COURSE OVERVIEW
During the first half of the semester,
we will examine rhetoric, the art of persuading, by studying selected
speeches, short stories, essays, and the novel The Catcher
in the Rye. In the second quarter, we will examine symbolism,
figurative language and heroism as we study Homer’s The
Odyssey.
UNIT ONE: Persuasion
Guiding Question: How do writers and speakers use language
to persuade others to believe what they say is true, real, and/or
important?
Someone is persuading you to do something all the time. As a
young adult, you are responsible for knowing how and why. What
makes a speech inspiring? Why do we believe what a newspaper article
says is true? How do commercials persuade us to buy something?
What is the rhetoric of product placement?
More than 2,000 years ago, when Aristotle analyzed the ways
in which people persuade others to do or believe something, he
analyzed spoken language. Today, it is not only newspaper columnists
and politicians who persuade in the public domain, but advertisers,
moviemakers, and public relations executives. In the first unit
of this course, we will examine the classical understanding of
rhetoric and investigate the ways in which modern media use the
rhetoric of the screen to persuade.
OUTCOMES: After completing this unit, students
will be able to
- Define and use the tools of rhetoric to construct persuasive
argumentative essays and speeches.
- Analyze the persuasive techniques of the writers and speakers
we have studied.
- Intelligently discuss some of the historical, political,
and social contexts of unit anchor texts.
- Analyze the relationships between classical understandings
of rhetoric and contemporary modes of persuasion.
- Develop individual answers to the guiding question that reflect
an understanding of the techniques of persuasion and rhetoric.
COMMON TASKS:
- Write an autobiographical essay about yourself as a student
that discusses your learning style and explores an area of interaction
you engage in as a member of the school community.
- Write a BCR that analyzes a speakers’ use of rhetorical
appeals.
- Plan, develop, and deliver a 2 minute argumentative speech.
- Write a literary analysis essay that analyzes how a writer
uses rhetorical techniques to develop a theme.
- Write a BCR that analyzes a speaker’s use of rhetorical
techniques in a narrative text.
- Deconstruct a prompt and write an argumentative essay analyzing
the prompt.
TEXTS:
Selected speeches including
• Robert Kennedy’s speech on Dr. Martin Luther King’s
assassination:
http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/rfkonmlkdeath.html
• Dr. Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream”
speech:
http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkihaveadream.htm
• Sojourner Truth’s “AIN'T I A WOMAN?”
Selected short stories including
• “Inez” by Merle Hodges
• “The Somebody” by Danny Santiago
• “Scales” by Louise Erdrich
Novels
• The Ill-Made Knight, by T. H. White (summer reading)
• The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
UNIT TWO: The Odyssey
Guiding Question: How are our values reflected in and
shaped by the words and symbols we use and the stories we tell?
As we examine the epic genre via The Odyssey, we will
evaluate what the poem teaches us about the beliefs and values
of people living in ancient Greece, and compare and contrast those
beliefs and values to our own.
Because what you say and do matters, this unit will challenge
you to listen and read critically and to write and speak with
precision. Brazilian educator Paolo Freire said we are both readers
of the word, and readers of the world. If we read someone’s
words carefully, we can also read how they see the world. What
do Homer’s words say about his world? What do your words
say about you?
OUTCOMES: After completing this unit, students
will be able to
- Compare and contrast classical notions of heroism with contemporary
ones.
- Evaluate the ways in which stories reveal the values of society.
- Intelligently discuss some of the historical, political,
and social contexts of The Odyssey.
- Define the tone/author’s attitude in a text using appropriate
literary terms and textual support.
- Analyze some of the ways writers use figurative language
to evoke meaning.
- Understand how a character’s point of view is expressed
through language.
COMMON TASKS:
- Write an essay analyzing how an author uses figurative language
for a specific purpose.
- Write an essay comparing the tone or author’s attitude
in two texts.
- Plan, develop, and deliver a short speech from the point
of view of one of the characters in The Odyssey.
- Write a persuasive essay in response to a quotation.
- In a group, plan and deliver a presentation related to an
interpretation of a scene or book/chapter of The Odyssey and/or
write a narrative epic of your own that you present.
- Focus on a contemporary epic, complete a project that includes
a written and oral analysis of a central symbol featured in
that particular epic, create a visual component, and present
this to the class.
TEXTS:
The Odyssey by Homer, translated by Robert Fagles
Selected poems and essays from the MCPS Curriculum
Important Policies Fall 2007
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY
When you turn in a paper, quiz, test or any other assignment,
I will expect that it is your own work (or the work of you and
your group members when the assignment is collaborative). If you
do research for an assignment, I expect you to credit the ideas
and work of others using MLA format. Academic dishonesty will
result in a zero for the assignment in which it is discovered.
Be sure you understand what plagiarism and cheating mean!
ATTENDANCE:
- Attendance is mandatory and necessary for success in this
class.
- If you have been absent or are late, please check the class
notebook for our activities and take any handouts from the course
bag, which I will leave on the desk in C 307.
- You are responsible for obtaining notes and handouts for
all work that happened while you were out.
- Please remember that you will lose credit for the
course if you have 5 unexcused absences.
- Make sure you arrive to class on time! 3 unexcused tardies
count as one unexcused absence.
- If you need to schedule a make-up test, in-class assignment,
or quiz, please email or speak to me.
ACADEMIC SUPPORT: Many people look forward to
helping you with your work in this class. Here’s how to
contact us:
- Ms. Mattei: I am available to discuss ideas,
help you with understanding the reading, study for a quiz/test,
or work with you on any of the course writing assignments most
days at lunch and after school in C214. Please contact me to
let me know when you would like to come.
- TAP (Time for Academic Progress): Meets
Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday after school in the A311 computer
lab.
- Composition Assistants: Ms. James, Mrs.
Parmelee, Mrs. O’Donoghue, and Mrs. Port-Hull are the
fabulous English department composition assistants. You may
find them in the English office, A320, in the A311 computer
lab at lunch.
DUE DATES AND DEADLINES FOR ASSIGNMENTS:
- All assignments must be turned in at the beginning of class
on the date that they are due.
- Late assignments may be turned in for reduced credit during
the week of the assigned due date.
- The deadline for major assignments will be the week after
the original due date. No assignments will be accepted after
this deadline period.
- Computer and/or printer problems are not acceptable
excuses for a late assignment. You may e-mail the assignment
to a friend and have her/him print it for you, or you may handwrite
it.
REASSESSMENT:
Your grade will be based on an assessment of the work that you
complete inside and outside of class. You may be reassessed on
assignments as determined by the Grade 10 English team.
In order for you to have an assignment reassessed:
The original assignment must be turned in before the deadline.
You must discuss your intended revision with me and we will
determine a due date.
You must work one-on-one with me, with one of our composition
assistants, or with someone at TAP to actively discuss and revise
the assignment.
You must attach your original assignment to the back of the
revision.
No reassessment of assignments will be allowed unless those
criteria have been met.
GRADES:
- The grade you earn will be the result of the number of points
you earn divided by the total possible points for the semester.
- Assignments for this course fall into 4 basic categories:
writing, tests and quizzes, speeches and presentations, and
homework.
- Writing assignments, speeches, presentations, tests and quizzes
will account for 90% of your final grade, with the other 10%
coming from homework assignments.
- I will use the following grading scale: 89.5-100 = A, 79.5-89.49
= B, 69.5-79.49 = C, 59.5-69.49 = D, Below 59.5 = E
EDLINE: Edline
is an online service that we use here at B-CC to provide you (and
your parents) a way to review grade reports, calendars, and assignments.
- I will post grades on Edline at least every 3 weeks.
- I also post calendars and major assignments along with rubrics
and other critical information. Please take advantage of this
important tool.
Course Pedagogical Framework
English 10A Honors is an IB MYP Course in Language A that adheres
to the following aims and objectives for teaching and learning:
AIMS: The purpose of this class is to:
- Create literate, thoughtful communicators, capable of controlling
language effectively as they negotiate an increasingly complex
and information-rich world.
- Help students continue to develop the 10 characteristics
of an IB learner: inquirers, knowledgeable, thinkers, communicators,
principled, open-minded, caring, risk-takers, balanced and reflective.
OBJECTIVES: After completing this class, students
will have:
- Refined their comprehension skills and strategies in reading,
listening, and viewing.
- Refined their persuasive skills in writing and speaking.
- Demonstrated mastery of course content through work on writing
assignments, tests and quizzes, contributions to class discussion
and presentations.
This course is guided by the following enduring understandings
and essential questions central to the MCPS English 10 curriculum:
ENDURING UNDERSTANDINGS:
• Literature interprets human experience and enriches culture.
• Form shapes meaning.
• Effective readers, writers, and speakers engage actively
with text to create meaning.
• Effective readers, writers, and speakers master the
subtleties of text and language.
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS:
• How does literature express the values of a society?
• How do an author’s choices create meaning?
• How does engagement with text reinforce and refine critical
reading, writing and thinking?
• How do the subtleties of expression affect meaning?
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