This course is designed to provide a vivid, stimulating course in literary appreciation and writing. Students read, write about, and discuss at least one novel and selections of poems, essays, and short stories. Students interpret literary works by using critical and analytic techniques. Discussions and writing projects emphasize the human side of sports. The course stresses the relationship between sports and life, great triumphs and great disappointments.
Students recognize biased reporting and editorializing as opposed to straight news.
Students demonstrate through application the methods by which propaganda techniques are used in media and identify slanted media presentations. Analyzing the differences between censorship and free speech, students evaluate commercial persuasion and fraudulent advertising. Students maintain a notebook and a journal compiling a file of self-generated articles and ads which depict various forms of communication studied. Students' increased awareness and sensitivity to the influence and impact of mass media is the focus of this course. This course is designed for students with English skills significantly below grade level and who have an IEP, which specifies that specialized instruction is necessary in a small group setting.