WORLD LITERATURE (TRIMESTERS 1 & 2)

Teacher Name: Mr. Gil Room Number: 381 Email Address: ms.b.gil2006@gmail.com
Course Description: Welcome to the English 12. The first portion of the school year focuses on personal exploration as you prepare for college by writing the college essay. Once this part is complete, the focus turns to European literature from the Middle Ages to the present: from Chaucers Canterbury Tales and Voltaires Candide to works such as Shakespeares Macbeth, Swifts A Modest Proposal, and either Orwells 1984 or Huxleys Brave New World. Units are arranged chronologically, so that you may see how earlier works influence later works and how forms and ideas have evolved over time. We will consider prominent themes for each time period: for instance, the tension between reason and emotion in seventeenth-century literature, and questions of the relationship between art and nature in the literature of the eighteenth and early nineteenth century. Through immersion in the poetry of Shakespeare, Donne, Milton, Blake, Wordsworth, Byron, and others, we will study and develop an ear for English metrical forms and learn to recite poems expressively from memory. In our essays and discussions, we will relate a work to its historical circumstances, trace a symbol through a work or works, or consider a moral or philosophical question. Writing assignments include essays and research papers. By the end of twelfth grade, you will be familiar with some of the major works and ideas of European literature, have honed your skills of literary analysis, and learned the college-readiness skills necessary to write a research paper. As a part of a city-wide focus on Common Core Writing Standard W11-12.1, our class will also focus on argumentative writing. We will pay particular attention to developing claim(s) and counterclaims fairly and thoroughly, supplying the most relevant evidence for each while pointing out the strengths and limitations of both (CCSS). As per the Citywide Instructional Expectations for 2012-13 the ELA Department of The HS of Arts and Technology will align instruction to focus on the following Common Core goal: . Require students to ground reading, writing, and discussion in evidence from the text Scope and Sequence of Course (units of study and essential questions): Trimester I Personal Exploration Essential Questions: Who am I? Why am I worth to be invested in? Why should someone take a risk on me? European Literature: Middle Ages Essential Questions: How does literature demonstrate gender roles of a culture? How does allegory demonstrate the religious belief of a culture? Why is it important to study the past? Shakespeare and the Renaissance Essential Questions: How can appearances be different from reality? What influences our perceptions? How can a hero be tragic? How does power effect people?

Trimester II 17th Century European Literature Essential Questions What is the relationship between reason and emotion? What role does dream and fantasy play in our lives? What does it mean to be enlightened? How might the characteristics of escape best reveal the dull realities of our existence Satire Now and Then Essential Questions How does literature develop social criticism? What is the purpose of satire? What makes us grow as individuals? Distopean Literature Essential Questions How does a Utopian intention become a dystopian reality? When do the needs of society overrule those of the individual? What determines when the rules of a society have gone too far? How do authors utilize style to mirror a topic in literature?

Assessment Schedule:
First Trimester Major Assessments: Significant Experience Essay Influential Person Essay College Narrative/ Autobiographical Sketch Modern day pilgrimage tale 12 Vocabulary & Content Quizzes Critical Essay: Feminist Lens Writing & Double Entry Journal Mid-Term Exam Macbeth interpretation video project Macbeth critical Analysis Second Trimester Major Assessments Metaphysical Poetry books 12 quizzes on vocabulary & content CCL Task: Research and Persuasion: Real World Utopias Original Satire Memorize, Recite and Explain poetry Nature in Modern Literature Project Final Exam

Classwork assigned daily Cumulative Exams with each semester

Homework assigned almost every night Quizzes given frequently (one or more per week)

There will also be one Writing and Double-Entry Journal grade per marking period (30% of your grade).

Text Books:
Writers Inc. MLA handbook Selected novels and texts

School Wide Grading Policy:

Academic Standards-50% 1. Quizzes-10% a. Short exams b. Multiple choice c. Short answer d. Open book Written Projects-20% a. Portfolios b. Journals c. Term Papers Summative Examinations-20% a. End of Unit b. Full Period c. Modeled after Regents Exam 1. Classroom Standards-50% Class Participation-40% a. Notebook / Reading Journals b. Acquisition of Information (notes, verbal and written responses, questioning) c. Completed class work/assignments Homework-10%

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Supplies Needed:

Every student needs a 3 ring binder, loose leaf, and dividers. There are NO exceptions. All note taking is to be completed using Cornell Notes format. There are NO exceptions. Class notes are expected to be stored in the student binder and carried from class to class. Students will also need a Composition Book to be used as a Reading Journal. Students should be writing in PEN (standard blue/black ink). Pencil should only be used in math and art. These supplies are to be provided by YOU.