In this 16-week class, students will do the second half of World Literature and Composition where we will analyze fiction, poetry, and nonfiction, and write short stories, poetry, 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, please contact me and I can send you the standards to see if it will suit your high school/secondary school year 10, 11, or 12 student's needs.  

Students do NOT need to take Semester A to take Semester B. 

Students will read a novel, poetry, plays, and memoirs 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. 

Unit 1 - The Alchemist - approx. 4 weeks
In this unit, students will read The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. The Alchemist is a magical novel about an Andalusian shepherd boy who travels to Egypt in search of treasure that he sees in recurring dreams. Students will learn about fables, character development, literary devices, and identify a leitmotif. Various lessons on writing techniques, grammar, and vocabulary will be including in the unit. By the end of this Unit, the student should be able to: 
• identify and give examples of the use of metaphor in this novel. 
• infer causes and relationships that are not explicitly given in the novel. 
• discuss the role of fable in this novel. 
• comment on the balance between use of a narrator and of an interior monologue in showing Santiago’s growth in the novel.
• identify static and dramatic characters in the story. 
• understand the use of character development as a means of expressing cultural information. 
• analyze the characters of the crystal merchant and the Englishman, pointing out their shortcomings in achieving their Personal Legends. 
• analyze the characters of the alchemist and Santiago and discuss what traits equipped them to achieve their Personal Legends.
• identify a leitmotif and show how this technique is used to strengthen the structure of this novel. 
• summarize the major plot points of the novel. 
• give a critique of the novel, analyzing its strengths and weaknesses. 
• cite the use of both Muslim and Christian elements in the novel.
  
Unit 2 - Poetry - approx. 4 weeks
In this unit, you will study poems and songs from around the world. You will explore common elements found in poetry including figurative language, imagery, sound and rhythm, rhyme schemes, voice and tone, and theme and meaning. You will write your own poems and/or songs, breakdown the structure of poems and/or songs, and learn more about the poets and songwriters. By the end of this unit, the student will be able to:
• understand and explain the relationship of a poem’s form to its content. 
• compare and contrast two or more poems through an examination of both form and content. compare and contrast two or more poets’ treatments of the same subject or theme. 
• distinguish between iambic pentameter, tetrameter, and trimeter, and point out examples of each in the text. 
• comment on the themes, concerns, and trends in poetry from its inception to the second World War. 
• define all of the vocabulary words listed in the study guide. 
• identify the following figures of sound and point out examples of each: alliteration, assonance, consonance, internal rhyme, and half rhyme. 
• identify the following forms and elemental units of poetry and point out examples of each: sonnet, foot, stanza, strophe, quatrain, catalog verse, couplet, tercet, narrative poem, lyric poem, prose poem, and free verse. 
• understand the value of poetry as a form of protest. 
• understand the value of poetry as a form of self-expression. 
• infer details not explicitly stated in the text. 
• understand the difference between the poet and the narrator of the poem. 
• understand the effects of repetition, diction, and syntax in a poem.

Unit 3 - Drama  - approx. 4 weeks
In this unit you will study The Importance of Being Ernest by Oscar Wilde and Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare. Learners will study two classic plays and analyze the plots/story of each play, compare and contrast characters, identify setting and how it relates to the story, and literary devices used by both playwrights. By the end of this unit, the students will be able to: 
• identify the main conflict of the play and elaborate on its moral complexities. 
• compare and contrast characters, assessing such aspects as personality traits, behavior, motivations, values, and beliefs
• analyze the examples of irony within the play and explain the role that irony plays in comedy. 
• define, identify, and explain the various literary devices used 
• analyze what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text
• discuss dramatic irony in plays
• identify and discuss the plays' themes
• discuss and analyze technical, figurative, and connotative meanings 
 • learn about play, act, and scene structure

Unit 4 - Nonfiction - approx. 4 weeks
In this unit, students will read and analyze "Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood" by Trevor Noah. As the students examine the text they will learn what a memoir is, learn about the historical context of the writer's story, the use of humor, literary and rhetorical elements, overcoming adversity stories, and write an essay at the end of the unit.
• humor as a literary device
• learn about the culture and laws of the country that the stories take place
• learn about the African continent and the many people who live there
• learn about memoirs, biographies, and autobiographies
• the struggles individuals may face and how they overcame them
•  identifying tone and mood as literary devices
• what is apartheid and how did it relate to Trevor Noah's life
• identifying the narrative point of view
• how to make inferences 

***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.