Unit 2 - Short Fiction and Essay Building (30 Hours)
GOALS:
By the end of this unit you will be able to
Short Stories
(1) Approach a short story with confidence and be able to analyze it for characterization;
(2) Approach a short story with confidence and be able to analyze it for theme(s);
(3) Approach a short story with confidence and be able to analyze it for figurative language and literary devices.
(4) Put all four approaches together to arrive at a deeper understanding about short fiction and Literature in general.
Essay Building Skills
(1) locate and select information to fully and effectively support ideas for writing, using a variety of strategies;
(2) generate, expand, explore, and focus ideas for potential writing tasks, using a variety of strategies and print, electronic, and other resources, as appropriate;
(3) write for different purposes and audiences using a variety of literary, informational, and graphic forms.
Unit Description:
Short Stories
Specific themes to be explored in this unit will include: Relationships, Coming of Age, Social Inequality, Aging, and Gender Issues.
The short story is exactly what its name suggests. Short stories can be as little as one page long or can take up to half-an-hour. They contain only a few characters and tend to focus more on mood rather than relating a plot.
By close and deep reading of a number of short stories written by men and women over a span of several decades, generations and countries, students will come to recognize a wide variety in form, features, and stylistic elements, and will be able to demonstrate an understanding of how the writers and their short stories help communicate meaning.
Included in the seven (7) lessons in the Short Story Unit, students will examine in depth the five key elements found in all fiction, whether in a short story form or in longer prose studies later in the Novel Unit. The Five Key Elements of Fiction are: Setting, Character, Plot, Point of View, and Theme.
Video lectures, Discussion Forums and daily assessments 'FOR LEARNING' and 'AS LEARNING' will integrated into each lesson plan. An Assessment 'OF LEARNING' at the conclusion of this unit will be graded and applied towards a final course mark.
Essay Building Skills
All writers of fiction are avid readers; however, not all readers of fiction become great writers. Through reading and reflecting on great literature and imitating great writers, students will identify areas for improvement, and learn the strategies that are most helpful at different stages of writing to improve and strengthen their work.
In the three (3) lessons in the Writing Unit, students will gain advanced knowledge about Form and Style in writing non-fiction such as journal entries and essays. They will draft and revise their writing to produce a variety of informational texts. By brainstorming initial outlines and drafts, editing, revising, and proofreading to correct grammatical and substantive errors, students will refine their writing, and be able to present their work confidently to different audiences.These are all resources needed for Unit 2
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