English 2 PreAP Unit 1
Unit Overview:
Culture is often difficult to define, but it influences everything from who you are as an individual
to how you relate to other people at home and around the world. Just what is culture and how
does it contribute to the way you see the world? In this unit, you will explore these questions by
investigating factors that affect your personal and cultural identities. You will learn about the
concept of voice, or how you express identity in written, spoken, or artistic forms. By engaging
with and constructing different kinds of print and non-print texts, you will discover how writers
and speakers use voice to express cultural ideas and personal identities.
Essential Questions:
1.
2.
How can cultural experiences shape, impact, or influence our perception of the world?
How does one’s voice function in and beyond the contexts of writing?
Contents
Learning Focus 1: Considering the cultural influence on the individual
Learning Focus 2: You Have Great Voice
*Indicates material that may be included on the six weeks exam
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Summer Reading Novels *(the one you read personally)
 Understanding plot development and character development
a. Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
b. Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya
c. Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan
Nonfiction Selections
a. “The Teacher Who Change My Life” by Nicholas Gage*
b. “The Johnstown Flood” by David McCullough*
c. “Dyaspora” by Joanne Hyppolite*
d. Monologues Springboard 36-41) by Debbie Lamedman
Poetry Selections
a. “Theme for English B” by Langston Hughes*
b. “Legal Alien” by Pat Mora*
c. “The Fish” by Elizabeth Bishop*
d. “The Lake” by Edgar Allen Poe*
e. “Do Not Weep, Maiden, For War is Kind” by Stephen Crane*
Composition Studies (as these relate to the development of voice)
a. Diction Analysis*
b. Detail Analysis*
c. Point of View / Perspective Analysis*
d. Style Analysis*
e. Writing Monologues*
Grammar Studies
a. Subject-verb agreement*
b. Pronoun-antecedent agreement*
c. Punctuating embedded quotations*
d. Making nouns plural*
e. Using apostrophes*
6. Vocabulary Studies
a. Tone vocabulary
b. Vocabulary from Hamlet
7. Technology Use
a. Accessing all materials
b. Note taking skills
c. Researching skills
d. Using MLA format for final drafts
8. Testing Skills and Strategies
a. PSAT strategies for vocabulary
b. AP style analysis
c. STAAR Short Answer Responses
Novel Project
Including Embedded Assessments 1.1 and 1.2 (modified for NISD standards)
Assignment:
Your assignment is to create a mixed media demonstration of your clear understanding of the cultural lens
through which the main character (of the novel you chose to read this summer) views his or her world.
This demonstration should include :
Foldable Portion [50% of grade]:
A. Biographical information about the author and an explanation of how his or her life
may have influenced his or her main character’s perspective.
B. Freytag’s pyramid for the plot immediately concerning the primary character’s
conflicts and decisions.
C. Two monologues that demonstrate conflicts faced by the primary character and
utilize diction, detail, and point of view / perspective appropriate to the character
(E.A. 1.2).
D. Character web demonstrating the relationships of people surrounding the primary
character’s world.
Electronic Portions [50% of grade]:
Part One (Power point, Animoto, etc.):
E. Visual comparisons of your own culture to that of the primary character (E.A. 1.1).
Part Two (Word):
F. Answers to the questions from the handout.
G. Essay: How will your cultural fabric affect the story of your life?
STEPS:
Be sure that you have read the summer reading novel. For those who have yet to begin, the choices were –
 Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
 Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan
 Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya
Foldable portion:
Section A:
 Research your author’s life. Explore locations for such things as birthplace, childhood,
adult years. Look into things that might have influenced his or her writing (education,
family, religion, politics, geography, etc.), conflicts he or she faced (and resolutions to
those, if possible). Write at least two paragraphs discussing how these things might have
impacted the novel you read. Consider the main character’s behavior, the conflicts
he/she faces, etc. Use the library’s tab for the Literature Resource Center as your sole
source for information.
Section B:
 Using your notes from class and your understanding of the novel from the primary
character’s perspective, complete a Freytag’s Pyramid chart. Include at least ten items in
rising action and at least five items in falling action. Other sections should be completed
according to the information you have in your book.
Section C:
 Study the monologues in Springboard pages 36-41 for examples of monologues.
 Consider the primary character in your novel and the conflicts he or she faces. Using
diction and details appropriate to that character, write TWO monologues (similar in
length to those in Springboard) from that character’s perspective that will help us to
better understand the character’s conflicting feelings on the issue.
Section D:
 With the primary character in the center, create a character web that demonstrates your
understanding of the many relationships that affect who the character is.
Electronic Portion:
Section E:

Using a program like Power Point or Animoto, compare your culture with that of the
primary character in your novel. For this you will use visuals (photos, video clips, etc.)
and perhaps even audio clips. Consider the character’s cultural perspective. For
example, if I were working with To Kill a Mockingbird, I might compare Scout’s town
(old, slow, hot, class-based) with my hometown in Vevay, Indiana (old, slow, poor,
Republican, farmers). In the visuals, I might include photos of old courthouses and
people sitting on porches to show similarities. Then to show differences, I might
include photos of people like Aunt Alexandra and the Ewells to show class-separation
for Maycomb. For Vevay, I would find photos of everyone wearing little elephants on
their hats while they work on the farm. DO NOT USE PHOTOS FROM MOVIES. Be
creative and thoughtful in this presentation. Be sure to show BOTH cultures equally.
Section F:

Refer to the questions you were given in the spring to complete this section. Answer
these questions thoroughly and thoughtfully in a Word document.
Section G:

Following MLA guidelines that you will be given in class asnd using a Word
document, write a two-page essay that discusses your cultural background and how you
think that will impact you in your future.
DEADLINES:
The foldable portion of the assignment will be due on ______________________.
The electronic portion of the assignment will be due on _____________________.
NAME______________________________________________
Class Period________
RUBRICS
Scoring Criteria
FOLDABLE
PORTION
Section A:
Author’s
Influence
Section B:
Freytag’s
Pyramid
Section C: Two
Monologues
Section D:
Character Web
Exemplary
(90-100)
Proficient
(80-89)
Emerging
(70-79)
Unsatisfactory
(0-69)
Insightfully and
thoughtfully connects
the author’s biography
with the protagonist’s
experiences
Adequately connects
the author’s biography
with the protagonist’s
experiences
Superficially connects the
author’s biography with
the protagonist’s
experiences
Inadequately connects
the author’s biography
with the protagonist’s
experiences
Completely and
thoroughly examines
the novel through the
eyes of the protagonist.
Fewer than three errors
in assessment of those
elements.
Thoroughly and
insightfully creates two
monologues from one
character’s perspective
of conflicting ideas.
Specifically and
thoroughly identifies the
various relationships of
the protagonist
Adequately examines
the novel through the
eyes of the
protagonist. Fewer
than five errors in
assessment of those
elements.
Adequately creates
two monologues from
one character’s
perspective of
conflicting ideas.
Adequately identifies
the various
relationships of the
protagonist
Superficially examines the
novel through the eyes of
the protagonist. Fewer
than seven errors in
assessment of those
elements.
Inadequately examines
the novel through the
eyes of the protagonist.
Egregious errors in
assessment of those
elements.
Superficially creates two
monologues from one
character’s perspective of
conflicting ideas.
Inadequately creates
two monologues from
one character’s
perspective of
conflicting ideas.
Inadequately identifies
the various
relationships of the
protagonist
Includes appropriate
visual elements that
insightfully compare
and contrast the
student’s culture with
that of the protagonist.
Correct answers to nine
or ten questions
Includes appropriate
visual elements that
adequately compare
and contrast the
student’s culture with
that of the protagonist.
Correct answers to
eight questions
Includes appropriate
visual elements that
superficially compare and
contrast the student’s
culture with that of the
protagonist.
Correct answers to seven
questions
Includes appropriate
visual elements that
inadequately icompare
and contrast the
student’s culture with
that of the protagonist.
Correct answers to six
or fewer questions
Insightfully and critically
considers the impact of
his or her culture on his
or her future.
Adequately considers
the impact of his or her
culture on his or her
future.
Superficially considers the
impact of his or her culture
on his or her future.
Inadequately considers
the impact of his or her
culture on his or her
future.
Superficially identifies the
various relationships of
the protagonist
Average of A-D
above
Electronic
Portion
Section E:
Cultural
comparison
Section F:
Handout
Answers
Section G: Essay
Average of E-G
above
Average of two
sections and
total summative
score
Score