| | The purpose of Honors African American Literature is to learn
unit specific vocabulary that will assist in composing of unit
specific essays, to work through grammar that will add
sophistication to student writing, to offer reading strategies that
will deepen understanding and access to literature, to build
discussion strategies that will encourage more nuanced
discussions of literature in class and in writing, and to master
identifying and using rhetorical devices in persuasive writing.
To reach these expectations, Honors African American
Literature will read 10-12 novels, both fiction and non-fiction,
offering students a survey of the literature of African American
writers and artists from the earliest practitioners of the Oral
Tradition and/or Black vernacular, to contemporary novelists
such as Jesmyn Ward and Tayari Jones. Students will engage
in multiple Socratic seminars and debates throughout the year
to access the literature. Students will also practice close
reading and annotation techniques to assist in their reading.
Throughout the year, students will write 8-10 essays, of various
genres, approximately 5-10 pages in length. The essays will
cover a variety of genres: literary analysis, expository,
persuasive and argumentative. Over the course of the class,
students write on-demand essays for each work of fiction and
non-fiction explored as well as participate in Socratic
Seminars, Writer’s Workshops, and debates. |