English Literature Grade 12

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English LiteratureGrade 12

• A Guide for Parents
• Rondi Aastrup, teacher

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Grades and attendance

• English Literature is a required course for
  graduation.
• Students must maintain a D- or better in all
  four quarters to pass the class.
• Students must attend 85 of the quarters classes
  in order to receive credit.
• Students entering class after the first 10
  minutes are marked absent.

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Homework Requirements

• No late homework (with few exceptions) will be
  accepted.
• Major assignments must be typed all others neat
  and legible.
• Daily journal entries, 5 per week, should be
  written in a journal to be turned in every
  Wednesday.
• Weekly vocabulary quizzes (ACT/SAT prep) on
  Fridays.
• Monthly (assigned) book reports are due the last
  Friday of each month.

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Course Content

• English Literature is primarily a (selective)
  chronological survey of a couple thousand years
  worth of literature written by British authors
• We will occasionally study an author or work in
  depth. A sample unit appears at the end of this
  presentation.

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Textbooks and Trade Books

• Prentice Halls The British Tradition
• Barrons Hot Words for the SAT I
• Cliffs Complete Shakespeares Hamlet
• John Bunyans Pilgrims Progress
• Jane Austens Pride and Prejudice
• Choice of 7 other selected trade books

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Parent Responsibilities and Appointments

• Actively support all school activities, whether
  your child is involved or not (encourage them to
  do so as well)
• Require that your child read at home every day
  (try to do so yourself as well)
• Visually check their homework daily (they will
  have homework from me every day) to see that
  its done
• Attend all parent/teacher conferences, no matter
  your childs grade or behavior. I want to see
  parents of A students, too.

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Sample Unit PlanHamlet to Hamlet on leadership
and life

• Unit Summary Hamlet to Hamlet on Leadership
  and Life is a comprehensive unit about
  relationships as evidenced in William
  Shakespeares play Hamlet.
• It addresses issues of familial relationships,
  friendship, and leadership.

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Curriculum-Framing QuestionsEssential Question

• Can a positive come from a negative?

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Unit Questions

• Can literature help us to be better people?
• What perspective on life does Shakespearethrough
  his life choices, through his writings?
• What leadership lessons can be learned from
  Hamlet?
• What can we learn about relating to others from
  Hamlet?
• What life lessons can we learn from the tragedy
  of Hamlet?
• Can revenge ever be good?
• Is it a good idea to take the law into your own
  hands?

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Hamlet Content Questions1

• Who has the better temperament to be a leader?
  Claudius or Hamlet?
• What are the obligations and responsibilities of
  a leader king to his people?

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Hamlet Content Questions--2

• Who in Hamlet is the most qualified to be king?
• What went wrong between Hamlet and Ophelia and
  why?
• How does Hamlets relationship with his father
  affect his relationship with his mother, uncle,
  and others?

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Hamlet Content Questions--3

• Who was the better friend Horatio, Laertes, or
  Rosencrantz Guildenstern? Why?
• Was Gertrude a better wife, mother, or queen?
  Why?
• What are Hamlets views on women and their roles?
  What are Shakespeares?

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Hamlet Content Questions4

• What does it take to be a good leader king,
  prince, counselor?
• What role does conscience play in leadership, in
  relationships?
• At what age does leadership responsibility kick
  in?

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Potential Unit Schedule1 2

• Week One--Introduction to Elizabethan Period
• Student-researched publications
• Teacher-produced quizzes and discussion guides
• Week TwoIntroduction to Elizabethan Drama
• Student-researched power-point presentations
• Teacher-produced quizzes and discussion guides

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Potential Unit Schedule3 4

• Week Three and FourIntroduction to William
  Shakespeare
• AE/Biography video on Shakespeare
• Ian McKellen video Acting Shakespeare
• PBS video on The Story of English A Muse of
  Fire
• Teacher-produced quizzes and discussion guides

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Potential Unit Schedule5 6

• Week FiveIntroduction to Hamlet
• Teacher-researched power-point presentations
• Teacher-produced quizzes and discussion guides
• Week Five and SixWatch Derek Jacobi DVD of
  Hamlet
• English subtitles on and student texts open
• Act-by-Act discussions and worksheets

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Potential Unit Schedule7

• Week SevenWatch video clips
• Scenes from several versions of Hamlet to promote
  discussion of interpretation
• Lawrence Olivier, Mel Gibson, Kevin Kline, Ethan
  Hawke, Kenneth Branaugh
• To Be or Not to Be, Get thee to a Nunnery,
  graveyard scene, library scene, duel/end
• Week SevenSmall group discussion
• Focus on unit questions

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Potential Unit Schedule8

• Week EightSummary and Conclusion
• Write formal essay on essential question
• Student-researched website demonstrating lessons
  learned (they will be working on this all unit
  long, building it as we go)

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Questions? Comments?

• What are your concerns for your child working
  through this school year?
• How can I help you to help them to be successful?
• How can you help me to help them to be
  successful?
• How can we stay in touch?
• rondi2655_at_yahoo.com
• www.Thinkwave.com

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• THANK YOU FOR COMING TONIGHT!
• LETS STAY IN TOUCH