English I Unit Proficiencies

 

Students will be able to…

 

Quarter I

 

Literature

 

Unit I: Short Stories

  1. Define the short story as a genre.
  2. Analyze a variety of short stories, each with an emphasis on a different literary device.
  3. Identify common literary devices such as irony and foreshadowing.
  4. Recognize the different elements of the short story such as mood and theme.
  5. Practice critical and active reading strategies in order to improve student comprehension.

 

Unit II: To Kill a Mockingbird

  1. Differentiate the structure of the novel from the structure of the short story.
  2. Recognize the role of racism and poverty in the society as it relates to the setting of the novel.
  3. Read and analyze To Kill a Mockingbird, focusing on identifying the major themes of the novel.
  4. Evaluate the themes as they relate to Catholic Christian values.
  5. Identify and analyze the symbol of the mockingbird in the novel.
  6. Trace Scout’s rite-of-passage through the story.
  7. Parallel the fictional trial of Tom Robinson to the historical trial of the Scottsboro boys.
  8. Examine the author’s use of language in the novel.
  9. Discuss the author’s tone toward the racism present in Maycomb County.

 

Writing

Write an introductory paragraph.

Understand the function of the thesis statement and its importance to the essay as a whole.

Identify the overview, the background information, and the organizing statement.

Practice responding to a writing prompt by taking a position and defending it.

 

 

Grammar

  1. Identify the part of speech within a sentence.
  2. Memorize a list of commonly used prepositions and linking verbs.
  3. Recognize what makes up a prepositional phrase and be able to identify the phrases within a sentence.

 

Quarter II

 

Literature

 

Unit I: Nonfiction

  1. Identify the characteristics of an essay.
  2. Differentiate between several types of essay including narrative, expository, and descriptive.
  3. Read a selection of personal essays and examine the format of the essays.
  4. Identify the characteristics of the speech.
  5. Read speeches, including Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech and examine the rhetorical and persuasive strategies employed in the writing of the speeches.
  6. Evaluate the effective ways of delivering a speech.
  7. Write and deliver a speech in front of the class.

 

Unit II: Mythology and The Odyssey

  1. Discuss the function of mythology in cultures, both past and present.
  2. Name a variety of major gods and goddesses from Greek and Roman mythology and identify the role of the gods in the epic.
  3. Examine the characteristics of an epic.
  4. Read excerpts from The Odyssey, examining the Greek’s views on qualities such as loyalty and hospitality.
  5. Identify the epic hero and the qualities that make him an epic hero.
  6. Make connections between the ancient Greek epic hero and modern day heroes.

 

Writing

  1. Practice writing and editing introductory paragraphs for an analytical essay.
  2. Apply the fundamentals of writing a body paragraph for an analytical essay. 
  3. Write effective topic sentences.
  4. Select appropriate quotations to support the thesis statement.
  5. Practice responding to a writing prompt by taking a position and defending it.

 

Grammar

  1. Identify the syntax of every word in a sentence.
  2. Examine the rules of subject/verb agreement, in particular, those regarding indefinite pronouns.
  3. Demonstrate knowledge of various rules for proper agreement of subject and verb.

 

 

Quarter III

 

Literature

 

Unit I: Poetry

  1. Identify what poetry is and the structure of different types of poems such as the sonnet, the haiku, and the limerick.
  2. Analyze a variety of poems.
  3. Recognize and use effective imagery.
  4. Identify the different types of figurative language in the selection of poems.
  5. Discuss how a poet effectively uses sound devices.

 

Unit II: Romeo and Juliet

  1. Discuss Shakespearean drama and theatre.
  2. Examine the structure of a Shakespearean drama. 
  3. Examine the characteristics of a Shakespearean tragedy.
  4. Practice reading the language of Shakespeare by reading the play, Romeo and Juliet.
  5. Memorize the prologue to Romeo and Juliet.
  6. Identify a variety of literary terms such as the pun, the aside, the soliloquy, etc.
  7. Compare and contrast characters in order to identify foils and their function.

 

Writing

  1. Write the introductory and body paragraphs of an analytical essay.
  2. Select quality quotations for incorporation into the body of an essay.
  3. Write a simple conclusion.
  4. Practice responding to a writing prompt by taking a position and defending it.

 

Grammar

  1. Identify the pronouns in a sentence.
  2. Examine the necessity of an antecedent in a sentence.
  3. Distinguish between singular and plural pronouns.
  4. Memorize the various rules for proper agreement of pronoun and antecedent.

 

Quarter IV

 

Literature

 

Unit I: The Good Earth

  1. Research the Chinese culture during the early 1900’s, focusing on the role and treatment of women in the society.
  2. Read The Good Earth and apply their knowledge of Chinese customs to the novel.
  3. Examine the characters and the roles they play, and analyze how the culture shapes their role in society.
  4. Identify the major theme of the novel and examine the different ways in which wealth corrupts.
  5. Discuss the universality of the novel’s theme.
  6. Assess how the author’s gender and nationality shaped the perspective of the novel.
  7. Discuss the morality of the main character as it relates to Catholic Christian values.

 

Unit II: The Pearl

  1. Discuss the plight of the native people spotlighted in the novella.
  2. Read and identify a new type of literature – the novella.
  3. Compare and contrast the major theme in The Good Earth and the theme in The Pearl.
  4. Compare and contrast the characters from The Good Earth with the characters from The Pearl.         
  5. Examine the complex relationship between people and the society in which they live.

 

Writing

Write a complete analytical essay.

Practice responding to a writing prompt by taking a position and defending it.

 

           

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