Title: Unit 3
Subject/Course: American Literature
Topic: New England Renaissance Grades: 11
Designers: Charlotte King and Chip Callaway
Stage 1 – Desired Results
Understandings:
Students will understand that…
-each literary work has a theme that reflects the
author’s purpose
-authors use different persuasive devices
-Romanticism has key components
-Transcendentalism has key components
-Romanticism and Transcendentalism overlap in
several key components
Students will know that…
-the six beliefs of Romantic Literature are:
1) intuition over fact
2) imagination over reason
3) in democracy
4) in supernatural
5) awareness of the past
6) fantastic elements of the human mind
-Transcendentalists believe:
1) man is basically good
(Anti-Transcendentalists believed good and
evil exist)
2) “Universal soul” = God, nature, and humanity are tied to one another
-Gothic fiction is medieval/dark settings
-Imagery is language that creates a picture in
one’s mind
Essential Questions:
- How does the author develop theme?
- What are effective persuasive devices?
- What are the key components of
Romanticism?
- What are the key components of
Transcendentalism?
- How do Romanticism and
Transcendentalism overlap?
Students will be able to…
- find examples of Romantic beliefs in
selections of Romantic literature
- Identity literary elements
- Assess whether a piece of literature is
Romantic or Transcendentalist and
support
Stage 2 – Assessment Evidence
Performance Tasks:
Interview someone with a job you are interested in; make an oral report about the findings.
Collaborative learning: Research role of women in 1800’s or a famous woman of the time period.
Role play interview with Edgar Allan Poe with emphasis on “Fall of the House of Usher”.
Key Criteria:
Elements of Romanticism
Elements of Transcendentalism
Elements of Anti-Transcendentalism
Elements of Poetry
Elements of Non-fiction
Other Evidence:
Quizzes
Tests
Group interaction
Collaboration
Work Samples
Stage 3 – Learning Plan
Learning Activities:
Oral presentations
Role-Play
Daily Language Practice (SAT prep)
Reading Comprehension Activities