Outline of Course Content
Unit | Title | Length |
Pre-Unit Materials | Course Introduction | 2 hours |
Unit 1 | Media | 16 hours |
Unit 2 | Short Stories and Poetry | 27 hours |
Unit 3 | Lord of the Flies | 25 hours |
Unit 4 | Twelfth Night | 30 hours |
Unit 5 | Independent Study Project | 8 hours |
| Final Exam | 2 hours |
| Total: | 110 hours |
Unit Overviews
Course Introduction
As an introduction to the course, students will review various reading and writing and note taking strategies that will be useful to them throughout the length of the course. We will cover MLA format in detail, and students are encouraged to review thecourse glossary or important terms prior to commencing the unit lessons.
Unit 1: Media
In this unit, students willinvestigate a range of media topics, from news sources to music videos and political cartoons. They will investigate social justice issues such as stereotyping and privilege and consider their own relationship to media. They will develop an opinion essay in which they address a media-related question oftheir own choosing (similar to that found on OSSLT).
Unit 2: Short Stories and Poetry
This unit will focus on issues of genre, specifically investigating ideas and works that reflect the Enlightenment, the Romantic, and Victorian periods (these ideas support unit 3). Students will learn about the various literary devices that authors use and reflect on thesocial function of literature. They will perform formalist analyses as they develop their writing skills and enhance their understanding of various writing formats. Additionally, they will explore presentation strategies and hone their interpretive skills.
Unit 3 Novel Study: Lord of the Flies
Students will read, discuss, and writeabout the classic novel Lord of the Flies. They will engage withreal-world historical details and situate the text within the social context ofthe Atomic Age. They will continue to develop their theoretical approach asthey look at psychoanalytic interpretations of the novel and investigate Golding’s use of archetypes. They will complete quizzes at the end of each lesson to ensure their understanding, and they will write both creative works and an analytical essay.
Unit 4 Theatre and Performance: Twelfth Night
This unit will focus on Shakespeare’s comedy Twelfth Night. The play lends itself wellto current issues surrounding gender and sexuality and will subsequently serveas an interpretive tool. This unit functions as a culmination of previously taughts kills as students will engage with aspects of media production, news writing,poetic interpretations, and analysis for literary devices. Research will alsobe of particular focus as students will investigate historical contexts and compose an annotated bibliography. They will have many opportunities forcreative expression, performing speeches, presenting, and building connections between the play and their real-life.
Independent Study Project
Throughout the course, students will be asked toreflect on their learning. The independent study project will focus on theirgrowth in literacy over the length of the course. They will create a portfolioin which they perfect previously submitted pieces and reflect on what each portfolio piece has taught them and what skills they will be able to apply in the future.
