Grade 9

Grade 9 level Turkish Literature course is designed to teach students basic knowledge, terminology and concepts of literary forms such as poetry, short stories, novels, plays and essays. Students are made aware of the connection of literature with fine arts and other disciplines and activities are carried out using not only extracts of texts but also full texts.  This course studies in detail the following works and involves active participation of students in the activities: “Şişhane’ye Yağmur Yağıyordu” by Haldun Taner (short story); “Gulyabani” by Hüseyin Rahmi Gürpınar (novel) and “Midas’ın Kulakları” by Güngör Dilmen (play). This course aims to equip Grade 9 students with the skills to analyze texts, write critical reviews and express themselves accurately in oral and written forms.

The Turkish Language and Composition course covers topics related to grammar and expression in light of texts and integrity between literature, grammar and expression activities is ensured as necessary, making use of knowledge built during Turkish Literature courses. Main objectives of this level include becoming aware of the existence of language as a communication tool, equipping students with language awareness and recalling the grammatical rules of Turkish.

Grade 10

Grade 10 level Turkish Literature course covers select works and texts from periods of history of literature between the period of mythologies and legends and 19^th century. Students are given the opportunity to make a comparison between works of different cultures and world perspectives during text analysis. This allows students to develop their text-analysis techniques as well as equipping themselves with literary knowledge. One of the main focuses of this course is to improve literary criticism writing techniques on examined texts. Turkish Literature full texts studied in Grade 10 are Dede Korkut Öyküleri and Poems by Yunus Emre. Furthermore, texts included in the lecture book prepared by level teachers that are intended to introduce literary periods are examined.  The course also covers Western Literature examples such as Homer, impacts of humanism, classism and romanticism in consideration of the historical background of the periods to which they belong. Essays by Montaigne and “Cyrano de Bergerac” by Edmond Rostand are studied during the course. Students will be reading “The Alchemist” by Paulo Coelho as a side source for dealing with the philosophy of Islamic mysticism in connection with the modern day.  

Turkish Language and Composition course examines word types and expression forms in which these words are dominantly used through the texts used in the Turkish Literature course. Oral expression forms such as presentations, discussions and panels are also emphasized.

Grade 11

Grade 11 course is designed to cover Turkish Literature under Western Influence through typical works that reflect the periods before the Republican Period. These texts are analyzed in comparison with same-period examples from World Literature and demonstrate literary movements of the period such as realism, parnasism and symbolism.  Full texts to be studied during the course are “Şair Evlenmesi” by Şinası “Madam Bovary” by Gustave Flaubert, “Mai ve Siyah” by Halit Ziya Uşaklıgil, short story book “Bomba” by Ömer Seyfettin and “Chronicle of a Death Foretold” by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. The lecture notes book prepared by level teachers covers the periods of Tanzimat, Servet-i Fünun and Fecr-i Ati, National Literature and Struggle for National Liberation and these are examined in consideration of the characteristics of the periods they belong to. Students are expected to improve their literary article writing techniques through comparative text studies as well as writing literary criticism.  This level is focused on the perfection of written and oral expression skills and strengthening personal responsibility.

Language and Composition course is designed to emphasize texts and text types, and particularly educational texts. Oral expression forms such as interviews and public speeches are included among topics covered at this level. The course also covers grammar review in connection with the subjects studied. This enables students to remember what they have learned in previous years. Expression activities emphasize text analysis and literary review writing techniques without losing connection with texts studied in the Literature course.

Grade 12

This course is intended to introduce Turkish Literature in the Republican Period through select works. These works are compared to the works of Contemporary World Literature. Knowledge and skills acquired during Grade 9, 10 and 11 Turkish Literature and Language and Composition courses are developed through various activities. Republican Period texts examined in Turkish Literature course include “İnce Memed” by Yaşar Kemal, Poems by Orhan Veli, “Falaka ve Gecelerim” by Ahmet Rasim, “Memleket Hikayeleri” by Refik Halit Karay and “Semaver” by Sait Faik. World literature examples of “Waiting for Godot” by Samuel Beckett and stories by Chekov are analyzed in comparison. The lecture notes book prepared by level teachers includes full texts of movements that cannot be examined due to lack of time.  

The Turkish Language and Composition course emphasizes texts of art and science along with oral expression forms such conferences, discussions and symposiums. Activities that intend to refine criticism and analysis techniques are carried out using texts studied in the Turkish Literature course.  Furthermore, the grade 12 course supports students who will be taking the OSS exam through strengthening the knowledge built in previous years in connection with the curriculum and through activities that relate to subjects for which they will be responsible in the OSS exam.