Download SYLLABUS: AMERICAN LITERATURE INSTRUCTOR: KIM

SYLLABUS: AMERICAN LITERATURE
INSTRUCTOR: KIM MCGUIRT
ROOM: 214
PHONE: 706-778-7161
EMAIL: [email protected]
Course Objectives:
The objectives of this course include developing students’ understanding of the
history and cultural progress of America through literature conveying the perceptions
and experiences of American authors. Students will analyze the evolution of literature
reflective of American literary periods from the Puritan era through Modern times.
Students will also continue building their vocabulary, grammar, and writing skills as well as
understand that diction, syntax, voice, and coherence must be aligned with their
audience and purpose for writing.
Note: The assignments listed below are aligned with the Georgia Dept. of Education’s
standards and frameworks for 11th grade literature and reflect the variety of skills that
students will need to be successful on the GHSGT and EOCT for this class.
Materials: 1 ½ “ binder, loose-leaf paper, pack of subject dividers, blue or black pens,
pencils, one 5-pack of highlighters. Flash drive optional.
Policies:
 All students should be prepared for class, on time and with materials
 Respect should always be shown to teacher and classmates
 No electronic devices are permitted. If visible, they will be taken up and given to
the appropriate administrator
 The school tardy and attendance policies will be enforced. Note that excessive
absences and tardies will in all probability negatively impact your grade.
 Make-up work must be completed within 5 DAYS on an EXCUSED absence to
avoid earning a zero for missed assignments
 Late work will be accepted with a 20 point deduction for each day the
assignment is overdue
 Notebooks will be turned in at the end of the semester for a test grade
 There will only be ONE extra credit opportunity for the semester… listed below.
 Any attempt at cheating, copying, or plagiarism will result in automatic zeroes
and the assignments can not be made up
** one-and-only extra credit opportunity: Read The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and
complete anecdotal scripting of entire novel. You will turn these in immediately prior to
starting the unit on Huckleberry Finn.
Student signature: _____________________
Parent/Guardian signature: __________________
American Literature
Course Guide
Unit 1: The Colonial Period through Revolutionary Period (5 weeks)
Standards:
ELAALRL1: Demonstrates comprehension by identifying evidence and main ideas in a variety of
texts representative of different genres
ELAALRL2: Identifies, analyzes and applies knowledge of theme in a work of American literature
ELAALRL3: Deepens understanding of literary works by relating them to their contemporary context
or historical background
ELAALRL5: understands and acquires new vocabulary
ELA11W1: produces writing that establishes an appropriate structure, sets a context, engages the
reader, and maintains a coherent focus
ELA11W2: demonstrates competence in a variety of genres
ELA11W3: uses research and technology to support writing
ELA11W4: practices both timed and process writing and uses the writing process to develop, revise,
and evaluate writing
ELA11RC1: reads a minimum of 25 grade-level appropriate books of book equivalents
ELA11RC2: participates in discussions related to curricular learning
ELA11RC3: acquires new vocabulary in each content area
ELA11RC4: establishes a context for information acquired by reading across subject areas
ELA11C1: demonstrates understanding and control of the rules of the English language
ELA11C2: demonstrates understanding of manuscript form, realizing that different forms of writing
require different formats
ELA11LSV1: participates in student, teach, and group verbal interactions
ELA11LSV2: formulates reasoned judgments about written and oral communication in various
media genres
Introduction of characteristics of Colonial and Revolutionary Periods/
power points
Colonial Journal: William Bradford
 from Of Plymouth Plantation: purpose, context, diction, point of
view, tone and theme
Colonial Poetry: Anne Bradstreet
 “To My Dear and Loving Husband”: discussion of “How to Read
Poetry”; purpose, context, diction, point of view, tone, theme,
anaphora, couplets/end rhyme, internal rhyme, hyperbole,
paradox, alliteration, assonance
 “Upon the Burning of Our House”: context, diction, point of view,
tone, anaphora, couplets/end rhyme, alliteration, assonance,
imagery, allusion, theme, narrative poetry
Colonial Speech: Jonathan Edwards
 “Sinners in the Hands of An Angry God”: context, diction, point of
view, tone, repetition, imagery, metaphor, simile, theme
Film: The Crucible
 analyze the aesthetic effects of background, camera angle, color,
layout, and lighting of the first few minutes of the film as well as
aural techniques (music/volume); periodic discussions of
events/themes as movie plays
Writing Activity: analytical essay: MLA format and Works Cited, thesis
statements, first and third person voice, outlines, static v. dynamic
characters/ peer edits will address the above and use appropriate
diction, having an engaging voice, using active voice action verbs
**Read Washington Irving’s “Rip Van Winkle”: background notes, study
guide, quiz, satire of The Odyssey, allegory, frame story
Paper Discussions: notes during writing, overall notes on papers
Revolutionary Speech: Patrick Henry
 “Speech at the Virginia Convention”: purpose, context, tone, ethos,
logos, bandwagon appeal, rhetorical questions, allusions
Revolutionary Speech: Thomas Paine
 “The American Crisis”: purpose, context, tone, aphorisms, allusions,
imagery, analogies, metaphor, rhetorical questions
Writing Activity: persuasive letters
 “Introducing Pathos, Ethos, and Logos”: self and peer edits. Peer
edits will address writing voice, sentence structure, diction,
maintaining verb tense
Group activity: Debates from Scholastics Upfront magazines
 each group will read both sides of a contemporary issue
determining the persuasive strategies used for each side: claims, big
names, logos, pathos, ethos, kairos, and research (one turned in per
group)/ discussion “How do you make a presentation as effective
as possible?”
Group presentations: propaganda techniques used to persuade
 study of “How to Detect Propaganda”/ media research into
political ads or current, controversial issues, groups will present video
clips to class analyzing the propaganda techniques used to
persuade AND analyze the visual images that contribute to the
message. Each group must turn in a MLA Works Cited with written
work.
 Peer evaluations of each group member’s contribution
 PRACTICE TIMED WRITING FOR UPCOMING GHSGWT
BENCHMARK TEST #1
Unit 2: The Romantic Period (4 ½ weeks)
Standards:
ELAALRL1: Demonstrates comprehension by identifying evidence and main ideas in a variety of
texts representative of different genres
ELAALRL3: Deepens understanding of literary works by relating them to their contemporary context
or historical background
ELAALRL4: employs a variety of writing genres to demonstrate a grasp of significant ides in
sophisticated literary works
ELAALRL5: understands and acquires new vocabulary
ELA11W1: produces writing that establishes an appropriate structure, sets a context, engages the
reader, and maintains a coherent focus
ELA11W2: demonstrates competence in a variety of genres
ELA11W3: uses research and technology to support writing
ELA11W4: practices both timed and process writing and uses the writing process to develop, revise,
and evaluate writing
ELA11RC1: reads a minimum of 25 grade-level appropriate books of book equivalents
ELA11RC2: participates in discussions related to curricular learning
ELA11RC3: acquires new vocabulary in each content area
ELA11RC4: establishes a context for information acquired by reading across subject areas
ELA11C1: demonstrates understanding and control of the rules of the English language
ELA11LSV1 : participates in student, teach, and group verbal interactions
Introduction of characteristics of American Romanticism powerpoint and
handout
Romantic Poetry: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, James Russell Lowell,
Oliver Wendell Holmes
Group activity: poetry analysis
 read “The Tide Rises, the Tide Falls”, “The First Snowfall”, and “Old
Ironsides”/ analyze each poem by identifying the context, purpose,
and tone of each as well as examples of personification, extended
metaphor, end rhyme, assonance, alliteration, consonance, simile,
synecdoche, symbolism and allusion. Must also identify the
Romantic characteristics each poem expresses; one will serve as a
test grade
Romantic Short Stories: Nathaniel Hawthorne
 “Rappaccini’s Daughter”: context, reading guide (character,
setting, symbolism, simile, irony, allusions, plot events); differentiated
lesson plan allows for more advanced activities that earn students
more test points. Also, a discussion of Romantic characteristics in
story
Romantic Short Stories: Edgar Allan Poe
 “The Fall of the House of Usher”: context, reading guide (setting,
mood, symbolism, irony, plot events) and discussion of Romantic
characteristics present in story
Writing Activity: analytical essay w/ MLA format, in-text citations,
embedding quotations, and Works Cited
 Vampirism in “The Fall of the House of Usher”/ power point
 Peer edits: writing voice, diction, sentence structure, parallelism
 Paper Discussions: notes taken while writing; overall notes on papers
Transcendentalism: Ralph Waldo Emerson
 “Self Reliance”: discuss American Romantic characteristics and
Transcendentalism; read work and divide questions among rows/
everyone completes vocabulary; regroup rows and complete
questions; discuss arguable topic sentences and paraphrasing
Transcendentalism: Henry David Thoreau
 “Resistance to Civil Government”: read work and divide questions
among rows; regroup rows and complete questions; discuss the
three sections of essay and ethos, logos, and pathos
** Read Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail”)/ complete
questions by rows/ discuss (analogy, allusions, ethos, logos, pathos);
illustrate similarities and differences between Thoreau and King
BENCHMARK TEST #2
Unit 3: Realism (6 weeks)
Standards:
ELAALRL1: Demonstrates comprehension by identifying evidence and main ideas in a variety of
texts representative of different genres
ELAALRL2: Identifies, analyzes and applies knowledge of theme in a work of American literature
ELAALRL3: Deepens understanding of literary works by relating them to their contemporary context
or historical background
ELAALRL5: understands and acquires new vocabulary
ELA11W1: produces writing that establishes an appropriate structure, sets a context, engages the
reader, and maintains a coherent focus
ELA11W2: demonstrates competence in a variety of genres
ELA11W4: practices both timed and process writing and uses the writing process to develop, revise,
and evaluate writing
ELA11RC1: reads a minimum of 25 grade-level appropriate books of book equivalents
ELA11RC2: participates in discussions related to curricular learning
ELA11RC3: acquires new vocabulary in each content area
ELA11RC4: establishes a context for information acquired by reading across subject areas
ELA11C1: demonstrates understanding and control of the rules of the English language
ELA11LSV1 : participates in student, teach, and group verbal interactions
Introduction of characteristics of Realism
Realist short story: Kate Chopin
 “The Story of An Hour”: context, purpose, audience, theme, and
verbal, situational, and dramatic irony
Film: The Twilight Zone
o Episode: “Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” (suspense,
flashback, imagery)
Regional novel: Mark Twain
 students watch A & E biography of Mark Twain and complete
background guide
 students complete Huck Finn work stations: analyzing Countee
Cullen’s “Incident”, political cartoons, the prologue to the novel,
and mapping the Mississippi.
 discussion of advantages/disadvantages of living without adult
supervision
Writing Activity: expository: Group definition of Racism and discussion/
post all responses on walls
 Peer Evaluations of contribution of group members
Film: PBS Born to Trouble about the controversy of Huck Finn and the
impending lawsuit one parent from Tempe, Arizona brings forth
 read the novel, complete study questions, take quizzes
 literary devices: symbolism, river as controlling image, irony, various
forms of freedom, stereotyping, satire, vernacular language,
understatement, underlying meaning, multiple themes: the
deformed conscience, freedom v. slavery, friendship, religion v.
hypocrisy, the gullibility of man, coming-of-age story, episodic novel
 read articles and complete questionnaire about “Huck Finn’s
Controversial End”/discuss
 archetypes: Trace the hero’s journey in Huck Finn
 Unit test
Naturalism-short story: Stephen Crane
 “The Open Boat”: annotating a text, theme, primary and secondary
themes, how motifs, imagery, diction, syntax are used to express
mood, context vocabulary, third person omniscient and third
person limited narrative styles, personification, how stereotypes
devitalize humankind, irony, redundancy to achieve a narrative
purpose, compare/contrast fictional and non-fictional accounts of
same event, metaphor, simile, symbolism
 read “The Sinking of the Commodore”- the journalistic account of
the event that inspired his short story
Writing activity: Reflective Expository Essay (forerunner to college
application essay)
 A focused essay revealing the significance of an event in their lives.
 Peer edits: spelling, grammatical structure, diction, voice, level of
engagement
 Paper discussions: notes taken while writing; overall comments
about papers
BENCHMARK TEST #3
Unit 4: Modernism/ The Harlem Renaissance (2 weeks)
Standards:
ELAALRL1: Demonstrates comprehension by identifying evidence and main ideas in a variety of
texts representative of different genres
ELAALRL2: Identifies, analyzes and applies knowledge of theme in a work of American literature
ELAALRL3: Deepens understanding of literary works by relating them to their contemporary context
or historical background
ELAALRL5: understands and acquires new vocabulary
ELA11RC1: reads a minimum of 25 grade-level appropriate books of book equivalents
ELA11RC2: participates in discussions related to curricular learning
ELA11RC3: acquires new vocabulary in each content area
ELA11RC4: establishes a context for information acquired by reading across subject areas
ELA11LSV1: participates in student, teach, and group verbal interactions
Introduction of characteristics of Modernism and Harlem Renaissance/
power point
 Harlem Renaissance novel: Zora Neale Hurston
 background notes
 read novel, complete study guide questions, take quizzes
 literary devices: frame story, folk tradition, feminism, vernacular
language, setting, characterization, point of view, imagery
foreshadowing, irony, symbolism, metaphor, chronological order
 complete visual graphs characterizing the main characters
 cross-cultural references: similarities between Chopin and Hurston;
similarities and differences between Jim and male characters in this
novel
 Unit test
Film: Their Eyes Were Watching God
**Review of literary periods power point prior to EOCT
** Practice EOCT test prior to EXAM
BENCHMARK #4: EOCT