English 12 A Self-Paced

What does it mean to be a hero? How do we make good choices? Throughout human history, we have asked and answered these and other big questions through literature. Epics, short stories, poems, and plays offer us insight into these questions and how humans have considered these topics across time and place.

In this literature and writing course, students will focus on two thematic units:

Epics and Heroes

Choices and Decisions

The course begins by exploring ancient heroes, starting with Odysseus and Beowulf, and continues through to King Arthur, Robin Hood, and contemporary heroes. The second unit focuses on decision-making first by exploring poems and short stories from Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried, then with an in-depth study of Shakespeare’s Macbeth. Students will view and compare cinematic versions of Macbeth. Throughout, students will cite strong and thorough textual evidence to provide summaries of the texts and support analysis of themes.

Each unit will focus on one type of writing, beginning with an illustration essay where students will explore and explain their own idea of what it means to be heroic. In the second unit, students will write and deliver a persuasive speech, incorporating rhetorical devices to sway their audience to their point of view. Throughout the course, students will write shorter analyses and explanations, demonstrating command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling.

Students will engage with a variety of readings in multiple genres and will respond to these texts in writing, speaking, and other forms of expression (video, audio, etc.).

About the Self-Paced Course Model

Self-Paced courses are designed for students who need flexibility in their academic schedule. Teachers answer questions and interact with students in Private Topics, provide feedback on work, and host weekly office hours. Students work independently on course activities; the course does not include class discussion assignments or other collaborative work.

This course has start dates on each Wednesday throughout the year. Students must maintain enrollment for a minimum of 4 weeks and have up to 16 weeks to complete all assignments in the course. It is expected that students will work for approximately 90 hours to complete this course, though the amount of time may vary depending on a student’s work habits and comfort with the material.

Acknowledgements

Required Texts: This course requires students to obtain copies of certain texts. Details provided in the Additional Requirements field of this course description.
Successful completion of English 11.
I acknowledge that this is a self-paced course.
This course contains an end-of-course proctored exam. Instructions for students to identify an appropriate adult proctor are included in the course lessons.

Course Objectives

Course Essential Questions:

How do universal themes connect literature across time and place?
How can we interpret literary and informational texts to understand a wide variety of topics?
How do writers use literary tools to express their ideas?
How do we use language and conventions to communicate effectively?

Course Objectives:

Analyze how ideas are developed throughout or between texts.
Cite strong and thorough textual evidence, from both literature and informational texts, to provide a summary of the texts and support analysis of themes.
Analyze the craft and structure of both literature and informational texts, including literary devices and rhetoric.
Write arguments, informational, and narrative pieces using development, organization, style, vocabulary, and conventions that are appropriate to the purpose and audience.
Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.

Additional Requirements

Required Texts: Students will need to obtain copies of the following texts which are available at many schools or local libraries or for purchase online for a small fee:

Beowulf: A New Verse Translation by Seamus Heaney
The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien

Students will also need to access one cinematic interpretation of Macbeth, such as Polanski (1971), Wright (2006), Goold (2010), Kurzel (2015), or Coen (2021).

Mature Content: Some texts contain mature themes such as violence, domestic abuse, and racism, and mature language.