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.
Forces of Nature
Carousel of Progress
An Empire Divided (Honors)
Expressions
Proof or Satire
Fall of the Empire (Honors)
Students will demonstrate an understanding of storytelling in literary texts by describing the development of characters and plot, explaining the impact of word choice on literary texts, evaluating interpretations of a source text, and creating a narrative using the six traits of storytelling.
Students will demonstrate an understanding of explanatory writing by explaining the constitutional principles and legal reasoning in seminal United States texts, evaluating source relevance, integrating source information into a text, and creating a structured explanatory text following an outline.
Students will demonstrate an understanding of poetry and perspectives by analyzing the impact of structural and literary devices on a poem’s theme, creating a poem incorporating structural elements and poetic devices, and comparing eighteenth-century American cultural perspectives.
Students will demonstrate an understanding of the argumentative writing process by creating an outline with research following an organizational pattern, creating a written argument strengthened by evidence and audience awareness, presenting a revised argument supported by an infographic, and explaining the importance of understanding point of view.
Projects allow students to demonstrate competence and understanding of concepts and skills by completing a career-related task. For example, the assignment might be to create a mural, a package design, a speech, a film review, or a movie set – you name it! These creative projects are about applying your learning acquired through in-depth research to real-world career tasks.
Each competency will be addressed through a project that is based on a real-life career task. Here are the careers you will explore: Actor, Editor, Paralegal, Lawyer, Poet, Sociologist, and Psychologist.
Please also review the competency statements to learn more about the major topics and concepts covered in this offering.
Students will demonstrate an understanding of storytelling in literary texts by describing the development of characters and plot, explaining the impact of word choice on literary texts, evaluating interpretations of a source text, and creating a narrative using the six traits of storytelling.
Students will demonstrate an understanding of explanatory writing by explaining the constitutional principles and legal reasoning in seminal United States texts, evaluating source relevance, integrating source information into a text, and creating a structured explanatory text following an outline.
Students will demonstrate an understanding of poetry and perspectives by analyzing the impact of structural and literary devices on a poem’s theme, creating a poem incorporating structural elements and poetic devices, and comparing eighteenth-century American cultural perspectives.
Students will demonstrate an understanding of the argumentative writing process by creating an outline with research following an organizational pattern, creating a written argument strengthened by evidence and audience awareness, presenting a revised argument supported by an infographic, and explaining the importance of understanding point of view.
Experiences allow you to explore a career field you’re curious about while mastering competencies for school credit. Through career-focused experiential learning, you will develop and learn skills for application to tasks typically completed as part of a career rather than using traditional assessments like essays or tests. During your Experience, you’ll work with a professional in the field to support your learning whom we call an “outside expert.” You’ll earn a badge for your accomplishments to share on social media and higher education platforms, or with colleges, potential employers, peers, and colleagues to display your qualifications.
Here’s how experiences work:
Here’s an example:
Let’s say you’re curious about a career in healthcare. You decide you’d like to learn about this career area, make a professional connection, earn a badge, and meet competencies for your 9th-grade English requirement. While enrolled in English 1 Experiences, you conduct research to better understand language and structure in writing. Then you may work with an Occupational Therapist to help apply your writing skills to create an informational video about adaptive equipment for patients. The video aims to advise family members of patients regarding the use of accommodations and equipment to help patients perform daily tasks. Now you’ve earned the Language and Structure in Writing competency! This is just one example of the many ways Experiences can bridge competencies to careers.
Obtaining an Outside Expert: Prior to enrollment, please have an idea for an outside expert in mind or consult with our counseling department by emailing [email protected] for help in identifying one.
*A parent/guardian permission form and background check of the outside expert are both required to work with outside experts without parental supervision.
Students will demonstrate an understanding of storytelling in literary texts by describing the development of characters and plot, explaining the impact of word choice on literary texts, evaluating interpretations of a source text, and creating a narrative using the six traits of storytelling.
Students will demonstrate an understanding of explanatory writing by explaining the constitutional principles and legal reasoning in seminal United States texts, evaluating source relevance, integrating source information into a text, and creating a structured explanatory text following an outline.
Students will demonstrate an understanding of poetry and perspectives by analyzing the impact of structural and literary devices on a poem’s theme, creating a poem incorporating structural elements and poetic devices, and comparing eighteenth-century American cultural perspectives.
Students will demonstrate an understanding of the argumentative writing process by creating an outline with research following an organizational pattern, creating a written argument strengthened by evidence and audience awareness, presenting a revised argument supported by an infographic, and explaining the importance of understanding point of view.