Unit 1Poetry around the World
4 lessons4 Weeks
Poetry around the World
 Week 1
Lesson 1
Great Britain: Tolkien
In this fun introduction to poetry, we will explore the context of "Far Over The Misty Mountains Cold" one of the songs from the novel, "The Hobbit."  We will learn about basic poetic structure including rhyme, meter, and metaphor. 
 Week 2
Lesson 2
China: Du Fu
With a look long ago and far away, this lesson focuses on a classic Chinese poem by the poet Du Fu called"Pounding Clothes." In the second half of hte lesson we cover the myth of "The Woman Who Cried Down the Great Wall." Both of these pieces of literaure highlight what it means to be a powerful and faithful woman in a dangerous political landscape. 
 Week 3
Lesson 3
Chile: Neruda
Pablo Neruda, the author of our focus poem--"Ode to a Large Tuna in the Market"--lived a full and radical life.  Yet the poem highlights his love and appreciation for the ordinary.  Our lesson focuses on the use of metaphor and the sometimes sideways way that poets see the world. 
 Week 4
Lesson 4
America/Lebanon: Gibran
In the first half of the lesson, we are looking at Sonnet 29 by William Shakespeare.  With vocabulary support this is very accessible to students.  In the second half of the lesson we examine Kahlil Gibran's "Sorrow."  Both of these poems highlight the authors' experience with sorrow and despair and yet both end on a very positive note for the students. 
Unit 2Short Stories
4 lessons4 Weeks
Short Stories
 Week 5
Lesson 5
Rudyard Kipling
Before class students need to read "Rikki-Tikki-Tavi" a short story from Rudyard Kipling's short story collection "The Jungle Book."  This is the easiest of our readings because we will spend the lesson highlighting critical vocabulary for literary analysis including protagonist, antagonist, conflict, plot etc. 
 Week 6
Lesson 6
Jack London
This more challenging read from Jack London, "To Build a Fire" is a sad short story.  Students will put into practice the vocabulary they learned in the last lesson to analyze the story. In the story and the lesson there is a strong focus on hubris, listening to those who are wiser and more experienced, and the need to use imagination to predict poor outcomes to our behavior.  We also begin highlighting the theme of nature vs civilization. 
 Week 7
Lesson 7
Issac Asimov
 "Nightfall," a classic sci-fi tale, is the most challenging read so far.  Longer and denser than the two previous tales, it also has a sad ending.  We will continue to practice literary analysis and also predictive reading.  We will speculate about what happens in the world Asimov describes after the story's dramatic ending and discuss Asimov's view on the science vs religion controversy. The theme of nature vs civilization is again highlighted. 
 Week 8
Lesson 8
Ray Bradbury 
"The Veldt" is an easier read than "Nightfall" but it is more challenging in other ways.  This story involves character death which can be difficult for students this age.  However, it is a very worthwhile story that directly addresses our relationship with parents and technology.  
Unit 3Poetry: Nature
4 lessons4 Weeks
Poetry: Nature
 Week 9
Lesson 9
Walt Whitman/Emily Dickinson
Following our exploration of the theme of nature vs civilization. we will look at two poems by Dickinson including "Fame is a Bee" and one poem by Whitman. This will enable us to explore a different side of this same theme.  
 Week 10
Lesson 10
Robert Frost/William Shakespeare
We will be comparing and contrasting two poetic looks at spring:  "Spring Pools" by Frost and "Sonnet 98" by Shakespeare.  We will also cover how the poets use sensory details to bring out their ideas. 
 Week 11
Lesson 11
Edna St. Vincent Millay /Emily Dickinson
Death is the subject of this lesson.  We look first at a defiant view of death in "Dirge Without Music," a poem by American Edna St. Vincent Millay.  Second, we look at Dickinson's more challenging "Because I could not stop for death." Students will be asked to identify which of the two views their personal philosophies are more like. 
 Week 12
Lesson 12
Edgar Allan Poe
In this final lesson we will be using all the skills we have learned so far to analyze the meter, rhyme, metaphor, and genre of the poem "Annabel Lee." We will also use this opportunity to try writing poetry of our own.