Course

Outline: English 10

Course Description:
In English 10, students will be encouraged to develop their own writing voice as they practice a
variety of essay styles in response to literature. In addition to reading more challenging literary
works, coursework will focus on improving grammar usage, study skills and library research.
English 10 is a one-year course providing 5 credits per semester with a passing grade.

Presentations of Learning:
Students will bring a sample of writing to each LP Meeting. Essay options are listed below and
are not limited to these suggestions, but students will be required to hand in one of the
asterisked essay styles per semester. Samples need to show evidence of the writing process:
prewriting, outlining, drafting, editing and proofreading. These websites may be used to help
students practice correct formatting and documentation: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/
or http://www.citationmachine.net. The Educational Facilitator (EF) may modify assignments or
require revisions for high school credit.

Unit study options:
____Biographical or Autobiographical Narrative-write an essay that explores a personal
experience using descriptive details to convey a lesson that was learned through what happened.
____*Character Analysis Essay- select a character from a novel on our recommended list and
use examples from the story to write a 5 paragraph essay detailing 3 traits you discovered about
that character with text evidence for support.
____Literary theme analysis- select a short story, novel, poem, or play and write a 5 paragraph
essay analyzing one of the themes the author was trying to convey using specific details from the
literary piece for support.
____Persuasive Letter- write a formal letter that tries to convince your audience to make a
change or to see your perspective on an issue.
____*Research Paper- explore a topic you feel strongly about, formulate a belief or opinion and
write an essay using multiple sources to support your commentary on the issue.
____Book Review- select one of the novels from the recommended reading list and write an
essay analyzing the books content and style. Be sure to support your opinions with evidence
from the novel.
____Blog-write an informal or conversational style essay that expresses your opinion about a
topic in an engaging way.
____Newspaper article- research and write a factual article on a newsworthy event in an
objective manner, using reliable and accurate sources for support.
____Book vs. movie- write an essay comparing and contrasting both versions of the same story.
___Poetry Research Analysis- select a poem to analyze, and use outside research to support
your ideas.

If a student is not taking an online class or a class provided at a learning center, the student will
be required to create a plan with the EF using one of the options below in addition to novels
from the recommended reading list. All other material requests need to be approved by the EF.

Pearson Hall Literature 2010, Grade 10 Homeschool Bundle, pearsonhomeschool.com
ISBN #9780133323580, (Student and Teacher Edition, Student Workbook, Answer Key + Exam
View CD Rom testing questions.)
Prentice Hall: Writing and Grammar Homeschool Bundle, Grade 10, Rainbow Resource

 Recommended Reading List

Title Lexile Level
*A Separate Peace (Knowles) 1110 Like Water for Chocolate (Esquivel) 1030
*Night (Wiesel) 590 Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven 830
(Alexie)
*Things Fall Apart (Achebe) 890 Nectar in the Sieve (Markandaya) 900
All Quiet on the Western 830 Somehow Tenderness Survives: Stories of 990
Front (Remarque)
Catcher in the Rye (Salinger) 790 The Tragedy of Julius Caesar NP
(Shakespeare) (play)
Christmas Carol (Dickens) 920 The Bean Trees (Kingslover) 900
*The Pearl (Steinbeck) 1010 The Bell Jar (Plath) 1140
Cry, The Beloved Country 860 The Color Purple (Walker) 670
(Paton)
Fahrenheit 451 (Bradbury) 890 The Joy Luck Club (Tan) 930
Great Expectations (Dickens) 1200 West with the Night (Markham) (non- 1200
fiction)
*Lord of the Flies (Golding) 770 Woman Warrior (Kingston) 880
Into Thin Air (Krakauer) (non- 1320 Yell-Oh Girls (Nam) 1080
fiction)
Kitchen Gods Wife (Tan) 810 Yellow Raft in Blue Water (Dorris) 980
Krik Krak (Danicat) NP *Highly Recommended Books

Rubric for Evaluating Essays

The following 9-point rubric is a resource when grading 5 paragraph essays.

A Grade: 8-9
introduction gains the readers interest and has a clearly stated thesis
body paragraphs start with strong topic sentences and use transitions appropriately. Each point directly
relates to the thesis and has at least 3 examples from the literature or text for support
uses correct MLA format
communicates an in-depth understanding of the complexity of the themes
contains no grammatical errors, and language is varied and descriptive
conclusion restates the thesis differently and adds a personal perspective

B/C Grade: 5-7
introduction contains a good thesis
body paragraphs use only 1 or 2 examples to support the thesis
exhibits limited understanding of the themes
citations- attempts to use MLA format for citations, but may be documented incorrectly
may contain spelling, punctuation or grammatical errors that do not detract from the overall essay

C/D Grade: 2-4
contains a vague, weak summary without a clear thesis for direction
minimal or insignificant supporting information
ignores thematic complexity; may deal with one area in a general or cursory way
may contain significant errors
***Revision required for a score of 3 or below.

F Grade: 0-1
introduction does not contain a thesis but the essay merely summarizes information.
may paraphrase other material
shows little to no understanding of the novel or themes within it
***Revision required for credit.