Classical Magnet School

Modern Mythology

Contact Ms. Kate Howard-Bender at (860) 695-9336 or howak001@hartfordschools.org

We cannot escape from our past, a fact which can be viewed as positive. The wisdom of the ancients is alive and well in modern literature. Since homo sapiens achieved the feat of written literacy, recurring themes have endured. On an essential level, modern humans experience the same emotions and the same anxieties as our seemingly distant ancestors in the Greek and Roman worlds.

During this course, we will explore the influences that ancient texts and themes continue to have on modern literature. We will continue to hone our analytical skills through reading, writing, and discussion. We will focus on applying the Connecticut Language Arts Frameworks and our Paideia method of instruction to all of our lessons.

Students will maintain a literary journal throughout the year in order to record their responses to the various texts. The schools of literary criticism that will be employed include (but are not limited to) Psychological, Reader Response, Feminist, and Marxist.

In addition to a focus on the more modern literature, we will be concentrating on increasing our knowledge of grammatical skills, particularly in the area of editing and revising our own writing. Students will choose certain grammatical topics, becoming “resident experts,” and preparing lessons to enhance their colleagues’ knowledge of such skills.

Major Texts

Of Mice and Men	John Steinbeck
Antigone	Sophocles
Lord of the Flies	William Golding
Night	Eli Wiesel
Othello	William Shakespeare

There will also be shorter studies of various modern poets throughout the year.

	Sept	Oct	Nov	Dec	Jan	Feb	March	April	May	June
Essential Questions
History Themes
Major Readings	Of Mice and Men	Of Mice and Men	Antigone	Antigone	Lord of the Flies	Lord of the Flies	NIght	Othello	Othello	Othello
Required Additional Literature
Seminars	Excerpts from Of Mice and Men	Excerpts from Of Mice and Men	Excerpts from Antigone	Excerpts from Antigone	Excerpts from Lord of the Flies	Excerpts from Lord of the Flies	Excerpts from Night	Excerpts from Othello	Excerpts from Othello	Excerpts from Othello
Coached Projects			Classical Festival	Classical Festival					Shakespeare Festival	Shakespeare Festival
Optional Additional Readings
State Standards and CMT Strands
Literary Elements	Dialogue Plot Characterization Theme Conflict Style Tone Mood Symbolism Setting Author’s Purpose Figurative Language Point of View	Dialogue Plot Characterization Theme Conflict Style Tone Mood Symbolism Setting Author’s Purpose Figurative Language Point of View	Dialogue Plot Characterization Theme Conflict Style Tone Mood Symbolism Setting Author’s Purpose Figurative Language Point of View	Dialogue Plot Characterization Theme Conflict Style Tone Mood Symbolism Setting Author’s Purpose Figurative Language Point of View	Dialogue Plot Characterization Theme Conflict Style Tone Mood Symbolism Setting Author’s Purpose Figurative Language Point of View	Dialogue Plot Characterization Theme Conflict Style Tone Mood Symbolism Setting Author’s Purpose Figurative Language Point of View	Dialogue Plot Characterization Theme Conflict Style Tone Mood Symbolism Setting Author’s Purpose Figurative Language Point of View	Dialogue Plot Characterization Theme Conflict Style Tone Mood Symbolism Setting Author’s Purpose Figurative Language Point of View	Dialogue Plot Characterization Theme Conflict Style Tone Mood Symbolism Setting Author’s Purpose Figurative Language Point of View	Dialogue Plot Characterization Theme Conflict Style Tone Mood Symbolism Setting Author’s Purpose Figurative Language Point of View
Writing Focus	Critical analysis of the value of the book “Of Mice and Men”		Making world connections between the play Antigone and the world.		Essays on the symbolism and archetypes contained in the book and comparing and co0ntraasting those with other Classical characters		Quotation Assignment, found poetry	Journal writing documenting the acting process and how that impacted your knowledge of the play?
Grammar, Usage and Mechanics	CAPT E&R Skills		CAPT E&R Skills
Core Assessments

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Of Mice and Men