UNITS OF STUDY
First Term:
Short Story Unit-Students will read short stories found in our textbook: "The Bass, the River, and Sheila Mant" by W.D. Wetherall, "The Bet" by Anton Chekov, "Life is Sweet at Kumansenu" by Abioseh Nicol, and "Through the Tunnel" by Doris Lessing. Students will be introduced to a group of literary devices using these stories as well as important Reading Comprehension skills.
Essay Writing-Students will learn to write informative essays and position papers using the complete writing process: prewriting, drafting, editing/revising, and publishing. Students will also learn to holistically score writing. Students will develop thesis statements, introductory paragraphs, body paragraphs and concluding paragraphs. Students will also learn to improve their writing through various peer and self editing techniques. A total of five essays will be written, all of which will count as major grades.
Skill of the Week-Each week students will focus on individual skills in reading comprehension and literary devices. Students will review skills Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday. Quizzes on the skills will be given each Friday. SOW's are cumulative.
Daily Grammar Focus-This nine weeks students will receive direct grammar instruction for the following skills which are on our language arts competencies: verb tenses, active and passive voice, ambiguous pronoun reference, pronoun/antecedent agreement, objective complements, subject-verb agreement, capitalization, punctuation, parallel structure of sentences, misplaced modifiers, and subordination.
Sustained Silent Reading-Daily, students will read a self-selected book. Students will also complete a Critical Reading Log after finishing or abandoning each book. Students must complete a Book Borrowing Agreement in order to check out books from the classroom library.
Vocabulary-Students will receive a list of no more than ten vocabulary words for a weekly test each Wednesday. Students will review words in class daily. Students will also have homework to complete with all words. Lists are cumulative.
Non-fiction-Students will read some non-fiction selections based around the thematic unit of the Holocaust. Selections will include the essay "Anti-Semitism: A History of Hate," the biography "Serving Mein Fuhrer," the autobiography "Broken Glass, Broken Lives," and the speech "For the Dead and the Living" by Elie Wiesel. Students will also view excerpts from the video "The Last Days" by Stephen Spielberg, which takes four Holocaust survivors back through their experiences in concentration camps.
Second Term:
Essay-Students will continue to write informative essays and position papers.
A Midsummer Night's Dream-Students will read this great comedy of mistaken identity. Students will also learn about the life of William Shakespeare and Elizabethan England. Students will view the video version of this play starring Calista Flockhart and Michelle Pfeiffer.
Monster-Students will read this novel by Walter Dean Myers. "Monster" is what the prosecutor called 16-year-old Steve Harmon for his supposed role in the fatal shooting of a convenience-store owner. But was Steve really the lookout who gave the "all clear" to the murderer, or was he just in the wrong place at the wrong time? In this innovative novel by Walter Dean Myers, the reader becomes both juror and witness during the trial of Steve's life.
Daily Grammar Focus-Students will receive one grammar question each day formatted like the Subject Area Test. Students will answer questions individually. Then the class will discuss the correct answer and why that answer is correct.
Skill of the Week-Students will continue SOW's from first nine weeks.
Sustained Silent Reading-Students will continue self-selected independent reading.
Vocabulary-Students will continue vocabulary activities from first nine weeks.
Arthurian Legends-Students will read several legends of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table. Students will discuss the Code of Chivalry and it's place in British history. Students will create a Coat of Arms for themselves. Students will also view various videos based on the legends of King Arthur.
