Check out some student projects
Link to information about Brain Research
Return to English Department Home Page
Link to Scottsboro Trials WebQuest
Link to pictures 2005-06
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Check out some student projects |
|
Link to information about Brain Research |
|
Return to English Department Home Page |
| |
|
Link to Scottsboro Trials WebQuest |
|
Link to pictures 2005-06 |
Tenth Grade English integrates with Global Studies, so many of our texts have been chosen for their Global content. Throughout the year, we explore the theme of prejudice, from bullying on the local level to the systemic abuse of people in the Holocaust. In addition, we investigate the use of power in personal and governmental relationships, and how beliefs and values influence the use of power. Our approach to literature is "depth, not breadth", so we read fewer works, but tie in many themes and outside sources.
Our main literary works:
| The Tiananmen Square student protests of 1989 are the topic of Forbidden City, by William Bell. |
| To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee lends itself to many issues, such as the Jim Crow Laws, apartheid in South Africa, the caste system in India, and gender stereotypes. |
| The horrors of the Holocaust are painfully treated in Night, a memoir by Elie Wiesel. |
| Lord of the Flies, a novel by William Golding, continues the topic of good/evil in humans and society, as well as the success/failure of governmental systems. |
| Because students study Shakespeare's tragedies as Freshmen, Juniors, and Seniors, we enjoy a lighter comedy, Much Ado About Nothing. |
| We also work with various short stories, poems, and articles. |
Our main writing focus:
| We are lucky because we continue to write worthwhile literary pieces even while we practice for the Regents. We merely adjust the format of the essays a bit to follow the Regents format. |
| In particular, we concentrate on critical lens essays and listening essays (Parts 4 and 1 of the Regents exam, respectively). |
| On a less frequent basis, we write literary response essays and informational essays, using primary source documents and graphs/charts for the latter. |
| The Sophomore Research Paper, which is assigned jointly with Global Studies is the biggest writing project we undertake. |
| Less formal writing occurs in our journal entries, which almost always relate to the unit theme in some way. |
Mrs. Sheila Brock is a graduate of Lake George (from long ago!!) and is thrilled to be teaching in this wonderful school district. She attained her teaching degree from Castleton State College in Vermont, and completed her Masters from SUNY at Plattsburgh (May 2001).
She and her husband owned and managed a grocery store/gas station in Schroon Lake for 20 years. They have three grown children and now live in Saratoga.