American Studies English 10, College Prep
PURPOSE OF THE COURSE: American Studies English 10 is designed to enhance students’
appreciation for and understanding of American literature of the 18th and 19st centuries and to
strengthen their writing and grammar skills. The class consists of several major components:
Reading of Literature, Reading of Informational Texts, Writing, Speaking and Listening, and
Language. This course specifically and intentionally builds collaboration and presentation skills
through problem-based and project-based activities and assessments (including exams) in
addition to occasional traditional assessments such as tests and quizzes.
SUMMER READING: Anthem by Ayn Rand and How to Read Literature Like a Professor
Thomas C. Foster
1ST Quarter: Application of Summer Reading Books
American Identity Research Project
Colonial and Puritan Literature
The Crucible by Arthur Miller
2nd Quarter: Revolutionary American Literature
Narrative Essay
The Last of the Mohicans (film)
Historical Fiction Choice Novel
3rd Quarter: Early and Dark Romanticism and Transcendentalism Literature
Literary Analysis Paper
Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer
4th Quarter: Realism and Civil War Literature
Informational/Expository Essay (News Article)
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass
Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman
War Letters: The Civil War by Andrew Carroll
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
Gone With the Wind (film)
Dead Poets Society
ALL YEAR: Theme Journals, Vocabulary, Grammar, MLA
Other Reading: Informational Texts, Choice Reading