Garfield High School, L.A.U.S.D.
Interim draft, August 12, 2002
CA Standards alignmnent pending
CURRICULUM FOR REGULAR ENGLISH COURSES
GRADE 11: AMERICAN LITERATURE/CONTEMPORARY COMPOSITION
Course Content
1. American literature of a wide variety of styles and genres selected from, and in
conjunction with, but not limited to, the course textbook and the following texts:
Hawthorne
The Scarlet Letter
Poe
Poetry and fiction
Twain
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Fitzgerald
The Great Gatsby
Wright
Black Boy or Native Son
Wilder
Our Town
Williams
The Glass Menagerie
Poetry by Longfellow, Whitman, Dickinson, Masters, Frost
(See attached, grade-specific inventory of literature.)
2. Concept, skill & vocabulary development
 Review of literary terms & concepts from grade 9 & 10 curriculum
 Critical thinking skills
 Alternate modes of writing beyond the 5-paragraph method (research writing,
abstracts, etc.)
 Academic writing skills: citation of sources, academic vocabulary, etc.
3. Media Unit for development of speaking and listening skills
4. Mastery of MLA-based writing format
Methodology
1. Close reading of prose and poetry (explication, reading logs, etc.).
2. Writing in drafts beyond the five-paragraph essay and mandatory writing process
with revisions and peer evaluation.
3. Comparative essays based on literary characters.
4. Poetry analysis using grouping and oral presentation.
5. Performance activities related to contemporary personal and social issues and ideas
(panels, role-playing, etc.).
6. Continued weekly formal writing assignments and reading comprehension tests
(multiple-choice as well as short-answer).
7. Independent reading of two novels of literary merit: 600 pages per semester, offtrack as well as on-track, including use of the Star/Accelerated Reader program.
8. Language Arts Portfolio construction. Additions to the portfolio in regular grade
11 courses will include at least two essays, an example of creative writing and one
research paper, all of which will be used to document student progress, and will
represent the student’s best work. The Language Arts Portfolio must contain
further examples of descriptive, narrative, informative, and expository
compositions demonstrating further mastery in these domains. The portfolio will
contain an original piece of creative writing (a poem or short story) and one
detailed research paper word-processed in MLA-based writing format. The portfolio
will be maintained by the individual student or by the teacher at the teacher’s
discretion. The student will be expected to bring his/her Language Arts Portfolio
to the next grade level for assessment by his/her new teacher.
Assessment
1. Formal writing assignments, teacher-constructed tests, classroom performance and
portfolio review.
2. An Honors student must complete a substantial portion (i.e. 60%) of the above
content and methodology at a minimal level of competence in order to pass the
course. (Some kind of points-based grading system is recommended.)