Welcome to your class webpage! 
On this page you will find daily information about what went on in class, and if you were absent you can copy down any new assignements and due dates.
This course will incorporate a broad survey of literature and composition. Students will use the Six + 1 Traits of Writing, but will also work to develop an awareness of their audience, as voice and audience are not the same thing. Students will also work to incorporate the writing process in formal pieces of writing. Students will also be exposed to several effective reading strategies, and be expected to use these during reading assignments. The idea of exposing them to many is so they can choose the ones that work the best for them. Practicing effective reading strategies will ensure higher scores on Standardized Tests, and also begin to prepare students for college and real-world jobs.
The school year will begin with a unit on short stories. Students will learn about the elements and structure of short stories, identify the theme of a piece, and using context clues to figure out the authors intended message. Also during this unit students will work on a personal narrative.
The next unit will be novels. Students will have a choice of three novels, and the one they choose will put them into a Literature Circle. This format allows small groups of students to critically analyze a longer piece of writing, and provides an outlet for discussion and reflection. Small groups also challenge students to see other viewpoints, and be exposed to different thought processes.
After the Literature Circles, we will begin a short unit on grammar. This unit will focus on the needs of the students.
Between Thanksgiving and Winter Break, we will turn to Shakespeare and the tragedy "Romeo and Juliet." Students will learn background about Shakespeare, the elements and techniques used in dramatic works, and use effective reading strategies to read and understand the play.
Once we return from Break, we will begin our nonfiction unit. Students will learn ways to identify an author's purpose and the main idea in nonfiction works like newspaper articles, essays, feature stories, etc. Students will also become familiar with techniques for reading and questioning nonfiction, and determining the reliability of support evidence. Along with this unit will be a persuasive/argumentative speech. Students will learn the components of a persuasive argument, learn how to research and determine reliability of information presented in books, magazines, newspapers, and on the internet. Students will give a speech at the end of the unit.
After the nonfiction unit, we will have another short unit on grammar. Again, the focus will be on the needs of the students.
Next we will move into the I-Search paper. Students will either choose a career they wish to learn about or a burning question they have that they want answered. The focus of this unit will be to incorporate primary sources, and the proper ways to conduct an interview. Students will also be expected to research using reliable internet and print sources. The format of the paper is the be a standard paper format: Introduction Paragraph with a thesis statement, Body paragraphs with supporting evidence, and topic sentences relating to the thesis, and a Conclusion which sums up the main ideas without repeating word-for-word the thesis.
Our next unit will cover descriptibe writing. Students will learn about the elements and techniques of descriptive writing, read stories, poems, and other writings to enhance their understanding, and produce a piece of descriptive writing.
The next unit will focus on "The Odyssey" and elements of epic mythology. Students will be exposed to the elements and techniques employed in an epic, and also be able to pick out the different elements of mythology.
Our last unit will focus on poetry and drama. Students will be exposed to works from different countries, and discover similarities and differences in them. Students will also be able to compare and contrast works.
In all units, students will be exposed to several effective reading strategies and will be expected to use these during assigned readings. Students will participate in daily class activities, writing assignments, and varied assessments tailored to enhance their understanding.