English 4 [Competency Based] (2nd Semester)

Course Description

In English 4, students look critically at the world around them by reading a range of texts that explore past and present social, political, and cultural issues. As they read, students are challenged to analyze how central ideas and themes are crafted and presented, assess the author’s purpose for writing, and consider how to break down and evaluate information in a thoughtful manner. Throughout this course, students will think about how people see the world from different perspectives while also considering the common themes, hardships, and triumphs that unite humanity.

Course Breakdown

• "How Social Media Has Changed How We Consume the News" by Nicole Martin
• "Is College Even Worth It? Is This Even the Right Question?" by Josipa Roksa and Richard Arum
• "The Importance of a College Education" by Mark Heckler
• "The Patriot Act: Protection Over Privacy" by Mike Kubic
• "The Patriot Act Must Go: It Assaults Our Freedoms, Doesn't Keep Us Safe" by Andrew Napolitano
• "Jailing Kids? We Can Do Better" by the ACLU of Washington
• "Adult Punishments for Juveniles" by Charles Stimson
• "Let Nature Heal Climate and Biodiversity Crises, Say Campaigners" by Damian Carrington
• "Maybe We're Not Doomed After All" by Jon Gertner
• Hamlet by William Shakespeare Animal Farm by George Orwell
• "On the Seashore" by Rabindranath Tagore
• "Playthings" by Rabindranath Tagore
• "Ode: Intimations of Immortality" by William Wordsworth
• "Changgan Memories" by Li Po
• "The Latin Deli: An Ars Poetica" by Judith Ortiz Cofer
• "I Am Offering This Poem" by Jimmy Santiago Baca
• "How Do I Love Thee? Let Me Count the Ways" by Elizabeth Barrett Browning
• "If You Forget Me" by Pablo Neruda
• "Poetry" by Pablo Neruda
• "Romance Sonámbulo" by Federico García Lorca

Course Goals

1. Lead a group discussion on how people consume and perceive the news.
2. Read pairs of articles that take different perspectives on the same topic, then analyze how the authors of these articles convey their purpose and introduce, relate, and develop their central ideas.
3. Read Hamlet and explore how Shakespeare develops the plot and characters through dramatic elements.
4. Examine the elements of a Shakespearean tragedy and consider how they are applied in Hamlet.
5. Present an analysis of two interpretations of Hamlet by comparing and contrasting the interpretations with the original text. Read Animal Farm and examine its allegorical elements and central ideas.
6. Evaluate how a real-life politician uses propaganda, and create and deliver a presentation on your findings.
7. Read a selection of poems from around the world in order to compare and contrast the development of universal themes in poetry.
8. Examine how poets use figurative language to develop their themes.