Classic and Contemporary literature
Classic and contemporary literature Online High School Course
COURSE LENGTH:
Full Year (30 Sessions)
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This year-long English course works to create a foundation for students in the skills of high-school-level literary inquiry across a wide range of material, from short stories to a novel to poetry to a play. Beginning with developing students’ reading strategies and centering close attention to textual details, the course then emphasizes the dispositions required for effective student-centered Harkness discussion and the writing process underlying clear and concise expressions of students’ analytical understanding. The course also asks students to represent their grasp of an author’s content and form through a series of creative responses to texts. Throughout the course, students are required to think critically as they generate their own questions, reflect constantly upon their own strengths and areas of development, and develop an appreciation for the value of careful, sustained reading, incisive and well-articulated analytical writing, and informed, elevated critical discourse.
Learning OBJECTIVES:
To develop a range of strategies for reading and comprehending a variety of literary texts and forms, including a novel, short stories, plays, and poetry
To independently research references, context, and historical background encountered in a piece of literature and apply this understanding to the text at hand
To understand and apply the strategies of close textual analysis and communicate this understanding in both written and verbal forms
To build an understanding of literary devices and techniques including figurative language, characterization, themes, motifs, etc.
To participate actively in group discussions guided by a teacher’s questions
To familiarize oneself with the goals and skills of an effective Harkness discussion
To lead group discussions through posing one’s own questions and building tactics for engaging and involving all peers
To develop analytical claims and support these with textual evidence in a discussion
ENDURING UNDERSTANDINGS:
Reading closely and carefully is worthwhile and reveals a greater understanding of a text, as does a growing vocabulary of literary devices
The iterative process of writing is valuable as it allows one to express one’s ideas in the clearest possible fashion and communicate with others
Informal and preparatory writing are critical parts of generating effective ideas
Student-centered discussion is a productive and engaging method by which to learn and explore new topics, and deeply different from a debate as a form of dialogue
Fictional texts can help us explore real-life problems, analyze these situations, and generate potential solutions
Exploring our personal connections to texts is essential as we seek to fully understand
All work undertaken in English class is valuable for how it helps us understand ourselves, our world, and our place in the world
Our dispositions/attitudes/behaviors in-class and the work we do out of class are all critical to enhancing our own and others’ learning experiences
The skills of close consideration of text, clear writing, and deep listening which we learn in this class can be applied to other courses and help us achieve success in the humanities and in other subjects as well