Enrichment Experience Mandala (Grades 9-12)
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English 4/English 4 Honors
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Why do people do what they do? English 4 will give you a front-row seat to study the motives that have driven people’s actions for centuries. Along the way you 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. You 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. The lessons in each module will give you the tools you need to gain insights from what you read and to use your knowledge in creative and analytical writing.
Note: content varies depending on course version. For currently enrolled students, please refer to the syllabus located in the course information area for curriculum specifics.
Competencies
Storytelling in Literary Texts
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.
Explanatory Writing
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.
Poetry and Perspectives
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.
The Argumentative Writing Process
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.
Major Topics and Concepts
Segment 1
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
Segment 2
Expressions
- Readings
- Selected poems, “The Story of an Hour,” “A Jury of Her Peers,” excerpts of pieces written by Benjamin Franklin, 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
Course Materials
To achieve success, students are expected to submit work in each course weekly. Students can learn at their own pace; however, “any pace” still means that students must make progress in the course every week. To measure learning, students complete self-checks, practice lessons, multiple choice questions, projects, discussion-based assessments, and discussions. Students are expected to maintain regular contact with teachers; the minimum requirement is monthly. When teachers, students, and parents work together, students are successful.
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.
Please review the competency statements to learn the major topics and concepts covered in this offering.
Competencies
Storytelling in Literary Texts
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.
Explanatory Writing
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.
Poetry and Perspectives
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.
The Argumentative Writing Process
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
Open
Digital Badge
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 these skills 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. You’ll earn a badge for your accomplishments, which you can share on social media and higher education platforms, or with colleges, potential employers, peers, and/or 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 earn 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 work with an Occupational Therapist who helps you apply this understanding to the creation of an informational video. The video aims to advise the family members of patients regarding adaptive equipment and accommodations to help them support their family members as they go about their daily tasks. 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.)
*A parent/guardian permission form and background check of the outside expert are required for students to work with outside experts without parental supervision.
*Please have an idea for an outside expert in mind prior to enrollment or consult with our counseling department by emailing [email protected] prior to enrollment for support identifying one.
Competencies
Storytelling in Literary Texts
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.
Explanatory Writing
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.
Poetry and Perspectives
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.
The Argumentative Writing Process
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.
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