Students will complete reading assignments outside of the class, though we will read segments together during our discussions.  In addition to reading assignments for home work, there are short writing assignments, higher-level comprehension questions, and a compare and contrast essay. 

We will have lectures, group discussions, group work, Socratic seminars, Youtube videos, implicit grammar instruction, and vocabulary in context.  I incorporate plenty of time for students to talk and ask questions, as I believe this helps them learn and retain information. I differentiate my instruction based on the learning styles and needs of individual students, including social/emotional needs and challenges. I use graphic organizers to help students manage new information and discuss options for individualized note-taking strategies.  

The following is a list of texts we will read and analyze, followed by a rough breakdown of the sixteen week class schedule:  

Play: The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde

Poets: Sappho
            Maggie Smith
           William Carlos Williams
           
             
Short Story:  How Much Land Does a Man Need?  by Leo Tolstoy

Novella: The Pearl by John Steinbeck


Novel: The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Expository: Various non-fiction essays and articles related to the topics and themes of the literature we read.

            
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There are two classes each week, Day A and Day B. Each class will have a homework assignment that will be reviewed at the beginning of the next class meeting. Every week there will be some sort of lecture, discussion of the current text, relevant vocabulary, and writing assignments. The play and novel will culminate with a Socratic Seminar as a venue for students to demonstrate their understanding of the text. 
       
Week 1~Day A: Introductions/warm-ups/discuss class schedule and expectations/discuss 
              final project/discuss homework 
              Day B: How Much Land Does a Man Need?/short story/intro to Tolstoy
Week 2~Day A: How Much Land Does a Man Need?/analyze
               Day B: Sappho/Poetry
Week 3~Day A: The Great Gatsby/novel/intro to Fitzgerald and the 'Jazz Age'
               Day B: The Great Gatsby/character development
Week 4~Day A: The Great Gatsby/character devlopment/archetypes
               B: The Great Gatsby/plot development
Week 5~Day A: The Great Gatsby/tone and mood
               Day B: The Great Gatsby/author's style
Week 6~Day A: Socratic Seminar The Great Gatsby
               Day B: William Carlos Williams/poetry
Week 7~Day A:  Grammar Focus/catch up
               Day B: Cumulative Quiz
Week 8~Day A: Expository analysis
               Day B: Maggie Smith/poetry
Week 9~Day A: The Pearl/novella/introduction to John Steinbeck
               Day B: The Pearl/setting/character development
Week 10~Day A: The Pearl/author's style/figurative language
                 Day B: The Pearl/plot development/theme/ tone and mood
Week 11~Day A: Socrative Seminar The Pearl
                 Day B: Cumulative Quiz
Week 12~Day A: Compare and Contrast/writing
                 Day B: Compare and Contrast/writing
Week 13~Day A: The Importance of Being Earnest/play/introduction to Oscar Wilde and 
                             social satire
                Day B:  The Importance of Being Earnest/play/setting and mood
Week 14~Day A: The Importance of Being Earnestplay/conflict and rising action
                 Day B: The Importance of Being Earnest/play/character development
Week 15~Day A: The Importance of Being Earnest/play/satirical characteristics
                Day B: Socratice Seminar The Importance of Being Earnest
Week 16~Day A: Cumulative Assessment
                 Day B: class wrap up/writing and sharing