American Literature Course Curriculum
American Literature Course Curriculum
Course Description/Objective
American Literature is required of all sophomore students and has an average level of difficulty. Course work seeks to make students aware of the American literary heritage. This includes a variety of genres, composition, vocabulary, literary analysis and introduction to literary criticism.
Units
1 - Encounters and Foundation –to 1800
2 – Imagination and the Individual: American Romanticism 1800 – 1860
3 – A House Divided: The Civil War and Its Aftermath 1850 – 1890
4 – The Age of Realism 1880 – 1914
5 – The Moderns 1914 – 1939
6 – The Contemporaries 1939 - present
Literary terms covered: archetype, alliteration, allusion, antagonist, apostrophe, assonance, characterization, conflict, consonance, end rhyme, fable, flashback, foreshadowing, free verse, hyperbole, iamb, imagery, internal rhyme, irony, maxim, metaphor, metonymy, mood, onomatopoeia, paradox, pentameter, personification, plot, protagonist, satire, setting, simile, slant rhyme, sonnet, synecdoche, theme, tone.
Authors covered: Huron, Sioux, Nez Perce, Blackfeet, Momaday, Bruchac, Cabeza de Vaca, Bradford, Rowlandson, Byrd, Equiano, Bradstreet, Taylor, Edwards, Henry, Paine, Bryant, Longfellow, Holmes, Emerson, Thoreau, (Gandhi), King, Irving, Hawthorne, Poe, Douglass, Jacobs, Truth, Bierce, Crane, Lincoln, Whitman, Dickinson, Harte, Twain, Chopin, London, Eliot, Sandburg, Cummings, Frost, Hemingway, Steinbeck, Fitzgerald, Cullen, Hughes, Miller, Lee, Bradbury, Vonnegut, O”Brien, Tan, Wilson.
Concepts covered: Native American literature, Literary Nationalism, Narrative, Puritanism, Salem Witch Trials, McCarthyism, Romanticism, Transcendentalism, Naturalism, Realism, effects of war on literature, Regionalism, Modernism (post,) Harlem Renaissance, FCV in fiction, Coming of Age.
Major Course Assessments
Objective unit tests, reading quizzes, vocabulary quizzes, essays, journals, research writing, creative writing, projects, literary analysis, and literary criticism.
Course Outcomes
Cognitive
Knowledge
* To establish a vocabulary of key literary terms, used correctly in discussion
Understanding
* To understand and discuss important historical and cultural contexts (time,
place, and circumstance of production) about various periods and authors
* To be able to translate and interpret (through the student’s own language) key
passages of literary texts
* To understand the uses of literature in education and the life of a nation
Application
* Identify and discuss the connections between their own personal experiences
and beliefs, and the ideas presented in literary works
* To be able to apply critical reading strategies to previously unread works
Analysis
* To be able to recognize through in-class discussion diverse reading and
response strategies
* To be able to analyze a work of literature in terms of how its parts relate to the
whole
* To recognize major features of the periods of American Literature (e.g.
Romanticism, Realism, Naturalism)
* To compare and contrast themes, settings, characters, ideas, and values in
assigned readings
* To make and support with evidence assertions about the text
Synthesis
* Demonstrate the ability to communicate thoughtfully in oral and written form
* Formulate opinions and discuss concepts concerning human nature, human
relationships, and human society based on the literary works and the values
presented in them
* To demonstrate understanding of material and creativity by expressing one’s
thoughts in different forms
* To use the dictionary and other related reference tools in the critical reading
and creative development processes
Evaluation
* To begin to establish criteria by which to judge literary works, characters, ideas
and overall development of assigned readings by sound personal and theoretical
standards
Affective
* To gain confidence in the ability to read, analyze, discuss, and write about
literature
* To develop a sense of control and independence over one’s reading, writing
and learning processes
* To want to read more and enjoy doing it
* To learn to work more effectively with, listen to, respect, and respond to the
opinions of others
* To begin to view research of literary criticism as a quest for alternative
viewpoints
* To develop confidence and positive feelings toward expressing one’s self in a
group
* To develop an appreciation of learning for learning’s sake
Major Resources/Texts (includes but not limited to)
Elements of Literature, Fifth Course, Holt, Rhinehart and Winston, 2009.
Bradbury, Ray. Fahrenheit 451. New York, N.Y.: Ballantine Books, 1953.
Bruchac, Joseph. Code Talker: a Novel about the Navajo Marines of World War Two. New
York, N.Y.: Dial Books, 2005.
Crane, Stephen. The Red Badge of Courage. Chicago, Il.: Great Books Foundation, 1963.
Fitzgerald, Scott. The Great Gatsby. New York, N.Y.: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1925.
Lee, Harper. To Kill a Mockingbird. New York, N.Y. Warner Books, 1960
Miller, Arthur. The Crucible. New York, NY. Penguin Books, 1973.
Monk-Kidd, Sue. The Secret Life of Bees. New York, NY. Penguin Books, 2002
O’Brien, Tim. The Things They Carried. New York, N.Y.; Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 1990
**moved to American History 2014/2015
Sexton, Adam and Yali Lin. The Scarlet Letter (Graphic Novel). Hoboken, N.J.: Wiley
Publishing, Inc., 2009.
Steinbeck, John. Of Mice and Men. New York, N.Y.: Penguin Books, 1993 (1937).
Vonnegut, Kurt. Slaughterhouse-five, Or, the Children's Crusade: A Duty-Dance with Death.
New York: Dial Press, 2005 (1969).
Wilson, August. Fences. New York, N.Y.: Plume Books, 1986.
** time permitting
Classroom Policies and Procedures
Deadlines for major assignments and upcoming projects will be posted on my classroom blog, accessible through OLSH’s website, or through PowerSchool. Deadlines are always given well in advance of the due date of the assignment.
Late Assignment Policy:
- Homework assignments (including, but not limited to, vocabulary exercises, journal entries, worksheets, study guides, book work) will NOT be accepted late unless otherwise stated by the teacher at the time the assignment is given. In the case of an absence, work that was due the day of the absence must be handed in the day the student returns to school. Make-up assignments and deadlines will be given as needed.
- Longer assignments, including papers, essays, presentations, and projects, will have included a late policy on their descriptions. The late policy will always include a point deduction for each day late and also a date after which the project or paper will not be accepted for credit at all, resulting in a zero.
Classroom Conduct:
- You are expected to treat your classmates and your teacher with the same amount of respect with which you wish them to treat you. See “Respect” document for classroom conduct expectations.
- All school rules apply.
Cheating and Plagiarism:
- Cheating of any kind will not be tolerated in this classroom. The school discipline code will be strictly followed. See your handbook for consequences.
- Plagiarism means passing off the work of another as one’s own, and will absolutely not be tolerated in the classroom. Because it is a form of cheating, the consequences for plagiarism will be the same as those of cheating, listed above.
Other Policies:
- This class moves quickly and requires both in and out of class work. Classroom participation is essential to your success in this course. See me with questions on assignments and/or topics discussed in class. Do not wait until the last minute to ask questions or email about requirements or areas of confusion.
Activities
ClassParticipation
Students are to be prepared to discuss assigned readings and topics in a mature and analytical manner. Preparation and participation are vital to the experience as well as the outcome. Participation is a component of the overall grade.
Homework and CriticalJournals
Homework assignments will be given regularly. These will vary in point value and length. Students will keep a journal of critical/analytical responses to various pieces of literature assigned during each grading period. Entries will be graded on depth and accuracy of analysis
Vocabulary
Students will take 20-word vocabulary quizzes and participate in creative assignments using the vocabulary words.
Tests
Students will take objective and essay tests of varying lengths and point values during the course of the year. These will include comprehensive midterm and final exams. Announced and unannounced reading quizzes will also be included in course work.
Writing Assignments
Students will write in several formats during the course of the year. Assignments will be of varying purpose and length. These topics and their point values will be assigned in advance. Students will often be given time in class to conference with the teacher and their peers on topics relating to their assignments. Students will be encouraged and often required to revise their writing in order to emphasize the concept of writing as a process. Papers will be graded based on the five essential elements of writing (Focus, Organization, Support, Style, Mechanics).
Grading
Grades are calculated based on points. Assignments and tests are assigned point values based on length and difficulty. The school grading scale, including honors weighting, will be used.
Expectations
Students are expected to come to class prepared. This means that they should have all necessary materials (binder, textbook, novel, etc.). This also means that any assigned work, including reading, should be completed. A lack of preparation will impact a student’s grade.
Textbooks must be covered at all times.
Typed assignments must be formatted to the teacher’s specifications. If they do not meet these specifications, the grade may be docked or the assignment may not be accepted. Digital submission of some work is acceptable and the parameters for such submission will be discussed for each assignment.
Students are expected to make up any work or tests they have missed during absences. Tests must be made up in a timely fashion. It is the responsibility of the student to go to the teacher and set up a time for makeup work to be completed.
Rev. 8/2017
Dear Students & Families,
Welcome! I am excited to have the opportunity to share class with you. These documents are for your information and include details about the course, materials needed and expectations for students.
Please read all the information thoroughly then sign, date, and return this acknowledgement page to me.
If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me. I look forward to working with you.
Take care,
Theresa K. Long
(412) 264-5140
______
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I HAVE LOCATED, READ AND FULLY UNDERSTAND THE AMERICAN LITERATURE COURSE DOCUMENTS AND THE LIST OF CLASS PROCEDURES AND EXPECTATIONS FOR STUDENTS.
______
Student SignatureDate
Parent/Guardian name: ______
Best way to contact guardian: ______
______
Parent/Guardian SignatureDate