ELA 11: Literary Analysis 2

Literary Analysis Section Two is a class designed to support students conducting critical reading of material. In section two of this course we will explore a combination of narrative and informative texts of both fiction and nonfiction and use a range of techniques to unpack the material.  Similar to other courses at Wahtonka, all language arts courses are content driven and standards based. Content driven means that it will incorporate things you learn in your other classes (math, science, social studies) because in life we do not separate subjects, they are all blended together in everything you do! Standards based means it will follow the national common core standards (this means we are following the learning goals of our nation). Career ready skills will also be practiced during your time in language arts in order to prepare you for life and finding your way along a career path.

Course FAQs

What are my technology needs?

You will login to Google Classroom and utilize this platform for work submission. You will also need to be proficient in the use of Google Drive and GoogleDocs. Other programs we use include WeVideo.

What are the prerequisites I need in order to take this class?

Literary Analysis Section One or a comparable course from another school.

Why should I take this course/What are the benefits?

There are 3 specific reasons you should have a class in literary analysis:

• Readers learn by reading: Great readers and writers learn about the power of storytelling through reading stories and thinking about what makes them work.  At Wahtonka we do not believe that there is one meaning to a poem, or one interpretation of a book.  You will be encouraged to make your own meaning, share that with your peers and learn about their understanding. 

• Thinking Critically:  Great readers learn to think critically by diving deeply into books to develop their perspective, then learning to reconsider their perspective as they hear others.  In Literary Analysis Section One you will be encouraged to share openly their takeaways then reconsider them as they hear from others.  This process is imperative for students to develop strong critical thinking skills. 

• Encourages Teamwork: We all learn through experimentation and collaboration. In ELA you will learn how to hear perspectives other than your own, how to receive feedback and how to collaborate on ideas together. In every line of work teamwork is what makes us most successful.

What standards does this course cover?

Here is the Common Core Standards that apply to English Language Arts 

http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/RL/11-12/

• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.1 Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining where the text leaves matters uncertain.

• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.2 Determine two or more themes or central ideas of a text and analyze their development over the course of the text, including how they interact and build on one another to produce a complex account; provide an objective summary of the text.

• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.3 Analyze the impact of the author's choices regarding how to develop and relate elements of a story or drama (e.g., where a story is set, how the action is ordered, how the characters are introduced and developed).

• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone, including words with multiple meanings or language that is particularly fresh, engaging, or beautiful. (Include Shakespeare as well as other authors.)

• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.5 Analyze how an author's choices concerning how to structure specific parts of a text (e.g., the choice of where to begin or end a story, the choice to provide a comedic or tragic resolution) contribute to its overall structure and meaning as well as its aesthetic impact.

• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.6 Analyze a case in which grasping a point of view requires distinguishing what is directly stated in a text from what is really meant (e.g., satire, sarcasm, irony, or understatement).

• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.7 Analyze multiple interpretations of a story, drama, or poem (e.g., recorded or live production of a play or recorded novel or poetry), evaluating how each version interprets the source text. (Include at least one play by Shakespeare and one play by an American dramatist.)

• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.9 Demonstrate knowledge of eighteenth-, nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century foundational works of American literature, including how two or more texts from the same period treat similar themes or topics.

• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.10 By the end of grade 11, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poems, in the grades 11-CCR text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.  By the end of grade 12, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poems, at the high end of the grades 11-CCR text complexity band independently and proficiently.

How do you grade my work in this class?

Wahtonka Community School uses a proficiency based grading system. Your grade is based upon rubrics with specific standards and requirements. In order to gain credit for this class you must meet these standards at the proficient or mastery level. 

Course grades are usually broken down as follows: