Course Introduction Transcript

In this course, you explore both literary and informational text. You will read literature written by great authors such as Ray Bradbury, Kurt Vonnegut, Edgar Allan Poe, and Maya Angelou. You will experience political speeches, film adaptations, and videos. You will explore these texts and others to discover how each communicates its unique message to the audience.

Examining each type of text with the appropriate tools that authors use helps you delve underneath the surface of the words to gain additional understanding. You will deepen your understanding of writing by learning about authors' tools like figurative language and implied meaning. You will also gain experience with the bigger picture, by learning about the central ideas and themes of the works.

Learning new vocabulary and honing your language skills are also part of the course's activities. You'll become reacquainted with commas, dashes, context clues, passive voice, and more, not just to make you a stronger reader, but a better writer as well.

That's why this course is not just about reading and analyzing texts. You will be writing them, as well. You will begin by learning the skills that all writers are familiar with—like starting with a research question and using accurate search terms. You will then apply those skills as you write an informational essay and an argument, taking each of those writing projects step by step.

Through the lessons in this course, you will master skills and deepen your knowledge, with both helping you understand and appreciate the informational and literary texts you encounter.

Course Objectives

• Use punctuation, phrases, clauses, verbals, verb moods, passive voice, and active voice to achieve different results, such as an emphasis on an actor or action, expressing uncertainty, or indicating a pause. 
• Determine the literal, figurative, connotative, allusive, and technical meanings of words using context, root words, and affixes.   
• Support an analysis of theme, central ideas, characters, events, dialogue, perspective, and the effect of storytelling medium.   
• Conduct a short research project to synthesize information from various sources and support a logical argument.   
• Compose an essay that cites relevant, credible sources; organizes its ideas effectively; and supports claims and counterclaims with logical, well chosen evidence. 
• Produce and revise writing that clarifies the relationship among claims, counterclaims, reasons and evidence, maintains a formal style, and effectively organizes its ideas using transitions and concluding statements.  

Student Course Overview