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High School
English 2/English 2 Honors
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Description: Students will discover how the human experience is the foundation of the best stories, plays, poems, films, speeches, and articles by evaluating its presence across genres and throughout history. With a strong focus on the art of writing and speaking, students will engage with a number of rich texts to uncover how authors and speakers use their words to reflect their thoughts on the world. Through writing about literature and research-based topics, students will further develop their voices to create compositions of excellence.
Major Topics and Concepts
Segment One
Reading Comprehension/Expository & Narrative Writing
Evaluating tone through connotation and denotation
Exploring poetic devices and their impact on meaning
Determining how figurative language enhances mood
Analyzing how authors create layers of meaning in ambiguous poetry
Examining the ways literary elements interact
Analyzing plot structure
Identifying and tracking universal themes in literary texts
Determining the point of view’s effect on plot, character, and conflict
Using narrative techniques to enhance creative writing
Analyzing coming-of-age experiences in literature
Tracking conflicting perspectives in literature
Examining informational text structures and features
Using digital media to enhance an audience’s understanding of a topic
Uncovering word meanings through context clues
Writing effective summaries
Determining the central idea of a text
Locating credible sources based on bias, origin, and purpose
Utilizing parallel structure in writing
Editing and revising with purpose
Synthesizing information from researched sources in an expository essay
Formatting the Works Cited page
Citing sources correctly
Using signal phrases and transitions in academic writing
Writing effective informational introductions, body paragraphs, and conclusions
Formulating thesis statements for academic writing
Using precise language and domain-specific vocabulary
Publishing a final draft
Segment One Honors
Composing a poem with ambiguous meaning
Creating a fictional text based on a well-researched universal theme
Illuminating a real world problem through fiction
Segment Two
Reading Comprehension/Argumentative & Informational Writing
Evaluating how rhetorical appeals and devices support an argument
Evaluating the effectiveness of opposing arguments
Planning and organizing an effective argument
Identifying elements of an effective claim, counterclaim, and rebuttal
Effectively supporting a claim with evidence
Utilizing academic language and formal tone in writing
Incorporating elaborative details to communicate and clarify knowledge to an audience
Writing a polished final draft
Analyzing historical speeches
Composing a narrative essay
Discovering ways authors adapt classical, mythical, or religious texts
Recognizing etymology’s role in the development of language over time
Using knowledge of affixes and roots to determine the meaning of unknown words
Interpreting rigorous texts through the use of etymology, word parts, and context clues
Analyzing characterization in drama
Evaluating traits of tragedy, including the tragic hero
Discovering how plot connects to drama
Determining how plot elements add layers of meaning to drama
Recognizing universal themes
Creating mood and tension in a narrative through narrative techniques
Segment Two Honors
Composing a rhetorically-charged closing argument for a fictional character
Comparing and contrasting elements of leadership in non-fiction and fiction
Interpreting purpose and theme in an allegorical text
Paraphrasing rigorous literary texts
Course Materials
Student-Supplied Resources
Students need to supply the following materials to complete the coursework.
Required:
Disk space on your computer as well as external device to back up your files (flash drive, external hard drive, etc.)
Word processing program (Microsoft Word or similar)
All students read one of the following short stories in Segment One:
“American History” by Judith Ortiz Cofer
“Rules of the Game” by Amy Tan
“The Jacket” by Gary Soto
“The Bass, The River, and Sheila Mant” by W.D. Wetherell
*Short stories may be found online.
School-Supplied Resources:
Students will explore excerpts from the following literature:
Macbeth by William Shakespeare
“Caline” by Kate Chopin
The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
“The Story of Pygmalion” from Metamorphoses by Ovid
Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man by James Weldon Johnson
Assorted speeches, poems, and historical texts
Competencies
Coming of Age Literature
Students will demonstrate an understanding of coming of age literature by summarizing universal themes, explaining parallel structure, and creating a multimedia presentation.
Fundamentals of Fiction
Students will demonstrate an understanding of the fundamentals of fiction by explaining figurative language, describing expressive poetry, and explaining storytelling techniques.
Writing with Purpose
Students will demonstrate an understanding of writing with purpose by summarizing nonfiction elements, describing nonfiction writing, explaining research in nonfiction, and creating an expository essay.
Elements of Literature
Students will demonstrate an understanding of the elements of literature by explaining literary devices, describing language choice, and summarizing Shakespearean literature.
The Argument
Students will demonstrate an understanding of the argument by explaining rhetoric, summarizing argumentative structure, and creating an argument.
The Narrative
Students will demonstrate an understanding of the narrative by describing narrative elements, summarizing a narrative plot, and creating a narrative story.