Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Course Description
What does the future hold for you? Who controls your destiny? Will your
destiny will be determined by the practical, realistic expectations and goals you set?
Through American literature, we will examine decisions we are making now that
will affect the rest of our lives. We will explore themes of non-conformity, self-
reliance, and opportunity. The English language arts are the vehicles of communication
by which we live, work, share and build ideas and understandings of the present,
reflect on the past, and imagine the future. Through the English language arts, we
learn to appreciate, integrate and apply what is learned for real purposes in our
homes, schools, communities, and workplaces. The ultimate goal for all English language
arts learners is personal, social, occupational and civic literacy. Literacy combines the
skills of reading, writing, listening, speaking, and viewing. It goes beyond the ability to
read and write at basic levels. Literate individuals understand the different functions
of language arts for personal, social, political and cultural purposes.
Objectives
• All students will examine decisions and the resulting consequences through examination of
themes and concepts.
• All students will examine pivotal moments in life and literature, anticipating outcomes and
processing what to do differently when a similar experience presents itself again.
• All students will explore the idea of the American Dream and the realities of modern America.
• All students will study the cultural values expressed in past literature and their connections to
present and future opportunities.
• All students will practice the writing process as it relates to the above objectives.
All students will communicate this understanding through media, reading, writing, self
reflection, discussion and presentation in school, the home, community and workplace.
Students will explore ways in which to connect knowledge from all curriculum areas to
enhance their understanding of their place in the world.
*The English 11 course is in alignment with the course content expectations as defined by
the Michigan Department of Education. See www.michigan.gov/mde for details.
Materials/Resources
Textbook: Elements of Literature 5th Course, includes The Crucible
*The Scarlet Letter , and other pieces of literature in 11th grade English.
1
Novels for Eleventh Grade
Scarlet Letter Poe
The Crucible The Red Badge of
Courage
No Exit TBA
--Teachers must get approval from English Dept. Chair to use a
different novel.
--Teachers may not use novels from another grade.
2
100-93% A 92-90% A- 89-87% B+ 86-83% B
82-80% B- 79-77% C+
76-73% C 72-70% C- 69-67% D+ 66-63% D 62-
60% D- 59-0 E
3
Classroom Rules and Procedures: See instructor’s attached information
4
5
English 11
EN 312 and EN 322
2 Semesters
6
Syllabus for Teachers, Administrators, and Parents
Course Description
What does the future hold for you? Who controls your destiny? What are you
doing today to secure your dream? Your destiny will be determined by the practical,
realistic expectations and goals you set.
Through American literature, we will examine decisions we are making now that
will affect the rest of our lives. We will explore themes of non-conformity, self-
reliance, and opportunity. The English language arts are the vehicles of communication
by which we live, work, share and build ideas and understandings of the present,
reflect on the past, and imagine the future. Through the English language arts, we
learn to appreciate, integrate and apply what is learned for real purposes in our
homes, schools, communities, and workplaces. The ultimate goal for all English language
arts learners is personal, social, occupational and civic literacy. Literacy combines the
skills of reading, writing, listening, speaking, and viewing. It goes beyond the ability to
read and write at basic levels. Literate individuals understand the different functions
of language arts for personal, social, political and cultural purposes.
Objectives
• All students will examine decisions and the resulting consequences through examination of
themes and concepts.
• All students will examine pivotal moments in life and literature, anticipating outcomes and
processing what to do differently when a similar experience presents itself again.
• All students will explore the idea of the American Dream and the realities of modern America.
• All students will study the cultural values expressed in past literature and their connections to
present and future opportunities.
• All students will practice the writing process as it relates to the above objectives.
All students will communicate this understanding through media, reading, writing, self
reflection, discussion and presentation in school, the home, community and workplace.
Students will explore ways in which to connect knowledge from all curriculum areas to
enhance their understanding of their place in the world.
*The English 11 course is in alignment with the course content expectations as defined by
the Michigan Department of Education. See www.michigan.gov/mde for details.
Materials/Resources
Textbook: Elements of Literature 5th Course, includes The Crucible
*The Crucible, Their Eyes Were Watching God, and The Great Gatsby are required pieces of literature
in 11th grade English.
Novels for Eleventh Grade
Scarlet Letter
The Joy Luck Club
Their Eyes Were Watching God
The Bone Setter’s Daughter
I know Why the Caged Bird Sings
The Awakening
7
The Great Gatsby
Death of a Salesman Rocket
Boys Night
Mississippi Trial, 1955
Fallen Angels
8
in the designated marking period. An incomplete will be given until the
research paper is completed.
100-93% A 92-90% A- 89-87% B+ 86-83% B
82-80% B- 79-77% C+
76-73% C 72-70% C- 69-67% D+ 66-63% D 62-
60% D- 59-0 E
Literature
Creation myths, trickster tales, Native American literature
Required:
Of Plymouth Plantation
The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equinao
The History of the Dividing Line
Upon the Burning of Our House
Sinners in the Hands of An Angry God
9
• The Writing Process: Prewriting, Drafting, Revising
Content, Editing Details, Final Drafting, & Publishing
• 6 + 1 Traits of Writing: Ideas, Organization, Word
Choice, Sentence Fluency, Voice, & Conventions
(Presentation is the 7th trait in 6 + 1 Writing
Traits.)
& Organization
1.3 Communicate in speech, writing, and multimedia using content, form, voice,
and style appropriate to the audience and purpose (e.g., to reflect,
persuade, inform, analyze, entertain, inspire).
*1.3.4 Develop an argument by analyzing different perspectives and employing a
structure that effectively conveys the ideas in writing (e.g., resolve
inconsistencies in logic; use a range of strategies to persuade, clarify, and
defend a position with precise and relevant evidence; anticipate and
address concerns and counterclaims; provide a clear and effective
conclusion.
10
Required Common Assessments and/or
Products
Personal Narrative: Important person, place, or
event in our lives
1st Writing Prompt: Instructional prompt used to
model, teach, and practice persuasive writing in a
timed setting
Establish a writing portfolio for grade 11 (Traits of
Publishing & Presentation)
Literature
The Crucible (Required)
12
Unit 2 Learning Outcomes / Standards & Expectations
*Identify learning targets within each content expectation in this unit. Ex: 3.1.2
13
Goodnight and Good Luck movie clip
Essential Questions
What does it mean to be American?
Do I trust America?
How have the values of democracy changed over time, and what do they mean to
me?
How do the heroes of literature reflect the time?
How do I defend my beliefs and values?
Required Literature
Patrick Henry’s Speech to the Virginia Convention
Letter from Birmingham Jail by Martin Luther King (Connect
in this unit or unit 4)
Thomas Paine The Crisis
Thomas Jefferson The Declaration of Independence
Iroquois Constitution
14
• Timed reading to determine time commitment for
each text
• Maintain writing portfolio (Traits of Publishing &
Presentation)
• Reflect on a piece of writing in portfolio that
represents effort and growth
• Monitor growth using literacy indicators: language
fluency, reading complexity, modes of discourse
15
Unit 3 Learning Outcomes / Standards & Expectations
*Identify learning targets within each content expectation in this unit. Examples are provided.
*1.1.3 Select and use language that is appropriate for the purpose, audience, and
context.
*1.1.4 Compose drafts that convey an impression, express an opinion, raise a question,
argue a position, explore a topic, tell a story, or serve another purpose.
*1.1.6 Reorganize sentence elements as needed and choose grammatical and stylistic
options that provide sentence variety, fluency, and flow.
*1.1.7 Edit for style, tone, and word choice (specificity, variety, accuracy,
appropriateness, conciseness) and for conventions of grammar, usage and
mechanics that are appropriate for audience.
*1.1.8 Proofread to check spelling, layout, and font; and prepare selected pieces for a
public audience.
1.3 Communicate in speech, writing, and multimedia using content, form, voice, and
style appropriate to the audience and purpose (e.g., to reflect, persuade,
inform, analyze, entertain, inspire).
*1.3.1 Compose written, spoken, and/or multimedia compositions in a range of genres
(e.g., personal narrative, biography, poem, fiction, drama, creative nonfiction,
summary, literary analysis essay, research report, or work-related text):
pieces that serve a variety of purposes (e.g., expressive, informative,
creative, and persuasive) and that use a variety of organizational patterns
(e.g., autobiography, free verse, dialogue, comparison/contrast, definition, or
cause and effect).
*1.3.2 Compose written and spoken essays or work-related text that demonstrate
logical thinking and the development of ideas for academic, creative, and
personal purposes: essays that convey the author’s message by using an
engaging introduction (with a clear thesis as appropriate), well-constructed
paragraphs, transition sentences, and a powerful conclusion.
*1.3.8 Evaluate own and others’ effectiveness in group discussions and formal
presentations (e.g., considering accuracy, relevance, clarity, and delivery;
types of arguments used; and relationships among purpose, audience, and
content).
16
Unit 3 Learning Outcomes / Standards & Expectations Continued
1.4 Develop and use the tools and practices of inquiry and research—generating,
exploring, and refining important questions; creating a hypothesis or thesis;
gathering and studying evidence; drawing conclusions; and composing a report.
*1.4.3 Develop and refine a position, claim, thesis, or hypothesis that will be explored
and supported by analyzing different perspectives, resolving inconsistencies,
and writing about those differences in a structure appropriate for the audience
(e.g., argumentative essay that avoids inconsistencies in logic and develops a
single thesis; exploratory essay that explains differences and similarities and
raises additional questions).
*1.4.4 Interpret, synthesize, and evaluate information/findings in various print sources
and media (e.g., fact and opinion, comprehensiveness of the evidence, bias,
varied perspectives, motives and credibility of the author, date of publication)
to draw conclusions and implications.
2.2 Use a variety of reading, listening, and viewing strategies to construct meaning
beyond the literal level (e.g., drawing inferences; confirming and correcting;
making comparisons, connections, and generalizations; and drawing conclusions).
*2.2.1 Recognize literary and persuasive strategies as ways by which authors convey
ideas and readers make meaning (e.g., imagery, irony, satire, parody,
propaganda, overstatement/understatement, omission, and multiple points of
view).
Essential Questions
What are Romanticism and Transcendentalism?
Do I use my imagination to create ideas, solve problems, and express myself?
What is my connection to the world?
Am I self-reliant?
Is my personal journey consistent with or different from the American Dream?
When is taking social action appropriate?
Literature
*Expose students to pieces by the following authors:
Longfellow and Bryant Hawthorne
Poe Whitman
Irving Dickinson
Emerson and Thoreau
Letter from Birmingham Jail by Martin Luther King (Connect
here if not used in unit 3)
2.2 Use a variety of reading, listening, and viewing strategies to construct meaning
beyond the literal level (e.g., drawing inferences; confirming and correcting;
making comparisons, connections, and generalizations; and drawing conclusions).
*2.2.3 Interpret the meaning of written, spoken, and visual texts by drawing on
different cultural, theoretical, and critical perspectives.
19
Unit 4 Learning Outcomes / Standards & Expectations Continued
*3.1.7 Analyze and evaluate the portrayal of various groups, societies, and cultures in
literature and other texts.
*3.1.8 Demonstrate an understanding of historical, political, cultural, and philosophical
themes and questions raised by literary and expository works.
*3.1.9 Analyze how the tensions among characters, communities, themes, and issues in
literature and other texts reflect human experience.
*3.1.10 Demonstrate an understanding of the connections between literary and
expository works, themes, and historical and contemporary contexts.
3.3 Use knowledge of literary history, traditions, and theory to respond to and
analyze meaning of texts.
*3.3.1 Explore the relationships among individual works, authors, and literary
movements in American literature (e.g., Puritanism, Romanticism, Harlem
Renaissance) and consider the historical, cultural, and societal contexts in which
works were produced.
*3.3.6 Critically examine standards of literary judgment (e.g., aesthetic value, quality
of writing, literary merit, social significance) and questions regarding the
inclusion and/or exclusion of literary works in the curriculum (e.g., canon
formation, “classic” vs. “popular” texts, traditional vs. non-traditional
literature, the place of literature by women and/or minority writers).
3.4 Examine mass media, film, series fiction, and other texts from popular culture.
*1.5.4 (if webquest is done) Use technology tools (e.g, word processing, presentation
and multimedia software) to produce polished written and multimedia work (e.g.,
literary and expository works, proposals, business presentations,
advertisements).
Literature
*Expose students to pieces by the following authors:
Frederick Douglas Ambrose Bierce
Stephen Crane Jack London
Kate Chopin Twain
Options:
The Story of an Hour by Chopin; Desiree’s Baby by Chopin
War Prayer by Twain
Novel study from authors above
Literacy Strategies
Cause and Effect graphic organizer Think- Alouds
21
Text Patterns Vocabulary
Word Map
• Timed reading to determine time commitment for
each text
• Maintain writing portfolio (Traits of Publishing &
Presentation)
• Reflect on a piece of writing in portfolio that
represents effort and growth
• Monitor growth using literacy indicators: language
fluency, reading complexity, modes of discourse
22
Unit 5 Learning Outcomes / Standards & Expectations
*Identify learning targets within each content expectation in this unit. Example: 3.2.5
1.3 Communicate in speech, writing, and multimedia using content, form, voice,
and style appropriate to the audience and purpose (e.g., to reflect,
persuade, inform, analyze, entertain, inspire).
1.5 Produce a variety of written, spoken, multigenre, and multimedia works, making
conscious choices about language, form, style, and/or visual representation for
each work (e.g., poetry, fiction and creative nonfiction stories, academic and
literary essays, proposals, memos, manifestos, business letters,
advertisements, prepared speeches, group and dramatic performances, poetry
slams, and digital stories).
2.2 Use a variety of reading, listening, and viewing strategies to construct
meaning beyond the literal level (e.g., drawing inferences; confirming and
correcting; making comparisons, connections, and generalizations; and drawing
conclusions).
2.3 Develop as a reader, listener, and viewer for personal, social, and political
purposes, through independent and collaborative reading.
3.2 Read and respond to classic and contemporary fiction, literary nonfiction, and
expository text, from a variety of literary genres representing many time
periods and authors (e.g., myth, epic, folklore, drama, poetry, autobiography,
novels, short stories, philosophical pieces, science fiction, fantasy, young adult
literature, creative non-fiction, hypertext fiction).
*3.2.5 Respond to literature in a variety of ways (e.g., dramatic interpretation,
reader’s theatre, literature circles, illustration, writing in a character’s voice,
engaging in social action, writing an analytic essay) providing examples of how
texts affect their lives, connect them with the contemporary world, and
communicate across time.
23
• Unit test
• Write a short story that exhibits the literary
elements and devices studied
• Comic strip
Literature
*Expose students to pieces by the following authors:
Frost Cather
Jeffers Ransom
Hemingway
Literacy Strategies
Set a purpose for reading
Graphic organizers
Paraphrasing
• Maintain writing portfolio (Traits of Publishing &
Presentation)
24
Writing Process: Drafting & Revising Content
*3.2.2 Identify different types of poetry (e.g., epic, lyric, sonnet, free verse) and
explain how specific features (e.g., figurative language, imagery, rhythm,
alliteration, etc.) influence meaning.
4.1 Understand and use the English language effectively in a variety of contexts
and settings.
Literature
The Great Gatsby (Required)
Literacy Strategies
Literature Circles
Character Organizer/Analyzer
RAFT
• Maintain writing portfolio (Traits of Publishing &
Presentation)
26
Grammar Review: Pronouns and antecedents, varying
sentence length, run-on sentences, fragments, and common
27
• Examine Gatsby’s parties and how Fitzgerald
presents them. Consider how they represent the
spirit of the times and how they fit into the plot.
Unit 8 - Perseverance
3rd
9 weeks (3 weeks) including MME/ACT Preparation & Test
MME/ACT Preparation/Topics
Review ACT content & format, released items & practice
tests, timing techniques, test taking strategies, purposes
for state assessments, incentives, & accountability of
teaching & learning
Literature
Their Eyes Were Watching God (Required)
Independent and in-class reading with in-class discussions
28
• Allusions • Diction
• Colloquial • Changes in point of
Expressions view
• Syntax • Metaphor
• Language
manipulation
Literacy Strategies
Double Entry journals Literature circles
Setting map
• Maintain writing portfolio (Traits of Publishing &
Presentation)
29
Unit 8 Learning Outcomes/Standards & Expectations
Continued
30
Connections through Literature and Multimedia
Redemption movie about Stanley Tookie Williams
Their Eyes Were Watching God movie
Bob Edward’s Interview with Alice Walker (look on p.20)
NPR
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
The Color Purple (A chapter to compare author’s style or
another technique to Their Eyes Were Watching God)
Oprah’s biography:
http://www.achievement.org/autodoc/page/win0bio-1
Essential Questions
Why do people desire an escape from reality?
Is it possible to escape your past?
Do you have the power to determine your future?
Literature
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty A Worn Path
31
Jilting of Granny Weatherall A Rose for
Emily
The Life You Save May be Your Own
Literacy Strategies
Timeline of events
Short story map
32
Unit 9 Learning Outcomes/ Standards and Expectations
*Identify learning targets within each content expectation in this unit. Examples are provided.
33
Required Common Assessments and/or
Products
Research paper with reference page
Presentation of information researched
• Speech (A presentation is required in at least
one unit. Choose among Unit 3, Unit, 9, or
Unit 10…or do all three!)
• PowerPoint (Data projectors are available in
each school.)
Third Writing Prompt (Will be in 4th 9 weeks)
Literature
Harlem Renaissance: James Weldon Johnson, Langston
Hughes, Countee Cullen, Claude McKay
35
• Poetic analysis/explication
• Cross-Text writing between two poems studied in
this unit
• Select a piece in the portfolio from 11th grade and
write a piece self-assessing the strengths and areas
in need of improvement.
Franco, Betsy. You Hear Me? Poems and Writing by Teenage Boys.
(810.8092)
All the poems in this volume are written by teenage boys, and they speak
to every kind of issue: drugs, sex and sexuality, rejection, conformity,
bullying, love, anger and more. As a collection, they weave together to
demonstrate the challenge of becoming an adult.
36
Works by well-known poets like Langston Hughes and Maya Angelou
introduce the poetry of 13 - 21 year olds from all over the world,
including the US, Jamaica, Barbados, and several African countries. The
poems are grouped together by themes such as freedom, music, home, and
spirit.
37
2.3 Develop as a reader, listener, and
viewer for personal, social, and
political purposes, through ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
independent and collaborative
reading.
3.1 Develop the skills of close and
♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
contextual literary reading.
3.2 Read and respond to classic and
contemporary fiction, literary
nonfiction, and expository text, from
♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
a variety of literary genre ♦
representing many time periods and
authors.
3.3 Use knowledge of literary
history, traditions, and theory to
respond to and analyze the meaning ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
of texts.
3.4 Examine mass media, film, series
fiction, and other texts from popular ♦ ♦
culture.
4.1 Understand and use the English
language effectively in a variety of ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
contexts and settings.
4.2 Understand how language
variety reflects and shapes ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
experience.
Pacing Sept. Oct. Oct.- Nov.- Dec.- Jan. Jan.- Feb.- April May-
Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb. March June
38