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 be able to recognize and explain the purpose of understatement and overstatement in a text.

You will be able to evaluate the diction in a text and discover the author's tone.

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 recognize how literary devices such as character foils can create complex characters in a short story.

You will be able to recognize linguistic roots and affixes to use in determining the meanings of academic English words and in other content areas.

You will use your knowledge of cognates from other languages to help you understand unfamiliar words.

You will learn how to synthesize ideas and details in texts and support the connections with textual evidence.

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

You will learn how to summarize a text in contrast to writing a critique that takes a position.

You will be able to analyze how an author's style and syntax support meaning in a text.

You will be able to analyze the persuasive impact of rhetorical structures and devices in famous speeches.

You will be able to analyze the quality, relevance, and credibility of evidence that supports or opposes an argument.

You will be able to write a short story with interesting and believable characters.

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 and annotate paired texts in order to make inferences, draw conclusions, and synthesize ideas and details using textual evidence.

You will learn strategies to help you generate questions and ideas about a topic.

You will be able to write a short story with a well-developed conflict and resolution.