English - Advanced American Literature
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Specific Goals & Assignments: Advanced American Literature [Top of the
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Admission to the Advanced American literature course is
contingent on grades earned in tenth grade, teacher
recommendations, and writing samples. A study of American
works drawn from the past three centuries, Advanced American
Literature focuses on major figures and major works
as well as emerging trends and contemporary writers of note.
All genres are included, but prose fiction and non-fiction
lead the syllabus. As it is anticipated that students will
take the Advanced Placement Examination in Language and
Composition, there will be extensive practice in the kind of
analytical writing and rhetorical writing called for on the
exam.
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READING
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SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIALS
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VOCABULARY
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Three to five books are generally chosen
from this list each year.
Additional books will be required. The
Things They Carried
Selected Essays
Walden
The Scarlet Letter
Their Eyes Were Watching God
Ceremony
The Great Gatsby |
Selected handouts,
essays, and short stories. |
Students are responsible for
words in Vocabulary from Classical Roots D
and literary contexts; cumulative quizzes are given
regularly through the year. Students acquire the
vocabulary and rhetoric of literary analysis necessary
to write critically about texts. |
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LITERARY COMPREHENSION
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WRITING/MECHANICS
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STUDY SKILLS
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Students will pursue the
following skills:
- understanding the many voices from diverse backgrounds
that have defined and shaped American literature
- gaining confidence, through close reading practice and
analysis, in finding one’s own voice as an interpreter of
literature
- keeping notes in texts such as highlighting,
underlining, and making marginal notes
- pinpointing literary and rhetorical devices that
support themes
- recognizing that there can be conflicting
interpretations of a literary work and that textual
evidence must be used to support an interpretation
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Students will pursue the
following skills:
- demonstrating increasingly mature
analysis of language
- posing complex and valid thesis statements
- writing rhetorical discourse: cause and effect
analysis, compare and contrast analysis, persuasive
writing and argument
- creating effective and sophisticated sentences. Students will
learn other rules of punctuation where needed.
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Students will demonstrate
- the ability to pose appropriate questions to better
understand an assignment
- effective and productive time management, organization
of resources, note-taking and independent preparation
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INTEGRATED HUMANITIES
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TECHNOLOGY
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RESEARCH
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Students will
- articulate valid connections between American
literature and American history
- articulate conclusions about patterns within American
writing, from the beginning of American literature to the
current literary and cultural context
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Students will demonstrate
- effective use of online resources for ongoing academic
development
- discriminating use of source material, electronic or
print
- efficient file management and proficiency in word
processing and formatting of documents
- responsible use of teacher-provided Intranet sources,
Internet sites, ebooks, PDFs, and other
electronic media.
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In pursuing research, students
should
- review guidelines and policy regarding plagiarism
- review MLA documentation techniques
- systematically and carefully research in multiple
resources
- synthesize valid conclusions from that research
process
- incorporate research material into expository writing,
balanced with the student’s own conclusions and thoughts
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SPEAKING AND LISTENING
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MEDIA LITERACY
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Students will practice
- paying respectful attention to teachers, to peers, and
to the opinions of others
- confidently articulating an opinion, delivering a
presentation, and engaging in a debate
- asking analytical, generative and evaluative questions
that promote an authentic dialogue in class
- participating meaningfully, consistently and in an
informed manner in class discussions (seminar style) and
activities
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In order to become active
and critical consumers of popular culture, students will
- identify and evaluate the persuasive techniques
used in media
- read the products of popular culture for their
implicit values
- evaluate the representations of race, gender,
ethnicity, religion, culture, class and power in the
media
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