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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.
Open
Projects allow students to demonstrate their understanding of concepts and skills by completing a job-related task. 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: Freelance Writer, Product Manager, Wildlife Conservation Manager, and Film Critic.
Please also review the competency statements to learn more about the major topics and concepts covered in this offering.
Projects
Freelance Writer
You will take on the role of a freelance writer hoping to get a book deal with a publishing company by entering a contest. For the contest, you are required to create a scene in the first person from a character’s point of view other than the narrative perspective that is already being used.
Product Manager
You are a Product Manager of a marketing company, representing a product of your choice. This is a two-part project. In Part A, you will conduct your research, and in Part B, you will create a sales resource and annotated bibliography.
Wildlife Conservation Manager
During this two-part project, you will take on the role of a Manager for a non-profit Wildlife Conservationist organization, tasked with preparing your team of Wildlife Conservationists to present arguments in front of Congress arguing for particular species to remain on the endangered species list.
Film Critic
You will take on the role of a journalist for a newspaper company. You will be tasked with attending a local film festival and, critique the festival’s main film.
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.
Open
Experiences allow you to explore a career field you’re curious about while mastering competencies for school credit. Through experiential learning, you will learn skills and apply them to tasks you would complete as part of a career rather than completing 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 a “mentor.” 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:
- Each competency you work on is addressed through a separate deliverable predetermined by you and your instructor.
- Guided learning for each module consists of research and/or work with a professional in the field. Your instructor will coach you through this process.
- Each module culminates in a final demonstration of understanding, which includes a deliverable and a discussion-based assessment with your instructor.
- 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 the creation of 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 a Mentor: Prior to enrollment, please have an idea for a mentor in mind. We have partnered with hundreds of mentors you can work with during your Experience, who you can find in our Career Mentor Catalog here. Or, you may consult with our counseling department by emailing [email protected] for help in identifying one.
*A parent/guardian permission form and background check of the mentor are both required to work with mentors without parental supervision.
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.
