Unit One: Education

To what extent do our schools serve the goals of a true education?

NOTE: Much of unit one was accomplished in the opening weeks of school. Due to the late arrival of our primary text, we now revisit unit one to explore the question: What does it mean to be educated?

From Language of Composition: Ch. 1 – An Introduction to Rhetoric

From Creating America: Ch. 2 - The Art and Craft of Persuasion

From The Art of Styling Sentences: Introduction; Suggestions for the Student; Ch. 1 - The Sentence; Ch. 2 - Compound sentences, Sentences with a series

Introduction to the rhetorical triangle, rhetorical précis, and developing thesis statements

SHS - Sophocles – “Oedipus Rex” and “Antigone” (classical drama) - To be re-visited in a later unit as review of the rhetorical appeals

10/21 - LC - Alexie – “The Joy of Reading and Writing: Superman and Me” (1998 narrative, process analysis)

10/17-19 - LC - Prose – “I Know Why the Caged Bird Cannot Read” (1999 example, cause-effect, argument)

10/27 - LC - Talbot – “Best in Class” (2005 example)

10/24-25 - LC - Emerson – from Education (1821-26 definition, process analysis, argument)

(Fin) - Online - Malcolm X – “Learning to Read” (1964 process analysis)

(Fin) - Online - Holt – “How Teachers Make Children Hate Reading” (1967 process analysis, cause-effect)

Online - A focus on satire: Borkat – “A Liberating Curriculum” (1993 essay)

LC - Collins – “The History Teacher” (2002 poetry, argument)

Film - "Spellbound" (2002)

Short-Form Formal Essay – Definition/Personal Narrative: What is it to be “educated?” Relate a time you received an education; ensure your personal narrative and definition mesh.

Short-Form Formal Essay peer response, editing activities, focused revision, polished final draft, reflection

Presentation – Analysis of a segment of text from the summer reading and how the segment relates to the purpose of the text overall; also: analysis of student’s learning and how that learning was acquired

Timed Formal Responses (2) – Timed write; annotation/dissection of an AP prompt; analysis of AP essay scoring guidelines; investigation of anchor student essays; instructor’s keywords: flamingo (w/s), Welty (sans)

Revision of and reflection on Timed Formal Response – for grade submission

Multiple Choice Mock Exam – Individual and group work with rhetorical devices and citation of sources