Rachel Shaba
SED 428
December 4th, 2013
A Novels Impact on American Society During the Romantic Era
Table of Contents
Unit Grade Level & Estimated Time-Span of Unit………...……………………….Page 3
Unit Overview and Rationale……………………………………………………….Page 3
Student Objectives……………………………………………………………….….Page 4
Common Core State Standards………………………………………………….…..Page 4
Detailed Lesson Plans for Week One………………………………………….. Pages 5-12
Day 1……………………………………………………….………………...……….Pages
5&6
Day 2……………………………………………………….………………………...….Pages
7-9
Day 3……………………………………………………….…………………………...….Page 10
Day 4……………………………………………………….……………………………....Page 11
Day 5……………………………………………………….………………………………Page 12
Detailed Lesson Plans for Week Two……………………………………..…. Pages 13-20
Day 6……………………………………………………….…………………...……….Pages
13
Day 7……………………………………………………….………………..………...….Pages
14
Day 8……………………………………………….…………………………...….Page 15
& 16
Day 9………………………………………………….……………………………....Pages
17-19
Day 10……………………………………………………….……………………..………Page 20
Detailed Lesson Plans for Week Three………………………………………. Pages 21-28
Day 11…………………………..………………………….…………………..….Pages
21 & 22
Day 12…………………………...………………………….……………….....….Pages
23 & 24
Day 13………………...…………………………….………………………………......….Page 25
Day 14………………………………………………….………………………………....Pages
Day 15……………………………………………………….……………………Page 27
26
& 28
Detailed Lesson Plans for Week Four……………………………..…………. Pages 29-34
Day 16…………………………..………………………….………………….…..….Pages
Day 17 & 18…………………...………………………….……………...….....….Pages
29-31
32 & 33
Day 19 & 20………...…………………………….………………………...………......….Page 34
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Grade Levels: This unit can be taught to honors 10th grade American Literature students
and/or 11th grade American Literature students.
Estimated time-span of Unit: The span of time this unit covers is four weeks of five full
days per week. This is following a 72-minute class period day.
Unit Overview: The unit’s goal is to begin exploration of American Culture during the
Romantic Era, specifically 1800-1850. Transcendentalism is explored through writings
such as Emerson’s Self Reliance piece and John Turner’s drawing of Dido Building
Carthage. This introduction provides a means of context for students to understand the
events and movements leading up to the publication of the novel they read, The Scarlet
Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne. This unit covers the entire reading of the novel. Students
read the novel at home and discussions of the chapters take place during class periods.
This unit entails 1 reading quiz, reading handouts, a grammar/vocab mini-lesson, a
writer’s workshop for a critical analysis essay, and the viewing of the film Easy A.
Unit Rationale: The theory behind the major writing assessment, which is a critical
analysis essay, is that students have had thorough practice with writing critically in the
ninth grade. This assignment occurs in the first section of Honors English. Students are
able to have the opportunity to improve their analytical skills through this essay with a
more complex text. Students will have the foundation of writing critically as a foundation
and this assignment is meant to build off of that foundation. This assignment also forces
students to think about a difficult text critically; if they don’t understand aspects of the
novel, they will not be able to write critically on it. This forces students to engage in the
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context and desire an understanding of the text, as they know they have to write a major
essay on one of the novel’s themes.
Resources1. “Teaching English by Design” by Peter Smagorinsky
2. Troy High School Unit
3. The English Journal
Student Objectives:

Students will be able to participate in class discussions that incorporate close
readings of the text.

Students will be able to write critically on a high level text.

Students will be able to connect a novel with the movements of the time period it
is written.

Students will be able to connect secondary texts of the same time period to a
novel.

Students will be able to analyze an author’s motive throughout his or her
portrayal of their characters.
Common Core Standards: The following standards apply to the lessons in this unit:
CCSS.ELA- Literacy.RL.11-12.1: Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support
analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text,
including determining where the text leaves matters uncertain.
CCSS.ELA- Literacy.RL.11-12.3: Analyze the impact of the author’s choices regard
CCSS.ELA- Literacy.RL.11-12.2: Determine two or more themes or central ideas of a
text and analyze their development over the course of the text, including how they
interact and build on one another to produce a complex account; provide an objective
summary of the text.
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Week 1
Day 1 (Monday)
 Before Reading Lessons
Instructional Sequence- 72 minute Lesson
1. Offer students time to give their pre-notions of the romantic era of the United
States. Ask students what they already know? What do they believe this era was
about? (15 minutes)
2. Use students’ pre-notions of the time to transfer into a critical viewing of a
drawing from the time. Allow students to examine it and make assumptions about
the picture. (15 minutes)
3. Explain the drawing, who drew it, why it correlates with the ideals of the time.
(10 minutes)
4. Give students the context of the time period the Scarlet Letter was written.
Discuss the American Romantic movement. Explain to students the origins of the
Romantics and why they reacted against the neoclassical age. Explain the ideals
of the Romantics. (30 minutes)
Materials: Image below by Joseph Mallord William Turner.
Image taken from:
http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/joseph-mallord-william-turner-didobuilding-carthage
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Dido Building Carthage- 1815
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Day 2 (Tuesday)
Instructional Sequence- 72 minute Lesson
1. Pass out handout for transcendentalism. (see materials) -5 minutes
2. Read through the handout together as a class. (20 minutes)
3. Ask students to get out there notes of their pre-notions written the day prior. Have
students spend time comparing their notions of the time to the handout
explanation of transcendentalism. Are there similarities? Differences? Discuss as
a class. (20 minutes)
4. Ask students if anything in the handout reminds them of the drawing they viewed
the day prior. If so what strikes a cord? What is similar? Discuss as a class and
show image again if desired. (20 minutes)
Materials: Transcendentalism Handout attached below.
Hand out was taken from:
http://www.walden.org/documents/file/Teacher%20Guide%20to%20Transcendentalism.
pdf
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5.
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6.
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Day 3 (Wednesday)
Instructional Sequence -72 minutes
1. Hand out Scarlet Letter books to students. (10 Minutes)
2. Before students have read any part of the book, have students turn the
beginning of the book and read the introduction as a class. (40 minutes)
3. After reading the part or the entire introduction within the time given, have
students discuss the following questions as a class. (20 minutes)
A. What is Hawthorne introducing to his readers?
B. What do you perceive the book is going to be about solely based on the
introduction? What makes you think that? Be specific and point to where
in the text that is insinuated.
C. What questions arise in your mind as a reader just from the introduction of
this text?
D. Does this introduction demonstrate transcendentalism? If so how? How
does this connect to the times it was written?
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Day 4 (Thursday)
 Intro activities
Instructional Sequence -72 minutes
1. Hand out Emerson’s Self Reliance piece. (5 minutes)
2. Give students time to read this first half of this piece silently. Have students
highlight, underline, and note interesting aspects of the essay as they read. (35
minutes)
3. Ask students what it was they found interesting, underlined, and highlighted.
Discuss the essay and do a close reading of sections that evoke new ideas. (30
minutes)
Materials: Emerson’s Self Reliance first half. A copy of this writing can be found at:
http://www.emersoncentral.com/selfreliance.html
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Day 5 (Friday)
Instructional Sequence -72 minutes
1. Hand out Emerson’s Self Reliance piece part 2. (5 minutes)
2. Give students time to read the second half of the piece silently. Have students
highlight, underline, and note interesting aspects of the essay as they read. (35
minutes)
3. Ask students what it was they found interesting, underlined, and highlighted.
Discuss the essay and do a close reading of sections that evoke new ideas. Discuss
what the overarching theme of the essay is. Why do you think so? What does it
mean to be self reliant according to Emerson? (30 minutes)
Materials: Emerson’s Self Reliance second half. A copy of this writing can be found at:
http://www.emersoncentral.com/selfreliance.htm
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Week 2
Day 6 (Monday)
 During Reading Lessons
Instructional Sequence- 72 minute Lesson
1. Students begin reading the novel in class. The class will start with an audio
version of the text reading chapter one. The close reading of certain passages will
be scaffolded throughout the class period by the teacher as the class reads through
the first couple of chapters. Students will then have an idea of what to look for as
they read on their own at home. (72 minutes)
2. Anything not finished in class is homework through chapter 3 of the novel.
Materials: students’ copies of books and plain paper.
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Day 7 (Tuesday)
Instructional Sequence- 72 minute Lesson
1. Students will respond to this journal prompt:
Who says, “If thou feelest it to be for thy soul’s peace, and that thy earthly
punishment will thereby be made more effectual to salvation, I charge thee to
speak out the name of they fellow-sinner and fellow-sufferer! Be not silent from
any mistaken pity and tenderness for him; for, believe me, Hester, though he were
to step down from a high place, and stand there beside thee, on they pedestal of
shame, yet better it were so, than to hide a guilty heart through life”? What is the
context of this quote in the book? What is this character trying to say in this
quote? (20 minutes)
2. Discuss what students wrote for their journals. (15 minutes)
3. Do a close reading of the dialogue on page 77 in Chapter 3. Ask students what
they notice about the conversation being spoken. What is Hester’s reaction here
when she is being questioned? (25 minutes)
4. Ask students if they have questions or parts of what they’ve read they would like
to discuss. (10 minutes)
5. Students read chapters 4-6 for homework.
Materials: Students need their books and plain paper.
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Day 8 (Wednesday)
Instructional Sequence- 72 minute Lesson
1. Discuss chapters 4-6. What is going on with Hester in these chapters? Do we
meet any new characters? Are there moments of romanticism in these chapters?
(20 minutes)
2. Do a close read of passages on pages 84-85 and 98. (30 minutes)
3. Hand out character analysis chart for the Scarlet Letter. Have students fill out
what they can based on their reading thus far. (20 minutes)
4. Students read pages 7-9 for homework.
Materials: Character Analysis chart. (See attached) Chart can be found at:
http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=9&ved=0CGYQFjAI&url=http%3
A%2F%2Fwww.troyhigh.com%2Fapps%2Fdownload%2F9VkpYvbiduXGBJ8i3Nh95u0On8FgryE6tp3zut
LLFlms5NGu.doc%2FThe%2520Scarlet%2520Letter%2520Packet.doc&ei=JCWaUt2kF4fboASN4YLID
A&usg=AFQjCNHvy6NncEMXjUT2VFrEXP8n-QiPQw&bvm=bv.57155469,d.cGU
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Character Chart
As you read The Scarlet Letter, complete the following log based on the characters
assigned to you. You will study each character in detail. This is a long-term project
which you will complete every night with your assigned reading. I will check it each day
and stamp it for new entries completed. The information you record in your chart will
culminate in another activity when we complete the novel. Be disciplined and
thoughtful in your work.
Character: Hester Prynne
Chapter /
Page
Significant Action /
Significant Statement
Insight into Character
Provided by Action and
Statement
Personal Reaction to
Character
Character: Pearl
Chapter /
Page
Significant Action /
Significant Statement
Insight into Character
Provided by Action and
Statement
Personal Reaction to
Character
Character: Roger Chillingworth
Chapter /
Page
Significant Action /
Significant Statement
Insight into Character
Provided by Action and
Statement
Personal Reaction to
Character
Character: Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale
Chapter /
Page
Significant Action /
Significant Statement
Insight into Character
Provided by Action and
Statement
Personal Reaction to
Character
Handout by: Mrs. Lutes/Troy High School
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Day 9 (Thursday)
Instructional Sequence- 72 minute Lesson
1. Handout reading quiz for chapters 1-9. (5 minutes)
2. Students take quiz. (30 minutes)
3. Discuss chapters 7-9. How has the story evolved through these chapters? Is there
a passage that you need clarification on? Permit time for student questions. (35
minutes)
4. Students read chapters 10-12 for homework.
Materials: Quiz- Chapters 1-9. (See attached)
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Honors Composition
The Scarlet Letter
Quiz 1 Chapters 1-9
Name:
Directions: Choose the response that BEST answers each question.
1.
In the opening chapter, the narrator explains that the early settlers of the New England area
immediately established a prison and a cemetery upon arrival to the New World. What does this
say about the Puritan beliefs about the nature of humanity?
a. People could be reformed through the threat of harsh punishment.
b. Two certainties exist in this world, and one of them is that it is human nature to be
inherently sinful.
c. Humankind tends to be sympathetic to those who experience death and to those who are
victims of sin.
d. God will mercifully take care of those who sin, or those who have passed away.
2.
Who says, “If thou feelest it to be for thy soul’s peace, and that thy earthly punishment will
thereby be made more effectual to salvation, I charge thee to speak out the name of they fellowsinner and fellow-sufferer! Be not silent from any mistaken pity and tenderness for him; for,
believe me, Hester, though he were to step down from a high place, and stand there beside thee, on
they pedestal of shame, yet better it were so, than to hide a guilty heart through life”?
a. Roger Chillingworth
b. Governor Billingham
c. A woman in the crowd
d. Arthur Dimmesdale
3.
Chillingworth is described as:
a. A snake, with “a writhing horror. . . gliding swiftly over [his features]”
b. A fox, “quietly awaiting the proper moment to present himself”
c. A tiger, “searching its next victim in the crowd”
d. A crow, “perched on the balcony with blackened authority”
4.
Where does Chillingworth meet Hester to talk with her?
a. Outside the cemetery
b. Inside the prison
c. On the platform
d. On the street
5.
What secret does Chillingworth ask Hester to keep?
a. The name of her baby’s father
b. That he knows who the father is
c. That he is not really a doctor
d. That he is her husband
6.
How does the public come to view Hester’s needlework?
a. They continue to scorn her handiwork.
b. They refuse to purchase her wares, because they don’t want to support her financially.
c. Her needlework becomes the fashion of the day, and even people in high society wore it.
d. Nobody cares for the style, but admire Hester’s dedication to her craft.
7.
Why does Hester choose to name her daughter “Pearl”?
a. Hester believes her daughter is as beautiful as a pearl.
b. There is a simple innocence to the child.
c. Hester paid a great price to have Pearl.
d. Hester’s grandmother, whom she adored, was also named Pearl.
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8.
Hester comes to find herself
a. the subject of sermons about sin
b. afraid to walk in the woods alone
c. longing to run away to England
d. seeking the company of women to comfort her
9.
What is Hester’s true motive for going to the Governor’s hall?
a. She heard people wanted to take her child from her.
b. To deliver a pair of gloves.
c. To seek commutation of her sentence.
d. She believed the Governor would be sympathetic to her suffering.
10. When Hester is released from jail, she goes to live on the outskirts of the town. What theme is
best supported by this example?
a. True repentance must come from within.
b. Guilt can destroy a person, body and soul.
c. Sin isolates the sinner from society.
d. Sin victimizes even those innocent of sin.
11. What response does Pearl offer Mr. Wilson when he asks her “Who made thee?”
a. The Heavenly Father
b. She was plucked from a rose bush by her mother
c. Her mother found her in woods near a brook
d. The doctor mixed a potion of apple-peru and burdock weeds
12. What gesture does Dimmesdale repeatedly make in the novel?
a. He places his hand over his heart.
b. He folds his hands together in prayer.
c. He beckons Pearl to give him a hug.
d. He covers his eyes with his hands.
13. What changes in Dimmesdale’s appearance do his parishioners and other townspeople notice?
a. His is losing his hair rapidly.
b. His cheeks are pale and thin.
c. His voice is frequently trembling.
d. Both b and c
14. Once Dimmesdale and Chillingworth begin living together, what change in Chillingworth’s
appearance do some people notice?
a. Chillingworth is standing more upright, not with one shoulder higher than the other.
b. Chillingworth has lost a great deal of weight.
c. Chillingworth’s face has gone from looking calm and meditative to something sinister.
d. Chillingworth’s clothes have become much more fashionable.
15. Pearl is considered an outcast, even at the tender age of 3 years old. What idea is Hawthorne
reinforcing with this example?
a. True repentance must come from within.
b. Guilt can destroy a person, body and soul.
c. Sin educates the sinner.
d. Sin victimizes even those innocent of sin.
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Day 10 (Friday)
Instructional Sequence- 72 minute Lesson
 Unconventional Writing Assignment
1. Students respond to the following journal prompt:
How does Hester Prynne exemplify having a self-reliant nature? Look
through your text and provide two examples that support your answer. (15
minutes)
2. Discuss students’ responses to the prompt. Turn to pages students referenced for
their reasoning. Do close readings of the passages and analyze whether or not
Hester does exhibit this nature in the passage. ( 20 minutes)
3. Discuss other aspects of chapters 10-12. What changes occur in the plot? What
changes occur in the characters we know? (20 minutes)
4. Give students time to read/fill out their character analysis chart. (15 minutes)
5. Students read chapters 13-15 for homework.
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Week 3
Day 11 (Monday)
 Grammar mini-lesson
Instructional Sequence- 72 minutes
1. Students respond to the following journal prompt:

How is the theme “The dangers of being passionate in Puritan society”
alluded to in the reading thus far in the novel? Use at least two references
to the text. (15 minutes)
2. Discuss student responses to the journal prompt. Go to passages in the novel
students reference that this theme prevalent. (20 minutes)
3. Discuss chapters 13-15. How has the plot of the novel changed with these two
chapters’? How does Hawthorne make an impact on the reader? What aspects if
any of transcendentalism does students notice? Guide students to passages for
close-readings as discussion progresses. (20 minutes)
4. Do a mini grammar/vocab lesson for the remainder of the class. Hand out a list of
vocabulary terms found in the novel. Ask students to review the words with a
partner. Are there other words students came across that they didn’t recognize? If
so, have students add them to the back of the handout.
5. Students read chapters 16-19 for homework.
Materials: Vocabulary Handout. (see attached) Students need their books and plain
paper.
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Name:____________________________________
Scarlet Letter Vocabulary
Chapters 10-12
1. demerits (n.): punishments for wrongdoing
2. ethereal (adj.): light or airy; tenuous; extremely delicate or refined
3. expiation (n.): the means by which atonement or reparation is made
4. inextricable (adj.): incapable of being disentangled, undone, loosed, or solved;
hopelessly intricate, involved, or perplexing
5. inimical (adj.): harmful; hostile; unfriendly
6. ominous (adj.): foreboding; threatening; portending to evil or harm
7. portent (n.): ominous significance; an indication or omen of something momentous
about to happen
8. scurrilous (adj.): insulting; offensive; vulgar; grossly or obscenely abusive
9. somnambulism (n.): sleepwalking; performing acts while asleep
10. zenith (n.): the highest point or state; culmination; the point in the sky directly above
the observer
Chapters 13-15
1. asperity (n.): harshness; severity in tone; roughness
2. austerity (n.): stern coldness in appearance and manner; without excess or
ornamentation
3. despotic (adj.): holding absolute power; autocratic; tyrannical
4. effluence (n.): something that flows out; emanation; outward expression
5. enigma (n.): a person of contradicting or puzzling character; riddle; problem
6. gibe (n.): mocking words; taunts
7. innate (adj.): existing in one from birth; inborn; native; originating in something; not
learned
8. petulant (adj.): showing sudden impatience or irritation
9. proffered (v.): offered or proposed for one’s acceptance or rejection
10. requital (n.): a return or reward for service; kindness
Chapters 16-18
1. colloquy (n.): a dialogue; conversational exchange; conference
2. consecration (n.): the act of giving sacramental character; dedication to the service
and worship of God; sacredness
3. denizen (n.): an inhabitant; resident
4. dryad (n.): a deity or nymph of the woods
5. harrowed (v.): disturbed keenly or painfully; distressed the mind
6. hillock (n.): a little hill
7. loquacity (n.): talkativeness; chattiness; state of talking freely
8. meditative (adj.): contemplative; deeply thoughtful
9. transmuting (v.): transforming; changing from one form to another
10. vestige (n.): a mark, trace or visible evidence of something that is no longer present
or in existence
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Day 12 (Tuesday)
Instructional Sequence- 72 minutes
1. Introduce the following themes to students. Let them know they will write a
critical analysis on one of these themes after they’ve finished the novel.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
h.
i.
j.
isolation of the sinner
the demonic nature of revenge
the frailty of man
hypocrisy of the Puritan society
the destructive forces of guilt on the sinner
the destructive forces of sin
the ways in which sin educates the sinner
the dangers of being passionate in Puritan society
how sin victimizes the innocent
the nature of the self-reliant individual
2. Take students through what they’ve read thus far and where they believe an
example of each theme may occur. (30 minutes)
3. Hand out close reading passages from chapter 16. Give students silent time to
read through the passages and answer the questions (20 minutes)
4. Discuss student responses and analyze passages together. (20 minutes)
5. Students read chapters 20 and 21 for homework.
Materials: The above themes on a PowerPoint. Students will need their books. Chapter
16 Handout. (see attached). This is a modified version of a Handout found at:
http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=9&ved=0CGYQFjAI&url=http%3
A%2F%2Fwww.troyhigh.com%2Fapps%2Fdownload%2F9VkpYvbiduXGBJ8i3Nh95u0On8FgryE6tp3zut
LLFlms5NGu.doc%2FThe%2520Scarlet%2520Letter%2520Packet.doc&ei=JCWaUt2kF4fboASN4YLID
A&usg=AFQjCNHvy6NncEMXjUT2VFrEXP8n-QiPQw&bvm=bv.57155469,d.cGU
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Name:_________________
The Hawthorne Trees
Reread chapters 16-19 carefully. Pay particular attention to the descriptions of the forest
in each chapter. Describe the mood that each chapter presents through its description of
the forest.
Chapter 16:
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________
Chapter 17:
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________
Chapter 18:
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________
Chapter 19:
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________
Answer the following questions on a separate the back of this sheet or a separate sheet of
paper.
1. What overall impression do you get about the forest based on your charting?
2. What differences do you see in the descriptions through the different chapters?
3. What impressions about nature does Hawthorne present with his descriptions of
the forest in these chapters?
4. What did you notice about the character’s actions and feelings while in the forest?
5. What changes take place in the character’s feelings? in personality?
6. How are these changes related to or reflected in the description of the forest?
7. What does Hawthorne wish you to know about the character by his presentation
in the forest scenes? How do you know this?
8. How has Hawthorne linked the forest scenes with his characters?
9. How has Hawthorne manipulated your reactions to his characters by placing
them in the forest?
10. What are some associations you have with the forest?
11. Of what might Hawthorne’s forest by symbolic?
12. In one sentence, describe a possible theme of the novel that was generated from
your study of the forest.
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Day 13 (Wednesday)
 Discussion activity
Instructional Sequence- 72 minutes
1. Discuss chapters 20 and 21 with students. Split the class in two. Have one half of
the class focus on chapter 20 and the other on 21. (10 minutes)
2. Ask students to find 3 crucial passages that explore the themes/add depth to the
plot. Each group member should have the themes noted in their notebook and
three important facts about the passage and its application to theme/plot. (35
minutes)
3. Discuss passages group one found in chapter 20. (12 minutes)
4. Discuss passage group two found in chapter 21. (12 minutes)
5. Students will read chapters 22-24 for homework
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Day 14 (Thursday)
Instructional Sequence- 72 minutes
1. Discuss the end of the novel. (Chapters 22-24) Do close readings of the end of the
book. How does Hawthorne complete his tale? What aspects of the end surprised
you? Explore Hester’s self-reliance throughout the novel. Is she truly self-reliant?
(55 minutes)
2. Allow students to direct the discussion by picking passages we haven’t yet
discussed as a class and they would like to. Permit students to ask questions
about any plot points they didn’t quite understand. (15 minutes)
Materials: students will need their copies of the book and plain paper for note-taking.
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Day 15 (Friday)
Instructional Sequence- 72 minutes
 After Reading Writings
1. Hand out secondary criticism’s handout to students. (5 minutes)
2. Discuss criticisms of the time the novel received. Discuss how those who rejected
Romanticism reacted to the novel. (20 minutes)
3. Read through handout of Arthur Coxe’s criticism. (20 minutes)
4. Discuss themes of the novel and whether the criticism coincides or differs from
the themes. (20 minutes)
5. Give time for questions students may have about romanticism, transcendentalism,
or other individualist theories emerging at the time. (10 minutes)
Materials: Criticism Handout. (see attached) Handout can be found at:
http://www.eldritchpress.org/nh/nhcoxe.html
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Review of The Scarlet Letter by Rev. Arthur Cleveland Coxe
From "The Writings of Hawthorne," Church Review, January, 1851, no. 3, pp. 489-511.
Why has our author selected such a theme? Why, amid all the suggestive incidents of life in a
wilderness; of a retreat from civilization to which, in every individual case, a thousand circumstances must
have concurred to reconcile human nature with estrangement from home and country; or amid the historical
connections of our history with Jesuit adventure, savage invasion, regicide outlawry, and French
aggression, should the taste of Mr. Hawthorne have preferred as the proper material for romance, the
nauseous amour of a Puritan pastor, with a frail creature of his charge, whose mind is represented as far
more debauched than her body? Is it, in short, because a running underside of filth has become as requisite
to a romance, as death in the fifth act to a tragedy? Is the French era actually begun in our literature? And is
the flesh, as well as the world and the devil, to be henceforth dished up in fashionable novels, and discussed
at parties, by spinsters and their beaux, with as unconcealed a relish as they give to the vanilla in their ice
cream? We would be slow to believe it, and we hope our author would not willingly have it so, yet we
honestly believe that "the Scarlet Letter" has already done not a little to degrade our literature, and to
encourage social licentiousness: it has started other pens on like enterprises, and has loosed the restraint of
many tongues, that have made it an apology for "the evil communications which corrupt good manners."
We are painfully tempted to believe that it is a book made for the market, and that the market has made it
merchantable, as they do game, by letting everybody understand that the commodity is in high condition,
and smells strongly of incipient putrefaction. We shall entirely mislead our reader if we give him to
suppose that "the Scarlet Letter" is coarse in its details, or indecent in its phraseology. This very article of
our own, is far less suited to ears polite, than any page of the romance before us; and the reason is, we call
things by their right names, while the romance never hints the shocking words that belong to its things, but,
like Mephistophiles, insinuates that the arch-fiend himself is a very tolerable sort of person, if nobody
would call him Mr. Devil. We have heard of persons who could not bear the reading of some Old
Testament Lessons in the service of the Church: such persons would be delighted with our author's story;
and damsels who shrink at the reading of the Decalogue, would probably luxuriate in bathing their
imagination in the crystal of its delicate sensuality. The language of our author, like patent blacking,
"would not soil the whitest linen," and yet the composition itself, would suffice, if well laid on, to Ethiopize
the snowiest conscience that ever sat like a swan upon that mirror of heaven, a Christian maiden's
imagination. We are not sure we speak quite strong enough, when we say, that we would much rather listen
to the coarsest scene of Goldsmith's "Vicar," read aloud by a sister or daughter, than to hear from such lips,
the perfectly chaste language of a scene in "the Scarlet Letter," in which a married wife and her reverend
paramour, with their unfortunate offspring, are introduced as the actors, and in which the whole tendency of
the conversation is to suggest a sympathy for their sin, and an anxiety that they may be able to accomplish a
successful escape beyond the seas, to some country where their shameful commerce may be perpetuated.
Now, in Goldsmith's story there are very coarse words, but we do not remember anything that saps the
foundations of the moral sense, or that goes to create unavoidable sympathy with unrepenting sorrow, and
deliberate, premeditated sin. The "Vicar of Wakefield" is sometimes coarsely virtuous, but "the Scarlet
Letter" is delicately immoral. But in Hawthorne's tale, the lady's frailty is philosophized into a natural and
necessary result of the Scriptural law of marriage, which, by holding her irrevocably to her vows, as
plighted to a dried up old book worm, in her silly girlhood, is viewed as making her heart an easy victim to
the adulterer. The sin of her seducer too, seems to be considered as lying not so much in the deed itself, as
in his long concealment of it, and, in fact, the whole moral of the tale is given in the words--"Be true--be
true," as if sincerity in sin were virtue, and as if "Be clean--be clean," were not the more fitting conclusion.
"The untrue man" is, in short, the hang-dog of the narrative, and the unclean one is made a very interesting
sort of a person, and as the two qualities are united in the hero, their composition creates the interest of his
character. Shelley himself never imagined a more dissolute conversation than that in which the polluted
minister comforts himself with the thought, that the revenge of the injured husband is worse than his own
sin in instigating it. "Thou and I never did so, Hester"--he suggests and she responds--"never, never! What
we did had a consecration of its own, we felt it so--we said so to each other!" This is a little too much--it
carries the Bay-theory a little too far for our stomach! "Hush, Hester!" is the sickish rejoinder; and fie, Mr.
Hawthorne! is the weakest token of our disgust that we can utter. The poor bemired hero and heroine of the
story should not have been seen wallowing in their filth, at such a rate as this.
Shaba 28
Week 4
Day 16 (Monday)
 A major writing assignment
 Assessment rubric
Instructional Sequence- 72 minutes
1. Hand out essay assignment for Scarlet Letter. Talk through each aspect of the
assignment thoroughly for students. Go through the rubric and explain to students
the means of which they will be graded for their work. Offer time for questions.
(20 minutes)
2. Give students time to brainstorm and and outline ideas they want to start drafting
with their essays. Also permit time for writing workshop with students one on one
who desire clarity once they begin working. (50 minutes).
3. Remind students this essay is due the following Monday.
Materials for this assignment: Handout Attached.
Shaba 29
Honors American Literature
The Scarlet Letter
Essay assignment
Due Date:
Assignment: Examine how Hawthorne uses one of his major characters to
explore a theme.
Characters: Hester, Chillingworth, Pearl, Dimmesdale
Possible themes:
 Sin isolates the sinner
 Sin educates the sinner
 Guilt can destroy a person, both in body and soul
 Sin victimizes those innocent of sin
 Revenge destroys both the victim and the seeker
The essay should be 3 to 5 pages in length, using 12-point regular font with
standard margins. Double-space the essay. Do not bold, underline, or use a
bigger font for your original title. Do not add extra spaces in between the
title and the opening paragraph, or between body paragraphs. Do not use “I”
or “you.”
Refer to the rubric printed on the reverse side of this sheet.
Shaba 30
Name: __________________________
Writing Rubric – Critical Analysis Essay
Honors American Lit
(adapted from the College Board Advanced Placement Rubric)
Score Description
These essays reflect an accurate and sensitive reading of the assigned topic and/or material.
Elaborate and richly developed details demonstrate an intelligent and perceptive response. The
student demonstrates and develops a sophisticated and clear focus for the essay through an
effective thesis and topic sentences and maintains coherence and consistency. The writing
A
shows stylistic maturity and an effective command of sentence structure and diction. The
writing need not be without flaws, but it reveals the writer’s ability to choose from and control a
wide range of the elements of effective writing.
These essays reflect an accurate understanding of the assigned topic, but they lack as much
detail and elaboration as the A essay. The thesis and topic sentences are strong, providing clear
focus, but not as sophisticated or developed as the A essay. Sufficient and developed details and
B
analysis clearly support the thesis. As well, the writing possesses strong style and command of
sentence structure and diction. The writing has flaws, but it reveals the writer’s ability to choose
from and control a range of the elements of effective writing.
These essays reflect an accurate literal understanding of the assigned topic but lack a sufficient
understanding of the implications and subtleties of the material to write about it with clarity,
persuasion, and insight. The thesis and/or topic sentences are too simple. Details and analysis
are present but often too vague, creating only basic support of the argument. These essays may
C
be adequately written, but they may reflect inconsistent control over style and organization.
Syntax and language may be overly simple in structure and meaning, creating a less mature
presentation.
These essays reflect a misunderstanding of the assigned topic, flaws in sentence clarity and style,
and/or flaws in organization and development. The writing may reflect confusion about the
main points of a passage or overly generalized, vague content. The essays omit detailed analysis
D
of the text or supply very little supporting details on the topic. The sentences may be confusing
or ineffectively worded, or style, syntax, and diction may be immature or uncontrolled.
These essays are generally unacceptably brief and/or poorly written.
E
Comments:
Score: _____
Shaba 31
Day 17 (Tuesday)
Instructional Sequence- 72 minutes
1. Take students to the computer lab to begin their rough drafts. They have the hour
to work on their papers. (72 minutes)
2. Rough drafts are due the following day. (Wednesday)
Materials: Students will need their books and notes to work on their papers. A computer
lab or laptop cart is needed for this assignment.
Day 18 (Wednesday)
 Peer review
Instructional Sequence- 72 minutes
1. Teacher will partner up students for peer review. (5 minutes)
2. Students will read rough draft of their peers and fill the peer review hand out. (2530 minutes)
3. Students will then exchange papers back and discuss there review of their peers
writing. (20 minutes, 10/partner)
4. Students will have time to re-read their own essay and make critics and changes
themselves. (15-20 minutes)
Materials: students will need their rough drafts of their essays. Peer review handout.
(See attached.) Handout can be found at:
http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CDAQF
jAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.writingcenter.uconn.edu%2Fdoc%2FCollab_Writing_
PEER_REVIEW_WORKSHEET.doc&ei=Ik2a
Shaba 32
Peer Review Worksheet
Name of author ________________ Name of reviewer__________________
1. Introduction: How does the first paragraph introduce both the paper’s topic
and the writer’s approach or general conclusion? Is the first sentence
attention-getting and relevant to the topic?
2. What can you identify as a thesis statement? Suggest, if possible, a way to
improve the introduction or thesis statement.
3. Structure: Can you identify the organization of the paper from the main idea of
each paragraph? What are the main concepts explored in the paper? Does
each paragraph make a relevant point that is distinct from what has already
been covered? What are the main conclusions?
4. Clarity/Style: Did you find distracting grammar, punctuation, spelling, or word
usage problems? Circle them and identify any patterns or themes you detect.
Is the tone of the essay formal? If you find awkward sentences, try to explain
why they don’t make sense to you.
What is/are the paper’s greatest strength(s)? Explain on the back of this sheet
Shaba 33
Day 19 (Thursday)
Instructional Sequence- 72 minutes
1. Students work through the period on their papers. (40 minutes)
2. One on one time to conference with the teacher is permitted during this class.
Each student will conference with the teacher for five minutes about any
questions they may have about their writing. (40 minutes)
3. Students will watch the beginning of the 2010 “Easy A” film produced by Zanne
Devine & Will Gluck. This lesson can be modified so students watch the 1995
film, Scarlet Letter, directed by Roland Joffe. (25 minutes)
Materials: Students will need their essays. The film “Easy A” is also needed to show
during this class period. Permission slips for the film may be needed.
Day 20 (Friday)
Instructional Sequence- 72 minutes
1. Students turn in their final essays. (5 minutes)
2. Students continue watching “Easy A” film. (67 minutes)
3. If time permits, discuss references or similarities between The Scarlet Letter
and Easy A. What modern day references are changed in the film that appear
in the novel? (10-15 minutes)
Materials: The film Easy A.
Shaba 34