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English 4/English 4 Honors
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Description: In English 4 students will study the motives that have driven people’s actions for centuries. Along the way, students will encounter epic heroes defying danger, tormented minds succumbing to the power of greed and ambition, enlightened thinkers striving for individual rights and freedoms, sensitive souls attempting to capture human emotion, and determined debaters taking a stand on critical issues. Students will read to analyze the way language is used to express human motivation and research to examine the results of actions in the real world. Students will gain insight and use tools from lessons and texts to apply knowledge and participate in creative and analytical writing.
Major Topics and Concepts
Forces of Nature
- Readings: Excerpts of Beowulf, Macbeth, and “Heroism”
- Concepts
- Character development
- Plot analysis
- Theme
- Tone
- Mood
- Literary devices
- Syntax
- Thematic analysis
- Six Traits of Writing
- Narrative writing process
- Proper use of conventions
- Skills
- Reading Shakespeare
- Conducting literary analysis
- Writing to address multiple texts
- Incorporating direct quotes
- Planning a narrative
- Writing a narrative
Carousel of Progress
- Readings: Preamble to the United States Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and excerpts from various articles and court cases
- Concepts
- Interpretations of the Bill of Rights
- Theme
- Domain-specific language
- Precise language
- Transitions
- Conventions
- Six Traits of Writing
- Informative/Explanatory writing
- Skills
- Analyzing informational texts
- Researching to support an informative/explanatory topic
- Creating an annotated bibliography
- Using MLA citations
- Writing an informative/explanatory article
An Empire Divided (Honors)
- Readings: Land of Hope and Glory,” “Song to the Men of England,” and The Man Who Would Be King
- Concepts
- Figurative language
- Poetic forms and devices
- Elements of Fiction: plot, character, conflict, theme, setting, point of view
- Tone
- Mood
- Diction
- Connotation and denotation
- Syntax
- Skills
- Experiencing and analyzing poetry
- Analyzing literary text
- Writing an informative/explanatory essay
Expressions
- Readings
- Selected poems, “The Story of an Hour,” “A Jury of Her Peers,” excerpts of pieces written by Benjamin Franklin and Judith Sargent Murray, and selected newspaper and magazine articles.
- Concepts
- Figurative language
- Figures of speech
- Poetic forms and devices
- Tone
- Mood
- Diction
- Connotation and denotation
- Imagery
- Allusion
- Symbolism
- Character development
- Historical context
- Thematic analysis
- Summary
- Skills
- Experiencing and analyzing poetry
- Writing poetry
- Reading and analyzing informational text
- Identifying and understanding different perspectives
- Summarizing
Proof or Satire
- Reading
- Selected political speeches, selected closing arguments from well-known court cases, selected newspaper and magazine articles, “Advice to Youth,” and “Burlesque Autobiography”
- Concepts
- Basic elements of persuasion
- Compare and contrast
- Argument analysis
- Characteristics of an effective claim
- Appeals to logic, emotion, and ethics
- Logical fallacies
- Research skills
- Ethical researching and writing practices
- Six traits of writing
- Argument writing process
- MLA format
- Domain-specific language
- Precise language
- Humor and satire
- Proper use of conventions
- Skills
- Analyzing arguments
- Identifying appeals to logos, pathos, and ethos
- Researching multiple sides of an issue
- Stating a claim
- Interpreting visual representations of data
- Creating an infographic
- Identifying satire
- Analyzing satirical works
Fall of the Empire (Honors)
- Readings
- “Shooting an Elephant,” “Speech at Calicut,” “To Every Englishman in India,” and various news articles
- Concepts
- Characteristics of nonfiction texts
- Theme
- Figurative language
- Tone
- Mood
- Diction
- Connotation and denotation
- Syntax
- Conventions
- Skills
- Analyzing traits of a personal essay
- Research to support writing a news article
- Analyzing traits of professional writers
- Writing an inverted pyramid news article
Competencies
Informational Writing Techniques
Students will demonstrate an understanding of informational writing techniques by analyzing text structures, evaluating author’s purpose, and creating an informational presentation.
Classic Literature
Students will demonstrate an understanding of classic literature by explaining the elements of literature, analyzing author’s style, and formulating a literary review.
Narrative Techniques
Students will demonstrate an understanding of narrative techniques by describing narrative pre-writing, explaining the narrative writing process, and creating a multimedia text.
Comparative Poetry
Students will demonstrate an understanding of comparative poetry by explaining poetic terms, analyzing historical poetry, and comparing elements of poetry.
Evidence-Based Arguments
Students will demonstrate an understanding of evidence-based arguments by explaining the components of an argument, creating an argument outline, and formulating an argumentative text.
Persuasive Oration
Students will demonstrate an understanding of persuasive oration by analyzing rhetorical appeals, formulating a persuasive speech, and integrating oration skills into a presentation.
