English Language Arts A10

December 15, 2021

The Instructor for this course is MJ Sherven

Course History

First Offered in 2008

Developed by Ryan Hauber

In ELA A10, the goals for the course are to make the students become better writers and more reflective thinkers. We will be accomplishing this by studying poetry, essays, novels, plays, and short stories. We will focus on creating clean, clear, and succinct writing. By completing the homework and the other major assignments, we will be constantly practicing the processes that will help us become effective writers.

Course Information / Credit Recovery Units

ELA A10 – Course Outline

Module Name & Number

Module Readings

Module Assignments

Module One – Part ONE – Challenges and Obstacles Decisions of Life (27 Days)

Nine Poems exploring the various decisions of life

“Ex-Basketball Player” by John Updike
“If” by Rudyard Kipling
“Cooks Brook” by Al Pittman
“David” by Earle Birney
“Courage” by Anne Sexton
“Fast Break” by Edward Hirsch
“Goliath” by Melanie Doane
“Superman’s Song” by Brad Roberts
“To James” by Frank Horne
Four short stories/essays
“Lather and Nothing Else” by Hernando Tellez
“A Man Who Had No Eyes” by Mackinlay Kantor
“My Left Foot” by Christy Brown
“I Have a Dream” by Martin Luther King Jr.

Assignment: "Ex-Basketball Player" Q & A
Assignment: "If" Essay

Assignment: Free Verse Poetry

Assignment: Comparative Essay "If" and "Courage"
Assignment: Song Submission

Assignment: Character Sketch #1

Assignment: Character Sketch #2

Assignment: Historical Persona Essay

Module One – Part TWO – The Joys of Mind, Body and Spirit (30 days)

Four readings:
“The Only Wheelchair in Town” by Rick Hansen
“Breaking the Ice” by Dave Barry

An Excerpt from “She Should Talk” by Kim Reid

“Miracle Worker Playscript by William Gibson

Assignment: Miracle Worker #1

Assignment: Miracle Worker #2

Module Two: The Unknown – Hopes and Fears
Mysteries of this World & Beyond (32 days)

Two poems expressing destiny and challenges of life
“Let Us Leave Something Left Unsaid” by Munir Niazi
“Loneliness” by Emma LaRocque
One novel study – “Ender’s Game” by Orson Scott Card

Assignment: “Let Us Leave Something Unsaid”

Assignment: “Loneliness” – succinct writing

Assignment: Ender’s Game #1
Assignment: Ender’s Game #2

Module Three: Opportunities and Challenges
The Challenges of Life – Explaining the World through our Foundational Stories (40 days)

Five Short stories and/or Essays of Canadian Frontiers & Homeland

“Ancestor’s – Genetic Source” by David Suzuki

“Remembrance” by Timothy Findley

“A Secret Lost in the Water” by Roch Carrier
“The Skating Party” by Merna Summers
“To Every Thing There is a Season” by Alistair MacLeod
One Independent Novel Study from a selection of Canadian novels

Assignment: Secret Lost in the Water vs. Skating Party

Assignment: To Every Thing There is a Season

Quiz: Ancestors – The Genetic Source

Quiz: Remembrance

Quiz: Secret Lost in the Water

Quiz: Skating party
Quiz: To Every Thing There is a Season

Assignment: Independent Novel Book Review