In this unit, students will begin examining the concept of the American Dream as the thematic focus of the year. They will examine their own preconceived notions and begin exploring the historical and literary foundations of that dream. Through reading, classroom discussion, and writing, students will examine these essential questions:

· What is the “American Dream”?

· Does America still provide access to the “American Dream”?

What will students do during Quarter Two?

In the second part of the unit, students will continue to read contemporary and historical texts across several genres while developing their argumentative writing skills. As they work toward Embedded Assessment 2: Synthesizing the American Dream, they will synthesize the viewpoints of multiple writers, poets, and even their peers, to create a coherent argument.

In AP Literature we will spend 1 st quarter studying short fiction, with selections such as Ballad of the Sad Café (McCullers), “A Rose for Emily” (Faulkner), “A Good Man is Hard to Find” (O’Conner), and “The Dead” (Joyce). Students will learn how to build on their knowledge of character, conflict, figurative language, plot, and setting to establish a foundation for the analytical skills and knowledge necessary for this course. As writers, students will learn to establish and communicate their interpretations of literature through analysis and arguments supported by textual evidence.

Source: AP College Board

This quarter in AP English Language and Composition, students are writing argument essays and writing a synthesis/argument essay on racial and financial inequality using the texts Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates, Nobody by Marc Lamont Hill, and Notes of a Native Son by James Baldwin.

This course is designed to help students strengthen their literacy skills in the domains of reading, writing, and grammar. Students were recommended for this class based on several criteria: MAP scores, Reading Inventory Benchmark, and previous ELA grade. The course curriculum is known as Language Live! By Voyager Sopris. Students will engage with self-paced lessons known as Word Training online and in small-group lessons directed by the instructor.

Students who meet grade-level reading scores by December, will be moved from the class.

During our first couple weeks the students will participate in community building activities, be introduced to their writer's notebook, and take a pre-assessment to assess our student's skills in reading comprehension and writing skills. We will also begin our work in understanding and studying our first unit's coming-of-age themes.

In the beginning weeks of World Literature we will be focusing on getting to know each other through our writings and discussions. Students will be introduced to their interactive notebooks, participate in group discussions, and practice their skills in photography. We will kick off our course by studying Reader Response Criticism and applying it various texts, poems, art, and various forms of media.

Speech and Debate is building up to a debate tournament on one of the following topics: education reform, police reform, or environmental action. In Speech and Debate, students are writing an argument essay and a synthesis/argument essay on the topic of participation awards, drawing on a variety of opinion and editorial articles.

This quarter in College Composition, students are writing analysis essays on the novel Ceremony by Leslie Marmon Silko. They are also writing a synthesis essay on the issue of financial and racial inequality in America, drawing upon a variety of nonfiction sources, including Nobody by Marc Lamont Hill, The Shock Doctrine by Naomi Klein, and The Spirit Level by Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett.

During our beginning weeks of instruction, students will be getting to know each other and learning the fundamentals of journalism. We will focus on building skills in the areas of interviewing, writing newspaper stories, photography and caption writing.