Santiago Christian School

Freshman English

Welcome to Freshman English! I consider it a huge privilege to study literature and writing with you this school year.

Course Rationale:

On day six of Creation, God created man in His image: just and relational. The effects of the Fall, however, left mankind in a flawed state of injustice and self-centeredness. Reflecting this broken state, literature often tells tales that bear witness to man’s inhumanity to man. Man’s story, however, doesn’t have to end in brokenness: Because of Christ’s redemptive work on the cross, we can choose an identity characterized by selfishness and injustice or by justice and love. Looking at story, the Freshman English course will identify the choices made by literature’s characters, and it will extend these choices to Santiago 2011-2012.

Big Ideas:

Justice v. Injustice {Micah 6.8}

  • How do characters respond to acts of injustice?
  • Who determines what is just and what is unjust?
  • Analyze the characters responsible for unjust acts: What caused the acts of injustice? How could they have been prevented?
  • How does a character’s social status influence interactions with others?
  • How does a character’s worldview affect his/ her response to injustice?
  • Is man capable of justice?

 

Identity

  • What is man’s collective identity?
  • On what do people (and characters) choose to base their identities?
  • Personal question: What is the foundation of your identity?

Selflessness

  • How does Christ reflect selflessness?
  • How does/could selflessness impact Santiago 2011/2012?

Story

  • Why read and write stories?
  • How does the structure of a story impact its message?
  • What does the author want the reader to understand (theme)?
  • What can a Christian take away from a non-Christian piece of literature?

Literature:

  • Assorted short stories
  • To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
  • The Last Battle by C.S. Lewis
  • Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare
  • Night by Elie Wiesel

< Back

Class work from Monday August 29/ Tuesday Aug 30

September 02, 2011
By Miss Brooker

Hello Freshmen!

1. Grammar Sentence #2   Please have a friend show you his/ her notes and EXPLAIN the vocabulary and grammar rules discussed in class. (Note: Simply copying the sentence will not help you if that grammar sentence appears on a quiz!!)

2. See handout below for Plot Diagram Notes

3. Song analysis: Fin the elements of plot while listeneing to "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" and "Splish Splash." Lyrics are typed on the handout below... You should mark the text as much as possible: Any time you find a character, description of setting, explanation of conflict, rising action, the climax, falling action, or conclusion, you should note it in the lyrics. Finding specific lines rather than identifying an entire stanza will be much more effective!

4. Begin reading "Most Dangerous Game" by Richard Connell. You can find a copy of the text here: http://www.classicreader.com/book/1317/1/

*As you read, mark elements of plot! Again, be as speciic as possible.

*Read until the paragraph in which Ivan brings Rainsford  "hunting clothes, a haversack of food, and ...a long bladed hunting knife." (Page 11 of 14)

As always, see me if you have questions!

Miss Brooker says:
September 02, 2011 12:20 PM CST

CORRECTION: Please read to the top of page 4 ending with the following sentence:

"He flung himself down at the jungle edge and tumbled headlong into the deepest sleep of his life."