2012-2013
Syllabus: General English 11
I.
Course and Description
General English 11 – 230
II.
Primary Text
Literature: The American Tradition Prentice-Hall Publishers, Inc.
III.
Supplementary Text
A Gathering of Old Men
To Kill a Mockingbird
The Great Gatsby
A Man for All Seasons
Ernest Gaines
Harper Lee
F. Scott Fitzgerald
Robert Bolt (video unit)
IV.
Course Objectives
To synthesize and critically analyze American Literature through oral and written communication
To understand what makes American Literature American
To determine if literature shapes and reflects society
To analyze the relationship between time and place and literature
To learn and apply the research process in a practical application
V.
Unit Development – Readings and Time Frame may be changed at any time based upon student need.
Unit 1 - Fiction
Unit 2 – PSAT
Prep
Unit 3 – Early
American
Literature
Objective
To appreciate the genre of fiction
To examine cultural context and historical
background in literature
To isolate thematic elements
To provide students the opportunity for drill
and practice with all exercises indigenous to
the PSAT
To Facilitate familiarity with the format of the
PSAT prior to the test date with practice
testing
To analyze the qualities and focus of Native
American Lit
To compare/contrast the values of the
Reading
A Gathering of
Old Men
To Kill a
Mockingbird
Selections from
“The Meeting of
Cultures” and
Writing
Journal; in-class
writing
Literary response,
original myth,
persuasive essay on
Testing
Recall test;
vocabulary; PSAT
exercises; essay
questions
vocabulary
exercises/
quizzes
supplemented
from the text
Time Frame
11 days
Unit Test on Early
American; various
recall quizzes
2 ½ to 3
weeks
One week;
on-going
throughout
the year
Drama
Colonial Period
Unit 4 –
American
Renaissance
Transcendentalism (and anti)
Puritans with Native Americans
To analyze Puritan and Native American
poetry
To examine historical/religious documents of
the early colonists
To understand the unique elements and
techniques of Drama
To compare the genre with historical
references (Puritan / McCarthyism)
To analyze motivation: individual and
community
“The Puritan
Influence”
current social issue
for purpose of
teaching MLA
documentation
The Crucible (and
video for staging)
Literary Response
and analysis
Essay on character
comparison
Comprehensive
quizzes
3 weeks
To understand and apply the elements of the
Age of Reason to literature
To analyze historical, literary, and cultural
elements of literature
To examine the ‘birth’ of a nation and the
various types of literature it provides
To understand the elements of the Romantic
period in American Lit
To analyze and interpret prose and poetry of
the period
To understand concept of Transcendentalism
and Anti-Transcendentalism
To become familiar with the ‘Fireside Poets”
Selections from
“A Nation is
Born”
Literary response;
essay questions;
Persuasive Essay –
Edit/Research
Unit Test; recall
quizzes
2 weeks
Selections from
“Campfire”;
“Amer. Masters”
Literary Response
Reading
Comprehension
quizzes
2 to 3 weeks
“Human Spirit”;
“Fireside”
Supplementary
readings by Poe,
Hawthorne
Selections from
“A Nation
Divided”
Literary Response;
essay questions;
group poetry report
Test on Amer.
Renaissance and
Transcendental
combined
2 weeks
Literature Response
Reading
comprehension
quizzes
2 weeks
Selections from
“Forging New
Frontiers”;
“Living in a
Changing World”
Literary Response;
analysis
Test on Civil War
Lit and Realism
combined
2 weeks
Student work
chosen as
Notes; outline; rough
draft; final product
Process steps to be
met
Spaced
throughout
Unit 5 – Civil
War Lit
To apply cultural and historical concepts to
the understanding of period literature
To appreciate various genres in period lit
First person narrative/journals/diaries
Frontier,
To understand the literary movements
Realism,
following the Civil Was
Regionalism and To analyze the focal elements of the period
Naturalism
and its literature
Unit 6 –
Research (type
To isolate an appropriate topic for research
To understand and utilize library and online
A Man for All
Seasons (video)
TBD)
Unit 7 – Modern
Age
Novel
Unit 10 –
Contemporary
Literature
VI.
research techniques
To examine and employ correct procedures
for MLA documentation
To synthesize and demonstrate research skills
To understand and interpret major aspects of
modern literature
To compare fiction and non-fiction of the
modern era
To learn about modern poetry as a reflection
of its contemporary, historical and social
environment
To examine historical and cultural influences
on period literature
To examine authors/poets/playwrights of our
era
To determine how fiction/poetry/drama/
Nonfiction reflects our political, historical,
and social climate
the 3rd qtr
appropriate for
the topic
Selections from
“Troubled
Times”; “Every
Corner”; “Harlem
Renaissance”
Literary response;
Poetry project
The Great Gatsby
Literary analysis and
response
Selections from
“War Shock”;
“Tradition and
Rebellion”;
“Protest”
Special Videos – when determined
A&E Biography:
Mark Twain
Edgar Allan Poe
Video Interviews: Arthur Miller
Great Book Series: “The Terror of the Soul”
Movies:
The Crucible
A Man for All Seasons
To Kill a Mockingbird
Documentaries:
“The Salem Witch Trials”
“The Communist Witch Hunt/The McCarthy Hearings”
“The Eye on the Prize”
2 ½ to 3
weeks
Quizzes
Group work
1 ½ to 2
weeks
As time
allows