English IV
Mr. James Mulhern
HMH: Collections
McDougal Littell: The Language of Literature
Supplemental Resources: classic novels, Internet sites, teacher handouts
Course Description: The purpose of this course is to assist students in becoming critical thinkers who are able to make connections among a variety of ideas through skills in reading, writing, listening, viewing, speaking, language, and literature. The content will include, but is not limited to, the following:
--using reading strategies to construct meaning from literary texts
--acquiring an extensive vocabulary through reading, discussion, listening, and
systematic word study
--using process writing strategies, student inquiry, and self-monitoring techniques
--using speaking, listening, and viewing strategies in formal presentations and
informal discussions
--understanding and responding to a variety of literary genres
--understanding and using language successfully to impact readers, writers,
listeners, speakers, and viewers
--developing research skills to collect and synthesize information from a
variety of sources and media
Students will address an essential question as a springboard for relating literature to their own lives. The essential question will help students think critically about the similarities and differences of societal attitudes across time in order to have a greater understanding of their own unique perspectives.
What is “the good life” and how does our perception of what is good control our actions and influence our life choices?
Writing Assignments: A variety of essay types, including the college application essay, scholarship essay, SAT essay, Analysis essay, Research Paper.
Oral presentations: Student-led discussions.
Grammar: A variety of grammar assessments and assignments addressing student needs.
Literature: A variety of literary texts, ranging from the Anglo-Saxon to Modern Periods in British literature.
Broward County Grading Scale/Teacher Grading Policy:
90% - 100% = A
87% - 89% = B+
80% - 86% = B
77% - 79% = C+
70% - 76% = C
67% - 69% = D+
60% - 66% = D
0% - 59% = F
Florida Learning Standards Addressed:
The student uses the reading process effectively.
The student constructs meaning from a wide range of texts.
The student uses writing processes effectively.
The student writes to communicate ideas and information effectively.
The student uses listening strategies effectively.
The student uses viewing strategies effectively.
The student uses speaking strategies effectively.
The student understands the nature of language.
The student understands the power of language.
The student understands the common features of a variety of literary forms.
The student responds critically to fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and drama.
Textbooks: High School Students are responsible for the care and return of all the required books and required materials/supplies on loan and will be issued an obligation for damaged or missing books and/or materials/supplies.
Note: An online textbook may be accessed through the Single Sign-On Launch Pad available at http://sso.browardschools.com You will need to download a program/plugin. Instructions on how to do this can be found at http://browardschools.com/sso :
User ID: 10 digit student number
Password: PMM/DD/YYYY (Birthdate Preceded by a capital ‘P’)
Course Outline:
First Unit: The Story of Creation from Genesis, as well as the Story of Cain and Abel. Literature from the Anglo-Saxon and Medieval Periods, including Beowulf (30)*, The Seafarer (84), The Wanderer (90), The Wife’s Lament (94), the Prologue from The Canterbury Tales (111), The Pardoner’s Tale (141), ballads (192), and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (209).
*Numbers in parentheses indicate page numbers in textbook, The Language of Literature.
Second Unit: Literature from the English Renaissance, including Shakespeare’s Sonnets (297-302), Shakespeare’s Macbeth, writings of Herrick (463), Marvell (463), Milton (476), Cavendish (493), and others.
Midterm Exam: The midterm exam will be cumulative from the first and second quarters. The exam will consist of multiple choice, short answer, and essay questions.
Third Unit: Literature from the Enlightenment and Romantic Periods, including Swift (590), Blake (709-715), Wordsworth (725), Coleridge (741), Byron (773), Percy Shelley (781), Keats (798), and the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley.
Fourth Unit: Literature from the Victorian, Modern, and Postmodern (Contemporary) Periods, including writings of Robert Browning (854), Matthew Arnold (941), Thomas Hardy (953), A. E. Houseman (963). Mary Coleridge (888), James Joyce (1022), Virginia Woolf (1046), Dylan Thomas (1087), Aldous Huxley (1145), George Orwell (1167), William Trevor (1263), and Nadine Gordimer (1289).
Additional/supplementary literature as assigned.
Final Exam: The final exam will be cumulative for the third and fourth quarters. The exam will consist of multiple choice, short answer, and essay questions.
Materials Needed: Three-ring binder with dividers, ballpoint pens, highlighters, pencils, white loose-leaf paper.
Attendance/Field Trip Policies observed as outlined in the Student Code of Conduct.
