The Short Story – This unit is used to introduce students to literary terms they will use frequently during the year. Literary terms: theme, plot, irony (dramatic, situational and verbal), foreshadowing, direct and indirect characterization, static and dynamic characters, point of view, allusion, conflict, first and third person narration, flashback, antagonist, protagonist, symbol, and setting.
The Lord of the Flies (Golding) – Written in 1954, this novel received unprecedented reviews for its enthralling and vivid use of diction. This novel deals primarily with human beings under stress and varied reactions of different types of people under similar conditions and the internal tension experienced by human beings forced to face a new and difficult situations. This novel illustrates important principles of human behavior and human relations. Literary terms: setting, plot, direct and indirect characterization, theme, symbolism, and point of view
Othello (Shakespeare) – Iago, a Venetian soldier and ensign, is passed over for promotion by Othello, a Moorish nobleman who has reached the pinnacle of his career: he is general of the Venetian army and has secretly married Desdemona, daughter of an important statesman in Venice.Literary terms: farce, foil, personification, soliloquy, aside, monologue, dramatic irony, plot, pun, figurative language, diction, setting, dialogue, chorus, stage directions, and props.
Animal Farm(Orwell) - This is an allegorical story about the Soviet Union's early years. At the beginning of the story, Old Major inspires his fellow farm animals to revolt against their human master, Mr. Jones, owner of Manor Farm. Leaders of the animal revolt include two pigs, Napoleon and Snowball.
To Kill a Mockingbird (Lee) –The story is told by six-year-old girl Jean Louise Finch (nicknamed Scout) and is based in Maycomb, a small town in Alabama in the 1930s where Scout lives with her elder brother Jem, and her father, Atticus, who is widowed. The main plot of the novel revolves around the trial in which Atticus defends Tom Robinson, a black man, who has been accused of having molested a white girl, Mayella Ewell.
Additional Areas of Study
Writing – Regents Part 2 (Argumentative Essay); Regents Part 3 (Text-Analysis)
Vocabulary and Analogies – SAT 10 vocabulary
Poetry – Students will read and analyze various works. Many poems studied will be related to the works of literature being covered.
Research – The process of writing a research paper is critical in high school and beyond. Students will know the correct and current way to write a research paper. We will focus on the ten vital steps: topic selection, composition of thesis statement, compilation of diverse sources, creation of a working bibliography, proper note-taking skills, MLA in-text citation, note cards, works cited page, rough draft and final paper.