English Language Arts 20 Course Outline
Mrs. Stanek-Sebastian
We
study ELA in order for students to become effective communicators, learners and
thinkers through the development of skills in viewing, listening, reading,
representing, speaking and writing. Language is one of the first methods for
learning, thinking and communicating. In order for success in both work and
social circles, we must be able to think and communicate using language in a
number of circumstances. Skills in interpreting and communicating language are
vital to our own personal success as these skills will continue to be used and
developed throughout our lives.
Units of Study
Theme A: Starting Out – Beginning and Becoming
Subthemes:
·
Triumphs and Trials
o
Short Stories and Poems (list attached)
o
Novel Study: To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee
·
Relationships with Family and Others
o
Short Stories and Poems (list attached)
Theme
B: Moving Forward – Establishing and Realizing
Subthemes:
·
Turning Points and Transitions
o
Short Stories, Poems and Essays (list attached)
·
Opportunities and Obstacles
o
Novel Study: Something for Joey, Richard Peck
·
Beliefs and Goals
o
Short Stories, Poems and Essays (list attached)
Evaluation
Assignments 30%
Homework
& Reader’s Response 10%
Tests/Quizzes 30%
Final
Exam 30%
Expectations
1) Always be
prepared for class. (pens, pencils, books, etc.)
2) Always be on
time for class.
3) Respect
yourself and others.
4) You are
responsible for work missed while you are absent. Please consult a classmate or
me to find out what you have missed.
5) If you miss
the day of a test, exam, or due date for a major assignment, it is your
responsibility to inform the teacher of an acceptable/unavoidable reason for
your absence. Failure to do so will result in a mark of zero on exams and a
late penalty for major assignments.
6) Cell phones
are not to be seen or heard during class time in accordance with our school
policy.
7) Personal
listening devices may only be used during individual work time and are not to
be used during instruction. This may change at your teacher’s discretion.
Suggested ELA
20 Short Stories, Poems and Essays
(Note: this list may change as we progress through the
semester)
Theme A:
Starting Out – Beginning and Becoming
Triumphs and Trials:
“My Hometown”
– Bruce Springsteen
“Luka” –
Suzanne Vega
“Grace” –
Vicki L. Sears
“The Good
Girls” – Fran Arrick
“The Child Who
Walks Backwards” – Lorna Crozier
“What Do I
Remember of the Evacuation?” – Joy Kogawa
“Growing Up
Native” – Carol Geddes
“Boys and
Girls” – Alice Munro
“School, the
First Day” – Barbara Sapergia
“The Bully” –
Gregory Clark
“Credo” –
Robert Fulghum
“Childhood” – Lorna
Crozier
“Magpies” – Thomas
King
Relationships with Family and Others:
“I Didn’t Know
I Was Different” – Jenine Dumont
“Someday” –
Drew Hayden Taylor
“Small Town
Napoleon” – Gillian Chan
“War” –
Timothy Findley
“How to Do
Battle with Grown-ups” – James Lincoln Collier
“That’s How It
Is: Life for a Young Asian Girl” – Sangita Manandhar
“Growing Up
Greek” – Helen Lucas
“Two Kinds” –
Amy Tan
“The Key of
the Kingdom” – Ed Reed
“My Parents
Kept Me” – Stephen Spender
“Green Rain” –
Dorothy Livesay
“Warren Pryor”
– Alden Nowlan
“About School”
– Author Unknown
“Children” –
Kahlil Gibran
“My Guilt” –
Agnes Copithorne
“The Metaphor”
– Budge Wilson
“Young Man’s
Folly” – Susan Michalicka
“As in the
Beginning” – Mary Di Mechele
“Canning
Tomatoes” – Kristin Andrychuk
“Penny in the
Dust” – Ernest Buckler
“Golden Pants”
– Roger Lemelin
“The Last Day
of the Circus” – Veronica Ross
Theme B: Moving Forward – Establishing and Realizing
Turning Points and Transitions:
“Aunt Mary in the Granary” – Eileen Comstock
“The Day the Old Man Melted” – Dace Jacox
“Shaving” – Leslie Norris
“A Walk to the Jetty” – Jamaica Kincaid
“Louisa, Please Come Home” – Shirley Jackson
“The Bass, the River, and Sheila Mant” – W.D.
Wetherell
“An Ounce of Cure” – Alice Munro
“A Private Talk with Holly” – Henry Gregor Felsen
“Everyone Talked Loudly in Chinatown” – Anne Jew
“Guess What? I Almost Kissed My Father Goodnight” –
Robert Cormier
“I Go Along” – Richard Peck
“Afternoon of an American Boy” – E.B. White
“When Boy Meets Girl” – Erik Savas
“First Ice” – Andrei Voznesensky
“Young” – Anne Sexton
“Eighteen” – Maria Banus
“Square Dancing” – Shari Chudy
“The Average” – W.H. Auden
“Saturday Night” – Alden Nowlan
“To a Sad Daughter” – Michael Ondaatje
“Imprints”
“Departure” – Glen Kirkland
Opportunities
and Obstacles:
Novel Study: Something for Joey
Beliefs and
Goals:
“And May the Best Cheater Win” – Harry Bruce
“The ‘High’ of an Honest Win” – Andrea Chisholm
“When Does a Boy Become a Man?” – Henry G. Felsen
“The Love of My Life” – Wally Oprzedek
“Through the Looking Glass” – Joanna Norland
“Shortcut to the Rambo Look” – Anastasia Toufexis
“Kelly” – Myrna Kostash
Welcome to ELA 20! I look forward
to a fun semester with you!
