Course Summary:
American Literature gives students the opportunity to learn about and appreciate the origins of the United States and to come to recognize how closely American literature is tied to the land and its history – two things which American value deeply.
Class Materials Needed:
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- Textbook - McDougal, Littell: Literature: American Literature
- Handouts from Levine’s Vocabulary for the College Bound Student and the Academic Word List (AWL)
- Notebook or section in notebook - college rule paper for taking notes
- Folder or binder for class handouts and homework
- Pens – at least one in blue or black ink – and a pencil. Red or neon colors are not acceptable for homework
- Longer works: chapters from Benjamin Franklin’s diary and Frederick Douglass’ Narrative of a Slave (on-line); The Scarlet Letter, The Red Badge of Courage, The Old Man and the Sea
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Assessment:
The final grade for this course will be based on points accumulated from:
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Quizzes |
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Homework |
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Journals and writing assignments |
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Presentations |
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Major projects |
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Unit and literature tests |
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Semester exams (worth 20% of your semester grade) |
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Extra credit will be offered periodically throughout each semester |
Course Sequence:
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Week 1 |
Introduction |
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Week 1-3 |
Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea |
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Week 3 |
The Native Americans |
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Week 4-6 |
The Puritans |
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- Introduction
- Smith, Bradford, Anonymous ,Bradstreet, Taylor, Edwards
- Articles on Salem witch trials
- Review and test
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Week 6-8 |
The American Revolution |
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- Introduction, the Age of Reason
- Franklin, Crevecouer, Jefferson, Adams’ correspondence, Wheatley
- Paine’s Common Sense
- Review and test
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Week 8-10 |
Developing a National Literature |
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- Introduction, Romanticism
- Native American
- The Short Story (Caitlin, Irving, Hawthorne, Poe)
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Week 11-12 |
Poetry (Poe, Longfellow, Bryant, Emerson) |
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Week 12-13 |
Emerson and transcendentalism |
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Week 13-14 |
Melville’s Bartleby |
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Week 14-15 |
Thoreau and Walden |
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Week 16-17 |
Writing college application essays |
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Week 17-18 |
Review and Midterm examination |
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Week 19-23 |
The Scarlet Letter |
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Week 24 |
Review and test |
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Week 24-26 |
A National Conscience |
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- Introduction, Lewis and Clark, Custer, Chief Joseph
- The Civil War (Douglass, Lincoln, Bierce, Harte, Crane)
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Week 27-30 |
Crane’s Red Badge of Courage |
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Week 30-31 |
Poetry (Dickinson, Whitman) |
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Week 32-35 |
The Short Story (Twain, Chopin, Cather, Bradbury, Asimov, Malamud, and more depending on time) |
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Week 36 |
Review and Final |
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White Board Formula:
Each class period students will be given at least one educational objective (what skill is being taught during the class), an activity to reinforce this educational objective (what students will be engaged in to achieve the objective), and an assessment for the activity. Educational objectives are taken from California Content Standards or other standards appropriate for the course.
ELSR Integration:
In accord with Pacific Lutheran High School’s Expected School-wide Learning Results, students in American Literature will:
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- P - Put Christ first by noting and discussing the Christian beliefs of many of the authors and the Christian themes and topics in many of the works they cover; they will treat each other with Christian respect.
- L - Learn academics and improve critical thinking skills
- H - Hone life skills as they develop skills necessary to be successful in a diverse classroom working and communicating with each other;
- S - Serve school, church, and community by using their education in acts of service.
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