Course Overview:
Using a motif of Mystery, Monsters, and Mayhem, students in this course will acquire the reading, writing, language, and speaking/listening skills necessary for success in college, career, and beyond. Students will become critical readers and thinkers as they delve into fiction and informational texts within the course. They will also learn to effectively write narrative, informational, and argumentative pieces and present their ideas clearly and cohesively. In Semester 1, students will study interaction of literary elements, development of theme, thesaurus and dictionary skills, how to write effective summary, reading informational text, researching and organizing information, how to avoid plagiarism and how to plan and write a narrative.
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.
Prerequisites:
Required Materials:
You will need the following items to complete this course:
- Disk space on your computer as well as external device to back up your files (flash drive, external hard drive, CD–Rom, etc.)
- Word processing and presentation software
- Research materials which are typically found online or at public and school libraries
Student-supplied Materials:
Reading materials are optional. Students may choose to read a novel from the list or a short story linked within the course.
- Students select one novel or short story below:
- Ungifted by Gordon Korman
- Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper
- Serafina and the Black Cloak by Robert Beatty
- Freak the Mighty by Rodman Philbrick
- The Magician's Nephew by CS Lewis
- The Watsons Go to Birmingham Christopher Paul Curtis
- Advanced students must select one additional novel below:
- Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
- The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum
- The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
Free Downloads:
- Adobe Flash Player
- Java
- Windows Media Real Player
- Apple iTunes
Syllabus:
Segment I:
Module I: History of Mystery
- 00: Module One Pretest and Checklist
- 01: Mysteries That Change History
- 02: What Is Theme?
- 03: Literary Elements Interact
- 04: How Theme Develops
- 05: Comparing and Contrasting Mediums
- 06: What Is the Mystery Meaning?
- 07: Thesaurus and Dictionary Skills
- 08: Implicit and Explicit Meaning
- 09: Look For the Main Idea
- 10: Writing an Effective Summary
- 11 Module One Review and Discussion-Based Assessment
- 12 Module One Exam
Module 2: Everyday Monsters
- 00: Module Two Checklist
- 01: Assess Internet Sources
- 02: Why Writers Choose Words
- 03: Reading Informational Texts
- 04: Researching and Organizing Information
- 05: Avoiding Plagiarism
- 06: Introduction Paragraph
- 07: Connect Your Ideas
- 08: Support Your Main Ideas
- 09: Wrap It Up
- 10: Kick It Up a Notch
- 11: Module Two Review and Discussion-Based Assessment
- 12: Present Your Work
Module 3: Social Mayhem
- 00: Module Three Checklist
- 01: Who Tells It Best?
- 02: Planning Your Narrative
- 03: Begin Your Story
- 04: What Did You Say?
- 05: Body Language
- 06: Pause for Commas
- 07: Time to Transition
- 08: Let’s Wrap It Up
- 09: Module Three Review and Discussion-Based Assessment
- 10: Make It Stronger
- 11: Segment One Exam Part One
- 11: Segment One Exam Part Two
- 11: Segment One Advanced Exam Part One
- 11: Segment One Advanced Exam Part Two
Using a motif of Mystery, Monsters, and Mayhem, students in this course will acquire the reading, writing, language, and speaking/listening skills necessary for success in college, career, and beyond. Students will become critical readers and thinkers as they delve into fiction and informational texts within the course. They will also learn to effectively write narrative, informational, and argumentative pieces and present their ideas clearly and cohesively. In Semester 1, students will study interaction of literary elements, development of theme, thesaurus and dictionary skills, how to write effective summary, reading informational text, researching and organizing information, how to avoid plagiarism and how to plan and write a narrative.
Required Materials:
You will need the following items to complete this course:
- Disk space on your computer as well as external device to back up your files (flash drive, external hard drive, CD–Rom, etc.)
- Word processing and presentation software
- Research materials which are typically found online or at public and school libraries
Student-supplied Materials:
Reading materials are optional. Students may choose to read a novel from the list or a short story linked within the course.
- Students select one novel or short story below:
- Ungifted by Gordon Korman
- Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper
- Serafina and the Black Cloak by Robert Beatty
- Freak the Mighty by Rodman Philbrick
- The Magician's Nephew by CS Lewis
- The Watsons Go to Birmingham Christopher Paul Curtis
- Advanced students must select one additional novel below:
- Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
- The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum
- The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
Free Downloads:
- Adobe Flash Player
- Java
- Windows Media Real Player
- Apple iTunes
Syllabus:
Segment I:
Module I: History of Mystery
- 00: Module One Pretest and Checklist
- 01: Mysteries That Change History
- 02: What Is Theme?
- 03: Literary Elements Interact
- 04: How Theme Develops
- 05: Comparing and Contrasting Mediums
- 06: What Is the Mystery Meaning?
- 07: Thesaurus and Dictionary Skills
- 08: Implicit and Explicit Meaning
- 09: Look For the Main Idea
- 10: Writing an Effective Summary
- 11 Module One Review and Discussion-Based Assessment
- 12 Module One Exam
Module 2: Everyday Monsters
- 00: Module Two Checklist
- 01: Assess Internet Sources
- 02: Why Writers Choose Words
- 03: Reading Informational Texts
- 04: Researching and Organizing Information
- 05: Avoiding Plagiarism
- 06: Introduction Paragraph
- 07: Connect Your Ideas
- 08: Support Your Main Ideas
- 09: Wrap It Up
- 10: Kick It Up a Notch
- 11: Module Two Review and Discussion-Based Assessment
- 12: Present Your Work
Module 3: Social Mayhem
- 00: Module Three Checklist
- 01: Who Tells It Best?
- 02: Planning Your Narrative
- 03: Begin Your Story
- 04: What Did You Say?
- 05: Body Language
- 06: Pause for Commas
- 07: Time to Transition
- 08: Let’s Wrap It Up
- 09: Module Three Review and Discussion-Based Assessment
- 10: Make It Stronger
- 11: Segment One Exam Part One
- 11: Segment One Exam Part Two
- 11: Segment One Advanced Exam Part One
- 11: Segment One Advanced Exam Part Two
