11th Grade English Language Arts

Course Description

In 11th grade, English students will be challenged to think critically about texts that relate to the human condition and primarily the American Experience.

This course will go beyond simple comprehension of a literary work’s guiding features, plot, characters, and themes. Students will begin an in-depth study of literature in a variety of genres. Students will break down texts, annotate, analyze, and evaluate the effectiveness of the writing.

Students will generate and respond to questions about the literature read.

• Why did the event happen?
• How does the structure of the plot both reinforce commonly held archetypes and break the mold with creative storytelling?
• How did the author develop the character to tell the story and reinforce their message?
• What was the author’s intended message(s) and how well was the message developed?

Students will interpret the story’s messages and explain how the messages apply to the time period in which it was written and to the 21st century American Experience. Students will determine how the author used specific literary elements and word choice to enhance the overall theme and artistry of the literary work. Students will develop a critical and analytical understanding of the evolution of the American Experience as presented through literature, poetry, and informational text both written in and about the time period and texts we are studying. In addition, we will compare texts across genres, time periods, and themes to look for critical issues related to the human condition. The texts we study help students see how each period in American life was portrayed through the eyes of those experiencing, studying, and writing about that life. 

Learning Standards for Literature:

• 11.RL.1: Make inferences about a text to demonstrate critical and logical thinking.
• 11.RL.1: Identify when a text has left a matter uncertain, analyze why, and provide logical interpretations that are supported by accurate evidence and thorough elaboration.
• 11.RL.1: Cite strong and thorough evidence through the use of quotations, paraphrased examples, and in-depth commentary.
• 11.RL.2: Identify two or more themes (the author’s intended message) and explain how the author developed the theme by using specific plot events and/or character changes.
• 11.RL.2: Write an objective summary.
• 11.RL.3: Analyze how the literary elements in a story work together to create cohesive and believable plots, characters, and settings.
• 11.RL.4: Explain why an author used a certain word or phrasing and how these choices create mood and tone.
• 11.RL.4: Evaluate the effectiveness of the author’s style.
• 11.RL.5: Examine texts for their unique structure and analyze the effect the structure had on the story; evaluate the balance between artistry and functionality in a story.
• 11.RL.6: In a complex storyline, explain how each character’s perspective impacts the overall point of view.
• 11.Rl.6: Explain how an author developed the point of view through characterization methods.
• 11.RL.7: Analyze multiple interpretations of a story, drama, or poem (e.g., recorded or live production of a play or recorded novel or poetry), evaluating how each version interprets the source text.
• 11.RL.9: Drawing on a wide range of time periods, analyze how two or more texts treat similar themes or topics.
• 11.RL.10: Actively read a text to aid in and demonstrate understanding.
• 11.RL.10: Close read a text to extract and demonstrate an understanding of the deeper meanings and subtexts. (Read between the lines)
• 11.RL.10: Combine multiple inferences to develop your own unique interpretation of a text and its meaning and/or impact on a time period.
• 11.RL.10: Transfer skills from previous units of study to other classes and units in order to demonstrate growth.

Learning Standards for Poetry:

• 11.RL.1: Develop logical interpretations of poetic works that can be supported by concrete, thorough, and convincing evidence.
• 11.RL.2: Determine two or more themes or central ideas of a poetic work and analyze their development over the course of the work, including how they interact and build on one
• another to produce a complex poetic piece.
• 11.RL.2: Explain how a poet uses a poem to alter or advance particular perspectives.
• 11.RL.4: Determine the meaning(s) of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings.
• 11.Rl.4: Analyzing the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone.
• 11.L.4: Analyze the effect of words with nuanced meanings.
• 11.RL.5: Consider how the structure of a poetic work is tied to meaning and tone.
• 11.Rl.5: Analyze and evaluate the impact of specific structural and aesthetic choice
• 11.RL.6: Analyze how the point of view influences the explicit and implicit meaning of the poem
• 11.RL.9: Compare and contrast poetic works within the same genre, time period, structural subset, and/or thematic grouping.
• 11.Rl.9: Evaluate the unique artistic quality of poems and explain how the writing form differs from literary and informational works of the time period.
• 11.RL.10: Use active and close reading strategies to develop your own interpretation of poem.

Learning Standards for Informational Text:

• 11.RI.1: Make inferences about a text to demonstrate critical and logical thinking.
• 11.RI.1: Identify when a text has left a matter uncertain, analyze why, and provide logical interpretations that are supported by accurate evidence and thorough elaboration.
• 11.RI.1: Cite strong and thorough evidence through the use of quotations, paraphrased examples, and in-depth commentary.
• 11.RI.2: Determine the main idea of a text or multimedia source and explain how the author/speaker supports this idea with information and rhetoric.
• 11.RI.3: Analyze a complex set of ideas or sequence of events and explain how specific individuals, ideas, or events interact and develop over the course of the text.
• 11.RL.4/11.RI.5: Explain and evaluate how an author uses structure and word choice to inform and argue.
• 11.RI.5: Explain how a particular piece of information impacts the overall text and why an author includes some information, while excluding other pieces.
• 11.RI.5: Examine informational texts that included narrative features and analyze how the blending of text types suits the author’s objective and adds meaning and interest to the text.
• 11.RI.6: Identify when a text is being used to inform and when it is being used to argue a point.
• 11.RI.6: Analyze effect rhetorical pieces to determine how the author used style and content to argue their point.
• 11.RI.7: Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in different media or formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively) as well as in print in order to address a question or solve a problem.
• 11.RI.8: Delineate and evaluate the rhetorical effectiveness of the author's' reasoning, premises, purpose, and argument in seminal U.S. and world texts.
• 11.RI.9: Analyze foundational U.S. and world documents of historical and literary significance for their themes, purposes, and rhetorical features.
• 11.RI.10: Extract information for multiple texts and media about the same topic and combine them to develop your own meaning or make a point. (synthesize, paraphrase)

Learning Standards for Writing:

• W.11-12.1: Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.
• W.11-12.1.A: Introduce precise, knowledgeable claim(s), establish the significance of the claim(s), distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims, and create an organization that logically sequences claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and evidence.
• W.11-12.1.B: Develop claim(s) and counterclaims fairly and thoroughly, supplying the most relevant evidence for each while pointing out the strengths and limitations of both in a manner that anticipates the audience's knowledge level, concerns, values, and possible biases.
• W.11-12.1.C: Use words, phrases, and clauses as well as varied syntax to link the major sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships between claim(s) and reasons, between reasons and evidence, and between claim(s) and counterclaims.
• W.11-12.1.D: Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to the norms and conventions of the discipline in which they are writing.
• W.11-12.1.E: Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the argument presented.
• W.11-12.2: Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.
• W.11-12.2.A: Introduce a topic; organize complex ideas, concepts, and information so that each new element builds on that which precedes it to create a unified whole; include formatting (e.g., headings), graphics (e.g., figures, tables), and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension.
• W.11-12.2.B: Develop the topic thoroughly by selecting the most significant and relevant facts, extended definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples appropriate to the audience's knowledge of the topic.
• W.11-12.2.C: Use appropriate and varied transitions and syntax to link the major sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships among complex ideas and concepts.
• W.11-12.2.D: Use precise language, domain-specific vocabulary, and techniques such as metaphor, simile, and analogy to manage the complexity of the topic.
• W.11-12.2.E: Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to the norms and conventions of the discipline in which they are writing.
• W.11-12.2.F: Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the information or explanation presented (e.g., articulating implications or the significance of the topic).
• W.11-12.3: Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences.
• W.11-12.3.A: Engage and orient the reader by setting out a problem, situation, or observation and its significance, establishing one or multiple point(s) of view, and introducing a narrator and/or characters; create a smooth progression of experiences or events.
• W.11-12.3.B: Use narrative techniques, such as dialogue, pacing, description, reflection, and multiple plot lines, to develop experiences, events, and/or characters.
• W.11-12.3.C: Use a variety of techniques to sequence events so that they build on one another to create a coherent whole and build toward a particular tone and outcome (e.g., a sense of mystery, suspense, growth, or resolution).
• W.11-12.3.D: Use precise words and phrases, telling details, and sensory language to convey a vivid picture of the experiences, events, setting, and/or characters.
• W.11-12.3.E: Provide a conclusion that follows from and reflects on what is experienced, observed, or resolved over the course of the narrative.

Texts:

The Language of Literature (textbook)
Supplemental materials and short stories assigned by the teachers

Assessment Methods:

Formative assessments include pre-reading assignments, such as quick writes, vocabulary, concept mapping, annotations, etc., reading and responses to critical thinking questions and discussions, and grammar assignments.

Summative assessments include essays, formal presentations, and tests.

Failure to turn in an assignment will result in an F for that assignment.

Grading:

Overall class grades will be based on the following percentages of student work:

• Exams and/or Essays 45%
• Projects/quizzes 25%
• Classwork and participation 30%

Cheating or Plagiarism will result in an F.

Grading Scale:

Classroom Behavior Policies:

Students should come into the classroom with a positive, mature attitude and a willingness to learn and work to the best of their abilities. Follow the mutually developed, discussed, and agreed upon Classroom Contract posted at the front of the room. Self-discipline, hard work, attentive behaviors, and a positive mindset can lead to success.

Remember: “Don’t suffer silently.” If you need help, ask.