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Contact Information E-Mail: bennettr@fultonschools.org (best method of contact) Cell: 770.886.2227 (until
10PM) Johns Creek High School 5575 State Bridge Road Johns Creek, GA 300022 770-623-2138 (w) 770.886.2227 (c) Text until
10PM |
American
Literature and Composition: In 2004 the
Georgia Department of Education adopted new Georgia Performance Standards for
grades 9-12. Consistent with state curriculum, the Fulton County Schools
English language arts curriculum implementation aligns with state standards.
The content standards for twelfth grade courses are clustered by strands: Reading and Literature, Reading Across the Curriculum, Conventions, Writing, and Listening/Speaking/Viewing.
Throughout
this year-long course, students will have opportunities to develop and expand
their knowledge of American Literature and its influence on the culture of
modern times. Students will demonstrate mastery level of new learning through
performance tasks and assessments. Reading and Literature Students will
read, analyze, and apply their knowledge of the structures, themes, and
elements of contemporary fiction and nonfiction as well as multimedia text
such as film. They will deepen their understanding of media literacy by
relating themes across genres to their contemporary context or political,
social, or economic perspective. Through extensive reading, students will
acquire new vocabulary specific to the study of contemporary literature and
apply that knowledge in their writing. Reading Across the Curriculum To encourage
students to become lifelong readers, the curriculum includes standards that
address both academic and personal habits of reading. Students will read
approximately one million words per year from a variety of subject
disciplines including language arts. In the English language arts classroom,
students will learn the vocabulary of literature, writing, and listening,
speaking, and viewing. Writing Expository writing is the focus for twelfth grade; however,
students will continue to produce a wide range of writings including polished
narratives, persuasive pieces and technical documents. Students will practice
both timed and process writing to develop compositions that demonstrate an
understanding of tone, point of view, style, organization, author’s purpose,
and audience. Students will continue to use research and technology to
support reading and writing. A research paper is a requirement of the course. Conventions Students will demonstrate an understanding of proper English
usage and control of grammar, sentence and paragraph structure, diction, and
syntax. They will apply their knowledge of the conventions of language in
reading, writing, and speaking and focus on the correct use of clauses,
phrases, and the mechanics punctuation. Sentence construction and usage will
continue to be a focus for twelfth grade. Students will apply their knowledge
of the conventions of format when producing expository writing. Listening/Speaking/Viewing Students will
continue to develop their critical listening skills. Through presentations and interactions with
the teacher and other students, they will apply effective speaking techniques
in small and large group settings. The viewing standards will enable students
to develop media literacy skills through the careful examination of
contemporary texts including television, radio, film productions, and
electronic media. |
Mrs.
Bennett’s Addendum to the State’s Definition In spite of a
stunning variety of aesthetic sensibilities and cultural voices, American
literature seems to hold at its core three fundamental concerns: the
relationship between human and non-human environments, the emergence and
definition of the self as both part of and
independent from community, and the encounter/confrontation with cultural,
racial, or sexual difference. Throughout
the semester, we will explore these themes within several “canonical” and
“non-canonical” texts. This common
distinction, in turn, reveals the high ideological and cultural stakes
involved in literary production and interpretation. Why have we come to regard very specific
responses to these issues or questions—as well as certain literary styles—as
quintessentially “American,” while considering others as marginal? What makes Benjamin Franklin’s account of
his rise to wealth and public stature more typically “American” than William Apess’s struggle with alcoholism or Fanny Fern’s
fictionalized account of her success in a male literary market? In surveying
American literature from colonial times to the 20th century, this
course traces the ideas and styles that make works distinctively “American,”
while questioning the principles under which such an ideal is constructed. Much of our
course will consist of class discussion.
Our forum is built on the respect of others and their ideas. At no time can the ideas of another be
belittled, though we will learn to question ideas in a manner that is thought
provoking and facilitative of mature deliberation. Students are
offered the opportunity to tell me, in writing, at the beginning of the
semester if there are any issues which they feel uncomfortable
discussing. Once we arrive at those
topics, alternative assignments may be given—though I strongly urge students
to brave what is uncomfortable for the sake of learning, and for the purpose
of helping others to see contemporary issues.
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