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 which includes a short research paper. Students will learn how to write a five paragraph essay. 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: An Inspector Calls by J.B. Priestley

Poets: Jamaal May
           Rumi
           Anne Bradstreet
           Percy Shelley
           Shakespeare
             
Short Stories:  Ruthless by William de Mille
                         Everyday Use by Alice Walker

Novel: The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd

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

            Impressions of America by Oscar Wilde
            Museum Indians by Susan Power    
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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 and the two novels 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: Ruthless/short story
Week 2~Day A: There Are Birds Here/poetry 
              Day B: Background for The Secret Life of Bees
Week 3~Day A: The Secret Life of Bees
              Day B: The Secret Life of Bess/Essay writing
Week 4~Day A: The Secret Life of Bees/Essay writing
              Day B: The Secret Life of Bees/Essay writing
Week 5~Day A: The Secret Life of Bees/Essay writing  
              Day B: Socratic Seminar The Secret Life of Bees 
Week 6~Day A: Shakespeare sonnet/poem
              Day B: Anne Bradstreet/poem comparison
Week 7~Day A:  Impressions of America/essay writing
               Day B: Impressions of America/essay writing
Week 8~Day A: Catch up
              Day B: Grammar Focus
Week 9~Day A: Percy Shelley/poem
              Day B: Museum Indians/expository
Week 10~Day A: Museum Indians
                Day B: Everyday Use/short story
Week 11~Day A: Everyday Use/short story
Week 12~Day A: Cause and Effect/non-fiction
                 Day B: Cause and Effect/writing
Week 13~Day A: Rumi/poem
                Day B:  An Inspector Calls
Week 14~Day A: An Inspector Calls 
                Day B: An Inspector Calls
Week 15~Day A: An Inspector Calls
                Day B: Socratice Seminar An Inspector Calls
Week 16~Day A: Final Project
                Day B: Final Project/class wrap up