You will be able to write effective introductions and conclusions with a controlling idea or thesis, using a variety of sentence patterns.

You will be able to distinguish between the denotative (dictionary) meaning of a word and its connotative (emotions or associations that are implied rather than literal) meaning.

You will learn how to annotate or mark a text as you read and re-read to gain a deeper understanding of the text.

You will read carefully in order to identify allusion, imagery, metaphor, and symbolism and to evaluate their impact on the meaning of a text.

You will read carefully in order to identify diction, tone, and irony and evaluate their impact on the meaning of a text.

You will be able to read a text and understand how the figurative language of a literary work contributes to its historical and cultural setting.

You will be able to write an essay using effective rhetorical devices and transitions.

You will be able to write an essay that is organized appropriate to audience, purpose, and context.

You will be able to recognize how literary devices such as character foils can create complex characters in a short story.

You will be able to write an essay that contains relevant information and valid inferences.

You will be able to recognize how the narrator's point of view shapes a short story.

You will learn strategies for evaluating and revising an introduction, conclusion, and controlling idea or thesis in an essay.

You will learn strategies for evaluating and revising rhetorical devices and transitions in an essay.

You will learn strategies for evaluating and revising the organization of an essay appropriate to purpose, audience, and context.

You will be able to explain why literary essays include personal opinions and facts to describe an event or situation.

You will be able to write an essay that includes a clear thesis and supporting evidence.

You will be able to write an essay including counter-arguments that anticipate objections.

You will learn strategies for evaluating and combining sentences to create sentence variety when you revise an essay.

You will be able to evaluate changes in audience, purpose, and tone in two different texts.

You will be able to evaluate the value of specific data, facts, and ideas to include in an essay.