Language and Literature
Mr. Paul E. Turtola
English Department

Parents,

As we embark on a new school year, I welcome you to take part in our Language and Literature class. Your son/daughter's Junior year at Foran High School is an important one in their lives, and it my pleasure to take part in their journey. As a teacher of over 80 third year students, I can appreciate the students' desire and passion towards looking towards the future. Many of the students have told me that they are excited to start thinking about their post-graduate plans, and I'd like to be a teacher that they can depend on when it comes to answering questions about college and preparing them for life after high school. I also welcome hearing from you about their plans and any ideas you may have to make the class a worthwhile and memorable one.

Language and Lit is a course that focuses primarily on the study of British literature. We plan to cover the following pieces:

Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
Macbeth
A Comedy of Errors/Twelfth Night/As You Like It
Sonnets
Arms and the Man by GB Shaw
"The Fly" and "Miss Brill" by K. Mansfield
"Kew Gardens" by V. Woolf
"Riders to the Sea" by JM Synge
Lord of the Flies by W. Golding
Angela's Ashes by F. McCourt

To draw an understanding of the use of language in literature, we will focus primarily on theme and style to answer the questions:

n Why did the author write this work?
n What message is in the work?
n How did the writer communicate to the reader?
n What techniques were used to express ideas?

By taking this approach, it my hope that students will become skillful at thinking critically and express themselves in a more informed and interesting manner when it comes to responding to literature.

Students will also prepare for the SAT in this course. A useful website they have been working on is www.number2.com and it has had good results when it comes to preparing them for the verbal section of the test.

I once again welcome you to take an active part in the class. Join us on field trips and please do come to presentations students make throughout the year. I will have a more specific agenda as the year unfolds.

Sincerely,

Paul E. Turtola