English/Humanities Credit Retrieval Syllabus
Overview: This Credit Retrieval Class is structured in a way that students will gain exposure to, and will
be able show a standard level of understanding of, literary elements in a variety of fiction and
research. Students will have 6 weeks to work independently on two novels.
Students MUST attend the following dates:
1st meeting – Thursday, 09/29/16 – 2:15 in Room 460
Testing days – Tuesday, 11/15/16 – 2:15 – 3:00 in Room 460
Wednesday, 11/16/16 – 2:15 – 3:45 in Room 460
Failure to attend either testing day will result in student’s inability to earn credit.
6 Weeks Independent Study
For the 6 weeks, each student will do the following in preparation for a 2 testing periods on 11/15/16 &
11/16/16:
1) Each student will read 2 novels chosen by the student from a pre-selected list.
2) Each student will research the biography of the author of each novel read.
3) Each student will research the history surrounding the time period of each of the chosen novels
4) Test 1 will be approx. 45 minutes where the student will take an objective test covering the
following elements:
a. literary terms
b. standard writing processes
c. research processes
d. reading comprehension questions for novels chosen
e. author biographical questions for authors of novels chosen
f. reading comprehension from an article given at testing
5) Test 2 will be approx. 1 hour 30 min where the student will write 2 timed essays – one on each
novel. Prompts will be given immediately prior to writing the essay. Prompts will require
students to discuss the novel and historical/ author’s biographical research (#2&3 above).
Each essay will be timed at 45 minutes.
6)
Students who need 1.0 credit will need to ALSO do the following (DUE on 11/16/16)
a.
b.
c.
d.
Create an outline for the biography of EACH author
Create an outline for the historical background for each novel
Each entry on ALL outlines must have CORRECT parenthetical documentation
See attached example outlines for expectations
Teacher will be available for help via email at [email protected]. Students may email
questions for personalized help. Ms. Arrowood will also be available Tue/Thur afterschool til 4:00 p.m.
Novel list to choose from:
You MAY NOT choose one previously read.
1984 – George Orwell
Anthem – Ayn Rand
Bluest Eye, The – Toni Morrison
Bonesetter’s Daughter – Amy Tan
Brave New World – Aldous Huxley
Crying of Lot 49, The – Thomas Pynchon
Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time –
Mark Haddon
Dandelion Wine – Ray Bradbury
Dust of a Hundred Dogs, The – A.S. King
Fahrenheit 451 – Ray Bradbury
Farewell to Manzanar - Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston
Franny and Zooey – J.D. Salinger
Going After Cacciato – Tim O’Brien
Handmaid’s Tale, The – Margaret Atwood
Hound of the Baskervilles – Conan Doyle
House Made of Dawn – N. Scott Momaday
Invisible Man, The - H.G. Wells
Mist, The – Stephen King
Mrs. Dalloway – Virginia Wolff
Old Man and the Sea – Ernest Hemmingway
Persuasion – Jane Austen
Picture of Dorian Gray – Oscar Wilde
Purple Heart – Patricia McCormick
Secret Life of Bees – Sue Kidd
Slaughterhouse Five – Kurt Vonnegut
Snow Falling on Cedars – David Gutterson
Something Wicked This Way Comes – Ray Bradbury
Stolen One, The – Susan Crowley
Sula – Toni Morrison
Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, The – Allen Bradley
Their Eyes Were Watching God – Zora Neale Hurston
Thousand Splendid Suns, A – Khaled Hosseini
Time Machine, The – H.G. Wells
We Have Always Lived in the Castle – Shirley Jackson
We Were Here – Matt de la Pena
For students attempting 1.0 credit – Example Outline:
Author Biography and History Outline
William Golding (author of Lord of the Flies)
I.
William Golding Biography
a. Early Life
i. Born Sept. 19, 1911 – died June 19, 1993 (“Lord”)
ii. Father was a schoolmaster; mother was a Women’s Suffragist (“Lord”)
iii. Went to Oxford University and studied Literature; graduated 1935 (“Lord”)
b. World War II Years
i. After graduating from university, Golding taught in Salisbury (“Lord”)
ii. Volunteer for the British Royal Navy in 1940 with outbreak of war (“William”)
iii. Became a Lieutenant (“William”)
iv. Saw active duty during the war in the North Atlantic commanding a rocket
launching craft (“Lord”)
v. Took part in D-Day landings in France in June 1944 (“William”)
vi. Disillusioned on the human condition from what he saw in war (“William”)
c. Lord of the Flies
i. Written in 1953-54 (“William”)
ii. Based upon what author saw in war (“William”)
iii. Golding believed this was how boys would act with no society to bind them
(“Lord”)
II.
History
a. Rise of Germany & Nazi Power
i. Hitler becomes German Chancellor 1932 (Stokes)
ii. 1932 office of President and Chancellor combined; Hitler steps into the combined
position (Stokes)
iii. Nazi party supported Hitler; with his rise so did their politics and ideals (Stokes)
b. WWII
i. Began Sept. 1, 1939 with German invasion of Poland (“World”)
ii. British empire and France immediately declare was against Germany (“World”)
iii. British troops deployed to continent in 1939 (“World”)
iv. 1939-1942 German and Italian alliance invade most of European continent
(“World”)
v. Allied forces (including USA) invade France in June 1944 (“Timeline”)
vi. March toward Berlin shows allied forces the war tragedies the continent and its
inhabitants have suffered (especially of Jewish decent) (“Timeline”)
vii. German unconditional surrender on May 8, 1945 (“Timeline”)
c. Post WWII
i. Troops return home begin baby boomer generation (“1950s”)
ii. 1950s Cold war begins between Russia/Soviet Union & USA and its allies
(“1950s”)
For students attempting 1.0 credit – Example Works Cited:
Works Cited Page
“1950s – Two Cars in Every Garage.” America’s Best History. 2009. Web. 3 Jan. 2011.
<http://americasbesthistory.com/abhtimeline1950.html>.
“Lord of the Flies: Author Biography.” eNotes.com. 2011. Web. 3 Jan 2011.
<http://www.enotes.com/lord-of-the-flies/author-biography>.
Stokes, Phil. “A Biography of Adolf Hilter.” World War II Pages. Web. 3 Jan 2011.
<http://www.secondworldwar.co.uk/ahitler.html>.
“Timeline of World War II (1939 – 1945).” What did you do in the War Grandma?” Web. 3 Jan 2011.
<http://www.stg.brown.edu/projects/WWII_Women/NewTimeline.html>.
“William Golding – Biography.” Encyclopedia of World Biography. 2011. Web. 3 Jan 2011
<http://www.notablebiographies.com/Gi-He/Golding-William.html>.
“World War II in Europe.” The History Place. 1996. Web. 3 Jan 2011.
<http://www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/timeline/ww2time.htm>.
Literary Vocab to Know
1. Narration
21. Framing
2. Setting
22. Atmosphere
3. Fiction
23. Exposition
4. Non-fiction
24. Rising Action
5. Point of View
25. Climax
6. First-Person POV
26. Resolution
7. Second-Person POV
27. Flashback
8. Third-person POV
28. Irony
9. 3rd Person Objective POV
29. Frame Story
10. 3rd Person Omniscient POV
30. Expository Writing
11. Limited 3rd Person
31. Persuasive Writing
12. Character
32. Concrete Details
13. Round Character
33. Commentary
14. Dynamic Character
34. Figurative Language
15. Protagonist
35. Simile
16. Antagonist
36. Metaphor
17. Flat Character
37. Theme
18. Static Character
38. Symbol
19. Stereotype Character
39. Understatement
20. Setting
40. Hyperbole