Course Overview:
English III American Literature is designed to support students in developing proficiency in key reading, writing, and language skills. The instruction supports students’ mastery of the Common Core ELA Standards and prepares students for success in future course, college, and the workplace.
This course emphasizes skills and strategies for independent close reading, analysis, and writing about a wide range of American literature texts. The course begins with an overview of effective reading and writing techniques that are applicable to all course materials and exercises. The characteristics of American literature – and why they are uniquely American - are discussed. The evolution of American literature is explained via an overview of the periods of American Literature.
As the course progresses, this first semester delves deeply into Native American literature, the Colonial Period, the Revolutionary Period, and Romanticism. Instruction in each standards-based unit of study integrates reading, writing, and language study while highlighting how literature reflects social, political, and moral issues during each period in the U.S.
Students have multiple opportunities to showcase what they learn throughout the course as they are encouraged to articulate their own ideas as well as to question, interpret, analyze, extend, and evaluate the ideas of others. The goal of instruction is to support students in acquiring critical knowledge while learning to become independent, strategic, and critical readers, effective writers, and skilled communicators.
Prerequisites:
Syllabus:
Semester 2:
Section 1 - Transcendentalism
Objectives:
Section 1 focuses on Transcendentalism in American Literature (1830-1860). In this section, you will learn about this literary movement and significant authors of the period.
The lessons in this section will help you:
- Cite evidence to support analysis of explicit information, draw inferences, and determine where the text leaves matters uncertain.
- Identify themes.
- Understand word relationships, figurative language, and nuances in word meaning.
- Analyze authors’ choices regarding structure and development of story elements.
- Understand how language functions in different contexts.
Lesson 1 is designed to provide you with a thorough introduction to the Transcendentalist movement in American Literature.
This lesson will:
- Provide you with the fundamental beliefs of Transcendentalism.
- Highlight key authors and works from the period.
- Teach you how to use context clues to determine meaning.
- Explain how figurative language enhances a text.
- Show you how language is creatively used to convey meaning.
Lesson 2 covers the writing of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and considers his writing alongside Emerson’s.
In this lesson you will:
- Underscore the importance of figurative language to convey meaning.
- Understand the use of multiple meaning words.
- Explore how the tenets of Transcendentalism are reflected in literature from the period.
- Learn about explicit versus implicit information in a text.
Lesson 3 focuses on focus on another prominent 19th century Transcendentalist author, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.
This lesson will help you:
- Compare poems with different topics by the same author.
- Expand your knowledge of figurative language and literary devices authors use to convey meaning.
- Explore imagery and symbolism as poetic devices.
- Understand how the fundamental beliefs of Transcendentalism are highlighted in literature from the period.
Lesson 4 you continue our survey of the Transcendentalist Period as we focus on analyzing story elements in American Fables.
This lesson will help you:
- Understand the importance of personal experience and storytelling in literature.
- Understand plot, characters, conflict, and theme.
- Learn the key elements of literature.
- Understand the difference between theme and moral.
- Delve further into figurative language.
- Analyze a fable.
- Write an objective summary.
Lesson 5, you will explore the writing of Henry David Thoreau.
This lesson will help you:
- Explore Thoreau’s famous work, Walden.
- Analyze Civil Disobedience.
- Consider explicit, implicit, and missing information in a text.
- Consider the meaning of words and phrases in a text and their impact.
- Use context to extract meaning.
- Examine themes and how they are developed and intertwine.
Lessons:
- Introduction to Transcendentalism
- Longfellow and Emerson
- Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr. Poetry Comparison
- American Fables
- Thoreau
Section 2 - Realism and Naturalism in American Literature
Objectives:
Section 2 focuses on two closely related literary movements – Realism and Naturalism.
The lessons in this section will help you:
- Understand these related movements.
- Acquire a better understanding of how literary movements overlap but maintain distinction.
- Read and analyze poetry, prose, short stories, and informational texts.
- Understand rhetorical analysis.
Lesson 1 introduces Realism in American Literature.
This lesson will help you:
- Learn how this literary movement began and the societal influences and circumstances that led to a literary shift in our changing nation.
- Understand the focus of Realism.
- Explore important authors and writings from this period.
- Understand the role of social criticism in Realist literature.
- Continue to explore figurative language as a way authors convey meaning.
Lesson 2 explores the Realist Period in American literature through the works of three prominent poets: Walt Whitman, Robert Frost, and Emily Dickinson.
In this lesson you will:
- Interpret figurative language and symbols in poetry.
- Consider themes of the Realist Period in American Literature.
- Understand how your personal style can be used to write poetry.
- Learn about creating poetry of your own.
Lesson 3 focuses on Naturalism.
This lesson will help you:
- Understand the common themes of Naturalism.
- Consider how vivid descriptions, imagery, and dialogue develop a text.
- Learn how to detect themes and determine how they are developed and how they interact in a text.
- Explore narrative techniques and literary devices used in Naturalism.
Lesson 4 you will learn to conduct a rhetorical analysis.
This lesson will help you:
- Learn the importance of rhetorical analysis and its goals.
- How to conduct a rhetorical analysis of a text.
- Understand rhetorical appeals.
- Understand arguments, claims, supports, and warrants.
- Explore and analyze nonfiction texts.
Lessons:
- Realism in American Literature
- Walt Whitman, Robert Frost, Emily Dickinson
- Naturalism
- Rhetorical Analysis
Section 3 - Modernism
Objectives:
Section 3 includes lessons that focus on Modernism in American Literature.
The lessons in this section will help you:
- Determine the meaning of words and phrases in a text.
- Interpret figurative language used in a text.
- Analyze an author’s choices for how to structure a text and relate story elements.
- Conduct research and write effectively.
Lesson 1 introduces Modernism as a literary movement in America.
This lesson will help you:
- Understand the societal factors that influenced Modernism.
- Learn about the characteristics of Modernist literature.
- Explore free verse poetry and analyze the impact of structure on meaning.
- Continue to learn how figurative language impacts meaning in literature.
- Consider the impact of word choices and dialogue on a literary work.
Lesson 2 highlights female authors of the Modernist period in American literature.
In this lesson you will:
- Understand the importance of women in Modernist literature.
- Consider works by female authors in societal context.
- Learn more about how authors use figurative language to convey meaning.
- Learn about stream of consciousness writing and its key features.
- Fine tune your writing skills.
Lesson 3 features The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. You will use this text to learn various literary concepts and evaluate the novel in the context of Modernism.
In this lesson you will learn about:
- The impact point of view has on a narrative.
- Symbolism and how authors use this literary technique to enhance a story.
- Setting and how it is developed through figurative language and imagery.
- Characterization.
Lesson 4, you will explore Southern literature and focus on William Faulkner’s writing.
In this lesson you will:
- Learn the primary themes in Southern literature
- Explore the Southern Gothic genre
- Consider setting and structure of a narrative
- Understand how an author uses various voices in narration
- Learn how word choice impacts a story
Lessons:
- Introduction to Modernism
- Women in Modernism
- The Great Gatsby
- Southern Literature – Faulkner
Section 4 - Contemporary American Literature
Objectives:
Section 4 includes lessons that focus on the Contemporary Period in American Literature.
The lessons in this section cover narratives and informational texts. You will learn to:
- Cite textual evidence that is explicitly stated and that which is implied.
- Determine themes in a text.
- Understand how language works in different contexts.
- Understand and interpret figurative language.
- Develop your presentation skills.
Lesson 1 introduces Contemporary American Literature.
This lesson will help you:
- Understand literary techniques, like symbolism, that authors use to impart meaning into a text.
- Explore figurative language and literary devices.
- Learn how to read a text to extract meaning.
- Determine theme in a text.
- Summarize a text.
- Respond to diverse perspectives and present information clearly.
Lesson 2 covers novels set in historical context.
In this lesson you will:
- Cite textual evidence to support your analysis of a text.
- Analyze the impact of an author’s choices regarding how to structure a text.
- Understand how language functions in different contexts.
- Write effective arguments.
Lesson 3 focuses on key works from the Civil Rights Movement and other texts that explore civil rights and equality.
This lesson will help you:
- Analyze informational texts.
- Determine an author’s point of view or purpose.
- Evaluate a speaker’s point of view, reasoning, and use of rhetoric.
- Write informative texts effectively.
Lesson 4, you will explore how social issues are depicted in literature.
This lesson will help you:
- Understand the impact an author’s choices have on a text.
- Determine multiple themes in a text.
- Consider how words and phrases are used in a text.
- Write explanatory essays effectively.
- Use a formal and objective writing style.
Lessons:
- Introduction to Contemporary American Literature
- Novels Set in Historical Context
- Literature and Civil Rights
- Social Issues and Literature
