ASPIRE students will grapple with complex texts in order to examine their own values and ethics, evaluate author’s craft and purpose, and develop their analytical through critical reading and writing skills. Some essential questions the ASPIRE PAP English I course will address are…

• Why do we study literature? 

• What is meant by “the human experience?” 

• What is the role of reflection in developing a sense of self?

• How does one’s place within the family unit and society influence individual identity?

• What does it mean to be a global citizen?

• How can the individual become an agent of change? 

At its core, this course will help ASPIRE students to understand how literature mirrors the growth of the individual and the desire to find one’s place within the world. This course will also endeavor to nurture the creative drive within these highly gifted students and help them think critically about how an author constructs his or her message.  

Unit 1:  

The Individual Self

(Rhetorical Analysis & Nonfiction)

(4-5 weeks)

In this unit, students will explore how the individual develops a sense of self and examine the role of failure in developing resilience. 

Students will...

• Begin an intensive study of grammar in order to learn to effectively manipulate sentence structure to create meaning and tone. This study of grammar will also assist students in preparing for the ACT and SAT. 

• Examine various works of nonfiction to determine speaker, occasion, audience, purpose, subject and tone. Examine the rhetorical devices utilized by writers to persuade readers and create a rhetorical analysis argument based on their understanding of the text. . 

• Learn to construct effective arguments. 

Texts

• Crafting Expository Argument by Michael Degen*

• Non fiction, rhetorical analysis (within the umbrella of coming of age, identity, resilience, and grit)* 

• Sheryl Sandberg at the University of California at Berkeley 2016 Commencement*

• “Having a positive outlook is the most important predictor of resilience” by Emily Esfahani Smith*

• “How People Learn to Become Resilient” by Maria Konnikova*

• Excerpt from Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer*

• Excerpt from Duckworth's book Grit *

*Connections to AP Human Geography: 

Students will read short works and excerpts that consider how human beings are connected to the physical environment and how the physical landscape impacts human existence. 

Types of Writing:

• Rhetorical analysis essay (AP language)

• New York Times Student Opinion (weekly)

*Note: Specific resource for ASPIRE

Unit 2: The Individual within Society 

(Poetry and Prose 7-8  weeks)

This unit explores the individual’s place in society and how familial relations and societal influences shape human behavior. 

Students will...

• Continue to study grammatical structures and integrate those structures in their writing in meaningful ways.

• Critically read, inquire, and discuss poetry and fiction while considering the role of the individual within the family and society.

• Examine the poetic devices used by writers to convey aspects of human nature and society.

• Analyze elements of fiction such as characterization, setting, point of view, plot, imagery, and figurative language to determine what the work reveals about human nature. 

*Connections to AP Human Geography: 

Students will read short works and excerpts that consider the implications of population change and the ethical considerations related to regulating population growth. 

Texts:

• Crafting Expository Argument by Michael Degen*

• “Personal Helicon” by Seamus Heaney* 

• Outside Reading: Great Expectations  by Charles Dickens*

• “Looking for a Rain God” by Bessie Head*

• “A Worn Path” by Eudora Welty

• Excerpt from The Woman Warrior: Memoirs of a Girlhood Among Ghosts by Maxine Hong Kingston* 

• Excerpt from Clash!: 8 Cultural Conflicts That Make Us Who We Are by Hazel Rose Markus and  Alana Conner 

Types of Writing:

• Prose essay (AP literature)

• Poetry essay (AP literature)

• New York Times Student Opinion (weekly)

*Note: Specific resource for ASPIRE

Unit 3: The Individual in a Global World

(5-6 weeks)

In this unit, students will examine how the individual is shaped by global concerns or influences. Students will also consider the similarities in human behavior and societies throughout time by studying archetypes, folk literature, art, and popular culture. 

Students will…

• Continue to study grammatical structures and integrate those structures in their writing in meaningful ways. 

• Examine different genres through the archetypal lens of analysis.

• Examine how literature, art, and popular culture mirror the fears and values of different cultures.

• Understand the relationship between author’s purpose and use of literary devices and cinematic choices.

*Connections to AP Human Geography: 

• Students will examine how culture shapes human existence and how geographical conditions influence religion. 

• Students will explore the similarities between cultures by examining archetypes common to multiple cultures. 

Texts

• Excerpts from Joseph Campbell’s The Power of Myth*

• “Would Human Extinction Be a Tragedy” by Todd May New York Times

• “If Thanos Wiped Out Half of All Life, How Would the Earth Fare?” by Sadie Witkowski

• Folk and Pop Literature from various cultures*

• Poetry from various cultures*

• Art from various cultures*

Types of Writing:

• Synthesis/ research essay (AP language)project 

• New York Times Student Opinion (weekly)

• Research presentation in which students examine how a genre of literature, book series, film series, or aspect of pop culture reflects the fears or aspirations of a society

*Note: Specific resource for ASPIRE

Unit 4: The Individual As an Agent of Change

 (7-8 weeks)

In previous units, students have examined how the individual comes to know himself or herself and how the individual is shaped by familial, societal, and global concerns. The focus of this unit is on how the individual, armed with knowledge of self and human nature, may act as an agent of change. 

Students will...

• Continue to study grammatical structures and integrate those structures in their writing in meaningful ways. 

Texts

• Crafting Expository Argument by Michael Degen*

• To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

• Various short stories and poems* 

• Excerpts from Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson*

• “We Need to Talk about an Injustice” Ted Talk by Bryan Stevenson 

*Connections to AP Human Geography: 

• Students will consider the need for diplomacy in a global society.

• Students will consider global issues and attempt to find solutions. 

Types of Writing:

• Open question over  long work (AP literature)

• New York Times Student Opinion (weekly)

*Note: Specific resource for ASPIRE