Honors English 10AB 2015-16

Mr. Scull room S26

Course Description

Honors English 10 is developed around the Common Core Standards for English with the focus on developing advanced proficiency in reading, writing and speaking. As such, you will be challenged with a level of depth and complexity more advanced than a regular English course; there isn’t “more work”, but rather more complexity and depth to the assignments you’ll do. For a copy of the Common Core Standards for English, please visit:

In this class, you will explore the thematic concept of culture. Texts include Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart, Sophocles’ Antigone, Susan B. Anthony’s “On Women’s Right to Vote”, and the Nobel Prize acceptance speeches of Alexander Solzhenitsyn and Elie Wiesel. You will be challenged to use evidence from these texts in both your written and oral responses. Research plays a role as you investigate the Ibo culture represented in Things Fall Apart and present your findings in a collaborative presentation with digital media.

Also, Film texts play a role when you analyze the degree of objectivity and subjectivity present in documentary films while also gathering evidence about environmental issues. (Taken from SpringBoard Grade 10).

Academic Policies

Please consult the separate handout for a list of current policies for Honors English 9/10.

Units of Study—Summary Introductions*

The common theme of “culture” is suggested throughout the year as an element unifying the ideas we consider. For each unit, you will receive a more detailed description of the course of study. These will be posted on my class website as we proceed through the year.

  1. Exploring Cultural Identity—Culture is often difficult to define, but it influences everything from who you are as an individual to how you relate to other people at home and around the world. In this unit, you will explore different cultures by reading texts in a variety genres that reflect on the connection between one’s cultural heritage and his or her sense of identity. Using your experiences and information in texts, you will write a reflection about cultural identity, as well as creating an argument about the extent to which culture shapes an individual’s perceptions of the world.
  2. Dramatic Justice—Every culture must deal with issues of justice. Great literature, beginning with the dramatic literature of ancient Greece, gives us insight into the universal theme of the human struggle with issues of justice and injustice. Different cultures may have different standards and methods for arriving at justice, but every society must explore the question of what is just and fair. In this unit, you will look at texts from around the world as you explore how cultures address the complex issues of right and wrong.
  3. Cultural Perspectives--If our culture helps to shape our personal identities, how does our culture influence the ways we view and interact with others and the ways in which we perceive our world? In this unit, you will examine the role that culture plays in forming a personal identity and how that personal identity can be supported or challenged by encounters with other cultures through real or imagined experiences. You will also consider several issues that are commonly shared among very different cultures, and you will analyze the cultural perspectives represented by the stories that arise from those experiences. Finally, you will bring your study of cultural identities full circle as you revisit your own perspective on cultural issues and create a persuasive text to convince an audience.
  4. Building Cultural Bridges—In the previous units, you have learned that literature can bring together people from different cultures. Yet one viewing of the nightly news proves that cultural harmony is far from reality. Cultural clashes continue to afflict the world, and conflicts over environmental resources are increasingly a source of such clashes. In this unit, you will examine one issue in depth: global warming, or climate change, and the controversy that surrounds it. You will study this issue with two purposes in mind: one, to understand the issue and the conflicts to which it contributes; and two, as a model for a research project that you will present to your classmates. You will use your study of nonfiction film to design a short film to present your project.

*--Summaries adapted from SpringBoard® English Language Arts 10 (student edition)

Extra Help

Should you desire extra help on any assignment, please feel free to drop by my room before school between 7:15-7:45, or during our mid-morning break or lunch. I usually leave the campus by4PM.