The major purpose of this course is to emphasize analyzing literature in greater depth, analyzing expository text, and producing more complex writing assignments. Students will continue to apply the knowledge and skills acquired in earlier grades with more refinement, depth, and sophistication with grade-appropriate material. The California Reading/Language Arts Framework states that students in the tenth grade are expected to read one and one-half million words of annually on their own, including a good representation of classic and contemporary literature, magazines, newspapers, and online articles. Students will apply and refine their command of the writing process and writing conventions to produce narrative, persuasive, expository, and descriptive texts of at least 1,500 words each.

 

English 10AB is organized into three standards-based instructional components that focus on persuasion, exposition, and literary analysis, integrating skills of reading, writing, listening, and speaking. During the persuasion instructional component, students will read persuasive texts, with a focus on the credibility of an author’s argument, the relationship between generalizations and evidence, the comprehensiveness of evidence, the way in which the author’s intent affects the structure and tone of the text, and extend ideas through original analysis, evaluation, and elaboration. Students will generate relevant questions about readings on issues and engage in research. Students will also write persuasive essays and deliver persuasive presentations. In the exposition instructional component, students will read expository texts and use what they have learned to establish a controlling impression or coherent thesis that conveys a clear and distinctive perspective on a subject and maintain a consistent tone and focus throughout a piece of writing. They will use primary and secondary sources accurately, distinguish between information and the significance of the data, be aware of audience, anticipate misunderstandings, and use subject-specific terms accurately.

 

During the literary analysis component, students will read literary texts (e.g., short stories, poetry, and longer works, including novels), recognize and understand the significance of various literary devices, including figurative language, imagery, allegory, and symbolism, and explain their appeal. Students will also explain how voice, persona, and the choice of a narrator affect characterization and the tone, plot, and credibility of a text. Students will write responses to literature and deliver oral responses to literature. English 10AB meets the basic tenth-grade English requirement for graduation and fulfills the B requirement of the UC/CSU Subject Area Requirements.