Whitman-Hanson Regional High School provides all students with a high- quality education in order to develop reflective, concerned citizens and contributing members of the global community.

100/101 English I Academic Part A & B120 Days
Course Description / This course offers a combination of compositiong, vocabualry, garmmar, and usage to improve writing skills and styles of those students who have demonstrated a solid mastery of language skills. Literary selections may include a nvel, A Shakespearean daram, a Greek epic, selected short stories, and poetry. In this course there is a great emphasis on writing skills; students will be introduced to both the open response format and the five-paragraph essay. Preparation for the MCAS and the new SAT is include in this course. Students will be evaluated on outside reading assignments. This course addresses Whitman-Hanson Student Expectations 1-6.
Instructional Strategies / A variety of the following strategies are employed by grade nine teachers:
ticket to leave, Socratic discussion, PowerPoint for notes/lecture, group work, carousel, brainstorming, outlining, pair/share, peer editing, vocabulary collages, debates, dialectical notebooks, graphic organizers, word walls, graphic organizers, journaling, Cornell notetaking, etc.
Student Learning Expectations / 1.Read, write and communicate effectively.
2.Utilize technologies appropriately and effectively.
3.Apply critical thinking skills.
4.Explore and express ideas creatively.
5.Participate in learning both individually and collaboratively.
6.Demonstrate personal, social, and civic responsibility.

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English I Part A

Short Story Unit

Common Core State Standards / RL.9-10.1: Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
RL.9-10.5: Analyze how an author’s choices concerning how to structure a text, order events within it (e.g., parallel plots), and manipulate time (e.g., pacing, flashbacks) create such effects as mystery, tension, or surprise.
W.9-10.2: Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.
SL.9-10.1: Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 9–10 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
L.3.1f: Ensure subject-verb and pronoun-antecedent agreement
L.9-10.1: Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
L.9-10.5: Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.
Time Frame / 4 weeks
Text
(chapter/pages) / Holt Elements of Literature (third course)
Teachers must read two of the following:
(Please share the annotation handout - LTF resource)
“The Most Dangerous Game”
“The Scarlet Ibis”
“The Necklace”
“The Sniper”
Essential Questions
Concepts, Content / *What makes a "good" story?
*How does a writer develop a theme in a short story?
*How does a writer use language devices (diction, imagery, symbolism, figurative language) for specific effects in short stories? How does a writer develop a character in a short story?
*How can setting impact the meaning of a story?
*How does an author create mood?
*How does point of view affect the meaning of a story?
*How does a writer’s use of foreshadowing and irony impact the meaning of a story?
Targeted Skill(s)
LTF Activities are required – please see 9thgrade student resources / • Understand and identify traditional short story structure and elements. (5 “Handy” elements)
• Define and use appropriate literary terms related to short story.
• Critical reading of short stories: Students will be able to make personal and worldly connections to the text. They will make predictions (inferentialreading) and ask open-ended questions “-Understand and analyze the various recurring themes of short stories.(LTF activities on annotating a text)
• Refine grammar, usage, and composition skills in a variety of formats.
• Participate in class discussions about the literary/social effect of selected authors' works.
• Use text details to analyze character, plot, setting, point of view and development of theme.
• Write a multi-paragraph essay with an effective thesis statement and include specific and relevant details
Note taking skills/instruction (LTF activities on dialectical journals)
  • Author’s purpose and the use of connotative diction (LTF – “Best Word for the Job”; changing tone activity)

Assessment Practices / Teacher created Unit Tests, Quizzes, Class Discussions, Projects, Essays
Writing
One multi-drafted writing assignment required, including at least three quotations – minimum of two open responses / Sample Essay Topics:
  • Select a short story and write an essay that analyzes how a particular literary element (irony, symbolism, themes, etc.) plays a part in the essence and workings of one of the chosen stories. State thesis clearly and include at least three pieces of evidence to support the thesis.
  • Characterize Sanger Rainsford/General Zaroff from “The Most Dangerous Game.” (LTF character sketch activity)
  • How does the author’s diction create suspense? (LTF activity on thesis statements: concrete, abstract, opinion)
  • Multiple open response pieces – sample topics:
  1. “The Sniper” – How does the author want the reader to view the sniper – is he a cold-blooded killer, a soldier doing his duty, or a man caught in a tragic situation?
  2. “The Sniper” – Explain the irony in the story’s last sentence.
  3. “The Most Dangerous Game” – What clues at the start of the story foreshadow danger for Rainsford?
  4. “The Most Dangerous Game” – What details in the physical setting description of Zaroff foreshadow the truth about his nature?
  5. “The Necklace” – How would you characterize Mathilde’s husband?
  6. “The Necklace” – The choice of narrator affects the story’s tone. What tone is created through Maupassant’s use of third-person narrator?
  7. “The Scarlet Ibis” – In the last sentence the narrator calls his brother his “fallen scarlet ibis.” In what ways could the ibis be a symbol for Doodle?

Terminology /
  • Characterization, figurative language, irony (e.g., dramatic, situational, verbal), foreshadowing, narrator, conflict, plot (i.e., exposition, rising action, crisis/climax, falling action, resolution/denoument), point of view, sensory imagery, setting, style, symbolism, theme, tone/mood, connotative diction

The Epic (The Odyssey)

Common Core State Standards / RL.9-10.2: Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze in detail its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text.
RL.9-10.3: Analyze how complex characters (e.g., those with multiple or conflicting motivations) develop over the course of a text, interact with other characters, and advance the plot or develop the theme.
RI.9-10.7: Analyze various accounts of a subject in different mediums (e.g., a person’s life story told in both print and multimedia), determining which details are emphasized in each account.
RL.9-10.8a: Relate a work of fiction, poetry, or drama to the seminal ideas of the time.
W.9-10.9: Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
W.9-10.3a:Demonstrate understanding of the concept of point of view by writing short narratives, poems, essays, speeches, or reflections from one’s own or a particular character’s point of view.
SL.9-10.3: Evaluate a speaker’s point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric, identifying any fallacious reasoning or exaggerated or distorted evidence.
L.9-10.1: Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
Time Frame / 8 weeks
Text Chapter(s)/pages / Holt Elements of Literature (third course)
The Odyssey, Robert Fitzgerald
The Odyssey, Henry Christ
The Iliad, Robert Fitzgerald
Edith Hamilton’s Mythology
“The Lotos-Eaters” Tennyson
Essential Questions /
  • Why must we leave home?
  • Why is The Odyssey still relevant today?
  • What can Odysseus and his journey teach us, now?
  • What is more important– fulfilling the quest or making the journey?
  • When can our strengths also become our weaknesses?
  • What is the relationship between fate and free will?
  • Do the attributes of a hero remain the same over time?

Targeted Skill(s) / • Understand, identify and apply traditional elements of the epic.
• Define and use appropriate literary terms related to epic poetry and the epic hero
• Critical reading of epic poetry and mythology: Students will be able to make personal and worldly connections to the text. They will make predictions (inferentialreading) and ask open-ended questions
-Understand and analyze the various recurring themes, paying close attention to the important Greek traditions/the historical context of the literary work
• Refine grammar, usage, and composition skills in a variety of formats.
• Participate in class discussions about the literary/social effect of Homer’s epic.
• Use text details to analyze character, plot, setting, point of view and development of theme.
• Write a multi-paragraph essay with an effective thesis statement and include specific and relevant details
• Compose free verse poems from a character’s point of view.(LTF activity on POV)
• Create a travel brochure (using Microsoft Publisher) to persuade a person to visit various stops on Odysseus’s journey
Create a comic based on episode (textual evidence)
Draw a picture of Skylla based on the reading (find quotes to support…)
Other Resources / Videos- selections from Wolfgang Petersen’s Troy
The Odyssey
“Calypso” by Suzanne Vega
“Cyclops in the Ocean” by Nikki Giovanni
“Siren Song” by Margaret Atwood
“The Blinding of Polyphemus” Robert Dickerson
Available Assessment(s) / Teacher created Unit Tests, Quizzes, Class Discussions, Projects
  • Student Odyssey project
  • Board game

Writing /
  • Creative writing – Travel brochures/postcards home
  • Sample open response topics:
  1. Using evidence from the movie Troy, explain why Achilles deserves the title epic hero.
  2. Read the poem “Ithaca” (p. 711). What do you think Ithaca symbolizes in the poem? Use specific examples to support your claim.
  • Persuasive Essay – Does Odysseus deserve the title epic hero?LTF resources on persuasive writing- use the graphic organizer and essay outline

Terminology /
  • the classical epic poem
  • allusion
  • archetype
  • en medias res
  • epic poetry
  • epic/Homeric simile
  • epithet
  • hero
  • invocation
  • narrative
  • oral tradition

English I Part B

Shakespearean Drama

Common Core State Standards /
  • RL.9-10.3: Analyze how complex characters (e.g., those with multiple or conflicting motivations) develop over the course of a text, interact with other characters, and advance the plot or develop the theme.
  • RL.9-10.5: Analyze how an author’s choices concerning how to structure a text, order events within it (e.g., parallel plots), and manipulate time (e.g., pacing, flashbacks) create such effects as mystery, tension, or surprise.
  • RL.9-10.9: Analyze how an author draws on and transforms source material in a specific work (e.g., how Shakespeare treats a theme or topic from Ovid or the Bible or how a later author draws on a play by Shakespeare).
  • RI.9-10.1: Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
  • W.9-10.2: Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.
  • SL.9-10.1: Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 9–10 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
  • L.9-10.6: Acquire and use accurately general academic and domain-specific words and phrases, sufficient for reading, writing, speaking, and listening at the college and career readiness level; demonstrate independence in gathering vocabulary knowledge when considering a word or phrase important to comprehension or expression.

Time Frame / 6 weeks
Text Chapter(s)/pages / Holt Elements of Literature (third course)
Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare
Sonnets
Excerpt on comedy and tragedy from Poetics (Aristotle)
“William Shakespeare’s Life: A Genius From Stratford” (Robert Anderson)
Essential Questions /
  • Does Shakespeare still influence our world today?
  • How is drama different from other literary forms?
  • Are Shakespeare's views on love, loyalty, friendship, and fate still relevant today?
  • In what ways do little decisions/choices affect our lives?
  • What are the components of a tragedy and how are they used in Romeo and Juliet?
  • How does the cause-effect relationship work and how does it relate to the events leading up to the tragic ending of the play?
  • What is the relationship between fate and free will?How does free will play a part in Romeo and Juliet's destiny?
  • How does Shakespeare use of language set him apart from other writers?

Targeted Skill(s) /
  1. explore the role of fate, the effects of hate, and the many facets of love.
  2. employ strategies to analyze plot in literature.
  3. demonstrate their understanding of the text on four levels: factual, interpretive, critical and personal.
  4. practice higher-level thinking skills by synthesizing written material.
  5. recognize and understand Shakespeare's use of poetic conventions as a principle of dramatic structure in Romeo and Juliet.
  6. analyze characters to better understand motivation for action.
  7. be exposed to background information about Shakespeare, Elizabethan drama, and Romeo and Juliet.
  8. practice reading aloud and silently to improve their skills in each area.
  9. answer questions to demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of the main events and characters in Romeo and Juliet as they relate to the author's theme development.
  10. enrich their vocabularies in conjunction with the play
  11. Juxtapose specific scenes from the Luhrman and Zeffirelli films
  12. Write a formal persuasive essay using MLA format, including an argumentative thesis and support from the text. (proper use of vocabulary, conventions, sentence structure)

Other Resources / Videos – Romeo and Juliet, Franco Zefferelli
Romeo and Juliet, Baz Luhrman
Shakespeare in the Classroom



Available Assessment(s) / Teacher created Unit Tests, Quizzes, Class Discussions, Projects, soliloquy recitation
  • Act I-III Quotation test (examples of literary terms, plot details, character analysis, etc.)
  • Recitations (prologue, soliloquies, monologues)
  • Scrapbooks/Movies/Lyric projects

Writing / Possible essay topics:
  • Who’s to blame? State thesis clearly and include at least three pieces of evidence to support the thesis.
  • Discuss how Romeo and Juliet adheres to Aristotle’s definition of tragedy. State thesis clearly and include at least three pieces of evidence to support the thesis.
Open Responses:
  • Juxtapose Zefferelli’s version of Romeo and Juliet to Luhrman’s version (balcony scenes, ending scenes)
  • Prince Escalus monologue from Act I, Scene 1 (tone of his speech)

Terminology /
  • Aside
  • blank verse
  • classical allusions
  • comedy
  • dialogue
  • foil
  • heroic couplet
  • iambic pentameter
  • irony: dramatic, situational, verbal
  • monologue
  • reversal
  • understatement
  • protagonist
  • soliloquy
  • tragedy
  • tragic hero
  • tragic flaw
  • tragic illumination

Novel Study

Common Core State Standards /
  • RL.9-10.2: Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze in detail its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text.
  • RL.9-10.3: Analyze how complex characters (e.g., those with multiple or conflicting motivations) develop over the course of a text, interact with other characters, and advance the plot or develop the theme.
  • RI.9-10.3: Analyze how the author unfolds an analysis or series of ideas or events, including the order in which the points are made, how they are introduced and developed, and the connections that are drawn between them.
  • W.9-10.2: Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.
  • SL.9-10.2: Integrate multiple sources of information presented in diverse media or formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally), evaluating the credibility and accuracy of each source.
  • L.9-10.4: Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grades 9–10 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.

Time Frame / 6 weeks
Text Chapter(s)/pages / To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee
The Scottsboro Boys(video), PBS
Essential Questions /
  • How does To Kill A Mockingbird frame issues of courage and cowardice against the backdrop of the American South in the 1930s?
  • How can citizens break through barriers of prejudice to promote tolerance?
  • Why is Harper Lee's theme of social injustice still relevant today and, in particular, in your community?
  • What does it mean to "come of age"?
  • Who are the “mockingbirds” in history and our lives? What happens to them?
  • What is honor? Is Boo Radley and honorable man?

Targeted Skill(s) / Read and comprehendTo Kill a Mockingbird.
Analyze themes, messages, character development, and figurative language in To Kill a Mockingbird in oral and written responses.
Participate as an active member of small group and whole class discussion of the novel.
Draw connections between the themes and messages of the novel and those appearing in other narratives or personal experiences.
Write a formal literary analysis paper of To Kill a Mockingbird in MLA format, including an argumentative thesis and support from the text as well as critical sources. (proper use of vocabulary, conventions, sentence structure)
Other Resources / Videos- To Kill a Mockingbird
Supplemental readings on The Scottsboro Boys Trials (
“Letter From Birmingham Jail”

“The Ways of Meeting Oppression” – Martin Luther King, Jr.
Available Assessment(s) / Teacher created Unit Tests, Quizzes, Class Discussions, Projects
  • Newspaper project
  • Trial scene reenactment – gather evidence from various testimonies of characters to decide the outcome of the verdict.

Writing / Potential Literary Research Topics: (students should use the primary source and one critical essay)
  • Themes (life lessons, honor, courage, etc.)
  • Appearance vs. Reality
  • Symbolism
  • Prejudice/Discrimination
Open Response Topics:
  • Have students respond to Atticus’ advice to Scout: “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view – until you climb into his skin and walk around in it” (Lee 30).
Reflective Journals:
  • A time you were dared to do something
  • Remembering your first day of school
  • A time you questioned authority
  • A time you went against the crowd
  • Something your parents have taught you

Terminology /
  • Antagonist
  • characterization
  • symbolism
  • perspective
  • characters: major and minor
  • conflict
  • extended metaphor
  • motif
  • parallel plots
  • protagonist
  • setting
  • theme

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