Name_________________________________ Date__________________________________ Honors English 10 – Period_____
Unit 1: Stories and Storytellers
Telling My Story: The Power of Voice ________________________________________________________________________________
Questions to consider: Why do we tell stories? Why should I tell my story? Do I have a message to communicate? Should we care about stories? Why or why not? Considering a past event or incident, might your version of what happened be different from the version a family member or friend would tell? Would it matter? Can an image or graphic tell a story? What is needed in the image to communicate a story? What does the word storyteller connote to you? Do you consider yourself a storyteller? Do you express your individuality? If yes, how? If not, why not? What is my Facebook profile picture? Why did I select that image? Is belonging to a particular group necessary for social survival? Why or why not? To which ‘tribe’ do you belong? To which’ tribe’ do you wish you belonged? How can you make that happen? Ultimately, would the effort be worth it? How would it change you? Does belonging to a particular high school group enhance or undermine a person’s personality? “The world’s greatest lie….is that at a certain point in our lives, we lose control of what’s happening to us, and our lives become controlled by fate.” -Paolo Coehlo
Texts
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie The Alchemist by Paolo Coelho Various short works, non-fiction
Assessments
College admissions Personal Statement Absolutely True Diary study guides Alchemist study guides Literature tests
Kadletz, revised from Gill-2011
Definition of ‘story’ according to Merriam Webster: 1a : history (a tale) 1b : history (a branch of knowledge that records and explains past events, such as a medical history) 2a : an account of incidents or events 2b : a statement regarding the facts pertinent to a situation in question 2c : anecdote; especially : an amusing one 3a : a fictional narrative shorter than a novel; specifically : short story 3b : the intrigue or plot of a narrative or dramatic work 4: a widely circulated rumor “Did you heard the story about what happened on Color Day?” 5: lie, falsehood “We didn’t believe his story about battling a shark while snorkeling in the Great Coral Reef.” 6: legend, romance “The story of Robin Hood is fraught with adventure.” 7: a news article or broadcast “Tonight’s story is about the growing competitiveness in college admissions.” 8: matter, situation “So what’s the story? Are we going to Disneyland or not?” Origin of STORY: Middle English storie, from Anglo-French estoire, estorie, from Latin historia. First Known Use: 13th century
The dream he needed most was the dream that frightened him more. -Sherman Alexie Definition of ‘tribe,’ according to Merriam-Webster: 1a : a social group comprising numerous families, clans, or generations together with slaves, dependents, or adopted strangers 1b : a political division of the Roman people originally representing one of the three original tribes of ancient Rome 1c : phyle (the largest political subdivision among the ancient Athenians) 2: a group of persons having a common character, occupation, or interest 3: a category of taxonomic classification ranking below a subfamily; also : a natural group irrespective of taxonomic rank (such as ‘the cat tribe’ or ‘the rose tribe’) TRIBE defined for English Language Learners: 1 a : a group of people that includes many families and relatives who have the same language, customs, and beliefs Examples of TRIBE: a tribe of artists with wild hair and casual manners. The wedding joined the two tribes together. Origin of TRIBE: Middle English, from Latin tribus, a division of the Roman people, tribe. First Known Use: 13th century Standards addressed include 2.3 a. Explore the significance of personal experiences, events, conditions, or concerns by using rhetorical strategies (e.g., narration, description, exposition, persuasion). b. Draw comparisons between specific incidents and broader themes that illustrate the writer's important beliefs or generalizations about life. c. Maintain a balance in describing individual incidents and relate those incidents to more general and abstract ideas. 3.7 Recognize and understand the significance of various literary devices, including figura-tive language, imagery, allegory, and symbolism, and explain their appeal. 3.9 Evaluate the aesthetic qualities of style, including the impact of diction and figurative language on tone, mood, and theme
Kadletz, revised from Gill-2011
Kadletz, revised from Gill-2011