Syllabus English II 2009 2010

							                                  English II Course Outline
                                    C. Wallace Room 216
                                         2009-2010

Introduction to English II            Literature Overview
(1-2 days)                            Introduction to 1st novel: Tears of a Tiger

Unit 1: The Short Story: (3 weeks)
                                             “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. (elements of short
                                              story)
                                             “The Seventh Man” by Haruki Murakami (flashback,
                                              foreshadowing)
                                             “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker (characterization,
                                              compare/contrast)
                                             Developing the Perfect Paragraph – compare/contrast
                                             “Lamb to the Slaughter” by Roald Dahl (dramatic, situational,
                                              and verbal irony)
                                             “The Acts of King Arthur and His Noble Nights” by John
                                              Steinbeck (figurative language, style, making inferences)
                                             "The Masque of the Red Death" by Edgar Allen Poe
                                              (symbolism, theme, author’s life/his themes)
                                             Elements of the Excellent Essay - expository

Unit 2: Nonfiction: (3 weeks)
                                             Analyzing the elements of nonfiction
                                             From The Johnstown Flood by David McCullough (historical
                                              narrative, mood, analyze chronological order)
                                              “Nine-year-old Amber Colvin Rides Out a Killer Flood in
                                              Ohio” (magazine article, reading for information)
                                             From Tolerance by E.M. Forster (persuasive essay, analyze
                                              reasons/evidence)
                                             Persuasive essay/writing
                                             Clip from Freedom Writers (focus on social change)
                                              “Keep Memory Alive, Alone” by Maya Angelou
                                             from Night and “Nobel Prize Acceptance Speech” by Elie
                                              Wiesel (memoir, cultural perspectives, speeches, connect)
                                             Memoir writing
                                             Annotated Bibliographies
                                                  o Books, Magazines, Newspapers, Internet articles
                                             Propaganda and Advertisements – Illustration
                                             Letter writing

Fall Assessment #1: Day 30

Key: All highlighted items must be included in portfolio which is due at the end of the semester.
Unit 3: Poetry: 2 weeks
                                         "Introduction to Poetry" by Billy Collins
                                         “Socks” by Pablo Neruda (comparing poetry to prose, similes
                                          and metaphors - Simile and Metaphor Poem
                                         "The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost and "Choices" by
                                          Nikki Giovanni; “Do Not Weep, Maiden, for War Is Kind” by
                                          Stephen Crane and “The Sonnet-Ballad” by Gwendolyn Brooks
                                          (universal theme, verbal irony) - Universal theme Poem
                                         McCorkle’s poem (color symbolism) - Color symbolism poem
                                         Peruvian Child” by Pat Mora, “The Fish” by Elizabeth Bishop,
                                          “The Sloth” by Theodore Roethke (author’s purpose, imagery,
                                          free verse) - Imagery poem
                                         “Sonnet 18” by William Shakespeare and “Sonnet XXX of
                                          Fatal Interview” by Edna St. Vincent Millay (sonnet,
                                          strategies for reading sonnets) - Sonnet

Midterm on Units 1-3 and novel

Unit 5: Novels: 2-3 weeks
                                   The Research Paper: Using Tears of a Tiger
                                        Research skills
                                        Writing process
                                        Integrating quotations
                                        MLA documentation
                                   Introduction to 2nd novel (Choose one of the four)
                                        Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
                                        Something for Joey by Richard E. Peck
                                        Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie
                                        The Pearl by John Steinbeck

Fall Assessment #2 Day 60 falls in the middle of Drama

Unit 4: Drama: 5-6 weeks
                                         Classical Greek Drama - Antigone by Sophocles (tragedy,
                                          tragic hero, irony, characterization, summarizing, dialogue,
                                          theme) RAFT – newspaper article
                                         Shakespearean Drama - A Midsummer Night's Dream by W.
                                          Shakespeare (comedy, figurative language, dialogue)
                                         Twelve Angry Men (film version)

Unit 6: Writing About Ourselves:   Writing assignments will be dispersed throughout the semester to be
                                   put into the portfolio as a collection of your writing samples.
                                           Portfolio due
Final will cover Units 4-5