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FIRST SEMESTER
I. AMERICAN LITERARY MOVEMENTS
A. Essential Question: How did American’s vision of literary expression
change throughout our history as a nation?
B. Research Assignment: Research a literary movement as part of a
group.
1. Early Colonists - 1650-1800
2. Rationalists - 1770-1800
3. Romanticism and dark Romanticism - 1800-1860
4. Transcendentalism -1840-1860
5. Realism -1850-1900
6. Moderns - 1900-1950
7. Contemporary - 1950 - Present
C. Present information to the class.
II. A CLASH OF CULTURES: AMERICA A LAND OF DIVERSITY
A. Essential Question: Why do America’s great diversity and multiple
cultures drive conflicts and create strengths in America?
B. Research Assignment: Research an ethnic group’s migration to the
U.S. to discover why they came and the reaction of the peoples already here.
C. Whole Class Prose, Poetry, and Drama
1. “The House Made of Dawn”
2. “Of Plymouth Plantation” – Bradford
3. “In the Hands of an Angry God” - Edwards
4. “The Crisis, No 1” – Paine
5. “House Taken Over” – Cortazar
6. “Letters from Birmingham Jail” – King, Jr.
7. “I Hear America Singing” – Whitman
8. “Tell the Truth but tell it Slant” – Dickinson
9. “The Narrative of Frederick Douglas”
10. “The Outcasts of Poker Flats” - Harte
11. “The Leader of the People” – Steinbeck
12. “The Life You Save May be Your Own” – O’Connor
13. “Jilting of Granny Weatherall” – Porter
14. “A Rose for Emily” – Faulkner
15. “A Feather Pillow” – Quiroga
16. “America” – McKay
17. “Tabeau” & “Incident” – Cullen
18. Raisin in the Sun – Hansberry
19. “Rules of the Game” – Tan
20. ‘Magic Barrel” -
21. “Daughter of Invention” – Alvarez
22. “New African” – Lee
D. Literature in Film
1. Ulhry, Alfred. Driving Miss Daisy. Beresford, Bruce, Dir. Morgan
Freeman and Jessica Tandy, Ent. January 26, 1989. Majestic Films
International.
2. Tan, Amy. The Joy Luck Club. Wang, Wayne, Dir. Kieu Chinh and Tsai
Chin. November 25, 1993. Hollywood Pictures.
3. Hurston, Nora Neale. Their Eyes Were Watching God. Darnell Martin,
Dir. Halle Berry and Rueben Stantiago, Ent. March 6, 2005. American
Broadcasting Company.
4. Potok, Chaim. The Chosen. Jeremy Kagan, Dir., Rod Steiger and Robby
Bensen., ent. April 30, 1981. Chosen Film Company.
E. Individual Application: Pick one of the following choices to express
what you have learned about America as a land of diversity.
1. Create a collage of diversity by pasting pictures of many American
cultures together
2. Write a poem that celebrates something about your heritage and
culture.
3. Compile a list of recognizable cultures within the U.S. and chart
famous or common things adopted into the mainstream life today
F. Individual Film Project: Watch a movie that involves a conflict of
ethnic cultures. The conflict should occur between people of two different
cultures (Mississippi Burning) or between the elder immigrants and their
American-born children (The Joy Luck Club or My Family).
G. Book Report: Read a book written by an American author from another
culture beside the white American mainstream.
H. Unit Essay: Write an essay about the current immigration issues. Do
we let everyone into the U.S.? Do we limit those who can pursue the American
dream? How do we blend all the different cultures into an American identity?
III. AMERICA! THE GREAT FRONTIER
A. Essential Question: How does America’s vast, natural frontier affect
our world view?
B. Research Assignment: Many different people have contributed to the
founding of the United States culture. Pick one of the following topics:
research the Spanish or French contributions to the United States; research
an American Indian tribe from pre-colonization to present day; or research
the meaning and results of Manifest Destiny on the United States.
C. Whole Class Prose, Poetry, and Drama
1. “The House Made at Dawn”
2. “The History of the Dividing Line” – Byrd
3. “Huswifery”- Taylor
4. “Thanatopsis” – Bryant
5. “Rip Van Winkle” – Irving
6. “The Fall of the House of Usher” - Poe
7. “Nature”- Emerson
8. “Walden Pond” - Thoreau
9. “Song of Myself, 52” – Whitman
10. “Some Keep the Sabbath going to Church” & “I Taste a Liquor Never
Brewed” -Dickinson
11. “Life on the Mississippi” – Twain
12. “To Build a Fire” - London
13. “His Father’s Earth” – Wolfe
14. “Design” – Frost
15. “Once by the Pacific” – Frost
16. “On the Way to Rainy Mountain” – Momaday
D. Literature on Film
1. Van Tilburg, Clark. The OxBow Incident. William A. Wellman, Dir.
Henry Ford & Dana Andrews, Ent. May 21, 1943. Twentieth Century-Fox Film
Corporation.
2. Junger, Sebastian. The Perfect Storm. Wolfgang Peterson, Dir. George
Cluney, Mark Walhberg, & Diane Lane. Ent. June 20, 2000.
3. Twain, Mark. Roughing It. Charles Martin Smith, Dir. Robin Dunne
and James Garner. March 12, 2002. Hallmark Entertainment.
4. Cather, Willa. My Antonia. Joseph Sargent, Dir. Jason Robards and
Elina Lowenson, Actors. Gideon Productions. March 29, 1995.
5. Kesey, Ken. One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Miles Forman, Dir. Jack
Nickolson, Actor. February 26, 1976. Fantasy Films.
E. Individual Application: Pick one of the following choices to express
what you have learned about America’s great frontier and mission to spread
democracy.
1. Collect pictures of America’s 21st century nature that would
motivate people to take steps to save these national treasures.
2. Write a persuasive speech to motivate citizens to seek out new
frontiers or to save our natural resources.
3. Compile a list of national parks and historical sites in the west
for people to visit. Include important information.
F. Individual Film Project: Choose one of the two choices.
1. Watch a video about an American’s survival or demise during a
natural disaster like the Perfect Storm.
2. Watch a film set in the western frontier. Perhaps you can voyage
back to the classic films of John Wayne’s like True Grit or The Cowboys, the
famous westerns like The Virginian, The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, Two
Mules for Sister Sarah, or Dances with Wolves. Maybe you can view a twenty-
first century western like Open Range or The Missing.
G. Individual Book Report: Choose one of the two choices.
1. Read a fiction or nonfiction book about an American’s survival in a
wilderness or a natural disaster.
2. Read a western by some classic, American authors such as Zane Grey
or Louis L’Amour.
3. Read a book by a westward-bound settler such as Laura Ingalls Wilder
or Willa Cather.
H. Unit Essay: Choose one of the two essays.
1. Write an essay about the influence of nature, natural resources on
American society. How does the way we live reflect our belief in endless
resources? How are these beliefs reflected in our literature and media?
2. Write an essay about our belief in our Manifest Destiny. How are we
still trying to fulfill that vision? How are these beliefs portrayed in our
literature and media?
Second Semester
IV. THE AMERICAN HERO
A. Essential Question: Who is the American hero?
B. Research: Choose one of the following topics.
1. Research an American romantic hero.
2. Research a real American war hero from a 20th century war.
3. Research the life of an American, sports hero.
C. Whole Class Prose, Poetry, and Drama
1. “Narrative of Mary Rowlandson”
2. “Speech to the Virginia Convention”- Henry
3. “Old Ironsides” - Holmes
4. Moby Dick – Melville
5. “Resistance to Civil Government” - Thoreau
6. “A Sight of Camp in the Daylight” –Whitman
7. “Success is Counted Sweetest” - Dickinson
8. “I Will Fight No More Forever” – Joseph
9. “Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” – Bierce
10. “A Mystery of Heroism” – Crane
11. Red Badge of Courage - Crane
12. “A Worn Path” – Welty
13. “Miniver Cheever” – Robinson
14. “Soldier’s Home” – Hemingway
15. “The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner” – Jarrell
16. “For the Union Dead” – Lowell
17. “Game”- Barthelme
18. “Speaking of Courage” – O’Brien
19. The Crucible – Miller
D. Literature on Film
1. Cooper, James Fenimore. The Last of the Mohicans. Michael Mann, Dir.
Daniel Day Lewis and Madeleine Stowe, Actors. September 25, 1992. Morgan
Creek Productions.
2. Meville, Herman. Moby Dick. Franc Rodham, Dir. Henry Thomas, Patrick
Stewart, and Ted Levine, Actors. March 15, 1998. American Zoetrophe.
3. Merrick, Monte. Memphis Belle. Caton-Jones, Michael, Dir. Matthew
Modine, Eric Stoltz, Tate Donovan, Actors. October 12, 1990. BSB.
4. Malumud, Bernard. The Natural. Barry Levinson, Dir. Robert Redford
and Glen Close, Actors. May 11, 1984. Delpi II Productions.
5. Miller, Arthur. The Crucible. Hytner, Nicholas, Dir. Daniel Day
Lewis, Wynonna Rider, and Joan Allen, Actors. November 27, 1996. Twentieth-
Century-Fox Film Corporation.
.
E. Individual Application: Pick one of the following choices to express
what you have learned about America’s heroism.
1. Draw a poster of an original American hero to show an evolution from
the romantic hero to the modern hero.
2. Write a short story or an epic poem that has a romantic, modern, or
war hero.
3. Compile a list of movies that star romantic or modern heroes. List
the movie, the actors, and the characters.
4. Collect a list of American heroes – past and present. Include a
brief description of the man or woman and an illustration.
F. Individual Film Project – Pick one of the following projects.
1. Watch a movie with an American romantic hero such as Indiana Jones
and the Lost Ark or Star Wars.
2. Watch a movie with an anti-hero such as The Chronicles of Riddick or
Casablanca.
3. Watch a movie involving a sports hero such as Brian’s Song,
Hoosiers, or Foul Shot.
4. Watch a movie that focuses on a war hero such as Band of Brothers,
Tears of the Sun, or Platoon.
G. Individual Book Report: Choose one of the following.
1. Read a book that has a hero figure for a protagonist.
2. Read a book about war – fiction or nonfiction
H. Unit Essay
1. Write a persuasive essay about who really is an American hero. How
does your vision of a hero motivate your actions as an adult? In what ways
do popular media and literature affect the way we expect our heroes to act?
2. It is often said that modern, American adolescents lack true heroes
to emulate. Do you disagree with this idea? What examples of true heroes
have the mass media and literary circles provided? Who are the heroes of
modern life?
V. THE AMERICAN DREAM
A. Essential Question: How does the deeply embedded American dream
affect our choices and actions today?
B. Research: One or the other project will be used as a class.
1. Research a part of the American Dream: rags-to-riches, “Want to be a
millionaire” or lawsuits.
2. Research a person who is famous for his/her rags-to-riches success
story.
C. Whole Class Prose, Poetry, and Drama
1. “Coyote Finishes His Work”
2. “Narrative of Life of Olaudah Equiano”
3. “The Burning of This House”
4. “The Autobiography” - Franklin
5. “Declaration of Independence” - Jefferson
6. “The Tide Rises, The Tide Falls” – Longfellow
7. “The Devil and Tom Walker” - Irving
8. “The Raven” – Poe
9. “The Minister’s Black Veil” - Hawthorne
10. “Self-Reliance” - Emerson
11. “Song of Myself, 10” – Whitman
12. “If You Were Coming in the Fall” – Dickinson
13. “Because I Could Not Stop for Death” &
14. “I died for Beauty”
15. “A Pair of Silk Stockings”
16. Adventures of Huckleberry Finn – Twain
17. “The 1,000,000 Bank Note” – Twain
18. “A Wagner Matinee” – Cather
19. “Death of the Hired Hand” - Frost
20. “Winter Dreams”
21. The Great Gatsby – Fitzgerald
22. “The Secret of Walter Mitty” – Thurber
23. Spoonriver poems
24. “The Weary Blues” & “Harlem” – Hughes
25. “Dust Tracks on a Road” – Hurston
26. Of Mice and Men - Steinbeck
27. “Straw in Gold” – Cisneros
28. “The Latin Deli” – Cofer
D. Literature on Film
1. Twain, Mark. Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Stephen Sommers, Dir.
Elijah Woods & Courtney B. Vance, Actors. April 2, 1993. Walt Disney
Pictures.
2. Fitzgerald, F. Scott The Great Gatsby. Jack Clayton, Dir. Robert
Redford, Mia Farrow, Sam Watershed, and Bruce Dern, Actors. October 11,
1974. Newdon Productions.
3. Steinbeck, John. Of Mice and Men. Gary Sinise, Dir. John Malkovich
and Gary Sinise, Actors. October 2, 1992. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM).
4. MacLean, Norman. The River Runs Through It. Robert Redford, Dir.
Brad Pitt and Craig Scheffer. October 9, 1992. Allied Filmmakers
5. Wharton, Edith. Ethane Frome. John Madden, Dir. Liam Neelson and
Joan Allen, Ent. March 12, 1993. American Playhouse.
6. Wharton, Edith. The Age of Innocence. Martin Scoreses, Dir. Daniel
Day Lewis, Michelle Pfeiffer and Winonna Rider, Ent. October 1, 1993. Cappa
Productions.
7. Wharton, Edith. The House of Mirth. Terence Davies, Dir. Gillian
Anderson, Dan Aykroyd, Ent. October 27, 2000. Arts Council of England.
8. Alcott, Louis May. Little Women. Gillian Armstrong, Dir. Winonna
Rider, Gaberial Byrne, Ent. December 21, 1994. Colombia Pictures
Corporation.
E. Individual Application: Pick one of the following choices to express
what you have learned about America as a land of opportunity and optimism.
1. Create an advertisement for the American dream.
2. Compile a chart that shows the elements of the rags-to-riches and
people who have succeeded.
3. Write a poem or song lyrics about reaching the American dream.
4. Collect media references (ads, programs, movies, Internet sources)
that refer to the American dream or use references to the American dream
F. Individual Film Project
1. Watch a movie that inspires you to pursue the American dream – like
Pursuit of Happyness or White Men Can’t Jump. What elements of the American
dream do you see in the movie? Are the characters motivated by the
traditional rags-to-riches? Are the characters motivated by the get-rich-
quick schemes? Do the characters truly succeed?
2. Watch a movie that involves the disillusionment of the American
dream from an author like John Steinbeck or Ernest Hemingway. What attempts
are made to reach for the American dream? What are the causes of the failure
(s)? What are the effects of the failures on the characters?
G. Individual Book Report
1. Read a book about attaining the American Dream. Benjamin Franklin
and Horatio Alger were a couple of the first; Amy Tan and Barbara Kingsolver
are contemporary authors.
2. Read a book that describes the disillusionment of the American
dream. Hemingway, Steinbeck, and Fitzgerald are some classic examples. Some
contemporary authors are J.D Salinger, Richard Wright, and Malcolm X.
H. Unit Essay
1. Write an essay about how you will reach your American dream. What
will it take for you to reach your dream? What are the things in current
society and our government that stand in the way of your attainment of the
American dream?
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