English I (Credit Recovery)

Syllabus:

Semester 1:

Section 1: Conventions of the English Language

Objectives:

Conventions are rules and guidelines that include:

• Spelling
• Punctuation 
• Capitalization 
• Grammar
• Sentence structure

The lessons in this section will help you to:

• Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
• Apply knowledge of language to understand how language functions in different contexts. 
• Make effective choices for meaning or style. 
• Comprehend more fully when reading or listening.

Lessons 1 A-D covers topics such as:

• Capitalization 
• Punctuation 
• Spelling 
• Proper use of a colon, including when introducing a list or quotation, or for clarification 
• When to use a semicolon

In Lessons 2A & 2B, you will learn to:

• Recognize parallel structure
• Use various types of phrases and clauses to convey specific meanings and add variety and interest to your writing or presentations
• Form and use prepositional phrases
• Place phrases and clauses within a sentence
• Recognize and correct misplaced and dangling modifiers
• Produce a variety of compound-complex sentences using dependent clauses, subordinating conjunctions, and coordinating conjunctions 
• Use a semicolon to link two or more closely related independent clauses, using a conjunctive adverb when applicable

Lesson 3 will help you to:

• Form and use verbs in the conditional and subjunctive mood
• Recognize and correct inappropriate shifts in verb voice and mood
• Use the relative adverbs where, when, and why. 
• Use verbs in the conditional and subjunctive mood to achieve particular effects.

In Lesson 4, you will learn to: 

• Use modal auxiliaries like can, may, and must to convey various conditions. 
• Understand and use question words (interrogatives) such as who, what, when, where, why, and how. 
• Apply your knowledge of language to understand how language functions in different contexts, to make effective choices for meaning or style, and to comprehend more fully when reading or listening.

Lessons:

• 1A: Basic Conventions: Capitalization
• 1B: Basic Conventions: Punctuation
• 1C: Basic Conventions: More Punctuation
• 1D: Basic Conventions: Spelling
• 2A: Phrases and Clauses
• 2B: Topics Related to Phrases and Clauses
• 3: Verbs
• 4: More Rules on Grammar 

Section 2: Text and Its Characteristics

Objectives:

Literary texts are written primarily for entertainment and include:

• Fictional stories / narratives
• Poetry
• Dramas (Plays)

Informational texts are written primarily to inform and include:

• History and social science texts
• Technical texts
• Textbooks
• Instructional or how-to manuals
• Essays
• News Articles

The lessons in this section will help you to:

• Interpret words and phrases as they are used in a text. 
• Analyze the structure of a text, including how the sentences, paragraphs, and larger sections of the text relate to one another and the whole text.

In Lesson 1 you will learn to:

• Determine the meaning of words and phrases in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings.
• Analyze how word choice affects meaning and tone in both literary works and in informational texts.
• Identify and correctly use patterns of word forms that indicate different meanings or parts of speech.
• Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases.
• Consul general and specialized reference materials like various types of dictionaries, glossaries, thesauruses in print and digital formats to find the pronunciation of a word.

The focus of this lesson is nuance, a subtle difference or distinction in expression or meaning. 

In Lesson 2, you will learn to:

• Distinguish shades of meaning among verbs differing in manner and adjectives differing in intensity.
• Demonstrate word relationships and nuances in word meanings.
• Distinguish between associations of words with similar definitions. 

In Lesson 3, you will explore literature and informational texts. In doing so, you will learn to:

• Analyze how an author creates effects like mystery, tension, and surprise with word choices, text structure, ordering events, and manipulating time.
• Analyze how an author’s ideas or claims are developed and refined through particular sentences, paragraphs, or larger portions of a text.
• Analyze the use of text features such as graphics, headers, and captions in informational texts like functional workplace documents.

In Lesson 4, you will continue with the analysis of informational texts to:

• Understand how an author’s ideas or claims are developed and refined by sentences, paragraphs, or larger portions of a text.
• Analyze the use of text features such as graphics, headers, and captions in functional workplace documents.

In Lesson 5, you will study additional important topics related to informational texts such as:

• review three key parts of a text
• apply those key parts to an example 
• learn about accounts presented in different mediums (different ways information is presented)

Lessons:

• 1A: Words and Their Meanings
• 1B: Word Choices
• 1C: Word Roots
• 2A: Word Nuances
• 2B: Case Study 1- “The Raven” by Edgar Allan Poe
• 2C: Context and Meaning
• 3A: Case Study 2- “The Raven” by Edgar Allan Poe
• 3B: Structure of Text: Analysis of “The Raven” and “Azure and Gold”
• 3C: Case Study - "Life on the Mississippi" by Mark Twain
• 4A: Analyzing Informational Text
• 4B: Informational Text Structure
• 5: Key parts of a Text and Different Mediums

Section 3: Theme and Its Development

Objectives:

Through several prominent selections from American Literature, the lessons in this section will help you to:

• Understand what theme is and how to find the theme of a variety of texts, including short stories, a poem, and a play.
• Summarize key points related to the theme.
• Use literary elements and other methods to determine themes.
• Write an objective summary of a literary work.

Lesson 1 introduces a theme.

Theme is a main idea or an underlying meaning of a literary work that may be stated directly or indirectly.

This lesson will help you understand:

• Why theme is important
• How to determine theme
• How to summarize key supporting details and ideas in a text
• How to write an objective summary

In Lesson 2, you will read the short story, “The Lady or the Tiger?” by Frank R. Stockton.

In this lesson you will:

• Determine the theme of the text and analyze how the theme develops over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details.
• Continue developing your skills writing objective summaries.

In Lesson 3, you will read the short story, “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” by Ambrose Bierce.

In this lesson you will continue to improve your skills related to:

• Determining the theme of a text and analyzing how theme develops over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details.
• Writing objective summaries of a text.

In Lesson 4, you will read the poem, “Fire and Ice” by Robert Frost.

In this lesson you will:

• Examine a poem with multiple themes.
• Use literary elements to determine the theme.
• Write an objective summary of a brief poem.

In Lesson 5, you will read the play, “Trifles” by Susan Glaspell.

In this lesson you will:

• Read a one-act play with multiple themes.
• Use literary elements to determine the theme.
• Write an objective summary of a one-act play.

In Lesson 6, you will learn about the development of the theme.

In this lesson you will:

• Go a bit deeper to analyze how the author developed the theme. 
• How the theme emerges.
• How the theme is refined by details in the text.

Lessons:

• 1: Introduction to Theme
• 2A: “The Lady or the Tiger?” by Frank R. Stockton 
• 2B: Analysis: “The Lady or the Tiger?” by Frank R. Stockton 
• 3A: “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” by Ambrose Bierce
• 3B: Final Discussion: “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” by Ambrose Bierce
• 4: "Fire and Ice" by Robert Frost
• 5A: “Trifles” by Susan Glaspell 
• 5B: Analysis: “Trifles” by Susan Glaspell
• 6: Development of Theme

Section 4: Comparing Text and Identifying Source Material

Objectives:

The lessons in this section will help you to:

• Understand how to analyze similar themes.
• Recognize how different authors approach a similar topic.
• Analyze how an author draws on and transforms source material in a specific work.
• Compare two texts.

Lesson 1 introduces the science fiction short story, “2BR02B” by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.

This lesson will help you:

• Explore the genre of science fiction literature.
• Begin to understand how to compare two different texts with similar themes. 

In Lesson 2, you will read the short story, “In the Year 2889” by Jules Verne and Michel Verne.

In this lesson you will:

• Continue to explore the genre of science fiction literature.
• Assess themes in a short story. 

In Lesson 3, you will compare two science fiction short stories, analyze how an author transforms source material in two novels, and explore two pieces of ancient literature.

This lesson will help you:

• Analyze similar themes in two different texts.
• Consider the different approaches each author takes in communicating similar themes.
• Examine each author’s writing style and consider how it impacts mood and atmosphere of the text.
• Understand how literary works are used by others as source material.
• Explore ancient literary texts.

Lessons:

• 1: Science Fiction "2BR02B" by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. 
• 2: Science Fiction “In the Year 2889” by Jules Verne and Michel Verne 
• 3A: Compare and Contrast
• 3B: Comparing Literature
• 3C: Ancient Literature 

Section 5: Characters, Point-of-View / Perspective, Inferencing

objectives:

The lessons in this section will help you:

• Understand how complex characters with multiple or conflicting motivations develop and interact in a text and how that supports the theme and advances the story.
• Differentiate point of view and perspective.
• Distinguish between explicit and implicit information in a text.
• Make inferences from implicit information in a text.
• Support inferences by citing textual evidence.

Lessons 1A and 1B focus on characters.

These lessons explain:

• Character development
• Types of characters
• Complex characters and their motivations

Lessons 2A – 2F cover an array of literary works including narratives and a classic Shakespearean play.

In these lessons you will:

• Explore points of view and cultural experiences that are reflected in world literature.
• Learn about literary devices that authors use to work around the point of view.
• Learn to apply what you know about perspective and literary analysis.
• Examine how cultural influences are reflected in an author’s writing.

Lessons 3A – 3E include classic literary works including novels, poetry, and a fable.

In these lessons you will:

• Explore inferencing in a text.
• Distinguish explicit from implicit information.

In Lesson 4 the main points of the section are recapped.

In this lesson you will review the key points about inferencing, analyzing a text, and supporting claims with citations from a text.

Lessons:

• 1A: Introduction to Characters
• 1B: Character Case Study
• 2A: Perspective & Point-of-View
• 2B: Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
• 2C: "Hamlet" by William Shakespeare
• 2D: "Gulliver’s Travels" by Jonathan Swift
• 2E: "Where Angels Fear to Tread" by E.M. Forster 
• 3A: Inferencing
• 3B: "The Hound of the Baskervilles" by Arthur Conan Doyle
• 3C: "Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen
• 3D: "Ozymandias" by Shelley
• 3E: Aesop’s Fable
• 4: Closing Remarks

Semester 2: 

Section 1: Introduction to Writing

Objectives:

By studying and analyzing the selections included in these lessons, you will be able to:

• Understand why studying genre is important for writers.
• Analyze poems and the essential qualities of poetry to help you write poetry.
• Appreciate a variety of genres such as fantasy, spy fiction, and magical realism.
• Write stories in specific genres.
• Create suspense using dialogs, figurative language, tone, mood, etc.
• Draw evidence from scientific texts to support your analysis, reflection, and research.
• Draw evidence from literary texts to write historical fiction.

Lesson 1 introduces various genres including fantasy, spy fiction, and magical realism.

This lesson will help you understand:

• Various genres and their key characteristics.
• How to write different genres.
• How reading can help you fine-tune your writing skills in various genres.

In Lesson 2, you will learn about writing science fiction.

In this lesson you will:

• Learn to research a topic, use time-specific and relevant details, and include accurate facts to captivate your audience.
• How to carefully read and analyze various scientific texts and conduct the necessary research in all required subject areas to develop and support your ideas.
• How your research can help you create a more substantial plot to which readers can relate.

In Lesson 3, you will learn about the genre of mystery.

In this lesson you will explore examples to help you:

• Learn to use various story elements (setting, events, characters, and plot) to write a gripping mystery.
• Learn to create suspense using dialogue, figurative language, tone, mood, etc. 

In Lesson 4, you will learn about poetry through several examples.

In this lesson you will:

• Learn the key characteristics of poetry.
• Learn about the use of precise language in poetry.
• Use a 6-step process to analyze poetry.
• Take a free approach to analyze poetry.
• Understand the creative use of language and symbolism to express emotion or aesthetics for writing poetry.

In Lesson 5, you will learn about the genre, historical fiction.

In this lesson you will:

• Learn what historical fiction is.
• Understand the key characteristics of historical fiction stories.
• Learn to draw evidence from literary texts to write historical fiction accurately.
• Use various texts to support your writing.
• Draw information from multiple sources.

Lessons:

• 1: Introduction to Writing and Genre
• 2: Writing Science Fiction
• 3: Writing Mystery
• 4A: Writing Poetry Part 1
• 4B: Writing Poetry Part 2
• 5: Historical Fiction

Section 2: Fundamentals of Writing

Objectives:

Through various writing styles and examples, this section will help you:

• Explore and discuss various types of writing - (descriptive, response to literature, fictional, narrative, and poetic).
• Use precise words and phrases, details, and sensory language to convey a vivid picture of the experiences, events, setting, and/or characters.
• Emphasize how the style of a text is organized for the task, purpose, and audience.
• Understand text structure and technique (including story arc).
• Explore tone and mood.
• Consider the theme.

Lesson 1 covers why we write.

This lesson will help you understand:

• Various purposes for writing.
• Types of writing (formal vs. informal)

Lesson 2 focuses on types of writing.

In this lesson you will:

• Learn the four main types of writing.
• Explore expository and persuasive writing with examples.
• Learn how to write a response to literature.
• Explore descriptive writing through poetry and prose.
• Review narrative writing.

In Lesson 3, you will learn about the importance of rich vocabulary.

In this lesson you will:

• Learn the importance of using precise words and phrases in your writing.
• Discover tips for using precise language in your writing.
• Learn to identify the precise language in literature.
• Explore domain-specific language through examples.

Lesson 4 focuses on task, purpose, and audience.

In this lesson you will:

• Learn how the style of a text is organized for the task, purpose, and audience.
• Explore examples to reinforce the importance of task, purpose, and audience.
• Consider style as it relates to task, purpose, and audience.
• Receive tips for writing. 

Lesson 5 focuses on plot.

In this lesson you will:

• Explore narrative writing.
• Examine the story arc through examples.
• Learn how to develop a story arc.

In Lesson 6, you will learn about tone and mood.

In this lesson you will:

• Learn about tone and mood.
• Explore examples from literature to determine tone and mood.

In Lesson 7, you will learn about imagery.

In this lesson you will:

• Learn about visual and other types of imagery.
• Understand why imagery in writing is important.
• Review examples of how imagery is used in writing.

In Lesson 8, you will learn about themes.

In this lesson you will:

• Learn about visual and other types of imagery.
• Understand why imagery in writing is important.
• Review examples of how imagery is used in writing.

Lessons:

• 1: Why Do We Write?
• 2: Types of Writing
• 3: Importance of Rich Vocabulary
• 4: Task, Purpose, and Audience
• 5: Plot
• 6: Tone & Mood
• 7: Imagery
• 8: Theme

Section 3: Writing Narratives

Objectives:

The lessons in this section will help you:

• Understand narratives and how to develop and write them.
• Orient the reader via story structure, point of view, characters, and sequence of events.
• Use narrative techniques, such as dialogue, pacing, description, reflection, and multiple plot lines, to develop experiences, events, and/or characters.
• Use a variety of techniques to sequence events so that they build on one another to create a coherent whole.
• Apply knowledge of point of view to narratives.
• Appreciate the contribution of perspective, tone, and voice to a narrative.
• Engage and orient the reader by establishing one or multiple point(s) of view.

Lesson 1 introduces narratives and provides an overview of the elements of a narrative.

This lesson will help you understand:

• The general steps involved in writing a narrative.
• Questions to ask when developing a narrative.
• How to use a graphic organizer to develop a narrative.

Lesson 2 focuses on orienting the reader of a narrative.

In this lesson you will:

• Learn to orient the reader using point of view, characters, and sequence of events.
• Understand how to follow the standard story structure when developing a narrative.

In Lesson 3, you will learn about narrative techniques such as dialogue, pacing, description, reflection, and multiple plot lines, to develop experiences, events, and/or characters.

In this lesson you will:

• Analyze a piece of literature that highlights the narrative techniques that will help develop a narrative.
• Learn tips to follow to create interesting dialogue in a narrative.
• Learn tips on how to use pacing, description, reflection, and multiple plot lines in a narrative.

Lesson 4 focuses on sequencing (ordering) events in a narrative.

In this lesson you will:

• Learn to use a variety of techniques to sequence events so that they build on one another to create a coherent whole.
• Practice sequencing events.

Lesson 5 focuses on point of view.

In this lesson you will:

• Learn the difference between point of view and perspective.
• Understand the importance of details and descriptive language in a narrative.
• Realize the importance of the narrator’s perspective and tone.

In Lesson 6, you will learn to engage and orient the reader by establishing one or multiple point(s) of view with examples from literature.

In this lesson you will:

• Explore various points of view via literary works.
• Understand themes and key details in a narrative with multiple points of view.
• Understand how point of view is determined in a narrative.

In Lesson 7, you will learn about perspective, tone, and voice.

In this lesson you will:

• Learn what perspective, tone, and voice are in a narrative.
• Explore perspective, tone, and voice via examples.
• Learn tips for using perspective, tone, and voice in writing a narrative.

Lessons:

• 1: Introduction to Narratives
• 2: Orient the Reader
• 3: Dialogues and Pacing
• 4: Sequencing of Events
• 5: Point of View
• 6: Multiple Points of View
• 7: Perspective, Tone, and Voice

Section 4: Developing Compelling Characters

Objectives:

By studying & analyzing Atlas Shrugged which is a classic from American Literature, the lessons in this section will help you to:

• Understand how to categorize characters so that you can understand them better.
• Analyze interactions between characters to clue into their personality traits.
• Appreciate how precise word choices allow authors to reveal personality traits of characters.
• Write dialogs.
• Write from a different point-of-view than what the author has provided.

Lesson 1 introduces characters and the narrative techniques authors use to infuse personality into them.

Character development, also called characterization, is the way authors introduce and describe characters.

• This lesson will help you understand:
• Types of characters.
• Character archetypes and how authors use them.
• How authors use dialog to create characters, create mood, set the pace and help with the plot.

In Lesson 2, you will get an introduction to “Atlas Shrugged” by Ayn Rand.

In this lesson you will:

• Learn about the main plot and the key characters.
• Find out what to focus on as you read the text in the upcoming lessons.

In Lesson 3, you will read a short narrative that focuses on the character Eddie Willers.

In this lesson you will:

• Determine how a character develops over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details.
• Learn how to use backstory effectively.

In Lesson 4, you will read about the interaction between Eddie Willers and James Taggart.

In this lesson you will:

• Examine how interactions between characters can reveal their personalities and their motivations.
• Learn how to build tension between characters through the use of dialog.

In Lesson 5, you will get an introduction to the protagonist Dagny Taggart.

In this lesson you will:

• Learn how authors can use physical characteristics and body language to develop character traits.
• Understand how authors set up events to reveal more about a character. 

In Lesson 6, you will learn more about the protagonist Dagny Taggart and the supporting character James Taggart.

In this lesson you will:

• Learn how authors can set up a foil to a character. By widening the differences between characters, authors can emphasize key traits even more.
• Learn about logical fallacies and how characters use them to evade issues. 

In Lesson 7, you will learn more about the protagonist, Dagny Taggart, based on the interaction with one of her workers.

In this lesson you will:

• Learn how authors can create tension between characters even when there is mutual respect.
• Understand how dialogs can drive home a point.

Lessons:

• 1: Introduction to Developing Characters
• 2: Introduction to Atlas Shrugged
• 3: Atlas Shrugged: Eddie Willers
• 4: Atlas Shrugged: Eddie Willers and James Taggart
• 5: Atlas Shrugged Protagonist: Dagny Taggart
• 6: Atlas Shrugged: Dagny and James Taggart
• 7: Atlas Shrugged Woman in Charge

Section 5: Evaluating Media Literature

Objectives:

The lessons in this section will help you understand how authors:

• Introduce characters and eventually develop them.
• Create a smooth progression of experiences or events.
• Engage and orient the reader by setting out a problem, situation, or observation.
• Establish multiple point(s) of view.
• Use a variety of techniques to sequence events so that they build on one another to create a coherent whole.
• Use narrative techniques, such as dialogue, pacing, description, reflection, and multiple plot lines, to develop experiences, events, and/or characters.
• Provide a conclusion that follows from and reflects on what is experienced, observed, or resolved over the course of the narrative.
• Draw on and transform source material in a specific work.

Lesson 1 revisits key concepts that will help students evaluate narrative works.

This lesson provides a recap of the following key concepts:

• Theme
• Plot
• Characters and their Development
• Literary Analysis

Lesson 2A introduces the student to the narrative work The Phantom of the Opera by French writer Gaston Leroux. We have chosen this piece because it is world literature, and it is represented successfully in so many different mediums.

In this lesson you will learn:

• How the same subject or a key scene in a literary work can be represented in multiple artistic mediums across different time periods.
• How to conduct an in-depth review of the setting of narrative work.

The Phantom of the Opera has many different characters which we will discuss in this lesson. Character analysis is a key aspect of literary analysis. Characters affect plots and plots in turn affect characters.

In lesson 2B, you will learn:

• How to conduct an in-depth review of characters in narrative works.
• Evaluating complex characters.
• Identifying plots and subplots.

Lesson 3 introduces the student to the 1943 film The Phantom of the Opera

In this lesson you will learn:

• How Leroux’s work has been adapted for the film medium and how it reflects the time period during which the film was released.
• How to conduct an in-depth review of narrative works in the film medium.
• Evaluating complex characters and understanding how authors credibly transform these characters by introducing events.
• Identifying plots and subplots.

In Lesson 4, you will analyze how to identify events and analyze event sequences and their effects on story plot and characters.

This lesson will help you:

• Identify different event sequences.
• Analyze how different sequences of events progress to influence the plot.

In Lesson 5, you will analyze how to identify themes and write elaborate literary analysis.

This lesson will help you:

• Identify multiple themes.
• Write a literary analysis for narrative text.
• Understand the beginning, middle, and end.

Lessons:

• 1: Recap of Narrative Techniques
• 2A: Introduction to The Phantom: Setting
• 2B: Introduction Continued: Characters and Plot
• 3: Discussion on the 1943 Film
• 4: Events
• 5: Literary Analysis