2011 – 2012

September: Dark Tide reading with character analysis and identification of short story terms (it is not a short story, but uses many narrative techniques

October: Short stories in Literature book, one each week.

November: short stories until end of first quarter, then begin Drama for second quarter, reading Raisin in the Sun.

Sept. 26 – 30: Langston Hughes’ “Thank You, Ma’am”

October 3 – 7: Toni Cade Bambara’s “Raymond’s Run”

October 11 – 14: Poe’s “Telltale Heart”

October 17 – 21: “The Scarlet Ibis” and continue work on original story: in addition to basic story elements, study author’s use of symbolism in this classic story of a boy and his handicapped brother.

October 24 – 28: Comparing setting and symbolism in 2 stories: “The Finish of Patsy Barnes” by Paul Laurence Dunbar and “Tears of Autumn” by Yoshika Uchida.

October 31 – November 4:

Reading “Tears of Autumn” and beginning essay on comparing and contrasting role of setting in the last two stories.

November 7 – 11:

No school Tuesday or Friday.  No class on schedule for Thursday.

Wednesday: First quarter exam: read a story and answer questions.  We will pick up the essay again next week.

November 14 – 18: Review exam results and write essay comparing setting and mood of 2 stories.

November 21 and 22: Begin Drama unit with History Channel video on Julius Caesar.  We will be reading Shakespeare’s play this quarter.

November 28 – December 2: Act I scenes 1 and 2

December 5 – 9: Act II after finishing I and viewing film in class.  We are working on making inferences about characters from their speech and interactions.

December 12 – 16: Act II and close analysis of key speeches for rhetorical technique and dramatic irony.

Week of March 15 – 19:

We are reviewing Esperanza’s hardships and the lessons she learned in each chapter; each person is making a poster of a chapter with its title fruit or vegetable, the setting, and the hardships and lessons for Esperanza in the chapter.  We will also write a 5 paragraph essay on the book as our assessment for the novel and to prepare for next week’s MCAS testing.  If there is time in the library, we will explore information on the Great Depression time period in which the novel takes place, and conditions of the migrant workers in California.

Week of March 1 – 5:

We are continuing in Esperanza Rising; this week we are reading chapters 7, 8, and 9 covering pages 121 – 178.  Each night there are study guide questions to answer for homework.  Students are responsible for keeping up with the class even if they are involved in MCAS retesting.

Week of February 1 – 5

We are beginning reading the novel Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan.  We will be using a study guide while reading, learning vocabulary from the novel, and writing interpretations of the novel as we read.

Week of January 4 – 8:

Coming back from vacation, we have a three-day project to review the play.  Working in pairs, students prepare an interview script for each character being interviewed for the “Thebes Daily News” on what he or she knows about the scandal at the palace.  We will also read the climax of the play, the scene where Oedipus discovers the truth!

Week of December 7:

This week we are reading Episode 1 of Sophocles’ ancient Greek drama, Oedipus.  We also have Chapter 3 from “504 words you need to know” vocabulary and a quiz Friday on it.  In reading Oedipus, we are focusing on the themes of dramatic irony and the tragic hero.