11th Grade ELA CCGPS Frameworks – Unit 2
Framework Title
The Individual versus Society
Grade Level
11
Course
American Literature
Approximate Duration
7-9 weeks
Overview of the unit
The purpose of this unit is for students to study and comprehend the birth of the American identity following the Revolutionary War. Students will investigate a variety of texts from America’s Romantic period to study the efforts of authors to capture the search for self that is just as alive in modern times. In order to show the modern day relevance, students will study modern texts that uphold these Romantic beliefs to fully synthesize the importance of individuality in America’s past and present cultures.
Standards
Learning targets
· Students analyze the historical and societal influence evidence in American texts.
· Students analyze universal themes found in texts from America’s Romantic and Modern periods.
· Students analyze the evolution of the role of the individual in society over time, texts, and time periods.
Summative (Performance-based) Assessment
Background:
Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau are two leading figures of Romantic ideals that urge for a complete understanding of one’s self in order to function properly in a society in which the individual plays a valuable role, and the texts studied from this unit convey this idea in addition to many other Romantic ideals. The question is how have these Romantic principles and philosophies transformed American society? In column one below is an excerpt from Samuel Adams’ 1776 speech to the Continental Congress urging congressmen to vote for the Declaration of Independence based on the purpose of waging war with Great Britain. In column two is the poem “I Hear America Singing” by Walt Whitman which displays a post-Revolutionary view of America and those free individuals who populate this free society.
Prompt for Writing:
Read Adams’ and Whitman’s texts and analyze how the individual’s role and responsibility in society has changed from the Revolutionary age to the early years of society evolving from the Age of Romanticism. Incorporate characteristics of Romanticism developed and conveyed from Emerson and Thoreau (and their readings) as additional support.
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COLUMN #1: Samuel Adams – 1776
To unite the supremacy of Great Britain and the liberty of America, is utterly impossible. So vast a continent and of such a distance from the seat of empire will every day grow more unmanageable. The authority and force which would be absolutely necessary for the preservation of the peace and good order of this continent, would put all our valuable rights within the reach of that nation.
We have now no other alternative than independence, or the most ignominious and galling servitude. The legions of our enemies thicken on our plains; desolation and death mark their bloody career; whilst the mangled corpses of our countrymen seem to cry out to us as a voice from heaven - "Will you permit our posterity to groan under the galling chains of our murderers? Has our blood been expended in vain?”
You have now in the field armies sufficient to repel the whole force of your enemies, and their base and mercenary auxiliaries. The hearts of your soldiers beat high with the spirit of freedom - they are animated with the justice of their cause, and while they grasp their swords, can look up to heaven for assistance.
Courage, then, my countrymen! Our contest is not only whether we ourselves shall be free, but whether there shall be left to mankind an asylum on earth, for civil and religious liberty? Dismissing therefore the justice of our cause, as incontestable, the only question is, What is best for us to pursue in our present circumstances?
COLUMN #2: Walt Whitman -- 1900
I HEAR America singing, the varied carols I hear;Those of mechanics—each one singing his, as it should be, blithe and strong;
The carpenter singing his, as he measures his plank or beam,
The mason singing his, as he makes ready for work, or leaves off work;
The boatman singing what belongs to him in his boat—the deckhand singing on the steamboat deck; / 5
The shoemaker singing as he sits on his bench—the hatter singing as he stands;
The wood-cutter’s song—the ploughboy’s, on his way in the morning, or at the noon intermission, or at sundown;
The delicious singing of the mother—or of the young wife at work—or of the girl sewing or washing—Each singing what belongs to her, and to none else;
The day what belongs to the day—At night, the party of young fellows, robust, friendly,
Singing, with open mouths, their strong melodious songs.
CCGPS Grade 11 – Unit 2
Unit Theme: The Individual and Society
Unit Duration: 9 weeks (approximately)
Universal Themes to Track: Identity, Tolerance, The American Dream
Unit Big Ideas: Individuality, Human Nature, Rebellion
Division #1
Reliance on Nature and Self
Duration: 3 weeks (approximately) / Division #2
Rejecting Societal Conventions and Traditions
Duration: 3 weeks (approximately)
(Use of novel can be modified to shorten or extend time frame) / Division #3
The Dark Side of Romanticism
Duration: 2 weeks (approximately)
Anchor Quotation:
“Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.” – Albert Einstein
· Each chunk/division of the unit is based off of a notable individual’s assertion or belief that guides text selection, conversation, discussion, and other elements of the unit. At the end of each division, assessments are available to have students synthesize their learning from the chunk based on the quotation that guides their studies. Teachers should open the unit by having students investigate Einstein’s assertion and should return to it as the unit progresses and finally close out the chunk by engaging in the assessment to have students synthesize their understanding. Follow this for each of the three divisions in this unit.
Instructional Lessons
UNIT LAUNCH -- 1 day
- Teacher covers The Five I’s and characteristics of Romanticism – individuality, intuition, idealism, imagination, inspiration.
- Teacher displays five images to convey Five I’s. Teacher can close each class by returning to image to see how studied text(s) convey similar messages.
To incorporate technology, the teacher can create a FLIPPED lesson on Emerson, Thoreau, Transcendentalism for students to view prior to class to gain important background and contextual information to discuss and immediately begin to apply in class at the start of the unit.
The Importance of Nature
Transcendental Close Read – 5 days
Choose Emerson or Thoreau excerpt to spend more time investigating the characteristics and principles of transcendentalism. The teacher should juxtapose reverence for nature between two pieces. Other focuses of study: the need to escape society, how the woods are a haven to develop one’s self to be a productive member of society, etc.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
- “Nature”
Henry David Thoreau
- Excerpt(s) from Walden
Modern Supplement Challenge – 1 to 2 days
To insert some modern relevance, the following texts are great pairs against the classic essays of Emerson and Thoreau. Students can juxtapose the perspectives of Oates and Gessner to Emerson and Thoreau to form argumentative writing about how the view of nature has changed or is still upheld
- “Argument Against Nature” by Joyce Carol Oates (versus Emerson’s “Nature”)
- “Spoiling Walden: Or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Cape Wind” by David Gessner (versus Thoreau’s Walden).
The Power of the Individual – 2-3 days
The teacher moves on to focus on the power of the individual through the suggested text below. Students carry over with them Emerson (and the transcendental) reverence of nature to compare against the view of the individual.
Emerson – “Self-Reliance”
Possible application/assessment texts:
To apply, extend, and/or enrich Emerson’s principles, the texts below are great texts of study for teachers to use with students. They can all be covered in excerpt form, students can choose a longer excerpt of one text for study and presentation to class, or the teacher can modify as necessary:
Thoreau – “Civil Disobedience”
Mohandas Gandhi – from “On Nonviolent Resistance”
MLK – from “Letter from Birmingham Jail”
Article(s) about recent protests/sit ins
DIVISION ASSESSMENT (see below – “Division #1 Assessment”)
Anchor Quotation Assessment: 1 day
Einstein urges us to gain understanding from the depths of nature in his quotation, both literal nature and human nature. With that in mind, what exactly is understood from the observations of Mother Nature by Emerson and Thoreau and human nature by these authors along with MLK and Gandhi? Use their texts to explore this idea.
Transition to Division #2 – 1 day
Evaluate how these authors/texts, especially towards end of this chunk, embody a disdain and rebellious attitude towards society. / Anchor Quotation:
“All greatness of character is dependent on individuality. The man who has no other existence than that which he partakes in common with all around him, will never have any other than an existence of mediocrity.” – James Fennimore Cooper
Instructional Lessons
Teachers should introduce students to Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson, two poetic pioneers. Important background could be conveyed through a FLIPPED lesson to allow more time in class for application and discussion. The introduction to these authors should focus on their backgrounds, their role in/with society, and the elements of their style. In the flipped lesson, the teacher can even cover a poem (by one author or both) and annotate/highlight specifics details and analysis that students will then do in class in this unit. This close-read modeling will be great to help students through the important poetry collection of Whitman and Dickinson.
Poetic Pioneers – 2-4 days
Below are suggested poems to cover to build a similar image of America and the individual through the eyes of Whitman and Dickinson. These poems work well together for this purpose. Guiding question: What depiction of society do Whitman and Dickinson convey?
Walt Whitman
- from Song of Myself
Emily Dickinson
- “The soul selects her own society”
- “Because I could not stop for death”
- “I heard a fly buzz”
Modern Focus – 12 days
To display how literature today still focuses on the individual’s search for self, the teacher should choose a grade-level, lexile-level appropriate text to show how this motif is still seen in modern times. Below is a suggested text and assignment that is a true story that begins in Georgia and is a captivating read for students. Many other texts exist that can be used in place of this suggested text.
Suggested text:
INTO THE WILD by John Krakauer
This suggested novel is a modern-day transcendental experience of real-life Romantic Chris McCandless. He is an Emory graduate who has been given everything in life thanks to his successful euntreprenuer parents. Influenced by Thoreau, London, Tolstoy, and others, McCandless opts to prove to himself he can survive on his own instead of using his trust fund to continue his education at Harvard. He burns the money in his wallet, donates his trust fund money to charity, and pushes his car into the woods to trek across America to search for himself with the ultimate goal being to live in the heart of the Alaskan wilderness away from society. Like Thoreau, he wanted to live deep in the heart of the woods to find himself and then return to society, but as the novel says in its opening, McCandless died before he could make his triumphant return. Author Krakauer uses the journals kept my McCandless along with the interviews he conducts with people McCandless met along the way to piece together this captivating text.
Assignment:
- Identify chapters to excerpt if time is of the essence. Some chapters are the author’s personal story that can be cut in the interest of time.
- Reading should focus on McCandless’s various relationships as he meets people deemed as true individuals, people who live deliberately and with purpose
- Reading is accessible enough for students to read outside of class. To hook students, the first chapter (or few) can be read together before the reading is assigned out of class.
- In class days should focus on close reading passages selected from prior night’s reading to have students engage in language analysis and other non-fiction elements.
- As students read, they can complete chapter analyses where they are given guided questions to investigate Krakauer’s purpose with the chapter, how he uses language to characterize individuals, etc. Students can then bring in evaluation of language to use for discussion
- Be sure to have students evaluate Romantic characteristics in this modern text
- Each chapter opens with an epigraph from and muses of McCandless. Students should investigate how the chapter reflects the message contained in the epigraph.
- ASSESSMENT (see below)
Anchor Quotation Assessment: 1 day
Cooper urges greatness through individuality in his quotation by emphasizing the mediocrity of doing otherwise. How do the achievements of Whitman, Dickinson, and Krakauer (and McCandless) live up to Cooper’s hope? Use direct evidence from your reading for support.
Transition to Division #3 – 1 day
Students create a graphic organizer (Venn Diagram) to list and review the characteristics of Romanticism (inner, shared circle) and the Transcendental-specific characteristics. Students evaluate these characteristics and predict/hypothesize the Anti-Transcendental characteristics to fill in the blank section of the Venn Diagram. A visual can be projected to guide students in their analysis as the visual conveys various qualities. Move on to BRIDGE activity. / Anchor Quotation:
“Individuality is founded in feeling; and the recesses of feeling, the darker, blinder strata of character, are the only places in the world in which we catch real fact in the making, and directly perceive how events happen, and how work is actually done.” – William James
Instructional Lessons
BRIDGE from Transcendentalism to Anti-Transcendentalism – 1 day
Using the suggested text below, bridge the material covered in the prior weeks to the darker Romantic texts that close this unit to ensure students begin this division by focusing on the same elements that opened the unit.
William Blake
- “The Poison Tree”
- Incorporate visuals to depict a battle between good/evil, positive/negative – especially nature-focused images