“The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically... Intelligence plus character – that is the goal of true education.”   

                                                            - Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Critical thinking. It is one of the goals of our course work this year. In order to develop critical thinking skills, most of our course work will focus on learning that involves analysis, synthesis and evaluation. These skills are at the top of Bloom’s Taxonomy . In an English course, these skills are best demonstrated through learning activities which include but are not limited to: essay tests, reading/viewing journals, the writing process and kiosk presentations.

 A teacher's job is to continually refine and revise her course work to meet the students learning needs as critical thinkers. A student's job is to approach the course work with character.

 Your understanding of character is important for two reasons:

1.)   It will help you develop your critical analysis skills as we explore the motivations of characters and discover the underlying themes in American literature.

2.)  It will help you become a better student.

To learn more about character, click below:

 The Six Pillars of Character – from  the Character Counts organization and the Josephson Institute.

 To learn about moral development and the complexities of rationalizing moral dilemmas, check out these links:  

Kohlberg's Ideas of Moral Reasoning- from SUNY/Cortland

 Overcoming Obstacles to Ethical Decision Making– from the University of Southern California.

Moral Dilemmas in Education - from the Institute for Global Ethics

Personal Dilemmas- from the Institute for Global Ethics

  To learn more about the connection between literature and ethics, click below:

High School Book List -  from Boston University's Center for the Advancement of Ethics and Character