Honors English 10


Course Description

Welcome to Sophomore year and  your new Honors English Class here at North High School. This year, we will continue your education in learning how to read critically  as well as how to write persuasively and expressively. 

This is a class for you if you feel confident in your reading and writing abilities, you enjoyed 9th grade English,  or if you like a challenge and want to be pushed as a student. It is also my goal to prepare you with the skills to move directly into AP English in your junior year.  Therefore, if you think you might want to take AP classes in the future, this would be a good option for you.

 In this course we will study some of the brightest and most relevant writers, thinkers, scholars, and artists of the 20th century. Many students have said that some of the books they remember best during their entire time at North, they read in this class. 

In doing so we will examine the social emotional development of characters, identify and investigate historic and contemporary systems of oppression and racism, analyze messages of pride and action, and gain the skills necessary to tell your unique story to the world.

Video or image of student work

Additional course information

1.)Unit 1 Malcolm X: In our second unit, we will begin by reading  one of the most essential texts of the 20th century, The Autobiography of Malcolm X. We will also study Malcolm’s life through his speeches, video clips, and Spike Lee’s acclaimed Malcolm X. In addition to his life and work, we will also discuss how systemic racism shapes social emotional development, Malcolm’s legacy and most important ideas and their implication on today’s society, and how to analyze a text from a anti-racist lens.

2.) Unit 2 The Poet X: In our last unit of the semester, we will be exploring the world of poetry anchored by the text of Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo. The novel , written entirely in poems,  tells the story of a Dominican-American teenager as she navigates the world of high school as well as the traditions and restrictions of her Dominican family. In addition to this, students will also practice and sharpen their ability to read, analyze, and write poetry, all coming together in a poetry project that all English students at North will participate in.

3.) Unit 3 Narrative: After spending two quarters reading the narratives of others, this unit students will focus on writing narratives of their own. In this unit, we will study shorter narratives from a variety of others, narrative structure, descriptive writing, and end with students publishing their own narratives.

4.) Unit 4 Research: In this unit, students will sharpen the critical skills surrounding research. Instead of just creating a research paper, students will use their research skills to reflect on and create change in their world. This unit is built around a research project where students will identify and research a social issue, create their own non-profit to solve this issue, and then design a website to show off what they learned. They will present this website and their research to a group of investors and compete for against each other to have the most compelling non-profit!