Saucon Valley School District
Planned Course of Study
Course Title: American Literature
Grade Level: 11th Grade
Credits: One
Content Area or Department: English Language Arts
Length of Course: Semester
Author(s): Maya Kowalcyk and Barbara Psathas
Course Description:
A course in American Literature usually is structured to evolve chronologically showing how
social, political, and economic events shape the voices that articulate the American identity.
This American Literature course, however, will focus on the voices that comprise the American
spirit. This course will engage students to follow the changes in the voices and narratives of a
variety of significant authors. As students explore these authors’ and poets’ voices, they will
become skilled readers of texts written in a variety of periods, disciplines, and rhetorical
contexts. Moreover, students will develop their own voices in their writings. Gaining new
insights into American culture, students will recognize the unique role literature plays in both
shaping and reflecting culture.
Course Rationale:
American Literature CP provides students with the landscape of the American literary tradition.
Students will explore how political, social, and economic events shape and give life to the voices
that define us as Americans. Aligned with the Common Core standards, this course
encourages the development of the progressive levels of understanding in reading, writing, and
thinking skills. After students complete Composition, English Literature, and successfully
master the Keystone Exam in Literature, they will choose two of the three mandatory courses:
American Literature, British Literature, or World Literature. It is expected that the choice of
these two courses will provide students with a foundation of understanding and the ability to
practice the skills of communication necessary for higher education and/or the work force.
College Prep - American Literature
Summer 2012
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Saucon Valley School District
Planned Course of Study
Table of Contents
Unit One
4
Unit Two
11
Unit Three
23
Unit Four
29
Unit Five
36
Writing and Grammar
45
Vocabulary
47
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Summer 2012
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Planned Course of Study
Curriculum Map (Semester Long Course)
Quarter X
Typical # of
Weeks
Topics
9 weeks
Unit 1: The Anatomy of an American Voice
● Framework
● The Great Gatsby
Unit 2: American Voices and their Audiences
● Persuasive writing (nonfiction)
● The Crucible
● The Romantics, Transcendentalists, and the
Gothic Tradition
Vocabulary (taught throughout the semester)
Midterm
Quarter Y
9 weeks
Unit 3: Comedy or Controversy
● The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
● satire
Unit 4: The Voice of the American Poet
● Anne Bradstreet/ Phillis Wheatley
● Emerson
● Poe
● Dickinson and Whitman
● Harlem Renaissance
● The Beat Generation
Unit 5: The Personal Voice
● The Things They Carried
● I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
● Creative essay
● College essay
Vocabulary (taught throughout the semester)
Final
College Prep - American Literature
Summer 2012
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Planned Course of Study
Unit Title:
Unit One: Anatomy of an American Voice
Unit
Overview:
The purpose of this unit is to first provide a chronological background of
American literature so that students have a general understanding of each
literary movement and the relationship between each movement. Second, this
unit will provide an opportunity for students to deepen their research and writing
skills. Third, this unit will give the student an understanding of major stylistic
devices used in literature--both in fiction and nonfiction.
Essential
Questions:
What is American literature, and what are the defining characteristics of the
major literary movements, beginning with Native American myth?
In what ways does voice contribute to the authority of an argument?
How does an understanding of stylistic and rhetorical devices allow for a more
complete and complex understanding of a text?
Focus
Standards:
RL.11-12.1
RL.11-12.2
RL.11-12.4
RL.11-12.5
W.11-12.2
W.11-12.4
W.11-12.7
W.11-12.8
Key Unit
Terminology
(literary movements/time periods): Native American, Puritan, Enlightenment,
Romanticism, Transcendentalism, Realism, Naturalism, Regionalism, Modern
Age, Harlem Renaissance, Contemporary, and Gothic literature; diction,
imagery, syntax, tone, simile, metaphor, denotation, connotation, the Lost
Generation
Objectives
Learning Objectives - The student
will...
Identify and define prominent
literary movements and explain
the relationships between those
movements.
Interpret information from multiple
print and digital sources on a
specific literary movement by
College Prep - American Literature
Summer 2012
Assessment Opportunities
Compose a research outline in MLA format that organizes
the information gathered, including student’s own research
notes in teacher’s preferred format.
Produce a multi-media presentation on a given literary
movement that explains its relationship to the time period
and to previous and later movements.
Identify and give examples of key characteristics of this
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Planned Course of Study
conducting research.
movement by doing a “Word Splash” on the board for each
movement.
Assess strengths and limitations
of multiple sources and integrate
into student’s own text effectively,
without plagiarizing.
As a class, produce a timeline of American literature from
each group’s research results.
Demonstrate satisfactory literal
comprehension of The Great
Gatsby.
Demonstrate sophisticated
comprehension of figurative and
connotative meanings of words
and phrases author has chosen
through close readings.
In small groups and as a class, students will use a
dictionary to look up denotative meanings and discuss
orally and in writing denotative and connotative/figurative
meanings and how they contribute to the tone, diction and
imagery in the novel.
Students will complete a short one- to two-period research
scavenger hunt on the background of WWI through the
Analyze style elements, such as
Twenties and draw connections to Gatsby orally and in
tone, diction, and imagery through writing.
close readings.
Other assessment opportunities include short essays on
Develop and demonstrate
the theme of The American Dream, DIGITAL BLOGS (on
sophisticated comprehension of
Moodle or a Wiki) containing examples of Gatsby’s style,
how and why a writer employs
comments on the subject of class in the novel, and on the
syntactical features.
additional themes of hope, self-discovery, illusion, and
paradox.
Analyze the socio and economic
culture in America from the end of Another possible assessment is a literal comprehension
WWI through the decade of the
test on The Great Gatsby.
Twenties.
Recognize and understand
manifestations of the American
Dream as it appears in early 20th
Century.
Contextually place The Great
Gatsby within the decade of the
1920s history and literature.
Summative assessment essay analyzes a particular style
element from the novel and includes textual support.
Compare the class struggles of
early twentieth century (e.g., the
Buchanans and the Wilsons).
Combine critical thinking, textual
analysis, and imaginative writing
skills.
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Summer 2012
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Planned Course of Study
Analyze the themes of hope, selfdiscovery, illusion, paradox, and
the corruption of the American
Dream.
Articulate a viewpoint and support
it by using text.
Compose an effective, wellorganized style analysis essay on
a specific topic related to the
novel.
Develop and demonstrate
sophisticated vocabulary when
analyzing a piece of writing.
Demonstrate the ability to
effectively analyze a writing
prompt in a timed setting.
Use effective transition words and
phrases.
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Summer 2012
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Planned Course of Study
Sequence of Teaching and Learning
Blocks
1
block
Lesson Topics
Overview and philosophy
of American literature
chronology
Lesson Activities
Students will brainstorm as a class their preconceptions of “American literature” and access
prior knowledge
Students will complete a teacher-generated general scavenger hunt, in pairs, on the major
characteristics of each time period in American literature
1
Research strategies and
procedures
Students will create a multi-media group presentation to teach their assigned time period to
their classmates. This will be preceded by any or all of the following activities:
Complete a short research activity in which students examine and analyze a variety of print
and non-print sources for reliability
1
MLA format and notetaking
Guided notes on correct MLA research format for Works Cited
Students will practice paraphrasing of ideas from the text.
3
Library research strategies
Library time, 2-3 blocks, for database and research strategies review
2-3
Group work and
presentations
Working with group members, combine each student’s research material into a single
presentation.
Plan and practice presenting professionally.
Present to the class.
1
Introduction of Gatsby with
College Prep - American Literature
Summer 2012
Difficult vocabulary that students will encounter in Gatsby will be made familiar by students
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Planned Course of Study
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vocabulary and Chapter 1.
completing vocabulary activities: definitions, connotations, visual representations, original
sentences, paragraphs, etc.
Gatsby Introduction:
1920’s setting and reading
strategies
Introduction: Students will watch video clip or the film Midnight in Paris. Teacher will provide
background of why “Gil” is in Paris in the present time and then show the excerpt in which
the protagonist climbs into the car and travels with the Fitzgeralds, meets Hemingway,
Gertrude stein, etc. Students should note the dress, the attitudes, the music, the dance, the
lack of self-restraint, etch. in the film. Students will be introduced to the “Lost Generation.”
Read two nonfiction editorials on restraint and lack of self-restraint. Complete comparison
chart.
Read the first chapter of Gatsby together to model “think aloud” strategy to students. Ask
questions, make comments, make inferences based on elements of the text.
2
Characterization
Students will complete a character chart as they read through the novel. After each reading
assignment, teacher will review major character elements for students to have recorded in
their charts. Possible topics of discussion:
·
Nick as unreliable narrator
·
Daisy as symbol of unreachable American Dream
·
Tom as unintelligent bully
·
“old rich” vs. “new rich”
·
the Midwest vs. the East
·
Myrtle and George as working class in the Valley of the Ashes
·
Jordan Baker as the “new woman”
·
Jay Gatsby as foolish dreamer, “new rich”
2
Style
Identify and analyze textual examples of figurative language in Gatsby.
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Summer 2012
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Work with partners to identify and explain metaphor, simile, imagery, paradox, diction,
syntax, tone. Each pair will be assigned a certain section of a chapter in which to find an
example of a stylistic element. Students will brainstorm an analysis of this element in their
writing journals or on a separate sheet of paper and share their information with the class.
1
Plot
Complete a basic plot summary chart in small groups to review elements of plot structure
and as a review of the novel. Use visual representations cut from magazines to design a
poster and to bring in other learning styles. Review the terms exposition, conflict, rising
action, climax, falling action, and denouement.
.5
Gatsby analysis essay
Building on prewriting analysis of figurative language in Gatsby, write an analysis essay that
examines a particular stylistic element in Fitzgerald’s novel.
Thesis lesson activity. Teacher directed notes on effective thesis statements. Students will
practice writing thesis statements with partners on various topics given by teacher. Then
students will write their own thesis statement on their chosen essay topic according to the
guidelines.
1
Writing introductions
1
Timed Writing
Students will read samples of various types of introductions, pick a style, and then write an
introduction in that format.
Students may use their prewriting for their thesis statement and their introduction. At the
beginning of the class, students will begin typing their essay. They will have one full block to
finish.
Resources for this Unit
● F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby
Related Readings
● Excerpt from The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin: A Bold and Arduous Project Arriving at Moral Perfection
● Video: Midnight in Paris (2011)
● Video: The Great Gatsby (1978)
College Prep - American Literature
Summer 2012
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Planned Course of Study
Unit Title:
Unit Two: American Voices and Their Audiences
Unit
Overview:
This unit will center around a variety of fiction and non-fiction works and their
persuasive influence on society. Students will read Arthur Miller’s The Crucible,
short stories by Nathaniel Hawthorne and other short texts for elements of
effective persuasive speech and writing. The unit will culminate in students
writing their own persuasive speech and essay. It is also hoped that Unit 2 will
help students develop into discerning citizens, more aware of how they are
targeted as an audience by writers/speakers employing language to persuade
and/or influence them.
Essential
Questions:
In what ways are individuals targeted as an audience by writers/speakers
employing language to persuade and/or influence them?
How did America’s Puritan roots find expression in early influential speeches
and sermons?
How do speeches continue to motivate individuals long after they have been
delivered?
What are some of the essential elements that are present in some of the most
effective speeches of the 20th century?
Focus
Standards:
RL.11-12.3
RL.11-12.7
RL.11-12.9
RL.11-12.10
W.11-12.1
W.11-12.4
W.11-12.5
W.11-12.6
W. 11-12.10
Key Unit
Terminology
Puritan, The Great Awakening, persuasive writing, ethos, logos, pathos,
transcendentalism, moral law, secular law, allegory, spectral evidence,
Providence, theocracy, dissemble, orthodox, foil character, Gothic terms
Objectives
Learning Objectives - The student
will...
Assessment Opportunities
(The Crucible)
Differentiate between moral law and
the secular law, and the implications
of combining the two.
College Prep - American Literature
Summer 2012
Define moral law and secular law and diagram
examples of each from current or past society. For
example, students might look at an example of a
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Planned Course of Study
Differentiate between guilt by
evidence as opposed to guilt by
association.
Roman Catholic law and a United States law and
comment on the hypothetical combination.
Assessments include partner, small group and whole
Describe how laws for the public
class activities including, but not limited to, class
good can be made to further personal debate, think-pair-share, blogging, observation.
interests of specific individuals.
Discern the role of individual power
and status in establishing guilt or
innocence.
(Short stories: Hawthorne, Poe)
Identify the elements of a short story
as different from those of a novel,
play or poem.
Formative assessments include guided and student
generated questions related to short stories, in-class
discussion questions, and short response writings on
topics such as themes of religion, the gothic, first person
narrator, and others.
Give examples of instances where
Hawthorne and Poe use Gothic
elements in their works.
Compare the differences in
characterization between Hawthorne
and Poe stories.
Evaluate Poe’s use of first person
narration.
Explain the traits of Romanticism in
the works of Poe and Hawthorne.
Analyze the themes of religion,
Freudian psychology, and morality in
their works.
(Franklin, Jefferson)
Engage in discourse surrounding the
ideas, issues, and values embedded
in a variety of Revolutionary texts.
Assessment opportunities include an
essay/presentation in which students effectively
collaborate and analyze the language that
writers/speakers employ to achieve a purpose then
present their analyses as an oral presentation.
Collaborate with others to achieve
greater understanding of rhetorical
terms and present that understanding
to their peers.
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Summer 2012
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Planned Course of Study
(Speeches: Edwards, Emerson, etc.)
Formative assessments include guided questions, small
and large group discussion, and peer responses.
Identify and explain the effectiveness
of certain rhetorical devices in the
speeches.
Analyze how major thought patterns
of a particular time influence the
content of the writings.
(Persuasive Essay)
Develop and demonstrate their
abilities to compose an essay taking
a position on issue and employing
language which creates an ethos,
logos, and/or pathos.
Summative assessment in which students compose an
essay/speech in which they take a position on an issue
and effectively employ some of the same language
strategies and devices they’ve analyzed in this unit’s
first assessment to persuade a hostile audience.
Develop and demonstrate
sophisticated sentence fluency when
analyzing the style of a piece of
writing.
Develop and demonstrate their
abilities to effectively evaluate and
revise their writing.
Culminates with Midterm
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Sequence of Teaching and Learning
Number of
lessons /
blocks
Lesson Topic(s)
Lesson Activities
1 block
The Crucible
Watch the first scene in The Crucible for how the director establishes the setting of the
film. Have students predict in writing what they believe is going to happen next in the
story. Discuss what “appears” to be happening versus what “actually” happens.
Read the historical background information (pages 8-15 in Everbind Anthology) at the
beginning of the play for homework. Write a summary of why Arthur Miller wrote the
play. Underline at least two specific reasons from the text. Include page numbers.
Read “Puritanism in New England” on pages 190-196 in Everbind as a class on on their
own.
1-2
Historical Background/Act I
Students will define and create diagrams, in pairs or small groups, of examples of moral
and secular laws and apply them to their own lives.
Discuss the historical information read for homework and the reasons for Miller writing
the play.
Read/Act out the beginning of Act I as a class. Stop at key points in the play to model
“think alouds” and to make notations about certain characters and events. Finish reading
for homework.
Make notations about characters on teacher generated character chart.
As students read, they will answer teacher generated guided questions in a study guide.
1-2
Allegory/Act II
College Prep - American Literature
Summer 2012
Students will complete a short research activity on the Red Scare of the 1950s to
become familiar with the allegorical connection between Miller’s play and the communist
scare of the mid-twentieth century. Read “McCarthyism” on page 170 in Everbind.
Discuss in small groups and as a class the elements of the connection. Discuss the
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difference between guilt by evidence and guilt by association.
Discuss the key points of Act I, including the question of what is really happening with
Betty Parris and Ruth Putnam and characterization of Parris and John Proctor.
Begin reading/acting out Act II. Discuss the relationship between John and Elizabeth and
the “secret” that John is keeping. Discuss the issue of the poppet and the decision that
John makes to tell the court of his sin at the end of Act II.
1
Act II: public vs. private
good
As the class discusses Acts II and III, students should continue to make notations in the
character chart and study guide.
In Act III, discuss the state of the accused and the position of the court, including
characterization of Danforth.
Discuss how certain characters use the public laws for their own personal good:
Putnams, Parris, Abigail.
Discuss the status of each of the major characters and its role in establishing that
character’s guilt or innocence.
1
Act IV: the play as
persuasive act
In Act IV, discuss the decision that Proctor makes to die for his community and for the
Truth. Hold a debate on which side students would choose, to die and remain honest
and loyal to the community, or live as a liar in order to be with one’s family.
Discuss the play as a persuasive and political act on the part of Miller.
1-2
Poe, Hawthorne and
symbolism
Symbolism activity:
1) Students, in groups, will make a list of symbols encountered in everyday life (i.e.
green light = go, bell = time to begin, cross = Christianity). Then group the shared lists
on a list on the board.
2) Then, have students (as a class) classify the list into categories: verbal, non-verbal,
College Prep - American Literature
Summer 2012
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Planned Course of Study
musical and sound effects, visual, and written.
3) Then, individually, students should use the following headings to come up with
examples of symbols for each category
● symbols with changing meanings
● symbols with universal meanings
(For example, in some cultures the color black means mourning, whereas in others
(China) white means mourning.) These lists will be discussed by students in small
groups.
5) Symbolism in literature: Students will read Poe’s “The Bells.” Each student should
write a one-page interpretation of the poem’s meaning. He or she will develop what he
believes to be one reading or way of interpreting the piece by interpreting it line by line or
image by image. Students should use phrases like, “By using the image of __________,
the poet creates the feeling/idea of ___________.” The interpretation should finish with
one or two sentences that sum up the student’s interpretation of the poem.
Introduce Hawthorne’s “The Minister’s Black Veil” (219 in Everbind or in Prentice Hall),
as a short story in which symbolism plays a large part.
For homework, students should read the first half of the short story and write a
paragraph characterizing Mr. Hooper, including direct and indirect characterization. Also,
finish one-page interpretation of “The Bells.”
1
Hawthorne’s “The Minister’s
Black Veil” and symbolism
In groups, students share and compare their interpretations of Poe’s “The Bells,”
discussing the similarities and differences.
Share characterizations of Mr. Hooper by doing a “Board Splash,” writing words and
phrases on the blackboard from their paragraphs that describe him.
Discuss the veil as symbol for grief and of man’s alienation from mankind and the theme
of religion.
Other possible works include Hawthorne’s “Young Goodman Brown” for symbolism,
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Summer 2012
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“The Birthmark,” and “Rapaccini’s Daughter.”
1
Poe: the Gothic
Together discuss list of Gothic terms: ancestral curse, cemetery, body-snatching/graverobbing, Gothic counterfeit, doppelganger, dreaming/nightmares,
entrapment/imprisonment, the uncanny, excorcism, ghost, grotesque, the haunted
castle/house, terror vs. horror, mist, necromancy, mystery, possession, the pursued
protagonist, etc.
View a slideshow of Gothic photographs and/or paintings. Students should take notes
and write down associations, referring to their list of Gothic terms.
Using two or more of the terms, students should create a short narrative describing an
eerie event or moment they have experienced. If they do not have an event from their
real life, they are free to create one of their own. The Gothic elements should be
identified.
Then share half of the narratives with the class.
For homework, read part or half of Poe’s “The Fall of the House of Usher” in the Prentice
Hall text, taking notes on the gothic elements that are present.
1-2
The Gothic and Poe’s “The
Fall of the House of Usher”
Share the rest of student gothic narratives.
Have students share their notes on “Usher”’s gothic elements with a partner, then with
the class.
Poe’s Biography notes and discussion.
Excerpt Activity: Examine brief film clips of gothic elements to broaden the student’s
perspective on gothic elements. 15 -20 minutes each.
● Show film clip of Wuthering Heights (Emily Bronte) and discuss gothic elements.
● Show film clip of The Turn of the Screw (Henry James) and discuss gothic
elements.
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Summer 2012
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●
●
●
Show film clip of Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte) and discuss gothic elements.
Show film clip of Coraline and discuss gothic elements.
Show film clip of Northanger Abbey (Jane Austen) and discuss gothic elements.
Read the rest of “The Fall of the House of Usher,” taking notes on Gothic elements.
1
“Usher” and the Gothic
Complete a graphic organizer with the gr.” Discuss these elements with small groups
and then as a class.
Discuss Poe’s use of first person narration and its effectiveness.
Students will design a project from those listed below in which to demonstrate their
knowledge of the gothic elements in “The Minister’s Black Veil,” “The Fall of the House
of Usher,” and one of the films from yesterday’s discussion. The class will be divided into
no more than five groups and assigned a different film to compare with the two short
stories we have read as a class.
The project choices include:
● A skit
● A children’s book
● An original narrative
● A board game
● Other - with permission from teacher
2
Gothic Project/Presentation
Students will have one block to work on the group project. Any other work must be done
outside of class. The next block will be for presentations.
2
Franklin, Jefferson, Henry
Read and examine the modes of persuasion that the early Colonial thinkers use in their
writings:
● Excerpts from Poor Richard’s Almanac (Franklin) noting the aphorisms; have
students experiment with their own aphorisms; excerpts from An Autobiography.
● Read and examine “The Preamble” to Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence,
noting (finding examples) of his use of logic.
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Summer 2012
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●
●
Read and examine Patrick Henry”s “Speech to the Virginia Convention” noting
both logic and emotion in the development of his persuasive speech.
Build a graphic organizer identifying both common and contrasting elements in
these three documents of persuasive nonfiction.
Edwards and Emerson
Read and examine the modes of persuasion that both Puritan and Romantic
philosophies direct:
● Jonathan Edwards” “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”; identify Puritan
philophy and methods he uses to persuade his audience.
● Ralph Waldo Emerson’s “Self-Reliance” identifying figures of speech and
methods of persuasion; identify ultimate aim.
Transcendentalism
Read and discuss the rhetorical strategies used by Ralph Waldo Emerson in “The
American Scholar.” Review the elements of transcendentalism from the initial research
project.
After reading (Emerson), participate in a “transcendental walk” in which students take on
the role of Transcendentalist and record thoughts, feelings, and observations in a journal
as they trek through the nature center/reservoir/etc.
2
Other essays and speeches Read essays and analyze for elements of persuasion. Possible works include (from back
(see supplemental
of Crucible Everbind Anthology):
materials)
● “Adolescence and Peer Pressure,” page 197
● “Adolescence and Youth: Bullying,” page 203
● “Paying the Price for her Silence,” page 215
● “A Terminally Ill Patient: Looking for a Place to Die,” 264
● “The Fat Lady Sings,” 311
Discuss and list on board techniques that these writers use in persuading their readers
to adopt their viewpoints.
3
Persuasive Essay and
Speech
College Prep - American Literature
Summer 2012
Students will plan and write a persuasive speech and then an essay, using research, in
which they take a position on a topic and effectively employ some of the same language
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strategies they’ve analyzed throughout this unit.
Mini-lesson #1: Read a model persuasive essay or speech and identify and discuss
effective use of transitions.
Research in library for a minimum of three sources: one print source, one from a
database, and one of student’s choice.
Mini-lesson #2: Take notes on and discuss generating a thesis and topic sentences.
Mini-lesson #3: Practice weaving and use of evidence in giving speech.
For homework, write first draft of speech/essay.
1
Peer Revision #1
Peer revise essays for Focus and Organization.
Review effective strategies for giving speeches.
Transfer key points of essay to note cards for use during speech. No complete
sentences, only key words and phrases.
Review for Midterm.
1
Peer Revision #2
Peer revise essays for Language and Conventions.
Practice giving speeches in pairs and/or small groups.
Refine speeches.
Review for midterm.
1-2
Student Speeches
Students will present their speeches to the class.
Final drafts of essays are due the day before the midterm.
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Review for midterm.
Midterm
Resources for this Unit
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
"Young Goodman Brown"—short story by Nathaniel Hawthorne
Everbind Anthology: The Crucible, “Puritanism in New England,” “McCarthyism”
Poe’s poem, “The Bells” at http://www.online-literature.com/poe/575/.
Poe’s “The Fall of the House of Usher” in Prentice Hall Literature
Films: Wuthering Heights, Jane Eyre, Coraline, Turn of the Screw, Northanger Abbey for Gothic elements
“Young Goodman Brown” online at http://www.online-literature.com/poe/158/.
Franklin, Jefferson, Henry, Paine, Edwards and Emerson works all in Prentice Hall Literature except “The American Scholar,”
which is at http://www.emersoncentral.com/amscholar.htm.
Read essays and speeches in Everbind Crucible Anthology
Teaching McCarthyism: http://edsitement.neh.gov/lesson-plan/rise-and-fall-joseph-mccarthy
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Unit Title:
Unit Three: Comedy or Controversy
Unit
Overview:
Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn has become the cornerstone
of the American canon of literature because the novel speaks with a truly
unique blend of American voices. This commingling of genuine voices in the
southern Mississippi River Valley in the 19th century provokes both comedy
and controversy. This unit will examine how true American satire unfolds.
Essential
Questions:
In what ways is satire an effective agent of change?
Has American culture been motivated to change by literature that pointed out
some of its problems in the past?
Can one writer’s style develop by imitating another writer’s style?
What does Huckleberry Finn suggest about America’s past and its present?
Does Huck Finn embody the values inherent to the American Dream?
Focus
Standards:
RL.11-12.3
RI. 11-12.3
W.11-12.3
Key Unit
Terminology
satire, episodic structure, hypocrisy, organized religion vs. religion, allusion,
“coming of age novel,” Zeitgeist, dialect, malapropism, paradox, picaresque
novel, foil.
Objectives
Learning Objectives - The student will...
(The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn)
Explain how narrative voice, plot episodes,
dialogue, and allusions are used to depict
characters and ideas.
Evaluate the contextual and historical setting of
the novel in reference to the postReconstruction South.
Show how humor is used to both defend and
criticize.
College Prep - American Literature
Summer 2012
Assessment Opportunities
Summarize the literal action in the novel after
reading each chapter; analyze selected
quotes through close reading to identify how
the individual elements comprise the meaning
in the novel as a whole.
Draw a timeline and include the following
events: end of Civil War, time and place of
novel, Twain’s perspective in postReconstruction South.
Identify and classify incidents of humor within
the text as intended to “defend” or “criticize”
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Planned Course of Study
human behavior and traditions.
Understand how The Adventures of
Huckleberry Finn represents the first true
“American” voice in literature.
Determine and analyze the themes of
American literature of the 19th century (e.g.,
freedom, the American Dream, racism,
regionalism, survival, “individual vs. society”
and “civilized society” vs. the wilderness.)
Identify the “American” voices in the novel; as
a summative writing assignment, show how
those “voices” are uniquely “American.”
Identify and compare quotations that reflect
the change in the protagonist.
Compare the related themes to different genres In small groups, build a Venn diagram and list
(i.e., The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn with
the characteristics of both the fictional and
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an
nonfictional accounts of the voice of the slave.
American Slave.)
Summative assessment: include levels of
understanding of the text.
Explain how fictional characters in the late
nineteenth century America face challenges
Primary source paper.
facing America at the time, citing both fiction
and nonfiction textual evidence.
Understand the elements of Romanticism that
are woven through the realism of The
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.
Discuss the purposes and significance of
literary humor.
Examine Mark Twain's story-telling style in
relation to that of other American humorists.
College Prep - American Literature
Summer 2012
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Planned Course of Study
Sequence of Teaching and Learning
Number of
lessons /
blocks
Lesson Topic(s)
Lesson Activities
1 Block
Introduction to Huckleberry
Finn and its setting
To understand setting: complete timeline denoting 1840s, Fugitive Slave Act of 1850,
Civil War, the Proclamation Emancipation, the 1880s and Twain’s views.
Examine a map of the lower Mississippi River Valley and Huck’s journey.
In groups, students will read “The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850” (pp. 377-385); each group
summarizes one of the 10 sections; students paraphrase the essential content and
interpret the ramifications of the act on society in mid century.
.5
Introduction to Twain’s
language and the
controversy with the “n”
word.
Students will read the article “The N Word: It Just Slips Out” and discuss sensitive words
and their evolving connotations.
.5
Introduce the characters
and the exposition of the
novel; introduce the idea of
satire.
As a group, students read orally the “Notice” and the ‘Explanatory” on p. 6; students
discuss possible meaning of both; teacher introduces the idea of satire.
3
The Beginning of the
Journey
Students read chapters 1-8 over the course of three days. They answer questions on a
study guide that will require both literal and figurative understanding. Through class
discussion, students will demonstrate first the literal understanding of the text and then
the more metaphorical perceptions. Such topics will include:
● Exposition
● Huck’s initial situation
● the difference between Miss Watson’s “religion” and the Widow’s “religion”
● Tom Sawyer’s influence
College Prep - American Literature
Summer 2012
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●
●
●
●
●
●
●
Superstition and stereotyping Jim
Pap and the “government” speech
Pap’s alcoholism
Huck’s reason for staging his own death
Huck’s character traits that motivate him to plan the perfect escape
Huck’s “rebirth” to the river and his metaphorical rebirth by joining with Jim
Exploration of Jim’s initial plight and character
4
The Journey and the
Awakening of the
Friendship between Huck
and Jim.
4
Society begins to infringe
Students will read 17-29 and complete the guided study questions. These chapters
on Huck’s and Jim’s journey serve to heighten the conflict of man vs. society in the struggle for freedom.
Topics of discussion will include:
● Another new identity for Huck
● Satire of Southern aristocracy
● Satire of feuding
● Criticism of organized religion
● Criticism of Romanticism
● Role of the King and Duke
● Role of the prayer camps
● “one-horse town” in Arkansas
● Wilkes swindling
● The humor of the malapropism in the King’s speech
● Criticism of human gulibility
● The slavery issue
College Prep - American Literature
Summer 2012
Students will read chapters 9-16 and complete guided study questions. The focus in
these chapters is the evolving friendship between Huck and Jim. Topics of discussion
will include:
● The significance of the “floating house of death”
● Huck’s new identity for the excursion into town
● Irony of the Walter Scott
● Significance of King Solomon
● Chapter 16: read orally; Jim’s discussion of freedom; Huck’s conscience; the
internal conflict; the significance of Huck’s actions with the slave traders; more
character traits of Huck’s emerging
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Planned Course of Study
1
“You Can’t Pray a Lie”: the
climax of the major conflict:
Heart vs. Head
Students will read chapters 30 and 31 and complete questions. As a class, students will
reread orally Huck’s dilemma as to what to do about Jim. At this point, students will
create a plot diagram showing the incidents that create the journey and build Huck’s
major internal conflict. Students will re-examine the meaning of “satire” at this point and
will articulate Twain’s purpose in writing this novel.
3
Return to Civilization and
Huck’s Decision to “Light
out to the Territory”
Students will read chapters 32-43 and complete guided questions. Discussion will
include:
● Tom Sawyer as foil for Huck
● Humor and irony in the plan to free Jim
● The plot structure once the story leaves the river and returns to society
● Life on the river vs life on land
● Romanticism juxtaposed with Realism
● Major themes
1
Wrap-up
Summative assessment.
Read excerpts of chapters from The Narrative of William W. Brown: A Fugitive Slave
(William W. Brown).
Small groups of students assigned to chapters; paraphrase content; recreate in graphic
organizer; jigsaw and teach content to other groups.
Resources for this Unit
●
PBS Culture Shock Video http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/cultureshock/index_1.html
●
Slave narratives: Running a Thousand Miles to Freedom (wife dresses as white master), The Narrative of William W. Brown:
A Fugitive Slave (49 pages), etc.
College Prep - American Literature
Summer 2012
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Planned Course of Study
●
Possible supplemental materials: “Giving Seattle the Needle,” “Maintaining the Crime Supply,” “The Whiskey Speech,” “Pope
Makes First Papal Visit to Six Flags,” “Bush Grants Self Permission to Grant More Power to Self,” “Roseanna: Juliet of the
Mountains,” “To Be or Not to Be” Soliloquy, “The War Prayer,” “The American Scholar,” “On the Damned Human Race,”
“Huck Finn a Masterpiece - or an Insult?”
College Prep - American Literature
Summer 2012
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Planned Course of Study
Unit Title:
Unit Four: The Voice of the American Poet
Unit
Overview:
This unit will explore the depth and breadth of the voices of American poets.
This chronological study of American verse will not only show the commingling
of American voices with their European predecessors but also uniquely
American poetic forms, topics, and techniques stemming from the work of Walt
Whitman.
Essential
Questions:
How effective is the poet’s voice in American literature?
What role did the poet’s work play in the evolving American landscape?
What are the various ways in which a reader can approach understanding in
poetry?
Focus
Standards:
RL.11-12.1
RL.11-12.6
RI.11-12.1
W.11-12.4
Key Unit
Terminology
alienation, American modernism, Beatniks, dialect, disillusionment, flashback,
foreshadowing, “great migration,” Harlem Renaissance,
industrialization, interior monologue, minimalism, motif, nonlinear narrative,
stream of consciousness, the Beat Generation
Objectives
Learning Objectives - The student
will...
Assessment Opportunities
Explain the relationship between
Bradstreet’s poetry and the Puritan
doctrine of predestination.
Students will review characteristics of Puritanism from
Unit 2 and record those characteristics in a reader’s
Response Journal as they read Anne Bradstreet’s
poetry.
Interpret Emerson’s poetic
explanation of the dual nature of
human existence combining an
individual perspective with the belief
in the connection of all beings and
nature.
Students will review characteristics Romanticism and
Transcendentalism and record those characteristics in a
Reader’s Response Journal as they read Emerson’s
poetry.
College Prep - American Literature
Summer 2012
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Planned Course of Study
Understand the paradox between
Dickinson’s life and work.
In a short essay, students will analyze how Dickinson’s
life and times influenced the style and the content of her
poetry.
Analyze the themes of religion and
nature in her poetry.
Evaluate her unique, spare style of
word choice and syntax.
Identify thematic connections
between Whitman’s poetry and
Emerson’s: nature and the individual
& community.
Distinguish between free verse and
traditional verse.
Students will complete a graphic organizer comparing
Emerson’s work to Whitman’s; in small groups, they will
draw conclusions about Whitman’s emerging style with
its growth from Romanticism to realism.
In “cold read,” students will analyze Whitman’s ??? with
the TP CASTT method.
Defend the assertion of Whitman’s
unique American voice.
Harlem Renaissance:
Define and explain the origins of the
Harlem Renaissance.
In small groups, students will research and summarize
the social, economic, and political environment of the
1920s and 1930s and present findings in oral report.
Explore the relationship between
historical events and literature as
they emerge in the works of the
Harlem Renaissance poets and
authors.
Beat Poetry
Explain how the Beat Generation
challenged traditional forms and
subjects in literature.
Students will learn biographical details of the lives of
Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg and William Burroughs;
the revolutionary elements of beat poetry and prose; and
the significant works of this generation by doing a jigsaw
activity in which groups become experts on the different
writers.
Frost and Modernism
In a one-page response essay, argue the assertion that
Frost and his contemporaries held themselves apart
Note the relationship between
from their surrounding culture and make a “break” from
themes in the early twentieth-century past traditions.
American literature and nineteenthcentury American thought.
College Prep - American Literature
Summer 2012
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Planned Course of Study
Identify modernist ideas (using
informational texts).
Analyze the relationship between the
modernist style and content.
Examine the evidence of alienation
of the “modern man.”
College Prep - American Literature
Summer 2012
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Planned Course of Study
Sequence of Teaching and Learning
Number
of lessons
/ blocks
Lesson Topic(s)
Lesson Activities
1 block
Anne Bradstreet/ Phillis
Wheatley
Begin review of Puritan characteristics in preparation for reading Bradstreet’s poetry by doing
a “Word Splash” on the board.
Have students record responses in their Reader Response journals.
Read “Upon the Burning of Our House,” “To My Dear and Loving Husband” (102 in Prentice
Hall), “Deliverance from a Fit of Fainting” (206 in Crucible Anthology), and “Deliverance From
Another Sore Fit” (207 in Anthology), and record elements of Puritan faith and lifestyle in
journals, such as predestination, frequent reference to God and the afterlife, and an emphasis
away from the worldly.
Discuss the role that Bradstreet plays in American literature as the first woman to publish
poetry from this country.
Read Wheatley’s “To His Excellency, General Washington” (174 Prentice Hall) and discuss
her role in literature as first African American woman poet.
1
Emerson
Review elements of Romanticism and Transcendentalism with a Venn Diagram.
Read “Concord Hymn” (393 in Prentice Hall) and “The Snowstorm” (394) and identify
elements of Romanticism and Transcendentalism. Record those elements in Reader
Response journal.
1
Poe
Review Poe’s biography before delving into “The Raven.”
Read and analyze “The Raven,” page 326 in Prentice Hall book, for its gothic and romantic
elements. Listen to audio version of the poem for maximum performance effect. Read
“Annabel Lee” for sound elements.
College Prep - American Literature
Summer 2012
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Planned Course of Study
Discuss connections between this poem and “The Fall of the House of Usher” and poe’s own
biography.
Understand the problem of “over-analyzing” or “reading too deep” into a poem for a poet’s
biography.
2
Dickinson
As a class, introduce Dickinson by reading “Because I could not stop for Death -” on page 420
of the Prentice Hall text.
Students will record their responses to the poem in their journals/sheet of paper. This
response should be a brainstorm reaction, not too much thinking or analysis is needed. Write
what comes to mind. How does the poem make you feel? What ideas, emotions, themes
come up?
Then hold a class discussion on student responses and on the difficulty of poetry analysis.
Finally, together and using the blackboard to record ideas, such as Death as metaphor and
the other metaphors that she uses - stages of life. Also, the romantic theme of death being a
natural part of life.
Then, in pairs or threes, students will do a cold read of another poem, respond to in in the
brainstorm form, and then identify theme and other poetic elements. Each pair will share their
analysis with the class.
Poems to choose from include the following from pages 422 - 428 in the Prentice Hall text:
“I heard a Fly buzz - when I died -”
“There’s a certain Slant of light -”
“My life closed twice before its close-”
“The Soul selects her own Society-”
“The Brain - is wider than the Sky-”
“There is a solitude of space”
“Water, is taught by thirst”
Students will write a short essay in which they analyze the connections between Dickinson’s
College Prep - American Literature
Summer 2012
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Planned Course of Study
life and works.
1
Whitman
4
Harlem Renaissance
Discuss Whitman’s connection to Emerson with “Leaves of Grass.” Read excerpt of “Leaves”
on page 436 of Prentice Hall. Discuss similarities between Emerson’s philosophy of the
individual and his connection to the natural world and the themes of “Leaves.”
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
2-3
Beat Poetry: Ginsberg,
Kerouac, Burroughs,
(Gregory Corso, Gary
Snyder, Lawrence
Ferlinghetti)
College Prep - American Literature
Summer 2012
Students will research the social, political and economic conditions in America after
WWI.
Students will explain the philosophy of t”the reevaluation of the Negro” as an American
voice.
Students will identify the same characteristics in music and dance.
Students will read excerpts from Alain Locke’s The New Negro Movement and find
characteristics in the poetry that reflect the philosophy.
Students will read and discuss poems by the following poets in the Prentice Hall:
Langston Hughes (pages 926-929)
Countee Cullen (936)
Claude McKay (930)
Eugene Toomer (938)
Gwendolyn Brooks (1182)
Robert Hayden (1183-1184)
Stirling Brown
Include Langston Hughes “I, Too,” (page 448 in Prentice) a “response” poem to
Whitman in which Hughes adds the “black voice” which is arguably absent in
Whitman’s poem.
Students will be divided into 3-6 groups and complete a jigsaw activity on one of the six
authors and his works. Students can use references such as
http://thebeatgeneration.wordpress.com/2008/01/10/course/ for researching. Each group will
be responsible for the following elements pertaining to their author:
● biographical information on the author
● the most significant work(s) of this author and reasons for this significance
● this author’s/work’s influence on contemporary culture
● revolutionary elements of beat poetry/prose and three examples from at least one work
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Planned Course of Study
Frost, Sandberg,
“For this reason we have some right to consider ourselves a picked group, a group of those
William Carlos Williams, who had the courage to break from the past and brave the dangers and the loneliness of a
ee cummings, Ezra
strange land.” (Leonard Hand)
Pound, Eliot
Cite examples from the poems in this unit--use a prompt for argument.
Resources for this Unit
●
●
“If Black Language isn’t a Language, Then Tell Me What Is?” (James Baldwin)
Harlem Ren background at http://www.neabigread.org/books/theireyes/teachers/theireyeshandout02.pdf.
College Prep - American Literature
Summer 2012
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Planned Course of Study
Unit Title:
Unit Five: The Personal Voice
Unit
Overview:
In this unit students will analyze tone, diction and imagery from a selected
section of Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried during an In-Class-Write.
They will build on a reflection piece where they identify their intentional use of
tone, diction and imagery to produce an intended effect and also explain their
choices. Students will explore the memories they carry in preparation for writing
The College Essay. They will adopt and develop a voice appropriate for a letter
of application to a social organization or college, communicating their distinct
individual persona while using formal language and tone. In addition they will
write a 500 word essay on two things students carry.
Essential
Questions:
What memories and ideas do we carry as we begin to move away from the
familiar?
What is a story each individual student can tell that is only about that
individual’s experience?
Focus
Standards:
RL.11-12.1-7
RI.11-12.1-3
RI.11-12.7
W.11-12.1
W.11-12.3
W.11-12.4-6
Key Unit
Terminology
memoir, biography, autobiography, vignette, anecdote
Objectives
Learning Objectives - The student
will...
Assessment Opportunities
The Things They Carried
● Understand O’Brien’s use of
structure in the novel.
● Analyze the author’s style
and language.
● Demonstrate an
understanding and formulate
opinions on the topics of
bravery, truth, effects of war,
and symbolism.
● Understand the paradoxical
nature of “war stories.”
● Explain how individual
“voices” of the characters
The Things They Carried
● In small groups, students will examine the terms
memoir, fiction, nonfiction, short story; in
discussion students will apply those terms to
O’Brien’s book and debate the question: is the
book a series of nonfiction short stories, or is the
book a memoir?
College Prep - American Literature
Summer 2012
●
●
●
List all the examples of when O’Brien blurs the
line between fact and fiction.
Create a journal page for each of the major
characters including individual character traits.
Write a summative essay on a literal or figurative
“thing(s) or burden(s) the student carries” in the
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Planned Course of Study
●
evolve into common
contemporary themes.
Apply the metaphor of
“carrying things” to define
oneself.
form of a letter addressed to the person who has
the connection to the “carried thing.” This essay
may later evolve to the college essay.
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
● Interpret possible examples
in contemporary society of a
“caged bird singing.”
● Contrast the conflicts and
experiences of the African
American author with young
people growing up today.
● Examine how the author
discovers her own literal and
figurative “voice.”
● Identify and analyze the
symbols, motifs, and themes
in the novel.
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
● Students (in small groups) will create a multimedia presentation interpreting an example of a
modern “caged bird singing.”
● Students will create a Venn diagram comparing
and contrasting the struggles of the author and
young people today.
● Students will read “On the Pulse of Morning”
(Angelou’s inaugural poem in 1993 for Bill
Clinton) and show how her personal “voice” of
struggle and adolescence now reflects a unified
and national spirit.
● Students will complete a summative assessment.
Creative Essay
● Illustrate two things you carry
in essay form.
● Give examples from your own
life experiences.
● Write with effective use of
transitional devices and
varied sentence structure.
● Select an appropriate
introduction and conclusion
for your particular topic.
O’Brien makes a strong statement about the “things we
carry” in our lives every day. From our backpacks and
notebooks, to our memories and experiences, we all
carry a heavy load. Students will creatively express two
things they carry in an essay of 500 words.
College Essay
Write an essay of 400 words that responds to one of the
● Compose an essay that
following prompts:
answers your chosen prompt.
● Describe an event or person that has influenced
● Arrange words and
or changed your life
sentences for effective flow,
● Explain your attitude about a specific social issue
including use of parallel
and what you plan to do to help
structure.
● Explain why you would be a good candidate for
● Arrange sentences in order to
this school
avoid use of the passive
● Topic of your choice from a specific college
voice.
application
College Prep - American Literature
Summer 2012
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Saucon Valley School District
Planned Course of Study
Sequence of Teaching and Learning
Number
of
lessons /
blocks
Lesson Topic(s)
Lesson Activities
.5 block
The Things They
Carried
Students will consider the theme of the relationship between “love and war” as an introduction
to O’Brien’s novel.
Students will view three vignettes:
http://themysteryoflove.org/loves_dark_side.php
1
Introduction and first
chapter: “The Things
They Carried”
Activity: (Think-pair-share) students will list five things that “they carry” about with them each
day in order of importance. After discussion of findings, teacher will attempt to move them
from the LITERAL things they carry each day to the FIGURATIVE things they carry.
Students will read the first chapter entitled “The Things They Carried.”
In small groups, students will examine the terms memoir, fiction, nonfiction, short story; in
discussion students will apply those terms to O’Brien’s book and debate the question: is the
book a series of nonfiction short stories, or is the book a memoir?
Watch video clip of O’Brien interviewed on NPR:
..http://www.pbs.org/newshour/art/blog/2010/04/wednesday-on-the-newshour-writer-tim-obri.
2
“How to Tell a True War
Story”
Students will read the chapter “How to Tell a True War Story” and examine the ideas of
“storytelling” and “war.”
●
●
College Prep - American Literature
Summer 2012
In small groups, students will identify how O’Brien explains the menaing of “war story.’
Students will find quotes within the chapter and paraphrase. They will integrate these
“pieces” into an understanding of “war story.”
Students will complete a close reading of the scene when the unit stumbles upon a
water buffalo (78) and analyze O’Brien’s motivation for including this particular scene.
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Planned Course of Study
1
1-2
“Ambush”
Students will read “Ambush” orally.
● Students will discern how the major conflict(s) evolve in this chapter.
● Students complete discussion questions in small groups.
● Students will define “morality” and “moral ambiguity.”
Creative Essay
Students will write an essay in which they discuss two “things they carry” and the significance
of those items/memories, in response to reading The Things They Carried.
I Know Why the Caged
Bird Sings: Background
and Chapter 1,
characterization and the
concept of beauty
Ask students what they know about Maya Angelou. Write responses on the board or
overhead. If students are completely unfamiliar with her, spend time on the activity below,
researching her background.
Students will, using computers, research Maya Angelou’s background by going to this link at
the University of Minnesota: http://voices.cla.umn.edu/artistpages/angelouMaya.php. Students
should record their notes with clear headings. After reading and taking notes, students should
write summaries of each section, divided as they see fit, again with clear headings. Answer the
following questions in your summary:
● How would you characterize Angelou’s youth?
● Who was a stabilizing influence in her life?
● When did she change her name?
Create a Venn diagram which compares and contrasts the hardships of Maya Angelou versus
those of young people today.
Discuss the concept of “beauty.” What does it mean to be “beautiful” and how do you know
this? Respond in a journal entry.
Have students give commentary in response to looking at the cover of the autobiography.
Explain that the title was taken from the poem, “Sympathy.” Distribute copies and read aloud.
Ask for commentary. Have students come up with a list of questions they want answered after
reading this poem, looking at the cover, and knowing some of Angelou’s background. Collect
these.
College Prep - American Literature
Summer 2012
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Planned Course of Study
While reading chapter 1, characterize young Maya. How do you think Maya’s childhood
affected her in later life? How does she feel about her place in the world? How does she keep
her identity intact? Give evidence from the text to support your response.
Begin reading Introduction and Chapter one together. Finish reading chapters 1 and 2 for
homework. Respond to characterization topic in a double-entry journal.
1
Chapter 2: Uncle Willie
Introduction of “Caged
Bird Singing” Project
Introduce muti-media assignment in which students will create a presentation that showcases
a modern “caged bird singing.”
Review chapters 1 and 2 together. Discuss Uncle Willie and his role in the family. Write a
paragraph or a list characterizing Uncle Willie. Answer the following:
● How does Angelou describe the physical aspects of Willie?
● How does he deal with being handicapped? Discuss your own reactions to
handicapped individuals.
● Why would Willie have needed to perform normally in front of the teachers? How would
the teachers have reacted if they knew Willie was “lame”?
Read Chapters 5 and 8 for the next class.
.5
Chapter 5: Mama and
the powhitetrash
Discuss Maya’s view of Mama in Chapter 5. How does Mama’s response to the powhitetrash
children affect Maya? Why does Mama react the way she does?
Workshop “Creative Essay” with classmates.
.5
Chapter 8: Christmas
Explain why Maya and Bailey react so negatively to this Christmas and to their presents.
Work on Multi-media presentations.
Read Chapter 9 for the next class.
1
Chapter 9: Uncle Willie
and Bailey Sr.
College Prep - American Literature
Summer 2012
Review what was written about Uncle Willie in Chapter 2. On the board or overhead make a
chart comparing Willie and Bailey Sr. List characteristics under each heading. Discuss the
disparity between the two family members, even though they share the same blood.
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Saucon Valley School District
Planned Course of Study
Have students make a chart of their own in which they compare two people in their lives
(siblings, relatives, friends) who are similar, yet different. Be prepared to share your
comparison with the class and/or write a compare/contrast essay.
Read Chapter 10 for next class.
The Migration: Chapter
10
Experience Jacob Lawrence’s “The Migration Series” paintings at
http://www.phillipscollection.org/migration_series/flash/experience.cfm. Discuss what students
know about the black migration from South to North. What motivated them to move? What
information can you gather from the paintings about this historical time period? What facts,
emotions, themes come up in the paintings? What did the people hope to gain by migrating?
Last day to workshop “Creative Essay.” Final essay due tomorrow.
Read Chapter 13 for next class. Preface this to students as a chapter in which there is some
highly sensitive material to be encountered. Maya goes through a very traumatic event in her
life.
Chapter 14: A
Traumatic Event
Collect Creative Essays.
Use the PBS video to show the clip in which Maya explains (without any graphic images) what
happened that caused her to stop speaking.
Then, read Chapter 14 out loud or silently and have students write about Maya’s return to
Stamps and how her refusal to speak affects those around her. What was Maya going through
at this point in her life?
Work on multi-media presentations.
Read Chapter 15 for next class.
Chapter 15: A Role
Model
College Prep - American Literature
Summer 2012
Have students review Chapter 15 and respond to the following questions in pairs or small
groups:
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●
●
●
Why is Maya embarrassed by the way her grandmother speaks? In what other ways is
Maya ashamed of her? What are some concerns that Maya has that the average tenyear-old may also have?
Mrs. Flowers teaches Maya some important lessons. What are they, and how are they
significant?
How is Mrs. Flowers a role model?
Assignment: Write a short one-page sketch that describes an encounter with a teacher or
other adult who has influenced their lives. Students will explain what change that adult has
brought about in them. (This can be used as prewriting for the college essay if a student
chooses this topic.)
1-2
Multi-media
presentations
Students will present their projects to the class.
.5
Introduce the College
Essay with Angelou’s
poem, “On the Pulse of
the Morning”
Read Angelou’s poem and discuss how her personal “voice” of struggle and adolescence now
reflects a unified and national spirit. Listen to audio on YouTube at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDtw62Ah2zY as you read a printed version of the poem.
Explain to students how the College Essay will be an assignment in which students discuss,
through their own voice, how they have matured and grown as a result of their own “struggles.”
Hand out the prompt choices for students and have them get started on choosing a prompt
and brainstorming/pre-writing in preparation for their essay. Brainstorm notes due the next
class.
1 block
College Essay:
Prewriting
Read samples of College Essays together as a class. Discuss effective and ineffective
strategies for writing the College Essay.
Write the rough draft for next class.
1
College Essay: Draft
Workshop drafts.
Final Essay due next class.
College Prep - American Literature
Summer 2012
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Planned Course of Study
Resources for this Unit
●
●
●
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The Things They Carried (Tim O’Brien)
O’Brien’s themes: http://themysteryoflove.org/loves_dark_side.php
NPR interview with O’Brien: ..http://www.pbs.org/newshour/art/blog/2010/04/wednesday-on-the-newshour-writer-tim-obri.
Angelou: http://voices.cla.umn.edu/artistpages/angelouMaya.php.
College Prep - American Literature
Summer 2012
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Planned Course of Study
Unit Title:
Unit Six: Grammar Unit
Unit
Overview:
This unit is to be integrated on a daily basis with the previous five units.
Students will practice grammar and usage skills through daily edits similar to
questions on the SAT. The teacher will also design mini-units to address more
complex problems.
Essential
Questions:
How does the knowledge and practice of grammar skills enable improved
writing skills?
Focus
Standards:
W.11-12.1-3
Key Unit
Terminology
active and passive voice; proper use of punctuation (commas, semi-colons,
colons); vary sentence structure; use phrases and clauses; recognize
dangling/misplaced modifiers; recognize and correct any shifts in verb, mood,
voice; use parallel structure; pronoun agreement.
Objectives
Learning Objectives - The student will...
Assessment Opportunities
Apply knowledge of standard English
grammar and usage to SAT practice edits.
Complete daily warm-ups.
Apply knowledge of standard English
grammar and usage to all writing.
Complete revisions using the “style” and
“conventions” domains of the writing rubric.
Sequence of Teaching and Learning
Number of
lessons / blocks
Lesson Topic(s)
Lesson Activities
Ongoing
Active and passive voice
Practice in daily edits; integration of minilessons; apply to all writing.
Ongoing
Commas, semi-colons,
colons
Practice in daily edits; integration of minilessons; apply to all writing.
Ongoing
Phrases and clauses
(misplaced modifiers)
Practice in daily edits; integration of minilessons; apply to all writing.
Ongoing
Parallel structure and
agreement
Practice in daily edits; integration of daily
mini-lessons; apply to all writing.
College Prep - American Literature
Summer 2012
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Planned Course of Study
Resources for this Unit
College Prep - American Literature
Summer 2012
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Saucon Valley School District
Planned Course of Study
Unit Title:
Unit Seven: Vocabulary Unit (F: 1-10)
Unit Overview:
Although this unit is written as a separate component, it is meant to be taught
simultaneously with the preceding six units in order to extend reading, writing,
speaking, and listening skills.
Essential
Questions:
Use appropriate strategies to determine and clarify meaning of vocabulary in
fiction and nonfiction.
Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text,
including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings; analyze the
cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone.
Focus
Standards:
RL.11-12.1
RI.11-12.1
Key Unit
Terminology
Prefix, suffix, root word, context clue, synonym, antonym, part of speech,
pronunciation, connotation, denotation, literal, figurative, affix
Objectives
Learning Objectives - The
student will...
Assessment Opportunities
Identify and/or apply a synonym
or antonym of a word used in a
text.
Student assessment is ongoing throughout each of the 10
units. Students are assessed based on their understanding
of the skills necessary to complete the book exercises, the
extension activities, the writing responses as well as the
formative quizzes and summative tests.
Identify how the meaning of a
word is changed when an affix
is added; identify the meaning
of a word with an affix from a
text.
Use context clues to determine
or clarify the meaning of
unfamiliar, multiple meaning, or
ambiguous words.
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Summer 2012
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Planned Course of Study
Sequence of Teaching and Learning
Number of
lessons /
blocks
Lesson Topic(s)
.5
Practicing the Meaning of
the Words for
Understanding
.5
Assessment (ongoing)
Lesson Activities
●
Teachers may choose to have students
create a vocabulary card for each
vocabulary word following a teacherdesigned rubric.
●
Students write original sentences with
context clues highlighted.
●
Students make crossword puzzles online,
print them and exchange for peer to
practice words.
●
Students use Sadlier-Oxford online
resources for review.
●
The mastery of each unit will be completed
with a test assessing the 20 words per unit.
Teachers may choose to use cumulative
assessment.
●
Resources for this Unit
● Sadlier-Oxford Vocabulary Workshop—Level F (1-10)
● Sadlier-Oxford Vocabulary Workshop—Level F—Test Generator
Appendix
See Common Core Standards for English Language Arts
See PA Writing Rubrics
See PA Department of Education Standards Aligned Systems
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Summer 2012
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