English 4

Course Objectives: The students will demonstrate the ability to

• respond to text by employing personal experiences and critical analysis.

• demonstrate the phases of writing: draft, revision, and final copy.

• paraphrase, summarize, and respond to complex texts

• differentiate between key ideas and supporting details in reading.

• synthesize source material into a documented essay

• follow MLA rules for documentation.

Course Syllabus

Unit 1 Success: What does it mean to succeed?

A Personal Prologue- Jim Burke

TED Talk on the longest study on happiness

TED Talk on finding your passion from Ken Robinson

Death of a Salesman- Arthur Miller

The Rocking-Horse Winner- D.H. Lawrence

Writing Workshop: Annotated Bibliography, Persuasive Essay, Vocabulary

Unit 2 Power: What are the different types and sources of power?

Othello- William Shakespeare 

Uncharted Territory Nonfiction pairings

Writing Workshop: Rhetorical Analysis Presentation

Unit 3 Freedom: What does freedom feel like? What does it mean to be free?

"The Story of an Hour"- Kate Chopin

"Still I Rise"- Maya Angelou

"Saturday at the Canal"- Gary Soto

Writing Workshop: Research Simulation Task, Vocabulary 

Unit 4 Relationships: How are we related and what do we share?

"The Facebook Sonnet"- Sherman Alexie

"Narcissus"- Caravaggio

"Letter from a Birmingham Jail"- Dr. Martin Luther King

"The Pardoner's Tale"- Geoffrey Chaucer

Writing Workshop: Literary Analysis, Vocabulary