Hialeah Gardens High School

English II
Ms. Brooke Belfield
e-mail: bbelfield@dadeschools.net

Course Description:
English II is a standard course of study, after which students
are prepared for success on the FSA ELA. Students read
and analyze a variety of modern texts (such as essays,
short stories, political cartoons, poetry, novels, articles,
media and film clips, etc.). Students develop their
communication skills via a variety of discussions,
compositions, research projects, debates, and oral
presentations, especially in response to the texts they read.
Integrated grammar and vocabulary enhances students
reading comprehension and communication skills.
Rules and Procedures:

4. HGHS policies do apply to the classroom. No hats,

hoodies, or sandals/crocks. Food and drink are allowed so
long as you keep your area clean when you leave. Know
your student handbook. All policies of Miami Dade Public
Schools are supported, respected, and enforced in my
classroom.
5. Leave the room neat and clean each day. Show proper
respect for school property. Straighten your desk area and
put your materials away properly.
Classroom Behavior:
6. Always raise your hands.
7. Participate appropriately all the time. Keep your head up
at all times.
Homework, grading, and attendance policies:

Excused tardya late slip from an administrator, teacher, or

counselor.
Unexcused tardyno slip.

9. Come to school. You cannot be successful if you are not

in class. Under no circumstances can another teacher hold
you from my class without my permission. It is your
responsibility to obtain my permission to miss English if you
need to work with another teacher. See me before school
when you return for any make-up work. Unless having an
excused absence, you will not be allowed to make up work.
Work that can be made up must be turned in within two
school days after returning to class. Make sure make-up
work is titled and has your name on it when turning it into
the make-up work box.

2. Bring all materials necessary for class with youthat

includes your English binder and any needed books and
writing materials.

10. All homework must be turned in on time, correctly

executed, and completed for credit. Homework will be
collected after warm-ups are completed.

3. Use the bathroom before or after class. You have three

passes per grading period. These may be used at the end
of the grading period for extra credit.

*The Alchemist and To Kill a Mockingbird will be read in their

entirety. You will be annotating your copies either directly,
using sticky notes, or on a sheet of paper.

Before and After Class:

1. Be on time to class. Be in your assigned seat, working,
and quiet when the tardy bell rings. If you arrive late, you
will be marked tardy.

Required Materials:
Three ring binder
Five dividers labeled with the following: warm-up,
vocabulary, grammar/writing, reading, graded work
Colored pens

Pencils
Two-pocketed folder (for research and essays)
USB flash drive (optional)

Unit 1: Hispanic Heritage

Essential Question: Should people always prefer new things, ideas, or values to those of the past?
Overall Objective: Analyze how influences (such as external and internal conflict and motivation) affect characters.

Lesson
Introduction
to the Course

The Novel and

Close Analysis

Character

Primary and
Secondary
Sources

Essay

Objectives
Use various strategies to annotate
a text
The nature of writing assignments
Vocabulary and writing strategies
Use various strategies to annotate
a text
Use of direct textual evidence
Elaboration of ideas
Close analysis reading with
annotations
Analyze character traits
Make inferences about characters
Evaluate theme
Identify primary and secondary
sources
Synthesize information from
multiple sources
Write an article that includes
secondary sources
Analyze character traits in nonfiction
Evaluate an authors perspective
Write a personal narrative

Reading Selections

Assessments

Summer reading
assignment (novel, article,
and film)

Synthesis EssaySummer
Assignment

Character Interaction;
Everyday Use; Lucinda
Matlock

Character Chart

Interview with Alice Walker;

A Babys Quilt to Sew Up
the Generations

Interview and Article

A Celebration of
Grandfathers

Personal narrative

 Analyze the traits of classical drama

Evaluate the tragic character
Interpret theme

Lesson 6:
Drama

Antigone (Sophocles)

Class debate of tragic

character

Final Assessment: Using direct textual evidence from three texts, evaluate how much tradition affected the characters
lives. What conflicts developed from this clash of traditions?

Essential Question: Dreams

Overall Objective:

Weeks
The Novel

Objectives

Reading Selections
The Alchemist

Assessments

Final Assessment:

Unit 2: Word Portraits

Weeks 56: The
Novel

Character and Point-of-View

To Kill a Mockingbird (Harper Lee)

S.A.T. Essay

Weeks 78: The

Novel

Literary Devices

To Kill a Mockingbird (Harper Lee)

Source-Based Literary
Analysis

Unit 2: Message and Meaning

Weeks
Week 9:
Developi
ng
Theme
Using
Setting

Objectives
Theme and Symbol

Reading Selections
Two Friends (Guy de Maupassant);
Literature Circle Novel Selection

Assessments
Theme Writing Prompt
Responding in Writing p
110

Week 10:
Themes
in Poetry

Theme, Verbal Irony

Do not weep, maiden, for war is kind

(Stephen Crane); the sonnet-ballad
(Gwendolyn Brooks); Literature Circle
Novel

Theme Writing Prompt

Evaluate p 447 or
Compare/Contrast Essay

Week 11:
Messages
in Essay

Analyze Reasons and Evidence,

Powerful Language, Persuasive
Techniques

Tolerance (E. M. Forster); Literature

Circle Novel

Analyze Reasons and

Evidence Writing Prompt
(Anth. p 453)

Week 1213:
Drama

Theme, Structure, Character, Plot,

Imagery

Antigone (Sophocles); Literature Circle

Novel

Source-based Literary
Analysis Essay on Theme

Unit 3: Sound and Sense

Weeks
Week 14:
The
Language
of Poetry
Week 15:
The
Language
of Poetry

Objectives
Imagery and Figurative Language

Reading Selections
The Sloth (Theodore Roethke),
Christmas Sparrow (Billy Collins);
Literature Circle Novel

Assessments
Poetry Explication

Sound Devices

There Will Come Soft Rains (Sara

Teasdale), Meeting at Night (Robert
Browning), The Sound of Night
(Maxine Kumin); Literature Circle
Novel

Poetry Explication

Unit 4: Why Write?

Weeks
Week 16:
Humorou
s Essay

Objectives
Tone, Diction, Recognize
Classification

Reading Selections
The Plot Against People (Russell
Baker)

Assessments
Personification Writing
Prompt p 492

Week 17:
Narrative
Nonfictio
n
Week 18:
Purpose
in Poetry
Weeks
19-20:
Purpose
in Novels

Authors Purpose, Perspective,

Blowup: What Went Wrong at

Storm King Mountain (Sebastian
Junger)

Identify Lesson Writing

Prompt p 523

Authors Purpose, Imagery,

Inferences

Peruvian Child (Pat Mora), Lady

Freedom Among Us (Rita Dove)

Cause and Effect Essay p

554

Authors Purpose, Perspective

Night (Elie Wiesel)

Source-Based Literary
Analysis

* Text selections are subject to change.

*To Kill a Mockingbird, Night, and Of Mice and Men will be read in their entirety. Although school copies can be supplied, it will
be extremely beneficial to obtain your own copy of these texts. If a school copy will need to be supplied, please bring in a
parent note requesting them. No explanation is needed.

Test Dates:
Expect pop quizzes. Benchmarks will be given periodically to chart progress within the course. The Maryland High School
Assessment will be counted as the final exam for the class.

Required Materials:
Three ring binder
Five dividers labeled with the following: warm-up, vocabulary, grammar/writing, reading, graded work
Colored pens
Pencils
Index cards
Two-pocketed folder (for research and essays)
USB flash drive
Copy of each novel or parental note requesting a copy