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Course Overview

 

English II continues to build on the sequential development and integration of communication skills in four major areas—reading, writing, speaking, and listening. It focuses on deepening and furthering students’ understanding in the following ways:

  • Reading–reinforces reading comprehension skills by teaching students how to comprehend and appreciate poetry, drama, nonfiction, and fiction; shows students how to analyze, evaluate, and interpret a text; reinforces awareness of the elements and structure of narrative prose; guides students through readings of the allegory Everyman and Sheldon’s In His Steps, as well as selections of and excerpts from well-known poetry and short stories.
  • Writing–develops students’ understanding of complex sentence and paragraph structures, providing hands-on experience with connectives, transitions, phrases, and clauses; teaches language history and etymology to help students build on knowledge of grammar and word structures; expands on students’ vocabulary skills; gives students the opportunity to develop their abilities in writing a set of instructions, a literary critique, a poem, a short story, and a speech.
  • Speaking–offers students experience in delivering a speech; teaches skills that enable students to become effective speakers and communicators, weaving the skills throughout the course.
  • Listening–teaches effective listening comprehension skills, integrating these throughout the lessons.
  • Special Topics–incorporates research skills, including internet, library, and reference material use, throughout the curriculum.

Curriculum Contents

Reading Comprehension Skills
  • Context
  • Denotation, Connotation, and Symbolism
  • Elements of Narrative Prose
  • Reading Narrative Nonfiction
  • Reading Fiction
  • Reading Poetry
  • Reading Skills—Analysis, Evaluation, and Interpretation
  • Strategies for Comprehension—Making Inferences and Identifying Main Ideas
Composition
  • Paragraph Elements and Structure—Connectives and Transitions
  • Writing Expository Prose—Process
  • Writing Instructions
  • Writing a Literary Critique
  • Writing a Poem
  • Writing a Poetry Analysis
  • Writing a Short Story
  • Writing a Speech
Grammar and Usage
  • Development of English—Grammar, Spelling, Pronunciation, and Vocabulary
  • Levels of Language Use—Degrees of Formality
  • Nouns—Noun Plurals
  • Pronouns—Types, Gender, Case, and Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement
  • Sentence Structure—Clauses, Phrases, and Compound/Complex Sentences
Literature Studies
  • Drama—Allegory, Structure, and Elements
  • Fiction—Genre/Type, Structure, Elements, and Modes
  • History of Drama—Greek/Roman Plays and Medieval Drama
  • History of Novels—Oral Tradition, Novel Prototypes, and Early Novels
  • History of Short Stories
  • Nonfiction—Genre/Type, Structure, and Elements
  • Poetry—Genre/Type, Structure, Elements, and Literary Devices
Speaking and Listening
  • Listening Skills—Elements, Common Errors, and Strategies
  • Oral Reading
  • Speaking Skills—Elements, Purpose, Organization, and Delivery
Spelling
  • Nouns—Plural and Possessive
Vocabulary Building
  • Dictionary Skills
  • Etymology
  • Roots, Prefixes, and Suffixes
  • Word Relationships—Synonyms
Special Topics
  • English Variations—American, British, and Regional Dialects
  • Origin/Development of Language—Indo-European, Old and Middle English, Renaissance, and American English
  • Research Skills—Internet, and Library
  • Study Skills—Note Taking

Additional Resources

In addition to the default course program, English II includes extra alternate projects and tests for use in enhancing instruction or addressing individual needs.

Literature List

Following are literary works students will encounter in English II.

Drama
  • Everyman
Fiction
  • de Maupassant, Guy. “The Necklace”
  • Sheldon, Charles. In His Steps
  • Stockton, Frank. “The Lady, or the Tiger?”
  • Twain, Mark. “The Celebrated Frog of Calaveras County”
Nonfiction
  • Bradford, William. History of Plymouth Plantation (excerpt)
Poetry
  • Donne, John. “Holy Sonnet XV”
  • Blake, William. “The Tyger”
  • Dickinson, Emily. “There is No Frigate Like a Book”
  • Houseman, A.E. “Is My Team Ploughing?”
  • Tennyson, Alfred. “The Eagle”
  • Shelley, Percy. “Ozymandias”
  • Wylie, Elinor. “Velvet Shoes”

Required Resources

Some assignments in this course require the use of resources that must be acquired separately. These outside resources are listed below by assignment.

Unit Assignment Resource
5 Project: Advertising
  • Women’s magazine, sports magazine
5 Essay: Newspaper
  • Newspaper
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