[E21] English Fundamentals G10 (10年级全方位英语, Mr. Boland, 线上)

Code: E21

Teacher: Mr. Boland, retired high school English teacher

Grade: Grade 10

Number of Sessions: 16

Objective:

Through a close reading of a variety of literary texts student will:

- Use critical thinking skills to understand the underlying ideas and themes of literary works
- Become familiar with a range of literary terms
- Be able to clearly understand a writer’s purpose and tone
- Develop confidence in expressing their ideas in both written and oral form
- Have multiple opportunities to engage in literary analysis and develop a sense of ease in writing detailed, insightful literary essays
- Become familiar with essay format and MLA citation style of sources
- Learn how to avoid plagiarism through careful documentation of sources
- Understand the difference between primary and secondary sources
- Develop research skills
- Use proofreading/editing techniques to improve the quality of written work
- Improve vocabulary and learn how to establish meaning through context
- Have multiple opportunities to present their work orally in class (both individually and in small group settings with peers)

About the teacher:

Mr. Boland, 英语文学硕士学位(专攻20世纪诗歌)。自1991年一直任职于安省一所公立高中，并于2019年退休。他的莎士比亚、创意写作以及人类学课程非常受学生欢迎。

Mr. Boland还是业余作家和编辑，并从2003至今担任加拿大Royal Canadian Legion写作比赛评委。

Mr. Boland的第一部长篇诗集《Toward the Chrysalis》于2005年由Stone Flower出版社出版。之后又有多篇诗歌和评论发表在加拿大和美国的各种文学期刊上。

Mr. Boland 辅导的小渔一对一的学生进步显著，几个12年级的学生在Mr. Boland的帮助下拿到了心仪的大学录取。

教学风格：严谨、清晰、精准。

Course Outline

Core Text: Patron Saints of Nothing – Weekly Reading Selections

Additional, shorter texts will be supplemented on a weekly basis in class.

Assessments: Assessments will be facilitated in class over Google Docs. The teacher will provide direct, immediate feedback and correction for optimal learning. The culminating evaluation will be an in-class exam.

Teaching Plan:

Week 1 – Focus on Reading

Students will understand that writers write for different purposes and audiences, using different tones.

Reading: Patron Saints of Nothing, Prologue - “How He Lived”

Week 2 – Focus on Writing and Speaking

Students will be able to express themselves for different purposes and audiences using different tones.

Reading: Patron Saints of Nothing, “An Improvement to Society” - “Grounded”

Week 3 – Focus on Reading

Students will become familiar with a range of literary terms and learn how to annotate as they read to enrich their reading.

Reading: Patron Saints of Nothing, “Things Inside” - “A New Silence Arrives”

Week 4 – Focus on Reading

Students will learn to make inferences – drawing meaning for vocabulary and other ideas when the answer is not explicitly on the page.

Reading: Patron Saints of Nothing, “Some Small Rebellion” - “Lead the Way”

Week 5 – Focus on Writing and Speaking

Students will learn to support their ideas with evidence and explanation.

Reading: Patron Saints of Nothing, “You Can Hold On To Me If You Need To” - “The Word of God”

Week 6 – Focus on Writing

Students will master the paragraph form and understand how to adjust it for different writing purposes.

Reading: Patron Saints of Nothing, “The Last Part Aloud” - “This Poem is a Typhoon”

Week 7 – Focus on Writing

Students will study different essay forms, focusing particularly on literary, persuasive, and research essays.

Reading: Patron Saints of Nothing, “Let’s Do It” - “Everyone Loses Their”

Week 8 – Focus on Writing

Students will study the basics of M.L.A. and learn how to prevent plagiarism through the careful documentation of sources.

Reading: Patron Saints of Nothing, “To Flood” - “Go Back To Sleep”

Week 9 – Focus on Reading

Students will use strategies for identifying themes and big ideas in literary works that can lead to a thesis.

Reading: Patron Saints of Nothing, “Bravery As If It Were My Own” - “Headfirst Across the Muddy Grass”

Week 10 – Focus on Writing

Students will learn the criteria for thesis statements and attempt to write their own thesis statement.

Reading: Patron Saints of Nothing, “To Resurrect” - “A Seed”

Week 11 – Focus on Writing

Students will learn the difference between primary and secondary sources, direct and indirect evidence, and how to integrate evidence into their writing.

Reading: Patron Saints of Nothing, “Every Detail of This Finite Moment” - “Epilogue”

Week 12 – Focus on Writing

Students will practice writing a body paragraph in a literary essay using the thesis statement they developed in Week 10.

Week 13 – Focus on Speaking

Students will learn the fundamental skills of oral communication (speaking), and practice speaking about a literary work in front of their peers.

Week 14 – Focus on Writing

Students will learn how to improve their writing through essential grammar rules and style. They will proofread a sample essay using these skills.

Week 15 – In-Class Exam