Enduring Understanding

 

The student will understand:

  • Reading to understand literature requires thought and skills.
  • Poems are meant to be read for pleasure, instruction and enlightenment.
  • Connection exists between a poet's life and his works.
  • Good readers decode, comprehend, read fluently across various types of writing and literature, specifically poetry, non-fiction text, and an autobiographical novel.  
  • Analyzing literature is important in order to problem solve.
  • Literature helps the reading to understand the human condition and is therefore always meaningful and valuable.
  • Reading is a way to explore personal interests, answer important questions, satisfy one’s need for information, entertain and be entertained, and build understanding of the many dimensions of human experience.
  • New learning is built on prior knowledge.
  • Communication, which is important to all facets of our lives, depends on audience and purpose. 
  • Communication, both writing and speaking, is an essential skill in the current world. 
  • Reading, writing, speaking and listening are required skills for today’s society.
  • The writing process includes constructing, creating, and revising quality written work.
  • Speaking and listening are necessary components of communication.

 

 

Essential Questions

 

  • What does analyzing a work of nonfiction teach the reader?
  • What elements are used in poetry?
  • In what ways do sound techniques add to poetry?
  • How does poetry show the fabric of life?
  • Why is understanding the form and structure of poetry important?
  • How can I express my thoughts and feelings in poetry?
  • Do themes in poetry impact my thinking?
  • What does the organization of non-fiction mean to its content?
  • What lessons do we learn from literature about our place in society?
  • How can I write to communicate what I know? 
  • How is a biographical novel different from other novels?
  • Why is speaking such an important part of communication in our society?

 

 

Additional Materials Needed

 

  • Students have an option to choose one of the following novels:
  • Chinese Cinderella : ISBN: 0440228654
  • The Blind Side : ISBN: 0393330478

Content Topics

 

Unit 1

Poetry

 

Unit 2

Non- Fiction Literature

 

Unit 3

Public Speaking

 

Unit 4

Biography/Autobiography

 

 

 

Key Skills

 

  • Read effectively
  • Process what they have read
  • Use various methods to demonstrate comprehension of the material, specifically writing and speaking.
  • Learning to analyze
  • Think critically
  • Good communication skills in speaking and writing

 

 

Standards Alignment:

 

PA State Standards:

  • 1.1 H. Demonstrate fluency and comprehension in reading.
  • 1.2 B. Use and understand a variety of media and evaluate the quality of material produced.
  • Compare and analyze how different media offer a unique perspective on the information presented.
  • Analyze the techniques of particular media messages and their effect on a targeted audience.
  • Use, design and develop a media project that expands understanding (e.g., authors and works from a particular historical period).
  • C. Produce work in at least one literary genre that follows the conventions of the genre.
  • 1.2.9 A. Read and understand essential content of informational texts and documents in all academic areas.
  • B. Use and understand a variety of media
  • C. Produce work in at least one literary genre that follows the conventions of the genre. F. Read and respond to nonfiction
  • 1.3.9 A. Read and understand works of literature.
  • B. Use and understand a variety of media
  • C. Analyze the effect of various literary devices. Sound techniques (e.g., rhyme, rhythm, meter, alliteration).
  • D. Identify poetic forms (e.g., ballad, sonnet, couplet).
  • 1.4 B. Write multi-paragraph informational pieces (e.g., letters, descriptions, reports, instructions, essays, articles, interviews).
  • 1.5 C. Write with controlled and/or subtle organization.
  • D. Write with an understanding of the stylistic aspects of composition
  • F. Edit writing using the conventions of language.
  • 1.6 C. Speak using skills appropriate to formal speech situations.

 

National Standards

  • 1. Students use spoken, written, and visual language to accomplish their own purposes (e.g., for learning, enjoyment, persuasion, and the exchange of information).
  • 2. Students read a wide range of literature from many periods in many genres to build an understanding of the many dimensions (e.g., philosophical, ethical, aesthetic) of human experience.
  • 3. Students apply a wide range of strategies to comprehend, interpret, evaluate, and appreciate texts. They draw on their prior experience, their interactions with other readers and writers, their knowledge of word meaning and of other texts, their word identification strategies, and their under
  • 4. Students adjust their use of spoken, written, and visual language (e.g., conventions, style, vocabulary) to communicate effectively with a variety of audiences and for different purposes.
  • 5. Students employ a wide range of strategies as they write and use different writing process elements appropriately to communicate with different audiences for a variety of purposes.
  • 6. Students apply knowledge of language structure, language conventions
  • 5. Students employ a wide range of strategies as they write and use different writing process elements appropriately to communicate with different audiences for a variety of purposes.
  • 6. Students apply knowledge of language structure, language conventions (e.g., spelling and punctuation), media techniques, figurative language, and genre to create, critique, and discuss print and nonprint text.