“The function of education is to teach one to think intensely and to think critically.” Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

This introductory unit lays the groundwork for all subsequent units, introducing the concept of community. Students will annotate, analyze, compare and contrast multiple texts—basic skills necessary for future learning in this and other academic courses.

Literature/Print Text: Textbook Online: {access code: C7612F3EBE}

 Short Stories (Fiction) and Teacher Read Alouds:

  • “Everyday Use,” Alice Walker
  • “By the Waters of Babylon,” Stephen Vincent Benet
  • “from Theseus,” by Edith Hamilton
  • “The Stealing of Thors Hammer”
  • Excerpts from D’Aulaires’ Book of Greek Myths by Ingri D’Aulaire
  • Clash of the Titans, film excerpt
  • At home reading is required.

 Poetry:

  • “People at Night” by Denise Levertov
  • “Horses Graze,” by Gwendolyn Brooks
  • “Arabic Coffee,” by Naomi Shihab Nye
  • “We Real Cool,” by Gwendolyn Brooks
  • “Medusa” Sylvia Plath
  • “The New Colossus” poems by Emma Lazarus
  • “The Corner” by John Murillo

 Non-Print Text:

  • Visual clips from Shrek & Enchanted
  • I-Robot, Stepford Wives, Dick & Jane, Jurassic Park, etc.

 Writing:

  • How to answer questions completely (short answer responses)
  • Introduction to the Writing Process and all its stages.
  • Vocabulary including Greek and Latin roots
  • SAT/ACT/FCAT short answer and multiple choice
  • Persuasive, Expository, and Argumentative Essays
  • Grammar & Vocabulary Cartoons/Glencoe Writer’s Choice Grammar and Composition

“Every text is a lazy machine asking the READER to do some of its work.” ~Umberto Eco

Key Concepts:

  1. A community may define itself by the shared values and beliefs of its members.

Learning Objectives Students will be able to…:

1-1: Explain how the values and themes of a text reflect the historical period and culture in which it was written. (LA.910.2.1.8)

1-2: Analyze and compare themes of texts from various historical periods and cultures. (LA.910.2.1.4)

1-3: Evaluate and compare themes and symbols across multiple texts. (LA.910.1.7.6, 910.1.7.7)

1-4: Analyze how the meaning of a poem is enhanced through the poet’s use of repetition, rhyme, and alliteration. (LA.910.2.1.3)

1-5: Apply context clues to determine the meaning of unfamiliar words. (LA.910.1.6.3)

1-6: Identify the subject and predicate of simple and compound sentences. (LA.10.3.4.4)

  1. Literature may present the ideas and goals of a utopian community.

1-7: Analyze common root words to draw conclusions about the relationship between English and other languages (LA.910.1.6.11).

1-8: Identify and edit subject-verb agreement errors. (LA.910.3.4.3)

  1. Literary themes, characters, and ideas shared across texts can constitute a community of ideas.

1-9: Use a variety of strategies to organize ideas and responses to texts. (LA.910.3.1.3)

1-10: Write and share a myth demonstrating the use of appropriate narrative techniques and devices, sensory descriptions, and figurative language. (LA.910.3.5.3, LA. 910.4.1.1, LA910.4.1.2)

1-11: Revise writing for elaboration, developing details through the use of absolutes, participial phrases, and/or infinitive phrases. (LA.910.3.3.3, LA. 910.3.4.4)

1-12: Evaluate and compare the depiction of characters, values, and themes across multiple texts that are orally presented. (LA.910.1.7.7, LA.910.5.2.1)

  1. Poets may use sound devices such as rhythm and meter to underscore their themes.

1-13: Demonstrate active listening skills while analyzing poetry with others. (LA.10.1.6.2, LA.910.5.2.1)

1-14: Explain how a poet’s use of rhythm, meter, imagery, and simile affect the reading of a poem. (LA.910.2.1.3, LA.910.2.1.7)

1-15: Write a poem demonstrating the use of imagery, simile, and sound devices. (LA.910.4.1.2)

1-16: Demonstrate the correct use of comparative and superlative forms of adjectives and adverbs. (LA.910.3.4.3)

Unit Performance Assessment (UPA): (End of the Unit)

Students will write a RAFT from the point of view of and in the voice of a character that depicts the community in which they live. Each student will then write a poem or a vignette expressing their character’s point of view about their community. Characters will most likely be Mythological creatures or gods/goddesses.