English 10H

Course Description

In English 10H, we will study various genres of literature, including short stories, novels, plays, and poetry. You will develop your critical reading skills through class discussion, collaborative group projects, and independent reading of self-selected texts. You will develop your writing skills through essays, journals, and creative assignments as part of our focus on the writing process, which includes both critical analysis and self-reflection.

Course Goals

• To use literature to help make sense of the world

• To vocalize your own interpretation of a text

• To see yourself positively as a reader, writer, thinker, listener & speaker

• To draft and revise writing

The course goals and policies can be found in your course expectations posted in Google Classroom on the first day of class.

Course Themes and Texts

Quarter One: IDENTITY We will study how one’s identity develops from the course of childhood into adulthood. Subjects covered include: conformity and rebellion, relationships with family and friends, and physical and emotional self-image. Essential question: What factors influence the development of one’s identity most, heredity or environment? Texts include summer reading books (Animal Farm by George Orwell and Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury) and Lord of the Flies by William Golding. Students will also choose a novel to read independently.

Quarter Two: PERSPECTIVES History and fiction alike both depend on who is telling it. Essential Question: How do individual perspectives influence history and literature? Texts include Hamlet by William Shakespeare and an independent reading book. 

Quarter Three: CULTURE & DIVERSITY We will explore various cultures and ethnicities through literature. Essential question: How does one mediate one’s cultural, ethnic, and/or religious background in mainstream “American” society? Texts include The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison, Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, and various shorter works.

Quarter Four: JOURNEYS Our traditional and contemporary heroes are often marked by the quests, or journeys, that they have taken. We will look at both literal and metaphorical journeys in literature and in our own lives. Essential questions: Where has your journey taken you thus far? Where do you see yourself going? Texts include a poetry unit and possibly The Grass Dancer by Susan Power (time permitting).