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Faculty / English 12/Critical Aproaches

Critical Approaches

Critical Approaches

Critical Approaches unit focuses on various ways to "read" a text, in other words, the lens through which a reader sees a written piece and its agenda or purpose. Texts used for this unit may include the following: Water for Elephants, Mutant Message Down Under, Fist Stick Knife Gun, Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time, Into the Wild, Stiches, Their Eyes Were Watching God, House on Mango Street, Code Talkers, The Help, How to Read Literature Like a Professor, Zeitoun, Jesus Land. Films for this unit may include the following: Danger of the Single Story, People Like Us, Rabbit Proof Fence, America Story of Us, Water For Elephants, The Help, Into the Wild, Benjamin Button. Unit assessments include the following: children's book project, small group discussion, informal annotations, one paragraph analysis, a running annotated bibliography.
State Standards:A.12.2 Read, interpret, and critically analyze literature.
  • Explain the structure of selected classical and contemporary works of literature, in whole and in part, from various cultures and historical periods, and illustrate ways in which authors use syntax, imagery, figures of speech, allusions, symbols, irony, and other devices in the context of history, culture, and style
  • Draw on a broad base of knowledge about the universal themes of literature such as initiation, love and duty, heroism, illusion and reality, salvation, death and rebirth, and explain how these themes are developed in a particular work of literature
  • Investigate and report on ways in which a writer has influenced or been influenced by historical, social, and cultural issues or events
  • Develop, explain, and defend interpretations of complex literary works
  • Explain how details of language, setting, plot, character, conflict, point of view, and voice in a work of literature combine to produce a dominant tone, effect, or theme
  • Develop and apply criteria to evaluate the literary merit of unfamiliar works
.12.3 Read and discuss literary and nonliterary texts in order to understand human experience.
  • Examine, explain, and evaluate, orally and in writing, various perspectives concerning individual, community, national, and world issues reflected in literary and nonliterary texts
  • Develop and articulate, orally and in writing, defensible points of view on individual, community, national, and world issues reflected in literary and nonliterary texts
  • Identify the devices an author uses to influence readers and critique the effectiveness of their use
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  • Identify philosophical assumptions and basic beliefs underlying selected texts
A.12.4 Students will read to acquire information.
  • Apply tests of logic and reasoning to informational and persuasive texts
  • Analyze and synthesize the concepts and details encountered in informational texts such as reports, technical manuals, historical papers, and government documents
  • Draw on and integrate information from multiple sources when acquiring knowledge and developing a position on a topic of interest
  • Evaluate the reliability and authenticity of information conveyed in a text, using criteria based on knowledge of the author, topic, and context and analysis of logic, evidence, propaganda, and language
B.12.1 Create or produce writing to communicate with different audiences for a variety of purposes.
  • Write a coherent argument that takes a position, accurately summarizes an opposing position, refutes that position, and cites persuasive evidence
  • Compose and publish analytic and reflective writing that conveys knowledge, experience, insights, and opinions to an intended audience
  • Use rhetorical structures that divide complex thoughts into simpler ones, logical transitions from one thought to another, and language appropriate to the intended audience
  • Write creative fiction that includes an authentic setting, discernible tone, coherent plot, distinct characters, effective detail, believable dialogue, and reasonable resolution of conflict
  • Write summaries of complex information (such as information in a lengthy text or a sequence of events), expand or reduce the summaries by adding or deleting detail, and integrate appropriately summarized information into reviews, reports, or essays, with correct citations
  • Write autobiographical and biographical narratives in a mature style characterized by suitable vocabulary, descriptive detail, effective syntax, an appropriate voice, a variety of sentence structures, clear coordination and subordination of ideas, and rhetorical devices that help establish tone and reinforce meaning
  • Prepare and publish technical writing such as memos, applications, letters, reports and resumes for various audiences, attending to details of layout and format as appropriate to purpose
  • Write in a variety of situations (impromptu, over time, in collaboration or alone) and adapt strategies, such as revision, technology, and the use of reference materials, to the situation
  • Use a variety of writing technologies, including pen and paper as well as computers
  • Write for a variety of readers, including peers, teachers, and other adults, adapting content, style, and structure to audience and situation
B.12.2 Plan, revise, edit, and publish clear and effective writing.
  • Write essays demonstrating the capacity to communicate knowledge, opinions, and insights to an intended audience through a clear thesis and effective organization of supporting ideas
  • Develop a composition through a series of drafts, using a revision strategy based on purpose and audience, personal style, self-awareness of strengths and weaknesses as a writer, and feedback from peers and teachers
  • Given a writing assignment to be completed in a limited amount of time, produce a well developed, well organized, clearly written response in effective language and a voice appropriate for audience and purpose
C.12.1 Prepare and deliver formal oral presentations appropriate to specific purposes and audiences.

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