English 1
NOTICE: Starting Monday, March 10, LATE WORK WILL NO LONGER BE ACCEPTED.
Welcome to English 1! This year we are going to read like we never have before! It will be awesome.
English 1 2013 Syllabus - Packer**
I. I Slam, Therefore I Am (August-September)
a. Driving Questions:
i. How have poems transcended into the field of music?
ii. How and why do authors express themselves through poetry?
b. Culminating Project: Students will write poems, and then go through an intensive editing process with their group. Finally, students will read their poems at a student-run poetry slam.
II. Great Debates: A Search for Truth in a World of Information (September-October)
a. Driving Questions:
i. How do we sift through all of the information currently available on the internet and discern what is reliable and what is not?
ii. How do we effectively and convincingly argue for a position using factual information?
b. Culminating Project: Students will choose an issue to research for a debate. Each student will write a paper, then come together with the group to debate another group on the same topic.
III. Censorship in Iran: Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi (October-December)
a. Driving Questions:
i. How and why do governments and government agencies regulate what information can be read by the public?
ii. How do other governments compare in their censorship to the United States?
b. Culminating Project: Students will research how and why certain books have been banned or censored over time. Students will weigh in on the issue, writing a letter to the editor of a paper to discuss the pros and cons.
IV. A search for self-identity in post-apartheid South Africa: Coconut by Kopano Matlwa (January-February)
a. Driving Questions:
i. How should our background and family affect our self-identity?
ii. At what age do we become fully responsible for our own actions?
b. Culminating Project: Students will finish the stories of the two heroines from Coconut.
V. Turning Fantasy into Reality: The Odyssey by Homer (February-April)
a. Driving Questions:
i. How can we use the past to learn about the present?
ii. How do we understand the complex nature of human beings?
b. Culminating Project:
i. Students will transform a portion of The Odyssey into a reality television show.
VI. Short Stories: Looking Inside the Human Mind (April-May)
a. Driving Questions:
i. What role does chaos play in our everyday lives?
ii. Why is it important to try and understand the mindsets of others?
b. Culminating Project:
i. Students will take a short story and construct a case for a character who has committed a crime. Then, each group will represent their side of the case, with the class ultimately deciding if the character is guilty or not.
VII. Should One Man Have All That Power?: Macbeth by William Shakespeare (May-June)
a. Driving Questions:
i. What makes individuals thirst for power and fame?
ii. Does power always corrupt?
b. Culminating Project: Students will put on a play of Macbeth for the rest of the school.
**All projects and dates are subject to change
Welcome to English 1! This year we are going to read like we never have before! It will be awesome.
English 1 2013 Syllabus - Packer**
I. I Slam, Therefore I Am (August-September)
a. Driving Questions:
i. How have poems transcended into the field of music?
ii. How and why do authors express themselves through poetry?
b. Culminating Project: Students will write poems, and then go through an intensive editing process with their group. Finally, students will read their poems at a student-run poetry slam.
II. Great Debates: A Search for Truth in a World of Information (September-October)
a. Driving Questions:
i. How do we sift through all of the information currently available on the internet and discern what is reliable and what is not?
ii. How do we effectively and convincingly argue for a position using factual information?
b. Culminating Project: Students will choose an issue to research for a debate. Each student will write a paper, then come together with the group to debate another group on the same topic.
III. Censorship in Iran: Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi (October-December)
a. Driving Questions:
i. How and why do governments and government agencies regulate what information can be read by the public?
ii. How do other governments compare in their censorship to the United States?
b. Culminating Project: Students will research how and why certain books have been banned or censored over time. Students will weigh in on the issue, writing a letter to the editor of a paper to discuss the pros and cons.
IV. A search for self-identity in post-apartheid South Africa: Coconut by Kopano Matlwa (January-February)
a. Driving Questions:
i. How should our background and family affect our self-identity?
ii. At what age do we become fully responsible for our own actions?
b. Culminating Project: Students will finish the stories of the two heroines from Coconut.
V. Turning Fantasy into Reality: The Odyssey by Homer (February-April)
a. Driving Questions:
i. How can we use the past to learn about the present?
ii. How do we understand the complex nature of human beings?
b. Culminating Project:
i. Students will transform a portion of The Odyssey into a reality television show.
VI. Short Stories: Looking Inside the Human Mind (April-May)
a. Driving Questions:
i. What role does chaos play in our everyday lives?
ii. Why is it important to try and understand the mindsets of others?
b. Culminating Project:
i. Students will take a short story and construct a case for a character who has committed a crime. Then, each group will represent their side of the case, with the class ultimately deciding if the character is guilty or not.
VII. Should One Man Have All That Power?: Macbeth by William Shakespeare (May-June)
a. Driving Questions:
i. What makes individuals thirst for power and fame?
ii. Does power always corrupt?
b. Culminating Project: Students will put on a play of Macbeth for the rest of the school.
**All projects and dates are subject to change