Grade 11 Ela Curriculum

GRADE 11 ELA CURRICULUM AMERICAN LITERATURE AND LITERATURE OF THE AMERICAS

OVERARCHING GOALS The grade 11 ELA curriculum is intended to assist students with three broad goals:  To develop abilities in the four domains of language: speaking, listening, reading, and writing. A high degree of proficiency in each domain is essential to fulfilling ACC’s mission to prepare all students for college-level work.

 To develop the capacity to think critically about what they read, but also to think critically about the world around them. Critical consciousness is essential to academic success. More importantly, as students analyze and contemplate the environment in which they live, they become increasingly aware of the various forces that impact them daily. Such knowledge enables students take control of their lives, and hopefully, to make a difference in the lives of the people around them. Ultimately, critical consciousness helps students to become better citizens who can lead more fulfilling lives.

 To understand the evolving definition of what comprises American literature. If we are to understand our current historical context, it is crucial that we also have a sense of how America has become the country it is today. Literature provides the human component of the historical record. An understanding of the past informs the present and provides guidance for the future. We will pursue wisdom through consideration of essential questions such as, o What does literature of different times, places, and with different audiences, tell us about the context from which it arose? What does it tell us about ourselves, who we are, and where we came from? o What happens to the character and culture of a place over time? What is America? Who is America? What does it mean to be an American? Is it a set concept, or is it permanently in flux?

GRADING

PARTICIPATION HOMEWORK 30% 20%

ESSAYS TESTS 25% 25%

ORGANIZATION

A chronological approach to literature may be easiest, but I believe that it is not the most effective approach to this course. Instead, I will connect texts from different literary movements and periods according to themes, ideas, and elements of form. Some pairings are made in the interest of emphasizing likeness, while others are meant to highlight polarity. Nonetheless, maintaining awareness of the historical context out of which a given work arose deepens a student’s understanding of the work, so we will maintain a giant timeline in the back of the room to provide a visual representation of when each book occurs. This resource can also be used to track key terms, post insightful analyses, and add artistic elements. Such tracking is essential, because throughout the year we will be referring back to texts that we have already read in an attempt to develop theories about the interaction among the various periods and movements in American literary history. In addition, we will conclude the year with an examination of some literary exemplars from the rest of the Americas. We will look for commonality and contrast among writers from various parts of the Americas, including those writers working in the United States who have been the focus of the first three quarters of the year.

PRE-UNIT 1: WAYS TO LOOK AT LITERATURE; WAYS TO TALK ABOUT LITERATURE

OBJECTIVES  Scaffold: Teach basic critical thinking skills  Introduce, define, and apply relevant terms  Establish expectations for class discussion

TEXTS  The Giving Tree  Poetry: Black Star “Respiration”

This “pre-“ unit exists for students to learn some ways of looking at literature. We focus on texts that are not traditional to a high school English class. The texts are easily accessible, and often familiar, so that students can acquire the analytical skill without being frustrated by a challenging text. 1. Introduce, define, and apply literary theory. Key terms: Marxist, Formalist, Feminist, Psychoanalytical 2. Practice with The Giving Tree. 3. Practice with “Respiration” by Mos Def and Talib Kweli 4. Read “The Neuroscience of Your Brain on Fiction” from NY Times

UNIT 1 DISSENT: AN AMERICAN IDEAL DIDACTIC RIDICULE, LOGICAL PERSUASION AND SOFT SUBVERSION

OBJECTIVES  Scaffold: Teach basic critical thinking skills  Introduce, define, and apply relevant terms  Establish criteria for effective class discussion  Practice viewing literature from multiple perspectives  Establish an understanding of the literary context out of which each work arises UNIT GOALS, ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS, AND TOPICS FOR DISCUSSION - What is the function of the literary artist? - Does art hold up a mirror to life, or is it, in the words of Bertolt Brecht, “a hammer with which to shape it”? - How and why do different readers arrive at opposing interpretations of a text? - How does a literary artist use language to critique society? What techniques enable such critique? - How is dissent essential to a functioning democracy? - To what extent do writers and artists reflect and promote the ethos of a specific time, place, and group? - To what extent do writers and artists critique the ethos of a specific time, place, and group? - Where do we draw the line between offense and satire? - How do writers of later generations reflect the philosophical and stylistic influences of their predecessors? - How do writers of later generations reject and react against the philosophical and stylistic influences of their predecessors? -What are the defining stylistic and philosophical characteristics of each literary movement or period? Because it focuses on the fundamental American ideal of dissent, this is an exceptionally large unit. Therefore, we will break it up into subunits, as seen below. AUTHOR PRINCIPAL TEXTS GENRE, MOVEMENT, PERIOD SATIRE: An Introduction from the Master Twain, Mark “The Lowest Animal” Pre-modernism; satire; realism; picaresque; (1835-1910) The Adventures of Huckleberry bildungsroman; “Great American Novel” Finn

AMERICA AT WAR Vonnegut, Kurt Slaughterhouse-Five Post-Modernism; satire; black comedy; science- (1922-2007) fiction

Heller, Joseph Catch-22 (excerpt, ch. 5) Post-Modernism; satire; black comedy; science- (1923-1999) fiction

Paine, Thomas Common Sense Political pamphlet; persuasive essay; American (1737-1809) Enlightenment; rationalism

Hemingway, Ernest “Hills Like White Elephants” Modernism; realism; iceberg theory (1899-1961) The Sun Also Rises (or theory of mission); expatriate novel

Hawthorne, Nathaniel “Young Goodman Brown” Short story; figurative war between good and evil; (1804-1864) Dark Romanticism; Gothic literature

O’Brien, Tim The Things They Carried War/Vietnam story; metafiction (1946-present) (excerpts)

Komunyakaa, Yusef “Facing It” Poetry about the aftermath of war; (1947-present)

THE TRIBULATIONS OF THE OPPRESSED Truth, Sojourner “Ain’t I a Woman” Speech; abolitionism; Women’s Rights (1797-1883) Cady Stanton, Elizabeth “The Seneca Falls Declaration” Speech; Women’s Rights; political writing; (1815-1902) persuasive writing

Chopin, Kate “The Story of an Hour” Feminist literature; realism; local color (1850-1904) “Desiree’s Baby” Perkins Gilman, “The Yellow Wallpaper” Feminist literature; Gothic literature; socio- Charlotte political allegory; psychological case study (1860-1935)

Butler, Octavia “Bloodchild” Science-fiction; fantasy; horror (1947-2006)

Piercy, Marge “Barbie Doll” Feminist literature; poetry; social justice (1936-present)

Hawthorne, Nathaniel The Scarlet Letter Dark Romanticism; Gothic literature; symbolic (1804-1864) (excerpts) novel; historical fiction

Hughes, Langston Selected works Harlem Renaissance; Jazz poetry; Modernism (1902-1967)

SUPPLEMENTARY READINGS, MEDIA, AND ACTIVITIES  Opening pages of Howard Zinn’s A People’s History of the United States, including excerpts from letters of Christopher Columbus and Journals of Bartolome de las Casas.  Shrek: Opening scene (Goes with Walter Scott reference. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSif4R- 4lt4  Dunbar, “We Wear the Mask”  Dave Chappelle’s “Black White Supremacist” (S1E01 12:00)  Real world analog to Chappelle’s satire: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/16/csanad-szegedi- jewish-resign-european-parliament_n_1789108.html? utm_hp_ref=fb&ncid=edlinkusaolp00000009&src=sp&comm_ref=false  History and video of Capoeira as a form of “wearing the mask”  Clip of Huck Griffin from Family Guy (S2E08 4:50)  Clips from The Daily Show and the Colbert Report about Huck Finn in the news  Clips about the art of the bull fight (related to The Sun Also Rises)  Excerpt from the PBS documentary Paris: Luminous Years  I am always on the lookout for others!

ASSESSMENTS  Daily class discussions  Reading quizzes  Sub-unit exam  Short essays addressing the function and form of satirical texts

UNIT 2 (HU)MAN AND NATURE; (HU)MAN AGAINST NATURE: AMERICAN APPROACHES TO LIFE, NATURE, AND THE SPIRIT OBJECTIVES  Introduce, define, and apply relevant terms  Engage in effective class discussion: formulate original perspectives; listen and respond to perspectives of peers  Establish an understanding of the literary context out of which each work arises  Identify, analyze, and explain how writers manipulate language for artistic, political, or personal purposes

UNIT GOALS, ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS, AND TOPICS FOR DISCUSSION - What is the function of the literary artist? - Does art hold up a mirror to life, or is it, in the words of Bertolt Brecht, “a hammer with which to shape it”? - How and why do different readers arrive at opposing interpretations of a text? - How does a literary artist use language to critique society? What techniques enable such critique? - How is dissent essential to a functioning democracy? - To what extent do writers and artists reflect and promote the ethos of a specific time, place, and group? - To what extent do writers and artists critique the ethos of a specific time, place, and group? - How do writers of later generations reflect the philosophical and stylistic influences of their predecessors? - How do writers of later generations reject and react against the philosophical and stylistic influences of their predecessors? -What are the defining stylistic and philosophical characteristics of each literary movement or period? AUTHOR PRINCIPAL TEXTS GENRE, MOVEMENT, PERIOD Bradford, William Of Plymouth Plantation Puritan history; autobiography (1590-1657) Rowlandson, Mary A Narrative of the Captivity Captivity narrative; Puritan literature; memoir (1637-1711) and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson Edwards, Jonathon “Sinners in the Hands of an Sermon; Puritan Revival/Great Awakening; (1703-1758) Angry God” jeremiad; didacticism

Paine, Thomas Excerpts from Persuasive essay; Rationalist/Enlightenment (1737-1809) The Age of Reason philosophy; deism

Irving, Washington “The Legend of Sleepy Early American fiction; short story; conflict (1783-1859) Hollow” or “The Devil and between good and evil; Tom Walker”

Poe, Edgar Allan Selected stories Gothic literature; Dark Romanticism; macabre; (1809-1849) mystery; detective fiction

Hawthorne, Nathaniel Excerpts from The Scarlet Short story; figurative war between good and evil; (1804-1864) Letter Dark Romanticism; Gothic literature; historical “Young Goodman Brown” (if fiction not done in previous unit) Melville, Herman Excerpts from Moby Dick Epic; quest; allegory; philosophical novel; the (1819-1891) sublime; psychological novel; Dark Romanticism

Emerson, Ralph Waldo Selected essays and poems Transcendentalism; Romanticism; individualism; (1803-1882) mysticism

Thoreau, Henry David Selected essays Transcendentalism; Romanticism; individualism; (1817-1862) civil disobedience; abolitionism; pacifism; political essays

ASSESSMENTS  Daily class discussions  Reading quizzes  Unit exam  Essay: Formalist analysis of contemporary media UNIT 3 THE SELF-MADE (HU)MAN “Freedom begins the moment you realize someone else has been writing your story and it's time you took the pen from his hand and started writing it yourself.” ― Bill Moyers

OBJECTIVES  Introduce, define, and apply relevant terms  Engage in effective class discussion: formulate original perspectives; listen and respond to perspectives of peers  Establish an understanding of the literary context out of which each work arises  Identify, analyze, and explain how writers manipulate language for artistic, political, or personal purposes  Identify and discuss these stories of Americans engaged in creation of the self

UNIT GOALS, ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS, AND TOPICS FOR DISCUSSION - What is the function of the literary artist? - Does art hold up a mirror to life, or is it, in the words of Bertolt Brecht, “a hammer with which to shape it”? - How and why do different readers arrive at opposing interpretations of a text? - How does a literary artist use language to critique society? What techniques enable such critique? - How is dissent essential to a functioning democracy? - To what extent do writers and artists reflect and promote the ethos of a specific time, place, and group? - To what extent do writers and artists critique the ethos of a specific time, place, and group? - Where do we draw the line between offense and satire? - How do writers of later generations reflect the philosophical and stylistic influences of their predecessors? - How do writers of later generations reject and react against the philosophical and stylistic influences of their predecessors? - What are the defining stylistic and philosophical characteristics of each literary movement or period? - How do slave narratives differ according to gender? AUTHOR PRINCIPAL TEXTS GENRE, MOVEMENT, PERIOD Franklin, Benjamin The Autobiography of Self-help book; autobiography; rationalism; (1706-1790) Benjamin Franklin Enlightenment; The American Dream (excerpts)

Fitzgerald, F. Scott The Great Gatsby Modernist novel; Jazz Age novel; “Great (1896-1940) American Novel”; The American Dream

Jacobs, Harriet Incidents in the Life of a Slave Slave narrative; autobiography; abolitionist (1813-1897) Girl literature; didactic literature; bildungsroman

Wheatley, Phillis Selected poems American Enlightenment; poetry on classical, (1753-1784) religious, moral, and political themes

Douglass, Frederick Narrative of the Life of Slave narrative; autobiography; abolitionist (1818-1895) Frederick Douglass, an literature; didactic literature; bildungsroman American Slave X, Malcolm The Autobiography of Autobiography; Neo-slave narrative; American (1925-1965) Malcolm X Dream/American Nightmare; bildungsroman Haley, Alex As Told To (1921-1992) Alex Haley ASSESSMENTS  Daily class discussions  Reading quizzes  Unit exam  Essay: Analyze and evaluate two or more texts from this unit  Narrative: Write your own personal history, with a move toward how you will create the self you wish to be

ATTENTION-GETTERS

In addition to the texts of this course, I will use attention-getters throughout the year. This usually takes the form of media other than the principal texts of the course. This inclusion is based on the belief that providing multiple entry points that appeal to a variety of learners will increase student performance, while also allowing students to establish connections between the books they study in class and the media that inundates them daily. Recognition of such connections may also help students develop critical consciousness. Some examples are included in units above, but I am always searching for new ways to engage students.

BEYOND ELA

These objectives are beyond the realm of the traditional ELA course, but they are helpful in pursuing a rich and fulfilling life. We will engage with these articles and media at opportune times over the course of the year.

LITERATURE AND EMPATHY  “The Neuroscience of Your Brain on Fiction” http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/18/opinion/sunday/the- neuroscience-of-your-brain-on-fiction.html?pagewanted=all RESILIENCE  Carol Dweck’s Mindest: The New Psychology of Success PERSISTENCE  “10,000 Hour Rule” from Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers. FLOW  Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi Excerpt from Flow: The Psychology of Optimum Experience  Alva Noe “The Zombie Within” http://m.npr.org/news/front/153025680?singlePage=true MOTIVATION  RSA Animate based on Daniel Pink’s Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6XAPnuFjJc HEALTH  Tips about how simple changes in diet and exercise can improve learning THE EFFECT OF INTERNET AND TECHNOLOGY ON HUMAN BEHAVIOR AND DEVELOPMENT  Nicholas Carr’s “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2008/07/is-google-making-us-stupid/306868/ WRITING ACC differs from most high schools in that each student has two hours of ELA each day. Students receive a separate grade for English and Writing, however, essays will count towards grades in both classes. There will be 3 main foci of the Writing class.

1. PAPERS  Students will learn about and practice effective writing for a variety of purposes and audiences. Most writing will be analytical in nature, but there will be some room for creative and narrative assignments as well. 2. LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT  Vocab: Students will learn hundreds of new vocabulary words. The words come from the Princeton Review’s list of the words that show up on the SAT most frequently  Grammar: Students will learn to identify and revise common grammatical problems. This will serve to improve their own writing, and it will prepare them for the writing section of the SAT.

3. SAT PREP  Students will learn a wealth of strategies for taking the SAT. Love it or hate it, the SAT is weighed heavily in the admissions process at many schools. Any student who devotes the requisite time is sure to see an improvement of several hundred points. GRADING PARTICIPATION QUIZZES ESSAYS 30% 30% 40%