Unit 2: Media

Learning Goals

We are learning to…

identify the features of blog posts and podcasts
write blog posts with effective titles, tags, links, multimedia, and clearly developed paragraphs
record podcasts that include conversational dialogue, sponsorship info, critical discussion
use specific criteria to evaluate and critique the level of diversity in popular media texts
listen and watch for slanted language and missing voices in media texts

Construct an effective analysis of literary texts (not plot summary)
Construct critical interpretations of contemporary non-fiction texts
Independently select and use reading comprehension strategies for challenging texts
Develop effective discussion questions

Make complex inferences about the text by combining ideas from a variety of places within the texts with my own knowledge, and draw conclusions
Identify a variety of literary devices including metaphor, symbol, motif, imagery, diction, and draw conclusions about their significance
Use evidence from the text to draw conclusions about theme
Express theme in a sentence that is applicable to the text itself and the world
Apply more than one literary theory to a text to develop critical interpretations
Use literary theory to draw conclusions that go beyond the obvious and literal interpretation of a text
Set a purpose for reading
Use strategies like chunking the text, coding, talking back to the text, questioning the text to support comprehension
Ask difficult questions of the text that force readers to question assumptions and use evidence to support ideas.

Unit 4 Writing and Oral Communication

We are learning to

Develop ideas in properly constructed paragraphs;
Demonstrate unity and coherence in longer pieces of writing;
Use grammar and punctuation correctly to communicate clearly;
Adjust our diction and sentence construction for different audiences and purposes;
Incorporate quotations smoothly into our writing to support our ideas;
Use MLA formatting accurately;
Deliver engaging and well organized presentations;
Support ideas with effective visuals;
Use effective note-taking techniques during lectures, videos, and presentations.

I will know I am successful when I can…

State my point; illustrate with a relevant quotation, paraphrase, or summary; explain how that illustration supports my point;
Use transition words and phrases, as well as logical organization to create coherence in paragraphs and essays.
Recognize when my paragraphs may stray away from the main idea and revise my writing to ensure paragraphs are unified;
Use semicolons, commas, dashes, and colons correctly to enhance my ideas;
Use techniques like climactic order and repetition to enhance my ideas;
Identify, through revision, where I may have used words that are not as specific or effective, or do not have the right connotation for the idea I’m trying to express;
Write about literature in the present tense;
Provide a context for quotations;
Use punctuation around quotations correctly;
Provide accurate in-text citations;
Create an accurate works cited page;
Format the pages of my essay correctly;
Make eye contact with my audience when speaking;
Speak without reading from slides or cue cards;
Create slides that emphasize key ideas but do not stand in for them;
Use a minimal amount of text on the screen;
Choose eye-catching, high resolution images to emphasize key ideas in my presentation;
Create handouts for my audience that contain my presentations thesis and supporting details.