Honors English 10 A
Grades: 9, 10, 11, 12
Credits: 0.50
Description:
This is the first of two courses that comprise English 10 Honors. In this course, the student will study the
literature of the Americas, Europe, and Africa. In reading and responding to these selections, the
student will gain an understanding of and appreciation for both the unique experiences of people from
other cultures and the common themes that run through the human experience regardless of culture.
Writing instruction focuses on analysis, exposition, and narrative writing with expanded opportunities
for creative and fiction writing. An increased focus on higher-order thinking, literary analysis, and
vocabulary studies differentiates this course from its standard-level equivalent.
Units:
The Literature of the Americas
America is not just the United States of America. It includes the many surrounding countries from
Canada, the Caribbean, and Latin America. Just like in the United States, they have exciting
writers who share the experiences of their country. Each writer has a unique voice, but the countries the
writers represent share a history. It is a history in which they have been conquered and colonized by
European explorers, and have opened their doors to immigrants from many cultures.
In this unit, you will not only read a selection of literary works from the Western Hemisphere, but also
analyze literary concepts such as theme, tone, mood, and dramatic irony. You will explore fictional
stories, drama, and poetry, as well as nonfiction essays and famous United States historical documents.
During your study of grammar, you will review the eight parts of speech and apply your knowledge of
those as you compose summaries, multi-paragraph essays and an informal letter. You will use a wide
variety of study skills to master the concepts covered in this unit.
The Literature of the Americas II
In Unit 1, you read selections from several writers in the Americas. You learned about literary
techniques such as tone, theme, imagery, and stage direction. In Unit 2, you’ll continue reading short
stories and poems written by authors from the Americas.
Selections in this unit include writings by authors from St. Lucia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, Puerto
Rico, Brazil, Argentina, and Chile. The stories cover topics such as reconciliation, death, acceptance,
National Connections Academy
1001 Fleet St. 5th Floor Baltimore MD 21202
Toll-free 877-804-NACA (6222)
http://www.nationalconnectionsacademy.com
[email protected]
anger, and relationships. There is a wealth of insight and emotion in the writings. As you read, you will
learn new vocabulary, such as paradox, personification, and situational irony. You will also become
familiar with additional techniques, such as magic realism and repetition, that enable literature to
engage an audience from beginning to end. In this unit, you will write a compare and contrast essay on a
topic related to your reading. You will select a topic, create a rough draft, revise, and edit your essay
over the course of the unit. Additionally, you will continue your exploration of grammatical constructs
that will enhance your oral and written communication skills.
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Mark Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is the story of a free-thinking kid, Huck Finn, and a slave
named Jim, both of whom choose to flee their oppressive lives. The two set out on a trip down the
Mississippi River that is filled with adventures and experiences that are unique to the particular class of
characters and setting of the mid-nineteenth century. The novel’s title is sometimes extended to include
Tom Sawyer’s Comrade to indicate to readers that this is a companion novel to The Adventures of Tom
Sawyer , told as a first-person narrative from Huck’s point of view. Prior knowledge of Tom Sawyer is not
required. In this unit, you will identify literary elements, analyze characters, use comprehension
strategies to make connections and draw conclusions, and define unfamiliar vocabulary words. You will
also create a multimedia presentation for Unit 3's portfolio assessment.
Of Mice and Men may be read instead of the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn with prior teacher
approval. Lessons and activities for Of Mice and Men will appear on the lower half of the page. Do not
proceed with Of Mice and Men unless you have received approval from your teacher.Of Mice and Men is
the story of two men, George Milton and Lennie Small, living a hardscrabble existence as migrant
workers during the Great Depression. Smart and practical, George has spent years looking after Lennie.
Lennie is hardworking and kind, but feeble-minded. Each man is the only "family" the other one has. As
George and Lennie move from place to place and job to job, they hope to save enough money to buy a
place of their own. Soon their dream seems within reach, but forces beyond their control threaten to
ruin their hopes forever. In this unit, you will identify literary elements, analyze characters, use
comprehension strategies to make connections and draw conclusions, and define unfamiliar vocabulary
words. You will also create a multimedia presentation for Unit 3's portfolio assessment.
Europe I
Europe has endured many conflicts which have influenced her literature—world wars, the Holocaust,
and the collapse of the Soviet Union are examples. Writers are among the first targets of totalitarian
regimes. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, who was twice sent to Siberia, is one of many European authors who
were exiled, imprisoned, or silenced. However, he refused to stop criticizing Russia’s Communist regime,
believing that “Literature that is not the breath of contemporary society, that dares not transmit the
pains and fears of that society, that does not warn in time against threatening moral and social
National Connections Academy
1001 Fleet St. 5th Floor Baltimore MD 21202
Toll-free 877-804-NACA (6222)
http://www.nationalconnectionsacademy.com
[email protected]
dangers—such literature does not deserve the name of literature; it is only a façade. Such literature
loses the confidence of its own people, and its published works are used as wastepaper instead of being
read.”
In this unit, you will read selections that express some of hopes, disappointments, and fears of the
writers and of the citizens of the European states.
As you read, you will learn new literary terms, such as rhyme scheme and allusion. You will be
introduced to different character types, such as round characters, flat characters, and stock characters.
You will also write an expository essay, which will add an additional type of writing to your growing
portfolio. Additionally, you will review and apply your knowledge and correct use of phrases and
clauses.
Europe II
In this unit, you will continue to read selections that express some of the hopes, disappointments, and
fears of the writers and of the citizens of the European states. Selections you will read include a fable,
short stories, one short story adapted from a play, and poetry from European writers. As you read, you
will learn literary devices such as: allegory, author’s purpose, character development, dialogue, and
hyperbole—all elements that authors use to create compelling stories. You will also practice using
various clauses and different kinds of sentence structures to enhance your writing. Additionally, you will
create a personal narrative about a subject of your choice you will draft examples of business
communication in the form of a letter of complaint and a letter of application.
Africa
The African continent includes more than 50 countries and over 800 languages. The writers you will
study in this unit come from various regions of Africa and have faced the challenge of telling their stories
in languages that honor their heritage while at the same time reaching a wide audience. Most authors
write in French and English, the languages spoken by European colonizers. But one author, Kenyan
Ngugi wa Thiong’o, writes primarily in his native language, Gikuyu.You will read stories that reflect the
authors’ analyses of life before and after colonization. They deal with subjects such as the griot
storytelling tradition, clash of European and African cultures, and the pervasive effects of apartheid.
Selections you will read include an epic poem, a first person narrative, and several short stories.As you
read, you will learn literary devices used to create interesting stories and poems, such as personification,
plot, tone, characterization, humor, theme, and setting. You will also practice using various verb forms
and learn how to strengthen your writing through the use of vivid verbs. You will also learn elements of
poetry including sound devices, rhythm, meter, types of figurative language, and various forms that
poems can take. Finally, you will use the information you learned about poetry to create a poem.
Honors English 10A Semester Review and Exam
National Connections Academy
1001 Fleet St. 5th Floor Baltimore MD 21202
Toll-free 877-804-NACA (6222)
http://www.nationalconnectionsacademy.com
[email protected]
In this unit, you will have the opportunity to prepare for and take the final exam on the concepts you
learned throughout the semester. Since this is a comprehensive exam, it may be helpful to organize your
notes in the order of the course outline before you begin to review. Using the test-taking strategies that
you have previously learned can help you be successful with both objective and essay questions.
Online Text/eBook




iText Reading the World
iText The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
iText The Importance of Being Earnest
iText Writing with Power 10 (Yellow) Student Ed
National Connections Academy
1001 Fleet St. 5th Floor Baltimore MD 21202
Toll-free 877-804-NACA (6222)
http://www.nationalconnectionsacademy.com
[email protected]