Embedded Files
Unit Overview
Unit Overview
This unit revisits the archetype of the hero and introduces the hero’s journey in classic and contemporary literature. Students will explore classic journey stories as a structure to address our growth and transformation through our own personal journeys. The question of how relationships shape individuals along the way is also central to this unit. The unit also emphasizes thoughtful note-taking that roots students in the essential questions that they will continue to reflect on in the course.
Unit Vocabulary
Unit Vocabulary
Epic Poetry
Hubris
Hero’s Journey
Myth
Folklore
Figurative Language
Epic Similes
Epithets
Oral tradition
Allusion
Hyperbole
Tall-Tale
Magical realism
Essential Questions
Essential Questions
Who am I as a reader, as a writer, as a speaker, and as a thinker?
Why are reading, writing, and storytelling essential components of the human experience?
How does English Language Arts expand our perspective?
Why do we see the world the way we do?
How do relationships shape who we are?
How is our identity developed, changed, influenced?
How do universal human experiences connect us to one another?
Unit Standards
Unit Standards
All ELA standards can be found listed in the updated 2017 Massachusetts State ELA Grade 9 Frameworks:
Students will learn...
Reading Literature
How to compare and contrast how a fictional portrayal of a time, place, and character draws from myths, folklore, traditional stories, or religious texts including describing how the original influences the new text.
How to use strong evidence to support claims and analyze text
Speaking and Listening
How to prepare for discussion with notes and evidence
How to work with peers to create rules for collegial discussions
Writing
How to write narratives to develop experiences or events using effective literary techniques, well-chosen details, and well-structured sequences.
Core Text
Core Text
“Sailing from Troy” (1) “Calypso” (5) “Poseidon’s Son” (9) “Circe” “Land of the Dead” (11) “Sirens” (12) Return home: suitors, arrows, bow (books 16, 17, 21, 22, 23)
“Sailing from Troy” (1) “Calypso” (5) “Poseidon’s Son” (9) “Circe” “Land of the Dead” (11) “Sirens” (12) Return home: suitors, arrows, bow (books 16, 17, 21, 22, 23)
Additional Texts
Additional Texts
Big Fish: A Novel of Mythic Proportion
Daniel Wallace
The Life of Pi (film)
Ang Lee
Whale Rider (film)
Niki Caro
Beasts of the Southern Wild (film)
Behn Zeitlin
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