Dreams and Aspirations   (ENG3CG.doc)

Course Description

Our hopes and dreams help shape the people we become; they define us and direct us.  The same is true in literature.  A character’s aspirations are often the source for plot, theme, or conflict.  Because these dreams and aspirations are archetypal, the focus of English III will be to make connections through parallel works of literature from different time periods and exploring them through oral and written discourse.  Students will continue to use writing as a tool for analyzing material with an emphasis on establishing relationships among diverse works of literature and for making connections between the literature studied and their own lives.

The course requires students to attempt various writing styles, apply poetic and literary terms to a text, and develop vocabulary through context and the study of analogies.  Students are encouraged to develop an appreciation for the power of words, as well as reading and writing for pleasure.  The objective of the course is to prepare students for the balance of their high school experience and for the formal assessment of their writing portfolio.

Student Expectations

Students will be able to analyze a wide range of texts, write with precision and clarity and utilize language to communicate their ideas to others.

Demonstrated Competencies:

Students will…

1. • analyze, evaluate and make connections between and among a variety of texts, and relate those texts to their lives and the lives of others.
   

2. • recognize literary and grammatical conventions and devices, and understand their critical roles in the conveyance of meaning.
   

3. • make use of their writing to learn, to communicate ideas, to entertain and to reflect.
   

Essential Questions

1. • How do our dreams define us?
   

2. • What are the impacts of social conventions on our inspirations?
   

3. • What is the impact of Aristotelian tragedy on Shakespeare and contemporary literature?
   

4. • How does the juxtaposition of texts illuminate archetypal themes in literature?
   

5. • How do literary and poetic techniques enhance the meaning of a text?
   

6. • How does the author’s life/historical perspective influence the work?
   

7. • How does critical writing aid in the interpretation of literature? 
   

8. • How does personal writing further the meaning of literature?
   

9. • Why do point of view and characterization aid in the interpretation of the novel?
   

Performance Standards

Desired Results

Students will be able to:

1. • Identify and interpret literary devises such as allusion, juxtaposition and paradox.
   

2. • Recognize, apply, and evaluate the components of Aristotelian tragedy to Macbeth and collateral texts.
   

3. • Recognize, apply, and evaluate the fundamental elements of drama, poetry, and the novel to the literature  studied.
   

4. • Demonstrate understanding of literary terms in their writing assignments.
   

5. • Use critical analyses in the interpretation of literature.
   

6. • Refine critical thinking skills by analyzing juxtaposed texts and making connections between and among them.
   

7. • Prepare critical essays that analyze complex ideas and complement class texts and discussions.
   

8. • Prepare personal essays in conjunction with class texts that develop students’ style and voice.
   

9. • Prepare a monologue for presentation in the Junior Dramatic Monologue Contest.
   

10. • Prepare analytical, creative, and self-reflective pieces for the Joel Barlow Writing Portfolio.
    

11. • Prepare a submittable college essay.
    

Key Terms and Concepts

Aristotelian tragedy

juxtaposition

allusion

paradox

thesis

tone/mood

narration

characterization

foreshadowing

oxymoron

dramatic irony

symbolism

extended metaphor

personification

Applications of Technology

1. • Word Processing Software Systems
   

2. • Subscribed Internet Services (e.g., GaleNet)
   

3. • Free Internet Search Engines and Services (e.g., Ask Jeeves)
   

4. • Online Resources and Internet Libraries
   

5. • E-mail and eBoard
   

Units of Instruction

1.Death of a Salesman, Miller & Fences, Wilson

2.The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald

A comparative study of the classical and modern tragic hero as seen in Macbeth and in Fences.

3.Macbeth

Complete reading exercises and evaluations.

Discuss Aristotle’s aesthetic theory in terms of Macbeth.

Examine through discussion and writing the characters’ developments .

Examine specific lines as they are connected with other events in the play.

Develop a text vocabulary list.

See Macbeth’s downfall as the inevitable consequence of his actions.

Read related poems, essays, articles ("Out Out" by Robert Frost).

Write an analytical essay discussing Shakespeare’s use of literary techniques.

4.Fences

Complete reading exercises and evaluations.

Discuss related essays, poems, and short stories.

Examine the characters’ development through discussion and writing.

Ask the question, "How does prejudice destroy dreams?"

Develop a text vocabulary list.

Read related poems, articles, essays.

Write a well-organized, well-written essay addressing some complexity of the play.

Sample Pilot Text Unit B

How do some members of society overcome obstacles and prejudices?

What convictions or spiritual beliefs enable them to move beyond the forces they face?

How do they derive courage from their convictions?

How is it that they can exist on a level separate from the negative forces challenging them?

Texts studied could include:  Hawthorne’s A Scarlet Letter, Walker’s The Color Purple and Guterson’s Snow Falling on Cedars.

Additional works could include selections from Oliver Sachs’ The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat, Maya Angelou’s poems "And Still I Rise" and "Caged Bird."

5.The Scarlet Letter

Complete reading exercises and evaluations.

Discuss how Hawthorne makes the reader sympathetic towards Hester Prynne.

Examine how Hester overcomes obstacles.

Discuss the significance of "color" in the novel and other symbolic interpretations.

See how the literary style reflects the culture of the time period.

Develop a text vocabulary list.

Write a persuasive essay about the individual versus society.

6.The Color Purple and/or Snow Falling on Cedars

Discuss how Walker/Guterson engage the reader in the overall story.

Examine how Celie/Kabuo overcome obstacles.

Discuss the significance of “color” in the novel and other symbolic interpretations.

See how the literary style reflects the culture of the period.

Develop a text vocabulary list.

Write a compare/contrast essay with relation to The Scarlet Letter.

Course Materials: Major Texts, Principal Materials and Films

Key Texts:

Macbeth, Shakespeare

Fences, Wilson

Supplementary Materials:

The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald

The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne

The Death of a Salesman, Miller

Huckleberry Finn, Twain

The Stranger, Camus

In Our Time, Hemingway

Wuthering Heights, Bronte

Antigone, Sophocles

Oedipus, Sophocles

Plainsong, Haruf

Ethan Frome, Wharton

Animal Dreams, Kingsolver

Fences, Wilson

J.B., MacLeish

Like Water for Chocolates, Esquivel

Snow Falling on Cedars, Gutterson

Song of Solomon, Morrison

The Color Purple, Alice Walker

Commercial Films/Videos: *

Macbeth, Polanski, 1971 (*rated R), and Welles, 1948

(Used to bring life to a play meant to be seen)

Death of a Salesman, Dustin Hoffman

(Used to bring life to a play meant to be seen)

Theban Plays, N.J. Films for the Humanities, 1988

Selected essays, short stories, poems and articles will be used by teachers to augment major units.

Other Films/Videos:

None

*A parent may excuse his/her child from the viewing of a commercial film/video.  The parent should contact the teacher or Department Chair to discuss his/her concerns.  The teacher will provide any excused student an alternative assignment of comparable length that is relevant to the stated academic purpose.

Grading Rationale

1. • Daily preparedness for class activities
   

2. • Self evaluation
   

3. • Active participation in class discussions
   

4. • Reading quizzes
   

5. • Personal, analytical, persuasive and creative writing
   

6. • Notebooks and journals
   

7. • Unit tests
   

8. • Mid semester and final exams
   

9. • Joel Barlow Writing Portfolio
   

10. • Junior Dramatic Monologue Preparation and Presentation