Course+Descriptions

=Mr. Hultberg ICS English Classes Grades 9-12 2012-013=

Playing with Language Can Be Serious Work
Although a playful attitude toward reading, writing, and learning permeates my classes, new students often seem surprised that I want them to think for themselves. To this end, students identify and solve problems, ask questions, and take risks. In my classroom the teacher is de-centered, and students are expected to share in decision-making; especially in literature discussions, teacher and students become co-learners and co-leaders. For many students, this degree of responsibility is new; but as a result I see students take greater ownership of their learning, a real benefit.

Standards
Our school, along with other Utah schools, has adopted the Common Core State Standards for college readiness, which emphasize educational technology and digital literacy, the analysis of complex texts, critical thinking, student-led discussion, multiple perspectives, critical questioning, the writing process, logical development of ideas in writing, a command of conventions, and a focus on research and on the understanding, connotation, and purpose of language. These standards dovetail perfectly with our school's Graduate Student Profile (GSP).

GSP
In accordance with the ICS Graduate Student Profile, in all courses students will become better thinkers, communicators, and community members who serve one another and the Lord. In our literature-based curriculum, writing from the past and present serves as a starting point for conversations about human life and the spiritual realm. Students will learn to see themselves as part of this ongoing conversation as they explore ideas through their own writing, thinking, class discussions, socratic seminars, and a variety of activities. Independent reading is expected at all grade levels. Writing conferences offer students feedback on their writing, placing responsibility in their hands for further developing their strengths. At every stage of the program, independent critical thinking is called for, from initial responses to a work through the final stages of publishing a paper, performing a scene, or presenting a project. I request that students do their own work and solve their own problems. However, use of the internet as a resource to get instant background and interpretation on an assigned reading eliminates the opportunity for the student to form an initial independent thought or emotional response to a work; therefore I strongly discourage its use for those things.

The common objectives for the courses are expressed as "I can" statements:

 * I become a more confident and resistant reader
 * I can become a more forceful and clear writer
 * I can interpret a variety of texts
 * I can read my own writing critically
 * I can contribute thoughtfully to discussions
 * I can increase my understanding by listening to others' ideas

How we reach these objectives (or targets):
__Homework:__ Students should arrive at class prepared to share their own reading and writing with classmates, prepared to listen to the ideas of others, and prepared to build a more complete understanding through further reading, writing, thought, and discussion. Homework includes reading, working on projects, and following up individually on something begun in class. The exact nature of an assignment is often determined by student choice - as a class, a group, or individually, depending on the goals they have set. If in doubt, the student can always write (thinking log, weekly paper draft/revision/edit), read (indie read, class text, newspaper), or post comments on and maintain the course wiki or personal Goodreads and Twitter accounts. A good standard to follow is that a minimum of 2 hours of independent reading of self-selected books per week makes a huge difference in SAT scores, and meets the homework and classwork requirements (Tues/Thurs nights are exclusively for free reading, with students reporting through one-pagers; 2-3 days a week independent reading is incorporated into the class schedule.) __Class activities:__ Writing workshops, writing conferences, literature workshops, and conversations. In workshops students learn to respond in helpful ways to the writing of their peers; students are required to bring copies of their work to be discussed. In conferences the teacher responds to the student's request for feedback on a paper, and follows up on progress made since the last meetings. Activities build skills and lead to mastery of the learning targets. Conference sheets kept by teacher and student reflect current stages of the writing process. __Assessment:__ We measure progress toward a goal - progress toward a better paper, a more complete interpretation, a better conversation. Progress reports (written by students), conference logs (kept by students and teacher), and semester-end writing portfolios (maintained by students and including reflections on progress) are useful measurements of student progress. Informal assessments occur daily as the teachers monitors participation, homework, preparation, and engagement in class activities that reveal understanding of concepts.

= English 9 Intermountain Christian School (Eng I) =

__Main idea: Enjoy reading, come ready to play with language.__ Students in this course will review and increase their familiarity with the elements of literature: theme, setting, character, plot, point of view, and figurative language. Symbol and irony will be introduced. The dystopian genre will be introduced. Students will be encouraged to read independent books from 4 genres, including non-fiction. In writing, the use of "showing" detail will be emphasized. A major paper incorporating research and multiple genres will be completed. Writing is seen as a recursive process of rehearsing, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing.
 * Texts**: //Gold//, Prentice Hall; //Fahrenheit 451, Great Expectations//. (optional - //Fallen Grace, Jane Eyre//)
 * I can read 30 independent books
 * I can write weekly shorter papers and longer occasional papers
 * I can revise papers in response to feedback
 * I can edit my papers
 * I can write in an unfamiliar genre
 * I can write a multi-genre research paper
 * I can analyze a character
 * I can apply scripture to my understanding of a text

Theme - Family: Essential Questions -
What is a family? Who defines a family? Are we defined by our families or do we define them? What is the role of family in God's kingdom?

Semester 2: Novel Unit, multigenre research project. //Great Expectations//. Mythology and personal Odyssey Project.
= English 10 Intermountain Christian School (Eng I) = __Overview: Enjoy reading, come ready to play with language.__ Students in this course will review and increase their familiarity with the elements of literature: theme, setting, character, plot, point of view, figurative language, symbol, and irony. Genres of memoir and reminiscence will be introduced. In writing, the use of personal voice will be emphasized. Writing is seen as a recursive process of rehearsing, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing.


 * Texts**: //Platinum,// Prentice Hall; //To Kill A Mockingbird, The Chocolate War, Twelfth Night, Pride and Prejudice, A Tale of Two Cities. (//Option of //Fahrenheit 451)//

**Major Learning Targets**

 * I can read 30 independent books
 * I can write weekly shorter papers
 * I can revise papers in response to feedback
 * I can edit my papers
 * I can write in an unfamiliar genre
 * I can write a research paper
 * I can analyze a text
 * I can relate scripture to my understanding of a text to help me form a reasonable interpretation

Semester 2: Love and Friendships Unit - also, writing an Unfamiliar Genre Project
= = =British Lit - English 11-12 Intermountain Christian School (Eng I)= __Main idea: Enjoy reading, come ready to play with language.__ Students in this course will review the elements of literature (theme, setting, character, plot, point of view, figurative language, symbol, irony) and introduce aspects of narrative focus, rhetorical effects, and an author's style. We will pay close attention to words choice and connotative meanings, purpose, and historical contexts. Genres of satire, epic, lyric poetry, allegory will be introduced. In writing, the use of personal voice will be emphasized. Writing is seen as a recursive process of rehearsing, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing. Oral skills will be rehearsed. Film clips will be studied as supplements and adaptations--'translations' to a new medium which interpret the work studied. Students will be equipped to lead and taught to grow.


 * Texts**: //British Traditions,// (Prentice Hall), //Vocabulary for the College-Bound Student//, paperbacks for purchase. //Frankenstein// (class copy provided)

**Major Learning Targets**

 * I can read 25 independent books
 * I can write an essay of extended literary analysis (research paper)
 * I can do a close reading of text
 * I can explore and develop a Christian perspective on books
 * I can make better decisions about my reading and writing activities
 * I can identify British origins of imaginative and non-fiction works and genres
 * I can trace the development of literary styles from medieval to modern
 * I can use persuasive vocabulary when writing argument or discussing

**Essential Questions - Dualities: How are the dualities in life represented in the literature of this unit?**
//Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Frankenstein, Dracula//, and student-selected fiction & drama, with a film component and historical selections from //Beowulf, Paradise Lost//, and detective fiction, horror, and graphic novels.

**Vocabulary Mondays** - I introduce a short weekly list selected to increase vocabulary and enhance student writing.
Additional titles for class study: //The Pearl// (Steinbeck), //Old Man and The Sea// (Hemingway), //A Comedy of Errors, Much Ado About Nothing, Macbeth, Beowulf, Paradise Lost, The Death of King Arthur.//

= AP English Intermountain Christian School (Eng I) = Overview: __Learn to love literature, come ready to play with language and join the centuries-old conversation__ The common goal of this course is that students will learn to enjoy literature and say something interesting about it in writing. Students will establish personal learning goals as well. Through seminars, mini-lessons, activities, and frequent formal and informal writing assignments about class readings, students will learn how to adopt and develop a critical stance toward literature and to their own writing. Writing is seen as a recursive process of rehearsing, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing. Film clips will be studied as supplements and adaptations--'translations' to a new medium which interpret the work studied.

(available in limited quantities in the office); //Vocabulary for the College-Bound Student.//
 * Texts**: Paperback texts of full length works //Picture of Dorian Gray, Beowulf, A Free Life,// and more titles to be determined by student goals, interest.


 * Major Learning Targets**
 * I can write weekly shorter papers
 * I can revise papers in response to feedback
 * I can edit my papers
 * I can write an essay of extended literary analysis (research)
 * I can analyze texts through close readings
 * I can apply literary theories to a text
 * I can develop my own Christian aesthetic for literature
 * I can identify British origins of imaginative and non-fiction works and genres
 * I can trace the development of literary styles from medieval to modern
 * I can use literary terms in my writing and discussion about texts

Semester 1 Poetry Boot Camp; British Roots.
Students analyze lyric and epic poetry and compare verse translations of the same text.

Nineteenth Century British Novel: //Bleak House//
Students read and analyze Dickens's dual narratives, culminating in an inquiry paper.

Semester 2 Emerging Consciousness in Twentieth and Twenty-first Century fiction, drama, & poetry
Students compare Classical paradigms (Great Chain of Being) and British colonialism with Post-colonial writing and narratives that challenge traditional assumptions about the world (stream of consciousness). //Example//: Compare representations of Caliban in //The Tempest// with Gregor Samsa in "Metamorphosis"

A novel of Virginia Woolf and one of Thomas Hardy//; The Admirable Crichton, Amadeus; Arcadia; Equus; Much Ado About Nothing, Turn of the Screw; Moby Dick;// //Othello;// //The Brothers Karamazov;// //Cry, The Beloved Country;// //Beloved; A Clockwork Orange; No Enemies, No Hatred, Cyrano de Bergerac.//