short stories, non-fiction, excerpts from larger texts and entire novels. The following list is not exhaustive and is subject to change.

•The Culture of Make Believe by Derrick Jensen

•All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque

•Night by Elie Weisel

•Our America by LeAlan Jones and Lloyd Newman

Abby Benedetto

abby@es-metro.org

link to archived site

image from www.sepp.org