Course Information
LCIII Course Syllabus
Mrs. Grady's Classroom Rules
Course Goals and Tasks
ACT Prep Unit
- begin the school year on a unit that is consistent with the fact that we are only beginning a new school year,
- begin to develop awareness of what the ACT Reading test will be asking of you in March of this year,
- begin working on a set of reading skills that you will need to be proficient in to be successful in this class this year, and
- begin working on proficiency of four basic graphic design principles commonly referred to as CRAP: contrast, repetition, alignment and proximity.
- Complete a Reading Self-Assessment (click on Unit Assignments below for details),
- Read and comprehend six ACT Reading Practice Tests (click on Unit Assignments below for details),
- Take six ACT Reading Practice Tests,
- Produce six sets of Literature Circle Discussion Preparation Notes (click on Unit Assignments below for details), and
- Participate in six Literature Circle Discussion groups (click on Unit Assignments below for details)
Grapes of Wrath Unit
The unit focuses on the novel, The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck. The text serves as a conduit for students to explore the concept/self-transformation of ‘I to We’. Through the text and group/class discussions, students will explore the concepts of setting, plot progression, and theme(s) throughout the novel.
Students will also participate in literature circles. They will utilize their prior knowledge of LC from previous units to collaborate and complete assignments/LC roles. Upon the completion of the semester, students will take the work from this unit and (with the opportunity to revise) include it in their Semester One Portfolio. This portfolio serves as part of their semester exam.
Students will also participate in literature circles. They will utilize their prior knowledge of LC from previous units to collaborate and complete assignments/LC roles. Upon the completion of the semester, students will take the work from this unit and (with the opportunity to revise) include it in their Semester One Portfolio. This portfolio serves as part of their semester exam.
- Read and comprehend John Steinbeck's novel The Grapes of Wrath,
- Produce 15 sets of Literature Circle Discussion Prep Notes that demonstrate all of the roles and covers the entire novel,
- Participate in 15 Literature Circle Discussions in class that utilize your Lit Circle Prep Notes,
- View the historical documentary film footage of the Great Depression Era and seek to make thematic connections to Grapes,
- Demonstrate keeping the thematic focus of defining Transformational Thinking in mind,
- Prepare for a unit test at the conclusion of this unit, and
- Produce a Comprehension Portfolio that reflects your understanding of the demands listed above.
Career Prep Unit: Life Beyond These Walls
This unit is broken down into three sections: Career Cruising and the EDP, the Resume, and the College Admissions Essay. A large portion of this unit will be spent in the computer labs around the building in workshop formats. Begin with PowerPoint provided by the Career Prep Coordinator, Cheryl Reardon, in the Counseling Department. Unit culminates with a completed portfolio including a resume, cover letter, reference list, and two college application essays.
- One Goal: College Application Essay- Students will use editing skills in a timed exam situation to use knowledge of grammar and standardized tests to choose the best answer, as well as how to recognize the wrong answers. Students will use writing skills in a timed exam situation to demonstrate their abilities to develop essays that take a position on a provided topic, support their positions and recognize any opposing argument to their position. Development of a "topic toolbx" to draw from to respond to various college apllication essay prompts.
The ACT & You
The ACT is administered here at FHS in March of your junior year. This workshop is designed to help create ACT test format awareness for those aspects that apply to Literature & Composition 3 - Reading and Writing. In addition to reading comprehension, the ACT measures your writing ability in two ways: an objective test to assess you ability to work with grammar, diction and rhetoric, and a writing-on-demand section wherein you must compose an essay. The unit is divided into these two sections.
- Students will use editing skills in a timed exam situation to use knowledge of grammar and standardized tests to choose the best answer, as well as how to recognize the wrong answers.
- Students will use writing skills in a timed exam situation to demonstrate their abilities to develop essays that take a position on a provided topic, support their positions and recognize any opposing argument to their position.
- Writing Goal:
- Students are given 30 minutes to plan and write an essay based on the provided prompt.
- The prompt asks the writer to take a position on the issue outlined in the prompt and support that position using logical reasoning and relevant examples.
- Students will review a sample essay and break it down into pieces to analyze the different sections of the essay and its requirements, including:
- An effective introduction
- A clear position in the topic
- Specific support and evidence
- Logical connections (warrants) made between the evidence and your position
- An acknowledgement of the opposing position and a strong rebuttal of this opposing position
- An effective conclusion
Transformation Unit: Eastern Philosophy & Julius Caesar
This unit emcompasses two achor texts, yet one over-arching concept- self-transformation. The unit focuses on two very different charcters that undergo transforamtional thinking: Siddhartha, who transforms through individual self-actualization, whereas, Brutus transforms due to societal pressures. Unit goals include completion of semester portfolio and various formative assessments.
Various Unit Tasks:
Various Unit Tasks:
- Read and comprehend various excerpts from these Hindu texts: the Mahabharata, the Panchatantra, and the Ramayana
- Research a specific topic within one of ten possible Eastern philosophical concepts or ideas and compose an MLA-formatted research essay of findings
- Present research findings to the class in a 3 to 5 minutes presentation using a visual aid during the presentation
- Reserach of an aspect of Eastern Philosophy
- Compose MLA formatted essay, and presentation of findings to class
- Read the novel, Siddhartha
- Read Shakespeare's Julius Caesar
- Complete a personal philiosophy essay