Collection 2

The Crucible

Essential Question: To what extent, if at all, should a democracy maintain the separation between church and state?

Collection Objective: SWBAT offer a close reading of The Crucible and support all assertions and interpretations with direct evidence from the text, from authoritative critical knowledge of the genre, or from authoritative criticism of the play.

Performance Task: Unit test

Collection Texts:

(1 week) John Edwards biography (from old text) / Rhetorical & Lit Devices chart

(3 days) “Salem Witch Trials” (History Channel) / Video & PPT or Jigsaw notes

“Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” by Jonathan Edwards

The Crucible by Arthur Miller

Act I: Character Relationships, II: Character Conflicts, III: Irony, IV: Tragic Hero

Collection 3

The Individual and Society

"Trust thyself: every heartbeat vibrates to that iron string." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Essential Question: How do different writers explore the connection between nature and the individual?

Collection Objective: SWBAT make a claim about the way writers interpret the individual's relationship with the natural world and support the claim with evidence from Collection 3 texts in order to participate in a debate/philosophical chairs.

Performance Task: Debate/ Philosophical Chairs

Collection Texts:

from “Song of Myself” by Walt Whitman

from “Walden” by Henry David Thoreau

from “Nature” by Ralph Waldo Emerson

from “Self- Reliance” by Ralph Waldo Emerson

Collection 4

A New Birth of Freedom

"My father was a slave and my people died to build this country, and I'm going to stay here and be a part of it." - Paul Robeson

Essential Question: How did African Americans and women gain new freedoms?

Collection Objective: SWBAT analyze multiple texts and perspectives in order to present an argumentative speech or presentation about an injustice in today's world.

Performance Task: Persuasive Speech and Presentation

Collection Texts:

“Second Inaugural Address” by Abraham Lincoln

“Emancipation Proclamation” by Abraham Lincoln

“What to the Slave is Fourth of July” by Frederick Douglass

“The Lowest Animal” by Mark Twain

Collection 6

The Great Gatsby

Collection Objective: SWBAT offer a close reading of The Great Gatsby and support all assertions and interpretations with direct evidence from the text, from an authoritative critical knowledge of the genre.

Performance Task: Timed In-Class Literary Response & Analysis Essay

Collection Texts:

F Scott Fitzgerald Biography video (A&E, 45 min)

The Great Gatsby, By F Scott Fitzgerald

Independent Reading

Quarter 1: Namesake

1. Please attach an illustrated COVER PAGE with your name, date, period, and book title. Think “book jacket art”! Don’t steal the already published book jacket art! Create your own.

2. Write a 1-2 page response (about 250-400 words) to answer ONE of the unit essential questions, which include:

• What defines America? What defines the American? How have those definitions changed over time?
• How do historical events inspire artistic, cultural movements in the US?
• How has the writer expressed “American” values and politics?

3. Dialectical Journal:

• Divide your novel into 10 sections (Each completed page is worth .5/5 points)
• Each page of your dialectical journal should include:
  • Five quotes from that section with responses that reflect your knowledge interpretations, opinions, questions, or understanding of the text (analyze the importance of your quote)
  • Summary of events in the chapter (minimum of five complete sentences)

4. Work Cited page

Quarter 3: Free Choice

Choose something that relates to one of our collections: immigration, puritans, individualism, relationships, freedom and society. Do some research. Find something that looks interesting. My only other requirement is that it is age and reading-level appropriate.

Create an 8 slide presentation.

1. Cover Page
   1. Title & Author
   2. Image(s)
   3. Your Name, Date, Period
2. One paragraph summary of the book. NO TEXT EVIDENCE. NO PLAGIARISM
3. Setting Description
   1. Describe the setting (time/place)
4. Character Analysis
   1. Choose 2-3 major characters
   2. Describe the importance of each in the novel
   3. Provide text evidence for each character
5. Point of View Letter
   1. Write a letter from the point of view of one character in the book.
   2. Use casual format
6. Choose ONE literary device that is used in the novel
   1. Define that literary device
   2. Discuss how it is used in the novel
   3. Provide text evidence
7. Write a critique of the book.
   1. What did you like about the novel?
   2. What did you dislike about the novel?
   3. Provide text evidence
8. Work Cited page