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ENG103: Literary Analysis and Composition I

Scope & Sequence : Scope & Sequence documents describe what is covered in a course (the scope) and also the order in which topics are covered (the sequence). These documents list instructional objectives and skills to be mastered. K¹² Scope & Sequence documents for each course include:

Course Overview

LITERATURE: Students read a broad array of short stories, poetry, drama, novels, autobiographies, essays, and famous speeches. The course guides students in the close reading and critical analysis of classic works of literature, and helps them appreciate the texts and the contexts in which the works were written. Literary selections range classic works such as Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet to contemporary pieces by authors such as Maya Angelou.

LANGUAGE SKILLS: Students broaden their composition skills by examining model essays in various genres by student and published writers. Through in-depth planning, organizing, drafting, revising, proofreading, and feedback, they hone their writing skills. Students build on their grammar, usage, and mechanics skills with in-depth study of sentence analysis and structure, agreement, and punctuation, reinforced by online activities (Skills Updates). Student vocabularies are enhanced through the study of Greek and Latin roots, improving students’ ability to decipher the meanings of new words.

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Course Length

Two Semesters

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Materials

Classics for Young Readers, Volume 8; Classics for Young Readers, Volume 8: An Audio Companion; BK English Language Handbook, Level 1; Vocabulary from Classical Roots, Book C; The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave,by Frederick Douglass; Anne Frank: Diary of a Young Girl, by Anne Frank; Romeo and Juliet, by William Shakespeare

NOTE: List subject to change

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Prerequisites

K¹² Intermediate English A and B, or equivalent

NOTE: Students who have already succeeded in K¹² middle school Literary Analysis and Composition should not enroll in this course.

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Course Outline

I. LITERATURE

Students read writings from diverse traditions, including poetry, drama, autobiography, short stories, and novels, with an mphasis on literary classics. Lessons help students develop skills of close reading by showing how to “read between the lines,” both analyzing formal features of literary works and asking appropriate interpretive questions. Many lessons provide background information to help students connect the work to the historical or biographical context.

Readings include:

Novels (choose any one of the following)

  • Animal Farmby George Orwell
  • Jane Eyreby Charlotte Bronte
  • Lord of the Fliesby William Golding
  • A Separate Peaceby John Knowles
  • A Tale of Two Citiesby Charles Dickens
  • To Kill a Mockingbirdby Harper Lee
  • The Yearlingby Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings

Drama

  • Romeo and Julietby William Shakespeare

Autobiography (choose one)

  • Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl
  • Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass

Short Stories

  • “The Glass of Milk” by Manuel Rojas
  • “To Build a Fire” by Jack London
  • “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” by James Thurber
  • “The Piece of String” by Guy de Maupassant
  • “The Tell-Tale Heart” by Edgar Allan Poe
  • “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson
  • “The Lady or the Tiger” by Frank Stockton

Memoir

  • “A Cub Pilot” from Life on the Mississippi by Mark Twain
  • Excerpts from “Barrio Boy” by Ernest Galarza
  • “No Gumption” by Russell Baker
  • Excerpts from I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou

Poetry

  • To Everything There Is a Season
  • “Spring and Fall” by Gerard Manley Hopkins
  • “in Just-” by E. E. Cummings
  • “July” by Susan H. Sweet
  • “To Autumn” by John Keats
  • “The Snowstorm” by Ralph Waldo Emerson
  • “It sifts from leaden sieves” by Emily Dickinson

Voices and Viewpoints

  • “The Rainy Day” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
  • “Invictus” by W. E. Henley
  • “We Real Cool” by Gwendolyn Brooks
  • “The Negro Speaks Rivers” by Langston Hughes
  • “Mending Wall” by Robert Frost
  • Sonnets 18 and 29 by William Shakespeare

 

Poetry of Ideas

  • “I dwell in Possibility” by Emily Dickinson
  • “Will there really be a ‘Morning’?” by Emily Dickinson
  • “Ozymandias” by Percy Bysshe Shelley
  • “Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night” by Dylan Thomas
  • “The Charge of the Light Brigade” by Alfred Lord Tennyson
  • “The Battle of Blenheim” by Robert Southey

Partial List of Skills Taught:

  • Describe characters based on speech, actions, or interactions with others.
  • Demonstrate knowledge of authors, characters, and events of works of literature.
  • Identify, analyze, interpret and discuss the following elements of literature:

—character traits and motivations

—allusions

—conflict and resolution

—irony

—figurative language, imagery, and sensory language

—point of view

—author’s attitude or tone

—climax

  • Identify, analyze, and discuss elements of a drama.
  • Identify analyze, and discuss elements of a short story.
  • Identify, analyze, and discuss theme in literary works.
  • Identify cause-and-effect relationships.
  • Make inferences and draw conclusions.
  • Recognize the effect of setting or culture on a literary work.
  • Recognize use of language to convey mood.
  • Discuss author’s purpose and analyze literary devices used to accomplish it, including language, organization, and structure.
  • Compare and contrast literary characters and selections.

II. COMPOSITION

In this writing program, students practice writing essays in various genres. Many units use the literature lessons as a springboard and thereby reinforce the connection between reading for meaning and writing to communicate one’s own ideas. Students learn the form and structure of a variety of essays they will encounter in their academic careers, including memoirs (narrative), literary essays, compare and contrast essays, research papers, arguments, and speeches. In writing each essay, students go through a process of planning, organizing, and revising, and they learn to examine their own writing with a critical eye, paying attention to ideas, organization, structure, style, and correctness. Throughout the course, students write in response to prompts similar to those they will encounter on standardized tests.

Memoir

  • Analysis of a Memoir: Examining Mark Twain’s “A Cub Pilot”
  • Planning a Memoir
  • Writing a Memoir I
  • Writing a Memoir II
  • Revising a Memoir
  • Proofreading and Publishing a Memoir

Argument

  • What Is an Argument?
  • Recognizing Logical Fallacies and Emotional Appeals
  • Choosing a Topic and Gathering Information
  • Planning and Organizing the Argument
  • Writing an Argument
  • Revising an Argument
  • Proofreading and Publishing an Argument

Research Paper

  • What Is a Research Paper?
  • Taking Notes I
  • Taking Notes II
  • Organizing the Information
  • Writing a Research Paper I
  • Writing a Research Paper II
  • Creating a Works Cited Page
  • Revising a Research Paper
  • Proofreading and Publishing a Research Paper

Literary Essay: Theme

  • What Is a Literary Essay About Theme?
  • Planning a Literary Essay About Theme
  • Writing a Literary Essay About Theme
  • Revising a Literary Essay About Theme
  • Proofreading and Publishing a Literary Essay About Theme

Compare and Contrast Essay

  • What Is a Compare-and-Contrast Essay?
  • Planning a Compare-and-Contrast Essay
  • Organizing a Compare-and-Contrast Essay
  • Writing a Compare-and-Contrast Essay
  • Polishing a Compare-and-Contrast Essay

Great Speeches and Oratory

  • Reading, Listening to, and Analyzing a Speech I: The Gettysburg Address
  • Reading, Listening to, and Analyzing a Speech I: I Have a Dream
  • Planning a Speech
  • Writing a Speech
  • Revising a Speech
  • Practicing and Delivering a Speech

II. GRAMMAR, USAGE , AND MECHANICS

K¹²’s GUM course addresses and provides reinforcement activities in sentence analysis, sentence structure, and proper punctuation and other important topics. Optional materials are available for students who need to review concepts that should have been mastered prior to this course. Skills updates, frequent exercises, cumulative reviews, and regular practice help students absorb the rules so they can confidently apply them in their own writing. The Barrett Kendall Language Handbook provides exercises and a ready resource for grammar rules and conventions.

IV. VOCABULARY

K¹²’s Vocabulary program uses the Vocabulary from Classical Roots program (from Educator’s Publishing Service) to build knowledge of Greek and Latin words that form the roots of many English words. The purpose of the program is to help students unlock the meanings of words from classical roots, not necessarily to memorize lists of difficult or obscure vocabulary words. These polysyllabic words are those that frequently cause students to stumble and often appear on standardized tests. Throughout this program, students define and use words with Greek and Latin roots, and use word origins and derivations to determine the meaning of new words, as they increase their own vocabularies and develop valuable test-taking skills.

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