English 11 American Literature
English 11 includes an intensive study of the works and writings of American authors in several genres from the sixteenth century to contemporary times including fiction and nonfiction selections. It is designed to teach students to analyze text and write an interpretation of a piece of literature that is based on careful observation of textual details, considering such elements as the use of figurative language, imagery, symbolism and tone. Within this students will analyze the themes that result from historical, social, and cultural values. This course teaches and requires students to write in several forms (e.g., narrative, analytical, and argumentative) to develop logical organization, enhanced by specific techniques to increase coherence. Such techniques may include traditional rhetoric structures, graphic organizers, and work on repetition, transitions, and emphasis. Students are expected to write essays that analyze text and become increasingly aware of themselves as writers and/or aware of the techniques employed by the writers they read. Assigned novels may include: The Crucible and The Great Gatsby.