Unit 1: Finding Our Voice
Focus: Academic vs Functional Literacy
Guiding Ideas:
How do we define ourselves?
How do we define our society?
How do we represent ourselves in society?
What experiences form our society?
Key Ideas: theme, tone, diction, imagery, syntax, connotation, narrative, analysis
Unit 2: Defining Moments
Guiding Ideas
How do our past experiences shape what we believe and how we behave?
How does language shape our point of view?
Key Ideas: analysis, inference, theme, imagery, author's craft, drama, media, irony, motif, allusion, characterization
Unit 3: Shaped by History
Focus: Analysis of the past experiences that influence our society
Reading: 1984 by George Orwell
Key Ideas:
Unit 4: Building Resilience
Reading: Animal Farm by George Orwell
Key ideas: characterization, symbolism, analogy
Unit 5: Sharing your Voice
Focus: writing for a specific audience and purpose
Guiding Questions;
How can language influence an audience?
Writer's Workshop
Testing Strategies
Key Ideas: thesis, text structure, irony, motif, allusion, characterization
Unit 6: Creating Change
Focus: Using our voice for change
Guiding Questions;
How can language be used to manipulate or influence an audience?
What is the role of literacy within social issues?
Key Ideas: rhetoric, persuasion, bias, propaganda, audience, influence
Throughout the semester students will be working hard on different assignments and at times they may not be happy about a grade. Students will be given opportunities each 3 weeks to resubmit any work that is revised for a higher grade (not full credit). Students will also be able to turn in late work for partial credit during these 3 week periods each grading period.