American Literature
Rationale: One of the main goals of communication arts is to produce a knowledgeable and understanding citizen. Teachers will
present a study of quality literature from not only this culture but also others to expand the student knowledge and acceptance of the
variety of human experiences. Literature is one venue that is used to teach communication arts in the classroom
Communication skills encompass reading, writing, talking, listening, viewing, and representing ideas visually to find and interpret
information. Students will be instructed to communicate in each of these ways and will be expected to combine their knowledge and
experience by reflecting, exploring, and generating new ideas to solve problems and make decisions. Students will be able to
effectively communicate their ideas and experiences to others.
Students will be able to communicate in traditional fashions and will be enlightened of the more advanced technologies of
communication. Being aware and able to use this type of communication will help in the work place. Many employers have stressed
the importance of being able to manage technology resources and information along with strong interpersonal skills. All of these
competencies require that students communicate effectively in a variety of situations and each is addressed in communication arts.
Description: This course is a survey of American literature from America’s birth to the present with focus on values and lifestyles of
the major time periods in our history, the styles of each author studies, defining and identifying several literary terms, and learning the
unfamiliar vocabulary from the selections. The writing of several papers is required, as well as a knowledge of proper grammar and
mechanics.
Objectives for Graduation/Mastery
1. Students will demonstrate a growing vocabulary. – 70%
2. Students will demonstrate an understanding of MAP vocabulary. – 80%
3. Students will support or refute student created arguments presented in persuasive letters and essays. – 95%
Unit 1
Unit Title: Vocabulary
Essential Question: Why are words important?
GLEs/
Objective
R1C, R1E
OBJ 1
National
Standards
(SELA)
4, 6
DATES TAUGHT/NOTES
Lesson Activities
(Formative Assessment)
Students will demonstrate a growing vocabulary.
1. Record weekly vocabulary words in their
course notebooks, including correct spelling,
accurate definition, part of speech and sample
sentence with correct usage.
2. Complete text practice exercises, individually
and cooperatively.
3. Construct original sentences.
4. Utilize other activities like crossword puzzles
and word finds.
5. Practice integrating new vocabulary words
into their writing.
6. Employ strategies to predict word meaning in
context.
RESOURCES
Assessment
Take weekly vocabulary quizzes and
summative assessment on final exam.
MASTERY – 70% on final exam
CORRECTIVE ACTION
SPECIAL NEEDS ACCOMODATIONS
Unit 2
Unit Title: Revision
Essential Question: Why do we revise?
GLEs/
Objective
National
Standards
(SELA)
W1A,
5, 6
W2C, W2D
DATES TAUGHT/NOTES
Lesson Activities
(Formative Assessment)
Students will edit and revise student essays to meet
conventional standards
1. Examine student essays to improve accuracy
and clarity.
2. Critique student essays for standard grammar
and usage.
RESOURCES
Assessment
Revision checklist
Class discussion
Teacher observation
CORRECTIVE ACTION
SPECIAL NEEDS ACCOMODATIONS
Unit 3
Unit Title: Listening/Study Skills
Essential Question:
GLEs/
Objective
National
Standards
(SELA)
W1A,
W3C,
LS1A
DATES TAUGHT/NOTES
Lesson Activities
(Formative Assessment)
Students will expand/improve listening, study and
note taking skills.
1. Employ graphic organizers as prewriting/thinking tools.
2. Take notes from lectures and audio/visual
presentations. “Iron Will” – for
symbolism/conflict analysis/personification.
3. Listen/read for main ideas and supporting
details.
4. Compose essay answers regarding the
elements/devices used in literature.
RESOURCES
Assessment
Teacher created tests. Quiz over “Iron Will”
Assignment specific scoring guide for graphic
organizer.
CORRECTIVE ACTION
SPECIAL NEEDS ACCOMODATIONS
Unit 4
Unit Title: MAP Vocabulary
Essential Question:
GLEs/
Objective
R1C, R1E
OBJ 2
National
Standards
(SELA)
Lesson Activities
(Formative Assessment)
Students will demonstrate an understanding of MAP
vocabulary.
1. Record weekly vocabulary words in their
course notebooks, including correct spelling,
accurate definition, part of speech and sample
sentence with correct usage.
2. Complete text practice exercises, individually
and cooperatively.
3. Construct original sentences.
4. Utilize other activities like crossword puzzles
and word finds.
5. Practice integrating new vocabulary words
into their writing.
6. Employ strategies to predict word meaning in
context.
DATES TAUGHT/NOTES
RESOURCES
Assessment
MASTERY – 80% on Final exam
CORRECTIVE ACTION
SPECIAL NEEDS ACCOMODATIONS
Unit 5
Unit Title: Fiction and Non-fiction
Essential Question:
GLEs/
Objective
W3C,
LS1A,
LS2A
National
Standards
(SELA)
3, 11
Lesson Activities
(Formative Assessment)
Students will respond/react in writing and orally to
works of fiction and nonfiction.
1. Address writing prompts directly and develop
with specific text references
2. Use correct paragraph form
3. Demonstrate understanding of literary
elements/devices
4. Connect ideas in literature to personal
experiences
5. State main ides of a work
6. Participate meaningfully in discussions of
literature by participating in small group and
class discussion of assigned literature
7. Compose essay answers regarding
elements/devices in literature
8. Compare/contrast a historical event with its
fictional counterpart.
9. Examine themes and their relationships to
historical circumstances.
10. Make a generalization about a given passage
and support it with specifics from text.`
Assessment
Compose competent, well-developed essay
answers (scoring guide),
Class discussion
Teacher observation
DATES TAUGHT/NOTES
RESOURCES
CORRECTIVE ACTION
SPECIAL NEEDS ACCOMODATIONS
Unit 6
Unit Title: Writing Process
Essential Question:
GLEs/
Objective
W1A
National
Standards
(SELA)
5, 6
DATES TAUGHT/NOTES
Lesson Activities
(Formative Assessment)
Students will apply the writing process to compose
literary analysis, personal and persuasive essays.
1. Review writing process
2. Create and support thesis statement
3. Analyze and/or interpret a work of fiction
4. Compose a personal philosophy essay
5. Read and discuss examples of
effective/ineffective essays
RESOURCES
Assessment
Persuasive Writing Project (See Resource
Appendix)
CORRECTIVE ACTION
SPECIAL NEEDS ACCOMODATIONS
Unit 7
Unit Title: Personal Values
Essential Question: What do you want to pass on to the next generation?
GLEs/
Objective
LS2A
National
Standards
(SELA)
7, 8
DATES TAUGHT/NOTES
Lesson Activities
(Formative Assessment)
Students will create an oral/visual presentation
concerning personal values.
1. In small groups, discuss individual values.
2. Create a chart on each student’s own personal
values
3. Create video tape (Moviemaker) of message
to future child concerning values.
RESOURCES
Assessment
Assignment specific scoring guides and movie
project. (See Resource Appendix)
CORRECTIVE ACTION
SPECIAL NEEDS ACCOMODATIONS
Unit 8
Unit Title: Literature
Essential Question:
GLEs/
Objective
R1D, R1H,
R1I, R2C
National
Standards
(SELA)
1, 2, 3
Lesson Activities
(Formative Assessment)
Assessment
Students will read, view, listen to and respond to
Class and/or small group discussion
literature, film and texts from diverse cultures and
eras.
Assignment specific scoring guide.
1. Compare/contrast text/film versions of a piece
of literature
2. Explain how a piece reflects the culture in
which it was created.
3. Participate in class and group discussions of
assigned selections.
4. Read “I Have a Dream” speech and watch
video compare Malcolm X “Necessary to
Protect Ourselves” and “Stride Toward
Freedom” by martin Luther King.
5. Compose essay answers to explain how a
selection reflects the culture in which it was
written.
DATES TAUGHT/NOTES
RESOURCES
CORRECTIVE ACTION
SPECIAL NEEDS ACCOMODATIONS
Unit 9
Unit Title: Book Analysis Project
Essential Question:
GLEs/
Objective
W3D
National
Standards
(SELA)
1, 2, 3
DATES TAUGHT/NOTES
Lesson Activities
(Formative Assessment)
Students will analyze stylistic and literary techniques
of a text within a written paper that contains a
developed thesis, information from multiple sources
and conforms to a style manual (MLA).
1. Students will read a fiction and non-fiction
book of their choice.
RESOURCES
Assessment
Students will create a written report based on
the guidelines provided. (See Resource
Appendix)
MASTERY – 805 on book analysis Project
CORRECTIVE ACTION
SPECIAL NEEDS ACCOMODATIONS
Unit 10
Unit Title: The Essay
Essential Question: How do we express ourselves?
GLEs/
Objective
National
Standards
(SELA)
W1A,
W2F, W3C
4, 5, 6, 7, 8,
12
DATES TAUGHT/NOTES
Lesson Activities
(Formative Assessment)
Students will compose clear, thoughtful answers to
essay questions.
1. Use proper paragraph form
2. Address questions directly with propter
textual references
3. Develop models of essay answers through
group discussion and cooperative learning
RESOURCES
Assessment
Teacher evaluation
CORRECTIVE ACTION
SPECIAL NEEDS ACCOMODATIONS