Students will complete reading assignments outside of the class, though we will read segments together during our discussions, especially plays and poetry.  In addition to reading assignments for home work, there are writing assignments, higher-level comprehension questions, and a creative final project. We will have lectures, group discussions, group work, Socratic seminars, Youtube videos, explicit 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: A Midsummer Night's Dream by Shakespeare

Poets: Amanda Gorman
           Robert Frost
           William Blake

Short Story: The Sniper by Liam O'Flaherty 

Novel: The Whale Rider by Witi Ihimaera

Speech: Questioning the Universe by Stephen Hawking

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, an expository article/essay, and writing assignments. The play, novel, and short story will culminate with a Socratic Seminar as a venue for students to demonstrate their understanding of the text. We will also review and practice the structure of a five paragraph essay.

Week 1~Day A: Introductions/warm-ups/discuss class schedule and expectations/discuss final project/discuss homework/Plot, 
              Character Dev., Literary Terms/Review
              Day B: The Sniper
Week 2~Day A: The Sniper
              Day B:  The Sniper~Socratic Seminar
Week 3~Day A: Writing Review~structure of paragraph/essays
              Day B: Shakespeare Introduction
Week 4~Day A: A Midsummer Night's Dream
              Day B: A Midsummer Night's Dream
Week 5 ~Day A: A Midsummer Night's Dream
               Day B: A Midsummer Night's Dream
Week 6 ~Day A: A Midsummer Night's Dream~Socratic Seminar
               Day B:  Vocabulary Focus~prefixes and suffixes 
Week 7 ~Day A: Expository text (Newsela)
               Day B:  Expository text cont.
Week 8  ~Day A: Poetry~Amanda Gorman
                Day B: Persuasive Writing Review
Week 9  ~Day A: Questioning the Universe (Speech)
                Day B: Poetry~ William Blake
Week 10~Day A: The Whale Rider
                 Day B: The Whale Rider
Week 11~Day A: The Whale Rider
                Day B: The Whale Rider
Week 12~Day A: The Whale Rider
                Day B: The Whale Rider~Socratic Seminar
Week 13~Day A: Essay Writing
                Day B: Essay Writing
Week 14~Day A: Essay Writing
                Day B: Catch Up Day
Week 15~Day A: Vocabulary Focus
                Day B: Poetry~Robert Frost
Week 16~Day A: Grammar Review
                Day B: Final Project