English III: American Literature and Composition Semester 1A

SPECIAL NOTE: I am not offering this class live this year, but you can take it in the flexible schedule format (asynchronous). Here is the link to the flex version of the class - https://outschool.com/classes/11th-grade-english-language-arts-american-literature-and-composition-sem-a-flex-Tw0PSzgN

In this 8-week class (the first in a series of four classes), students will analyze fiction and write short stories and essays on related topics. This class can be used as a core English/Literature/Language Arts/ELA course for 10th or 11th grade (US standards). For non US-students, this should be the equivalent of high school/secondary school year 10, 11, or 12  

Students will read a novel, a novella, and short stories as we work through various themes and topics throughout the semester. Grammar, vocabulary, and writing will be a part of each unit and students will learn and reinforce MLA format for their essays.  

The Princess Bride Unit - approx. 3 weeks
Students will read "The Princess Bride" by William Goldman. Students will discuss the chosen text while doing lessons on theme, figurative language, symbolism, genres, analyzing quotes and characters, comparing the book to the film, and MLA format for essays. Various lessons on writing techniques, grammar, and vocabulary will be including in the unit. By the end of this Unit, the student will be able to: 
• define the term coming of age and explain how the novel is a coming of age novel for the protagonist. 
• define the term fantasy and explain how the novel is a fantasy novel. 
• define various figurative language techniques and identify examples in the text. 
• define the term allusion and identify allusions in the text and their relevance to the plot. 
• examine the setting of the novel and explain how place and time is integral to the story. 
• identify the use of foreshadowing in the novel and discuss its purpose. 
• identify the themes of the text.
• examine quotes from the text and determine what the deeper meaning is. 
• identify uses of comic relief in the text and explain their purpose. 

Short Stories/The House on Mango Street Unit - approx. 5 weeks
Students will read various short stories from American authors in addition to the collection of short stories into a novella, "The House on Mango Street" by Sandra Cisneros. Students will learn about different elements of narrative writing including characterization, setting, plot order (foreshadowing, flashbacks, linear, etc.), plot structure, narrator, and point of view.  Various lessons on writing techniques, grammar, and vocabulary will be including in the unit. Students will study short excerpts from various short stories in connection to the different elements of narrative writing. In addition, they will read complete short stories which could include: "Eleven" by Sandra Cisneros, "A Good Man is Hard to Find" by Flannery O'Connor, "Girl" by Jamaica Kincaid, "Everyday Use" by Alice Walker, "The Story of an Hour" by Kate Chopin, "Charles" by Shirley Jackson, "The Veldt" by Ray Bradbury, "EPICAC" by Kurt Vonnegut, "A Rose for Emily" by William Faulkner, and "I Stand Hear Ironing" by Tillie Olsen.

***SPECIAL NOTE: You may have noticed that the start date and end date add up to more than 16 weeks; this is because, there are several weeks and/or days we will not meet for school holidays. Before enrolling, if you click the "Show all 32 Meetings" above the Enroll Now button, you will see the dates scheduled to meet and can see what dates are not in the schedule. After enrolling, your welcome email should have the dates we won't be meeting, but if it doesn't, please reach out.