English 20

There are two basic aims of senior high school English Language Arts. One aim is to encourage students to understand and appreciate the significance and artistry of literature. A second aim is to enable each student to understand language and use it confidently and competently for various purposes.

The senior high school English language arts program highlights six language arts—listening, speaking, reading, writing, viewing, and representing.

Five general outcomes are the foundation of the program. Students will speak, read, write, view, and represent to:

• ❖Explore thoughts, ideas, feelings, and experiences
• ❖Comprehend literature and other texts in oral, print, visual, and multimedia forms, and respond personally, critically, and creatively
• ❖Manage ideas and information
• ❖Create oral, print, visual, and multimedia texts, and enhance the clarity and artistry of communication
• ❖Respect, support, and collaborate with others

Procedures to Achieve Goals:

Students will complete four units of study: A Thematic-Based Unit, a Modern Play Study, A Shakespearean Text Study, and a Novel Study. Within these units, students will study a variety of texts: short stories, poetry, essay, modern play, and Shakespearean play. They will create a variety of responses: personal and critical responses, using various print and nonprint forms. Students will choose their own novel from an abridged version of the Authorized Novels and Nonfiction Annotated List (Alberta Education) provided at the course’s beginning. Students will also engage in correspondence about literature with other students through a digital format.

• Weeks 1-2: Thematic Unit (Call to Adventure)
• Weeks 3-4: Modern Play Study (The Glass Menagerie Tennessee Williams)
• Weeks 5-7: Shakespearean Play Study (Macbeth by William Shakespeare)
• Weeks 8-10: Independent Novel Study (See selections below)

Required Texts:

• Echoes 11: Fiction, Media, and Non-fiction Book by Francine Artichuk
• The Glass MenagerieScript by Tennessee Williams (digital links to full text included; the text is optional)
• Macbeth by William Shakespeare (Recommended Text: Harcourt Shakespeare Second ed)
• Novels (students will select one):
  • Brave New WorldAldous Huxley
  • Cat’s CradleKurt Vonnegut ○Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop CafeFannieFlagg
  • The Great GatsbyF. Scott Fitzgerald
  • Life of PiYann Martel ○Lord of the FliesWilliam Golding
  • A Separate PeaceJohn Knowles

Evaluation Plan

This English course content is divided into 5 categories:

• 20% Major Writing Assignments (Personal Response and Essay)
• 15% Minor Writing Assignments (Creative Writing and Journal Response)
• 15% Quizzes & Projects
• 20% Unit Tests
• 30% Final Exam.

Weightings:

Students will identify at the beginning of the course which novel they will study so the facilitator has time to give the student access to the novel.