PLANNED COURSE OF STUDY Course Title Foundations of High School English Language Arts - Honors Grade Level Ninth Grade Credits 2 Content Area / English Language Arts Dept. Length of Course One Year Author(s) Course Description: Foundations of ELA 9 Honors is designed to take students on a reflective and evaluative exploration of both classic and contemporary texts. Students will have the opportunity to explore the texts independently, as well as in cooperative groups, while demonstrating initiative and comprehension through manipulation of the text. Through the study of core texts—Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451, Homer’s The Odyssey, Gene Luen Yang’s American Born Chinese, and William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet-- students will delve into the structure of language with a focus on specific themes, such as the journey as a metaphor, fate vs. free will, trust, coping with change, the struggles of overcoming obstacles, and perseverance in the face of adversity and stereotypes. While actively seeking and recognizing thematic strands within the texts, students will be encouraged to form personal and creative connections to their lives and to the world around them. Students will also engage in a study of selected poems and short works to closely analyze literary devices in connection to the author’s purpose. In addition, Foundations of ELA 9 Honors requires students to analyze literature and rhetoric with intellectual curiosity, persistence, and a readiness to engage in independent risk- taking. ELA 9 Honors students will be expected to process course material with an increased pace and demonstrate critical thinking skills with limited guidance. Course Rationale: Many of the works read in our ninth-grade curriculum are the most celebrated canonical pieces of their time. These narratives, along with select contemporary texts, engage students in conversations about the complexities of our reality. When students see their lives through the lens of these stories, they extend their critical and analytical understanding of societal issues. The chosen narratives address complex themes, such as learning to persevere, choosing a path, and going beyond stereotypes. Through these experiences, students wrestle with how authors form, perceive, and develop identity in literature. They then ask the same questions of their own society and themselves. As citizens 1 Foundations (Honors Level) Summer 2017 of the world, we need to work through the language and the diverse cultures that surround us. In this way, students learn to see history, literature, and identity as interwoven experiences that shape one another. Essential Questions for the Course: ● How does traditional mythology and folklore inform/influence culture, customs, and values? How does it manifest in literature? ● How can a hero be defined? How is the archetypal hero motif woven into classic and contemporary literary landscapes? ● What is an individual’s responsibility to his or her society? ● What insight is gained by seeing life through another’s eyes? How does one build empathy toward others? ● How does vocabulary increase one’s capacity to navigate and understand literature and, consequently, society? ● How does vocabulary support an individual’s capacity for creativity and invention? ● How does an individual develop a sense of independence in reading? ● How can I communicate effectively in speaking and writing to achieve academic and personal goals? Curriculum Map Month Weeks Topics Covered this Month September 4 weeks Summer reading> Fahrenheit 451 October 4 weeks Fahrenheit 451> Poetry> Non-fiction Novel Study November 3 weeks Poetry> Odyssey December 3 weeks Odyssey January 4 weeks Odyssey February 4 weeks American Born Chinese>Short Story unit> Fiction Novel Study March 4 weeks Short Story Unit April 4 weeks Romeo and Juliet May 4 weeks Romeo and Juliet June 2 weeks Character Analysis: Romeo and Juliet 2 Foundations (Honors Level) Summer 2017 Unit Title Perseverance through Obstacles Essential Questions & • Do you let your world control you, or do you control your world? Enduring Understandings • How can we understand the ongoing battle against the exploitation of the weak by the strong? • What is an individual’s responsibility to his or her society? • How can we identify examples of governmental abuses in our world? • What is freedom, and how do we define it in a variety of contexts? • What is the relationship between freedom and responsibility? • Should people sacrifice freedom in the interest of security? • What is the impetus for change? • How do differing perspectives impact change? ANCHOR TEXT UNIT FOCUS Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury RELATED TEXTS To open the year, we will be studying a variety of texts that speak to the idea of Informational Texts perseverance through obstacles. Throughout this unit, students come to understand how we ● “Self-Reliance” by Ralph Waldo define control: control over our world and control over one another. Students will begin to Emerson question an individual’s responsibility to his or her society. They analyze how we can Poetic Texts identify examples of governmental abuses in our world. Students will converse with a ● “Introduction to Poetry” by Billy myriad of philosophical questions, ranging from “what is freedom?” to “what are the Collins essential liberties?” Students are encouraged to see themselves as “agents of change” as they ● “The History Teacher” by Billy investigate themes, such as censorship, social justice, and activism. Collins ● “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Students explore the power of written language to educate and influence others. They read Frost various argumentative essays and engage in virtual collaboration to develop their own ● “The Wind” by James Stephens arguments. They also research a self-generated question related to issues of censorship, ● “Hunger” Robert Laurence Binyon creativity, and the evolution of literacy. Students will come to understand the importance of ● “Flint” Cristina Rosetti reading, writing, books, and stories. 3 Foundations (Honors Level) Summer 2017 ● “Nothing Gold Can Stay” by Robert Frost ● “Fire and Ice” Robert Frost ● “Double Play” Robert Wallace ● “From the 104th Floor” by Leda Rotis ● “The Lamb” and “The Tyger” William Blake Context Texts ● The Book Thief by Markus Zuzak ● The Natural by Bernard Malamud ● Night by Elie Wiesel Common Core Standards PA Core Standards Reading (CC.9-10) Reading R.L.1, R.L.2, R.L.3, R.L.4, R.L.5, R.L.6, R.L.7, R.L.9, R.L.10, 1.2.9.A, 1.2.9.D, 1.3.9.C, 1.1.9.C, 1.3.9.B, 1.1.9.A, 1.1.9.D R.I.2, R.I.3, R.I.4, R.I.5, R.I.6, R.I.7, R.I.10 Writing Writing (CC.9-10) 1.8.9.A, 1.8.9.C, 1.5.9.A, 1.5.9.B, 1.5.9.C, 1.5.9.D, 1.4.9.B, 1.4.10.B, W.1: W.1.a, W.1.b, W.1.c, W.1.d, W.1.e 1.5.9.B, 1.5.9.C, 1.5.10.B, 1.4.C.B, 1.5.C.B, 1.5.C.C, 1.5.9.F, 1.7.9.A, W.2: W.2.a, W.2.b, W.2.c, W.2.d, W.2.e, W.2.f 1.7.10.A, 1.5.C.D, 1.5.C.E, 1.5.C.F, 1.9.9.A, 1.9.C.A, 1.8.10.A, W.3: W.3.a, W.3.b, W.3.c, W.3.d, W.3.e 1.8.10.B, 1.8.10.C, 1.8.C.A, 1.8.C.B, 1.8.C.C W.4 W.5 Speaking & Listening W.6 1.6.9.A, 1.6.9.B, 1.6.10.A, 1.6.10.B, 1.9.9.A, 1.9.9.B, 1.9.10.A, W.7 1.9.10.B, 1.8.9.B., 1.1.9.B., 1.1.9.C, 1.3.9.D W.8 4 Foundations (Honors Level) Summer 2017 W.9: W.9.a, W.9.b W.10 Speaking & Listening (CC.9-10) SL.1: SL.1.a, SL.1.c, SL.1.d SL.2 SL.3 SL.4 SL.5 SL.6 Language (CC.9-10) L.1: L.1.a, L.1.b L.2: L.2.a, L.2.b L.3: L.3.a L.4: L.4.a, L.4.b, L.4.c, L.4.d L.5: L.5.b L.6 5 Foundations (Honors Level) Summer 2017 Key Unit Vocabulary Academic Literary Text-Dependent Writing ● Theme ● Coeur D’Alene-tribe Sherman ● Evaluate ● Inference Alexie ● Analyze ● Free Verse ● Social Change as goal ● Revision ● Rhyme Scheme ● Censorship ● Editing ● Imagery ● Proofreading ○ Visual ● Transitions ○ Auditory ● Thesis ○ Olfactory ● Literary Present ○ Tactile ● Mechanics ○ Gustatory ● Usage ● Meter/Rhythm ● Grammar ● Summary ● Annotate ○ Terms Reading ● Analysis ● Evaluation ● Figurative vs. Literal ● Quotation/Textual Evidence ● Identify Learning Objectives – The student will… Assessment Opportunities Engage in class discussions on the nature, scope, and role of Nonfiction Supplemental Articles: censorship in society. Students read and analyze nonfiction texts about censorship in society 6 Foundations (Honors Level) Summer 2017 Define satire and analyze it for its constituent parts. Annotate Tiered Satire Examples: The students annotate the tiered readings for In Class Essay (ICE). Analyze the significance of the symbolism in the novel. Symbolism ICE: Timed in class essay on the symbols in the novel. Read independently and collaboratively to construct meaning: Chapter Analyses: including making inferences, drawing conclusions, and making Students read independently and collaboratively and explore the generalizations based on text. individual chapters of the book through in-class discussions Analyze the structures and language usage of poetic texts: figurative Close Reading of Multiple Poems language, imagery, prosody. Composition of an Original Poem Examine poetic texts for the journey motif.