Analyzing Lit: High School introduces students to literary analysis and the art of using literature to improve personal writing.
Students read and analyze a book following a chosen theme and discuss the theme with fellow students. In the second half of each week, students apply literary strategies from the book as they craft an original piece of writing. The class ends with a culminating writing project where students analyze the evolution of their thoughts over the four weeks of class and examine the relevance of their book and its themes in the context of modern times.
The book read for this class was ___________________________________
Syllabus
Week One
Students explore the ways personal experiences, memories, education, and beliefs interact with the author's text. After analyzing a chosen passage each week, they emulate particular authorial techniques in an original writing activity.
Week Two
Book analysis is taken to a deeper level this week as students define and explore subtext. Close reading includes examination of the particular voice and perspective an author chooses to communicate.
Week Three
Making conscious connections between text and one’s own experience is the focus of this week. Analysis includes examination of the impact of the book and theme on a personal, community, and societal level.
Week Four
Students choose elements of writings from Weeks One-Three and incorporate them into a final writing project that examines the evolution of thought throughout the class and reflects on the relevance of the book and its themes to students' lives today.
Common Core and Academic Standards Support
What follows is a word bank and set of skills associated with this class. Use them to craft your own learning narrative for use in year-end evaluations, charter school reports, or any other accountability source.
Word Bank
- Alliteration
- Analysis
- Audience
- Close reading
- Metaphor
- Point of view/Perspective
- Repetition
- Research
- Simile
- Subtext
- Symbolism
- Theme
- Vivid detail
- Voice
Core Skills
- Analyze effective writing craft
- Analyze elements of effective book endings
- Cite textual evidence to support conclusions
- Compare and contrast books with similar themes
- Compare theme and content to personal experience
- Compare theme and content to modern readings
- Determine central ideas and themes
- Evaluate evolution of thinking across time
- Identify point of view
- Relate text to modern experience
- Utilize literary devices in writing
- Write detailed, organized, structured original narratives
- Write from multiple perspectives
