Course Overview:
Through a variety of informational texts, this course supports students’ ability to understand complex texts through evaluation and analysis. To accomplish this objective, students will explore theme, word meaning, and formal language as they evaluate texts such as seminal U.S. documents, presidential addresses, and functional workplace documents.
Selections for this course include essays by Thoreau; speeches by Frederick Douglas, Ronald Reagan, and Mahatma Gandhi; Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address, and Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Letter from a Birmingham Jail.
English II Semester 1 also guides students in discerning how a subject is represented in various mediums and why it is important to gain information from various mediums to enhance one’s understanding of a subject. To facilitate this goal, a variety of texts, videos, and images depicting the life of Helen Keller are used. To further student’s comprehension of how to analyze key events presented in different mediums, various representations of World War II, D-Day, and Anne Frank’s Diary are evaluated and compared.
Students continue to build grammar and reading comprehension skills through a variety of writing assessments and relevant reading comprehension passages, respectively.
English II Semester 2 provides students with the effective writing skills needed to prepare them for college and career readiness. With a focus on informational text, these skills are developed in several ways: By analyzing and evaluating arguments, claims, counterclaims, and evidence in a text; by exploring how to write effective speeches, debates, and essays; and by writing expository and persuasive essays, science papers, and online blogs. Students also learn how to tailor their writing based on task, audience, and purpose to create a coherent and concise copy.
Additionally, the broad series of lessons and activities in this course provides students with the opportunity to understand the organization and structure of informational texts, scientific papers, and business writing. Writing reviews and for social media, as well as creating brochures and advertisements, are also highlighted in the course along with a rich review of the planning, revising, editing, and rewriting that are necessary for a strong foundation as an effective writer. Lastly, the importance of public dialogue, the identification of logical fallacies, and diverse views on a single topic are covered.
This course requires a lot of writing and students will be required to edit drafts and submit both drafts as well as final versions. Please be sure to save all your writing work in a separate folder on your laptop or computer.
Note: This course is not designed for ELL (English Language Learners) students. ELL students may enroll in this course ONLY if they have adequate mentor support at their home school and are able to fulfill all course requirements.
Credit Recovery Notice:
This course is intended only for students recovering previously lost or failed credits. Students and parents/guardians are responsible for ensuring that the student is eligible to take this course for credit recovery and that it meets school or district requirements. This course will be listed on the transcript as Credit Recovery.
Prerequisites:
Syllabus:
Section 1: Reading Fundamentals: Informational Text
In this unit, you will learn about the following objectives:
- Determine and Analyze the Theme of an Informational Text
- Interpret Words and Phrases Used In an Informational Text
- Understand How and When to Use Formal Language
- Understand the Use of Text Features in Functional Workplace Documents
- Analyze Similar Themes in Two Different Informational Texts
- Compare How Different Authors Approach Similar Themes In an Informational Text
Lessons:
- Theme
- Words and Their Meanings
- Using Language in a Formal Context - Part 1
- Using Language in a Formal Context - Part 2
- Using Language in a Formal Context - Part 3
- Similar Themes - Part 1
- Similar Themes - Part 2
Section 2: Individuals & Events: Informational Text
In this unit, you will learn about the following objectives:
- Understand How Individuals Influence a Text
- Analyze How Events Develop and Interact Over the Course of a Text
- Determine How an Author Unfolds Events in a Text to Convey a Message
- Discover an Author’s Perspective and Purpose in a Text
- Evaluate Rhetorical Devices in a Text
- Determine Explicit Information in a Text
- Make Logical Inferences from a Text
- Cite Textual Evidence to Support Your Conclusions and Claims from Inferencing
Lessons:
- Individuals - Part 1
- Individuals - Part 2
- Lincoln’s 2nd Inaugural Address
- "Letter from a Birmingham Jail" - Part 1
- "Letter from a Birmingham Jail" - Part 2
- "Letter from a Birmingham Jail" - Part 3
- Perspective
- Inferencing
Section 3: Argument & Rhetoric in Informational Text
In this unit, you will learn about the following objectives:
- Delineate and Evaluate the Argument and Specific Claims in a Text
- Evaluate the Validity of the Reasoning and Support for Evidence in a Text
- Assess How Point of View or Purpose Shapes the Content and Style of a Text
- Analyze How an Author Uses Rhetoric to Advance their Point of View, Perspective, or Purpose
- Identify False Statements and Fallacious Reasoning in a Text
Lessons:
- Argument and Claims
- Point of View
- Author Claims
- Richard Nixon’s “Checkers” Speech
- Ethos, Pathos, Logos - Part 1
- Ethos, Pathos, Logos - Part 2
Section 4: Introduction to Representations in Media - Helen Keller
In this unit, you will learn about the following objectives:
- Integrate and Evaluate Content that is Presented in Diverse Media and Formats
- Analyze Various Accounts of a Subject in Different Mediums
- Determine Which Details are Emphasized in Each Representation
- Analyze Different Representations of a Subject in Key Images with Attention to Elements that are Emphasized or Absent
- Analyze Representations in Mediums that Include Film, Newspaper Articles, Historical Texts, and Artistic Renderings
Lessons:
- Exploring Multiple Sources of Information
- Autobiography and Film Analysis - Part 1
- Autobiography and Film Analysis - Part 2
- Autobiography and Film Analysis - Part 3
- Newspaper and Video Analysis
- Helen Keller Biography by John Hitz
- Helen Keller Biography by Rebecca Deming Moore
- Helen Keller's Journal
- Essay on Optimism by Helen Keller
- Play - The Miracle Worker
- Conclusion
Section 5: Understanding Complex Text
In this unit, you will learn about the following objectives:
- Determine Theme and Analyze its Development Over the Course of the Text
- Analyze How an Author Unfolds an Analysis or Series of Ideas or Events and Draws Connections between Them
- Determine the Meaning of Words and Phrases in a Text and Analyze the Cumulative Impact of Specific Word Choices on Meaning and Tone
- Cite Evidence to Support What the Text Says Explicitly and Implicitly
- Analyze in Detail How an Author's Ideas or Claims are Developed
- Determine Author's Point of View or Purpose
- Analyze the Use of Rhetoric to Advance an Author’s Point of View or Purpose
- Evaluate and Assess the Validity of an Argument
- Identify Fallacious Reasoning
Lessons:
- Intro and Overview
- Adam Smith Wealth of Nations
- Karl Marx Capital
- Ayn Rand Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal
- John Kenneth Galbraith The Affluent Society
- Milton Friedman Capitalism and Freedom – Part 1
- Milton Friedman Capitalism and Freedom – Part 2
- Conclusion
Semester 2
Section 1: Introduction to Writing Informational Text
In this unit, you will learn the following objectives:
- Determine and analyze claims, counterclaims, and evidence in a text.
- Understand the organization used in an informational text.
- Identify task, purpose, audience, and style.
- Understand the organization of scientific text.
- Write abstracts.
- Plan, revise, edit, and rewrite.
- Identify tone and mood.
Lessons:
- Introduction to Writing Informational Text
- Organizing Text for Better Understanding
- Task, Audience, Purpose, and Style
- Publishing Scientific Text
- Planning, Editing, Revising & Rewriting
- Tone and Mood in Writing
Section 2: Informational Text in Work Business
In this unit, you will learn about the following objectives:
- Evaluate and analyze how to write effective speeches, debates, and essays.
- Understand why coherence is essential. Analyze a memo to understand the value of consistency and integrity.
- Identify the steps to make your writing concise and to the point.
- Understand the basics of legal language.
- Write in a business setting.
- Plan and write for various career settings.
Lessons:
- Analysis of Speech, Debate & Essay
- Organizing Complex Text for Coherence
- Writing for Conciseness
- Understanding Legal Text
- Writing for Business
- Writing for Various Career Settings
Section 3: Descriptive Writing for the Media
In this unit, you will learn about the following objectives:
- Write descriptively for the media.
- Use sensory details to describe events and establish mood.
- Write product reviews.
- Understand the responsibility of writing for social media.
- Format content.
- Determine tone and language.
- Create brochures, advertisements, and documentaries.
Lessons:
- Writing Descriptively for Media
- Writing Reviews
- Writing for Social Media
- Creating Brochures
- Creating an Advertisement
- Writing for Media
Section 4: Introduction to Expository Writing
In this unit, you will learn about the following objectives:
- Understand the key elements of expository writing.
- Learn how to structure an expository essay.
- Write blogs and other online content.
- Learn how to write persuasive essays.
- Use the writing process.
- Edit and revise your writing.
Lessons:
- Writing Expository Essays
- Writing Scientific Papers
- Writing Online Blogs
- Writing Persuasive Essays
- Edit and Revise
- Writing Effectively
Section 5: Evaluating Arguments
In this unit, you will learn about the following objectives:
- Understand the importance of public dialogue.
- Analyze claims, counterclaims, and evidence in the text.
- Evaluate whether claims are substantiated by valid evidence.
- Identify logical fallacies.
- Evaluate arguments by several people on the same topic.
Lessons:
- Importance of Public Dialogue
- Tools for Evaluating Claims
- Data as Evidence
- Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring
