Unit 1: The Power of Communication

Welcome to Honors English 10 Unit 1!

Below you will find the objective for this unit:

In this unit, students will think about the theme and essential question as they focus on the literary periods of

modernist and postmodernist literature, analyzing excerpts from Heart of Darkness and Things Fall Apart. They

will also study the genre of fiction while reading stories such as “The Refusal” by Franz Kafka and “She Unnames

Them” by Ursula K. Le Guin. Selections such as Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” and Patrick

Henry’s “Speech to the Second Virginia Convention” allow students to read across genres and experience seminal

argumentative texts that deeply influenced the course of American history.

Students will begin this unit as readers and will finish as writers, as they apply what they have learned about the

elements of fiction and effective argumentative writing to their own literary analysis writing projects.

Essential Questions in Unit

• Why do words matter?

• What effect do words have on our daily lives?

• How challenging is it to find the right words?

• What happens when we use inappropriate words or say the wrong thing?

Lesson 1.1

Lesson 1.1 Mastery Check

After completing the above tasks and assignments, ask Ms. Simpson for the lesson 1.1 mastery check (in-person or via email). Once you have successfully completed it and received the check mark, you may proceed to Lesson 1.2. YOU MUST COMPLETE THE MASTERY CHECK IN ORDER TO MOVE ON TO LESSON 1.2