English Language Arts Department
Faculty Members
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Valerie Kirschenbaum ()
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John DeRosa ()
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Amos Margulies ()
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Talia Sinkinson ()
Collaborative Teachers:
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Lucia Pichardo
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Pamela Winter
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Ina Mufson
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Jason Caporale
PBAT Curriculum Summary:
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12th - Students will investigate the influence of narrative on the identities of people and cultures in The Bronx. Throughout their exploration, students will identify traditional and outsider narratives of The Bronx and analyze and challenge these narratives, drawing upon published memoirs and their own written memoirs, as well as oral histories, music, and on-the-ground research, to construct counter and insider narratives. Through a PBAT essay and presentation, students will demonstrate their ability to analyze a variety of materials and synthesize their analyses to develop a cohesive and dynamic story of The Bronx, including possibilities for preservation and transformation.
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11th - Students will write an analytical essay about Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye and Beloved. Using race, class, gender as potential theoretical lenses, students will explore what Morrison suggests about our ability to love, as well as how that message empowers us as individuals and a community. Students will also write a complementary (slam) poem inspired by Morrison’s singular literary voice and perform this piece during the PBAT presentation. This poem will deepen and/or complicate the ideas presented in the essay or simply be an expression of the creativity and voice that each student possesses.
Semester Course Offerings:
9th Grade English
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Essential question for the course: How do I strive for individuality while still serving the needs of others in the world and in my community?
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Sample texts: Monster, The Outsiders, Romeo & Juliet, Give a Boy a Gun, Twelve Angry Men, The Wave, Romeo and Juliet, The Other Wes Moore
10th Grade English
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Semester 1: Cultural Identity and Perspective A
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Semester 2: Cultural Identity and Perspective B
11th Grade English
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Semester 1: Narratives of Power
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Semester 2: Narratives of Resistance
12th Grade English
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Semester 1: The Bronx: Narratives of Identity and Culture
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Semester 2: The Bronx: Power, Preservation, and Transformation
External Study Resources:
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visuwords.com - A visual word-web that stretches your understanding of words
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collegeboard.org - Log on to access study materials for the verbal section of PSAT and SAT exams
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quizlet.com - Access study materials for your English classes (by an individual teacher)