Unit 1: September 2012

Welcome to 9 Honors English!

As 9^th grade English students, you will be exposed to many different cultures this year through films, literary works, and nonfiction.  What can learn from reading articles and stories and from viewing films about different cultures?   Why is it so important for young students in today’s society to be exposed to these different cultures?  Although both of these questions will be revisited throughout the year, it is how I would like to begin your first marking period of 9^th grade English.

You will be using the film we will be watching, the articles we will be reviewing, the short stories and novel we will be reading this marking period to help answer the above questions.  Eventually, you will answer the question in a formal thesis paper.  All the tools you will need to be a successful high school English student will be given to you during the first marking period.

The following are the items we will be working on over the next marking period:

·         Quote Analysis

·         Critical Thinking Skills

·         Writing Skills (Thesis Statements, Paragraph Organization, MLA format, Citations, Works Cited Page, etc.)

To learn and strengthen these skills we will use the following for our discussions:

·         Summer Reading Choice

·         The Sirens of Baghdad, The Swallows of Kabul, or The Attack by Yasmina Khadra

·         “Marriage is a Private Affair” and other selections from World Literature: An Anthology of Great Short Stories, Drama, and Poetry

·         Osama

·         2012 summer and fall current event articles from around the world

·         Nonfiction Sample

Summer Homework 2012 - 9 Honors English/World Studies

Incoming Honors Students:   Summer work for 9 Honors English/World Studies  can be accessed through the High Point Regional High School website (http://hpregional.org).  You will first need to click on High School Info and then click on the Summer Homework 2012 link  under Student Resources.

Exam Review

 Exam Review Sheet

Part I:                         Terms (25 Points)

Vignette

Imagery

Metaphor

Simile

Synesthesia

Oxymoron

Malapropism

Allusion

Anachronism

Rhetoric

Soliloquy

Aside

Concealment

Syntax

Diction

Sonnet

Prose

Couplet                      

Blank Verse

Satire  

Fable

Allegory

Propaganda

Euphemisms

Glittering Generalities

Part II:           Formal Essay (45 Points)

Review the requirements of a formal thesis paper.  When writing for this section of the paper, all thesis paper rules apply.  Review the characters and plots of the following works:

·         Hedda Gabler

·         Romeo and Juliet

·         Julius Caesar

Part III:          Creative Writing Assignment (30 Points)

Review the personalities and behavior of the following characters and the stories of their lives:

·         Paikea from The Whale Rider

·         Esperanza from The House on Mango Street

·         Nora from A Doll House

Review PowerPoint presentations, handouts, old tests and quizzes, and essays/log entries.  All will help refresh your memory about the works studied the second semester of the 9 Honors Course.  The terms listed on the previous page are all terms found on the PowerPoint presentations for Romeo and Juliet/Julius Caesar, The House on Mango Street, and Animal Farm.  

Animal Farm

Please review the class calendar you received for the reading assignments for Animal Farm.  If all goes well and we stay on schedule, you will have a final objective test on Animal Farm on Monday, June 4.

Thesis Paper - Due May 22, 2012

Length: 

3-5 typed pages (double-spaced, 1” margins, 12 Font, Times New Roman, MLA Heading)

Type of Thesis Paper: 

Look at your novel and film choices listed below.  Decide on a topic you would like to use for your comparison/contrast thesis paper.  You must use three different works.  You must provide  quotes (at least 2 per work) and specific examples from the novels/film are to be used to support every point you are making.  This is not to be a summary about each work, but create a bold statement that you are going to defend through the works & in the comparison/contrast mode of writing.

Choose  two out of the six works to use in the paper:

 Hedda Gabler

A Doll House

Romeo and Juliet

Julius Caesar

The House on Mango Street

The Whale Rider

 Choose one other work of your choice from the following category:

Short Story

Poem

Steps for writing the paper:

Step # 1:  You must decide on what you would like to compare and the works you will use.  

Step # 2:  You must create a thesis statement.

Step # 3:  Based on your thesis statement, think about how you will organize your essay and create an organizational outline.   Point-by-Point or Subject-by-Subject

Step # 4:  Create your works cited page by using your noodletools account.  Do not use Easy Bib.  Your noodletools account should be through High Point Regional and should be MLA Advanced.

Step # 5:  Think before you begin writing:  Is my thesis statement strong enough? Is it argumentative?    How might I change it?  Do I like the way I have organized the paper?  What other ways may I want to organize this? Make any necessary changes.

Step # 6:  Once you are done with creating a strong thesis and organizational outline, begin writing your rough draft.  Provide a balance of necessary summary, commentary, and specific examples from the works to defend your thesis statement.  Write first and add quotes later.  Go back once you are done, and decide what quotes would help defend certain parts of your paper.  Add the quotes and properly document the in-text citations. 

 Step # 7:  Develop, revise, and edit.

Step # 8:   Turn your final copy in to turnitin.com by 12:00 PM on Tuesday, May 22 . 

This paper will be worth 75 points (50 Points - Content  & 25 Points - Conventions)

A Doll's House Assignment

The reading of A Doll's House is due on Wednesday, April 25.  An objective quiz will be given on this date.  The Socratic Seminar will be on Thursday, April 26.  Please have your typed Socratic Seminar Questions (Assignment # 1) with you on that date.  No late questions will be accepted.  The Diction Assignment (Assignment # 2) will be collected on Thursday, April 26.  Late assignments will be penalized by a letter grade each day it is late.  I will only accept the assignment up to two days late. Once we have completed Hedda Gabler, you will be responding to an essay prompt comparing Hedda Gabler and A Doll's House.  This will be an in-class writing. 

Assignment # 1: Socratic Seminar (20 Points)

Create five typed questions which will allow for a good group discussion.  These questions should be open-ended questions.  I want the discussion to allow you and your classmates to use your critical thinking skills and provide textual support when responding to the question. 

Bad Question: 

In Act I, what is the lie that Nora keeps from her family?

Good Question:

In Act I, the reader finds out that Nora has a secret from her family; Torvald believes that secrets or lies corrupt the family.  Who is correct?  Is it ok to lie, if it is for a good reason?  Or is the truth the only way?  Use evidence from the play to support your response. 

Assignment # 2:  Diction Assignment (25 Points)

Create a two column chart.  List the names of the characters (Torvald Helmer, Nora, Mrs. Linde, Dr. Rank, and Nils Krogstad) and your chosen line(s) of dialogue for each in the left column and use the right column to analyze the choice of words used in each line of dialogue. Please review the handout given in class for an example of how this is to be done. 

APRIL/MAY 2012

The class will spend Monday, April 16 in the library to complete the Mythology project and to be able to print it out with the color printer.  You will need to print out a copy for each of your group members in preparation for the sharing of the myths on Wednesday, April 18.

On Tuesday, April 17, the 9 Honors class will receive the background information necessary to understand and appreciate Henrik Ibsen's plays A Doll House and Hedda Gabler.  As you read A Doll House independently at home, we will be reading Hedda Gabler as a class. There will be assignments to go with along with A Doll House.  The assignments and the due dates will be given to you in class during the week of April 16.  You will also be given an objective test to go along with A Doll House and an in-class comparison writing for A Doll House and Hedda Gabler.

Just a reminder:  The fourth marking period seems go by very quickly.  Therefore, every assignment needs to be completed and done on time. 

As we move into May, you will be required to complete a comparison/contrast thesis paper for the unit we are currently completing - Family Relationships and the Role Family Members in Different Cultures.  This will be a major grade for the marking period.