The need to understand other cultures has never been more important. In this year-long, junior-level English course, students will broaden global perspectives by reading and analyzing literature that addresses issues which impact the world at large. Students will read literary works from a variety of genres and make connections between the texts and the contemporary world. Students will read selections from several authors, including Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Kamala Markandaya, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, and Chinua Achebe, as well as selections from other short fiction and nonfiction selections. Students will continue to fine tune critical reading and writing skills throughout the course, which will culminate in a final research paper. This course is recommended for all juniors.
School Competencies
- Global & Local Citizenship (Awareness - Foundational)
- Social & Cultural Knowledge (Awareness - Foundational)
- Literary Understanding (Communication - Foundational)
- Writing (Communication - Foundational)
- Critical Thinking (Problem Solving & Analysis - Foundational)
- Critical Observation (Awareness - Advanced)
- Critical Literary Analysis (Communication - Advanced)
- Synthesis (Problem Solving & Analysis - Advanced)
Course Competencies
- Interpret and analyze samples of good writing, identifying and explaining an author’s choices.
- Create and sustain arguments based on readings, research, and/or personal experience.
- Write in a variety of genres and contexts, both formal and informal, employing appropriate conventions.
- Synthesize information from a variety of sources and complete the research process by analyzing, evaluating, integrating, and writing about information.
- Analyze a particular point of view or cultural experience reflected in a work of literature from outside the United States, drawing on a wide reading of world literature.
- Identify and describe what specific textual details reveal about a character, that character’s perspective, and that character’s motives.
- Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone, including words with multiple meanings or language that is particularly fresh, engaging, or beautiful.
- Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining where the text leaves matters uncertain.
- Analyze the impact of the author's choices regarding how to develop and relate elements of a story or drama (e.g., where a story is set, how the action is ordered, how the characters are introduced and developed).
- Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners.
Credits
1
Grades