Ninth Grade Honors Literature and Composition



 

 

Ninth Grade Pre-AP Literature and Composition

Bradshaw Mountain High School

2011 - 2012

Contact Information

Instructor: Mrs. Amy Ernlund

amy.ernlund@

Phone 759-4164

Required Materials: One binder of the student’s choice that is only for English class

Spiral notebook

Pencils/ Black or blue ink pens/ colored pencils / glue sticks

Lined Paper

Supplies as needed to complete projects (some supplies will be available in the classroom)

Course Description:

The 9th grade Pre-AP English language arts curriculum implementation aligns with Arizona state standards. The content standards for this course are clustered by strands: Reading and Literature, Reading Across the Curriculum, Conventions, Writing, and Listening/Speaking/Viewing.

Ninth Grade Literature and Composition will continue to build on the reading and language curriculum established in middle school. Throughout this year-long course, students will have opportunities to develop and expand their knowledge of literature and language and demonstrate their mastery level of new learning through performance tasks and assessments.

Reading and Literature

Focusing on a study of literary genres, students develop an understanding of the way the form of a work of literature affects the meaning of that work. Students will read, interpret, and analyze informational material such as memoirs, biographies, and autobiographies. They will also analyze themes and structure in fiction, including short stories, novels, drama, and poetry. Through extensive reading, students will acquire new vocabulary specific to the study of literature and apply that knowledge in their writing.

Reading Across the Curriculum

To encourage students to become life-long readers, the curriculum includes standards that address both academic and personal habits of reading. Students will be responsible for Great Works Reading Journals as assigned. AP reading list sources are available for selection of appropriate titles.

Writing

Students will produce narrative, response to literature, informational, and persuasive writings. Students will practice timed writings and continue to use the stages of the writing process to develop compositions and writings that demonstrate an understanding of tone, point of view, style, organization, author’s purpose, and audience. Students will continue to use research and technology to support reading and writing.

Conventions

Students will increase their knowledge of the conventions of language in reading, writing, and speaking. They will demonstrate their control of the rules of English, focusing on sentence construction, paragraph development, and usage. They will also apply their knowledge of the conventions of format when producing academic essays, workplace writing, and research based papers.

Listening/Speaking/Viewing

Students will continue to develop their critical listening skills. Through presentations and interactions with the teacher and other students, they will apply effective speaking techniques in small and large group settings. The viewing standards will enable students to develop media literacy skills through the careful examination of contemporary texts including television, radio, film productions, and electronic media.

Textbooks:

Holt: Elements of Literature Third Course

Novels:

Lord of the Flies by William Golding

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkein

(in-class novels are subject to change)

Independent choice of novels for Readers’ Journals

Recommended Supplementary Texts

The BMHS English department encourages the use of the following texts that will supplement our study:

The Elements of Style: Writer’s Inc.

Mythology, Edith Hamilton

Units of Study

Please note that the syllabus may be amended and altered as time and class needs demand. Changes will be made at the discretion of the instructor.

1.  Short Story / Fiction

• Reading emphasis: Short Story Fiction Collections in Holt Language of Literature

• Writing emphasis: original short story

fictional character

formal essay structure/ response to literature

• Time allotted: 6 weeks

 2.  The Novel

• Reading emphasis: Lord of the Flies

• Writing emphasis: character analysis in the development of theme

• literary analysis of elements of author’s style

• Time allotted: 6 weeks

3. Nonfiction

• Reading emphasis: Various selections from the textbook and supplementary sources

• Writing emphasis: persuasive essay

5 paragraph essay response to a timed prompt

• Speaking emphasis: persuasive speech

• Time allotted: 6 weeks

Winter Break: Student Selected Independent Reading from AP Suggested Title List

4.  The Epic

• Reading emphasis: The Odyssey

• Writing emphasis: mini-research paper

• Viewing emphasis: The Odyssey

• Time allotted: 6 weeks

Research

• Reading emphasis: various selections from textbook and supplementary sources surrounding the topic of mythology

• Writing emphasis: research paper

• Speaking emphasis: research presentation

• Time allotted: overlap with reading The Odyssey 

     

5.  Lyric and Narrative Poetry

• Reading emphasis: various selections from textbook and supplementary sources

• Writing emphasis: analysis of poetic elements and style

• Creative Emphasis: poetry

• Time allotted: 2 weeks

6.  Drama

• Reading emphasis: Romeo and Juliet and various selections from the text.

• Writing emphasis: literary analysis

• Speaking/Performing emphasis: monologue

• Time allotted: 4 weeks

Assessments: Essays will be assessed according to the 6 Traits Scoring Guide. Each student will be assessed on the quality of accomplishing the standards for the course. Progress reports and semester grade distribution is as follows:

90-100 A

80-89 B

70-79 C

69-60 D

Below F

Make-up Work:

If a student is absent from school, either excused or unexcused, it is always his or her responsibility to make up the work missed. It is the student’s responsibility to check and ask what was missed. The student will have the number of days to make up the assignment that he or she missed (i.e. if the student is out for two days, he or she should have completed all the work two days after returning). All work should be made up to avoid receiving a zero for the assignment.

Late Work:

For major assignments, ten percent will be deducted each day after the due date. Unit portfolios and the research paper will not be accepted late.

Behavior:

Classroom Behavior Guidelines and Behavior Points will be discussed in class. All BMHS policy guidelines are followed.

Expectations:

I expect honors students to express a general enthusiasm for reading, writing, learning, and contributing to the class dynamic. With the students’ help, I plan to create an open environment for teaching and learning. I will be available for the students and parents to confer with me regarding the class, and I can be reached at any time at the above email address. I look forward to working with each student and parent to make this class a successful learning experience for all.

Arizona Performance Standards: The following standards will be addressed and assessed during this course:

• The student demonstrates comprehension by identifying evidence (e.g., diction, imagery, point of view, figurative language, symbolism, plot events and main ideas) in a variety of texts representative of different genres (e.g., poetry, prose [short story, novel, essay, editorial, biography], and drama) and using this evidence as the basis for interpretation.

• The student identifies, analyzes, and applies knowledge of theme in literary works from various genres and provides evidence from the works to support understanding.

• The student deepens understanding of literary works by relating them to contemporary context or historical background.

• The student employs a variety of writing genres to demonstrate a comprehensive grasp of significant ideas in sophisticated literary works. The student composes essays, narratives, poems, or technical documents.

• The student understands and acquires new vocabulary and uses it correctly in reading and writing.

For more detail regarding the Arizona Performance Standards and Elements please refer to the Arizona Dept of Ed. website.

Essential questions we will answer together this year:

• Why is reading for enjoyment important?

• What vocabulary is essential for the college bound student?

• What are the 6+ Traits of writing and how do they improve writing?

• Why is important to recognize basic literary elements?

• When is it appropriate to use one mode of expression over another?

• How do you use the elements of the short story to craft a short story?

• How do I create/author my own poem?

• How is Greek mythology relevant to my life today?

• Why are we studying Shakespeare?

• Why is the ability to complete a research project important?

This course begins and continues preparation for the senior Advanced Placement English exam. All students are encouraged to take this exam.

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