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Introduction to Literature and Composition is a required course in the
DPS system. The course introduces students to literary genres and
emphasizes both critical and reflective writing.
This is the list of literary terms that students should become familiar
with by the end of this year: 9th Grade Literary Terms
Students should take advantage of this online style guide to check their grammar and usage: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/
Here is another guide to grammar - this one contains the rules for diagramming sentences: http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/
SPRING SEMESTER 2007-2008
Here is the syllabus for Spring Semester: Spring Semester Schedule and Syllabi 2007-08
Students will receive a hard copy of their grades during the week of February 11, in anticipation of the following week's conferences. Students can still turn in late work (except for the O Brother, Where Art Thou worksheet).
Students with Ds and Fs were given hard copies of their grades, and the instructor talked to them about missing assignments, the week of April 21, 2008. All late work is due May 1.
Week of May 12, 2008:
Students are reading selections from The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien.
Their final will be next week, Tuesday through Friday, entailing two full periods for each class.
Week of April 21, 2008:
Students are beginning a unit on novels and nonfiction. Here is their last major assignment, due May 8: Nonfiction Book Review 2007
X-credit students must present their books to the rest of the class; other students can receive extra-credit for doing this: Nonfiction Book Presentation 2007
Week of April 7, 2008:
Students are reading a few Romantic stories and poems in class. I also distributed the assignment for X-Credit students, which is due near the end of school: Introduction to Literature X Credit Assignment
Week of March 31, 2008:
Students are reading Fences by August Wilson in class, and will have an analysis to do comparing the characters in this play with those of James Baldwin's Sonny's Blues: Character Comparison 2007
Here is an excerpt from Isaiah Berlin's lectures on Romanticism, which might help in comparing Romantic heroes: Romanticism Illustrations 2007
Students should have chosen and be reading a nonfiction book.
Week of March 17, 2008:
Students filled out a worksheet on Sonny's Blues after finishing the story: Sonny's Blues Questions 2007 This must be turned in at the start of the second class of the week, in preparation for a discussion.
Week of March 10, 2008:
Students are reading Sonny's Blues by James Baldwin this week, in preparation for a character analysis about tragic heroes. Here is an online copy of the story: Sonny's Blues 2007
Here is a list of nonfiction books, one of which students must read over the next month: Nonfiction Reading List 2007
Week of March 3, 2008:
Here is the assignment on Oedipus Rex, due the end of this week or the start of next: Oedipus Questions 2007
This Hamlet synopsis will help in your next assignment: Hamlet Summary 2007
Students read soliloquies from Hamlet; they must now write one as part of a one-act play: Soliloquy and Character Assignment
Week of February 25, 2008:
Students are reading Oedipus Rex by Sophocles, and are studying what entails a tragedy: Aristotle on Tragedy
Here is a link to an online version of Oedipus Rex: http://classiclit.about.com/library/bl-etexts/sophocles/bl-soph-oed.htm
Week of February 11, 2008:
Here is a revised list of literary terms, which students will choose and present to the rest of the class: Revised List of Literary Terms for Ninth Graders
They did two worksheets in class on grammar; and a worksheet analyzing the structure of Lysistrata. These are available from the instructor if students missed class.
Week of February 4, 2008:
Students will be reading Lysistrata by Aristophanes to begin a unit on drama. Here is an online version of this play: http://drama.eserver.org/plays/classical/aristophanes/lysistrata.txt
Students will be working on grammar and proofreading their writing over the next month, in addition to studying theater and tragic heroes. Here is a list of common errors in writing, which students first saw last semester: No Excuses Grammar List
Week of January 28, 2008:
Students learned about how film tells a story by its use of camera angles, framing, shots, lighting, editing, and music. They did a short exercise in class, available from the instructor, based on a scene from Edward Scissorhands.
Students are reading I Am Joaquin by Rodolfo Gonzalez, and will have an essay to write about it in class. Here is a link to an online version of this poem: http://www.latinamericanstudies.org/latinos/joaquin.htm
Week of January 14, 2008:
Students had an in-class writing assignment based on the Odyssey: write 25 lines of free verse, based on a teenager's adventures as an epic hero: approximately 10-12 syllables per line; containing one epic simile of 3-4 lines; two different epithets; one intervention of the gods. This is due January 16 for Period B2 and January 22 for Period W4.
Students watched O Brother, Where Art Thou. Here's the worksheet that is due Tuesday, January 22: O Brother Worksheet 2007 Since we will be discussing this worksheet in class, students cannot turn it in after the fact.
Students must write a story about a personal odyssey, incorporating the following techniques, themes, and structure: Odyssey Story 2007
This is due the end of next week for Class B2; the beginning of the following week for Class W4.
Week of January 8, 2008:
Students are reviewing the themes of epic poetry, and reading excerpts from Beowulf and Gilgamesh this week.
FALL SEMESTER 2007-2008
Here is the syllabus for Fall Semester: Introduction to Literature Fall Syllabus 2007-08
All late work must be turned in by December 1, 2007, to receive credit.
Week of December 9, 2007:
Students are taking their finals this week, to accommodate Orchestra students leaving for Chicago. They will continue studying the Odyssey next week.
Week of November 26, 2007:
Students are beginning a unit on the Odyssey, focusing on the themes of epic poetry, and the traits of the epic hero.
Week of November 13, 2007:
Students began a unit on heroes last week, starting with examples of antiheroes in literature, film, and music. Here is a worksheet that they were asked to take notes on: Antihero Traits Worksheet 2007
Students were assigned a list of novels featuring antiheroes a month ago. Here is the written assignment for that novel: Antihero Assignment 2007
Week of November 5, 2007:
To finish the unit on poetry, students must either write an essay on whether music lyrics should be censored, at least two handwritten pages in length, with lyrics supporting their reasons; or, a Skeltonic poem, of at least 40 lines, with 3-6 words per line, and end rhymes of anywhere from 2-8 lines. Here is an example of a skeltonic poem, or tumbling verse: Skeltonic Poem or Tumbling Verse 2007
Week of October 29, 2007:
The paper on voice in poetry is due this week. Students will also write an edit of other's papers: Poet's Voice Paper Edit
Due on Thursday and Friday of this week, November 1 and 2, is a blues song, at least five verses long, three to six lines per verse (depending on line breaks), written in the traditional structure, and using some of the themes contained in the following set of instructions: How to Write a Blues Song 2007
Don't forget to attach your blues name to this assignment.
Students were also encouraged to bring in music lyrics and music which they would then present to the class, describing how the lyrics satisfy the demands of poetry. This is for extra credit, and lyric sheets should be submitted to Mr. Thornton on Thursday or Friday.
Students read selections from various environmental writers and have this creative writing exercise due next week: Write Like Boyle or Dillard 2007
X Credit students were also given their additional assignment, which is due November 19: Introduction to Literature X Credit Assignment 2007
Week of October 15, 2007:
Students will be studying voice in poetry this week, in preparation for a paper comparing the voices of Dickinson, Frost, and Hughes, due October 29, outlined on page 2 of this assignment: Poetry Unit and Assignments 2007
Students read poems inspired by art, and were offered art books in class from which they must select an art piece and write a poem about it, due next week, based on the following criteria: Art Inspired Poetry Assignment
Week of October 8, 2007:
Students need to complete question 4 on page 857: they must choose 10 portmanteaus from Lewis Carroll's Jaberwocky; list the two words that were used to create the new word; and give a definition of the new word based on the words used to create it. Here is a link to a copy of Jabberwocky: http://www.jabberwocky.com/carroll/jabber/jabberwocky.html
By Monday or Tuesday of next week, students need to create a Question and Answer poem like What Were They Like on page 695 in their textbooks. Their poems must consist of 5-10 questions, be at least 30 lines long, and include 5 examples of poetic techniques, at least 3 different ones.
Week of October 1, 2007:
Students will receive a list of novels focusing on antiheroes; they will have an assignment due on this novel after Thanksgiving: Antihero Novel List 2007
Students have finished the section on form in the Poetry Unit. Next week they will begin writing poems and working on a major paper analyzing voice in poetry.
Week of September 24, 2007:
For a final assessment on the Stereotyping Unit, students read A Big Black Good Man on page 207 in their textbooks. They had to write an essay on whether Olaf is a racist. Five detailed references to the story are required, and their grade will be largely based on the mechanics of their writing, their grammar and punctuation.
Students are beginning a unit on poetry, outlined in this handout: Poetry Unit and Assignments 2007
At the end of the week, they are taking a personality test, which is intended to increase their self-awareness, to the benefit of their writing and their working in groups. Along with this test, they will also be diagramming sentences: Personality Test and Diagramming 2007 This assignment must be submitted by next week in order to receive credit.
Week of September 17, 2007:
Students read The Yellow Wallpaper in their textbooks, and did a four-box response for homework: one box features a drawing of a scene from the story; one box describes this scene in detail; one box focuses on gender issues revealed by the scene; and one box features a poem about the scene. They also read Like a Winding Sheet, and wrote a few paragraphs about whether Petry intended to focus on race or gender issues in this story.
Students were assigned punctuation terms to become familiar with, to report on to the rest of the class.
Week of September 10, 2007:
Students need to write an essay that mimics the emotional essay of James Baldwin; or the logical response to prejudice that Brent Staples wrote about. Both essays were read in class. Student essays should be 1 typed page or 2-3 written pages, in which they describe an episode of prejudice which they encountered or imagined.
Week of September 4, 2007:
Students
begin a unit on stereotypes this week. This unit will include a number
of short writing assignments in which students will mimic the styles of
various writers.
Students should write a short story of
approximately 1 typed page (double-spaced, 12-point font) or 2-3
hand-written pages in a style that mimics the 11-year-old's narration
in Eleven by Sandra Cisneros,
which was read in class. The viewpoint is of a child who is unfairly
judged. Students should imitate the style of Cisneros in miming the
speech and thoughts of a child. This story should include 3-5 childlike metaphors. This is due the next class period
after reading it.
Week of August 20, 2007:
Students were asked to sketch a chair at home. A written page
accompanying this sketch should include as many details as possible,
and the values that these details reveal.
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