Yearlong Overview
First Semester
Unit 1: Beginnings: Where do we come from? Where are we going?
American literature is considered by many to have begun with the discovery of North America. I believe that in order to best understand American literature, students need to understand where the literature came from. Studying these early texts has great cultural and civic awareness significance. It is important for students to see how America has developed culturally and socially over the centuries. The second element to this unit will come in the creating of our class community. Creating a positive and open-minded learning environment is essential for productive learning throughout the entire year.
Unit 2: War: What are we fighting for, and how does it change us?
Conflict is common among all nations, but reasons for the conflict and how the conflict is dealt with can really help define a culture. A closer look at war literature is essential to an American literature course because so many American generations have been influenced and in part defined by wars.
Unit 3: Family: What gives us strength, and what can hold us back?
Family plays a huge role in American culture. People are constantly questioning family structure and values, who should play each familial role, and how those roles should be portrayed. These aspects of family have evolved over time and through various regions. Students will read a variety of texts in different genres that exhibit different representations of family.
Unit 4: Society: How does it shape us, and where do I fit in?
Some societal structures and interactions are common across times and places, but there are also societal elements that are unique to a culture that help define that place. This unit will focus on how interactions between people of a society and the values, laws, and ideals that govern those actions help define America. Studying these various aspects of society will have great cultural significance, as well as providing students with civic awareness and preparing them for the future social needs of their society. Students will observe interactions between characters in the texts we read, and then they will be asked to dig deeper and ask why these characters acted the way they did.
Second Semester
Unit 5: Customs and Traditions: What do we believe?It is important for students to understand that while these customs and traditions help define an individual, all of the individual’s beliefs help define American culture. Studying texts that expose students to customs and traditions held in America has cultural significance and holds relevance to students. America is built on many traditions that originated in other parts of the world. This mix of customs makes American culture unique, and these traditions are found in our literature, making American literature unique as well.
Unit 6: The African American Perspective: Hearing Silenced Voices
This unit is designed to give students an insight into the stories of African Americans. The voices of the minority groups in America is an important part of the nation’s culture, and hearing and understanding these stories has cultural significance as well as literary significance. The texts written by and about African Americans provide us with insight into a very important group of people that add a lot not only to the American culture, but also to American literature. The experiences of African American men and women are an essential piece to getting the complete picture of America.
Unit 7: The Female Perspective: Seeing Both Sides
Females were, for many years, an under-represented group in the literary world, and today there are still far less female-authored books in the canon than male-authored. The female voice is an important one to consider when looking at the literature that defines America. Students often read texts from various points throughout history that are written by a man, and I want them to broaden their view and read stories from similar time frames that come from a different perspective.
Unit: 8: Nature and Art: Connections and Expressions that Influence American Identity
The way people interact and depict nature as well as the importance they give art helps define a place. America has been greatly influenced by nature and this influence comes through in American literature. Things such as porches and road trips are thought to be “American” and there is a great fascination with the wilderness and the horizon that is not necessarily present in other cultures. The period when Manifest Destiny commanded the movement of many Americans West is just another testament to the strong influence of nature on American culture. Understanding the unique view American’s have of nature will help students continue to develop that definition of what makes literature American.
Yearlong Culminating Text: Final Exam
Unit 1: Beginnings: Where do we come from? Where are we going?
American literature is considered by many to have begun with the discovery of North America. I believe that in order to best understand American literature, students need to understand where the literature came from. Studying these early texts has great cultural and civic awareness significance. It is important for students to see how America has developed culturally and socially over the centuries. The second element to this unit will come in the creating of our class community. Creating a positive and open-minded learning environment is essential for productive learning throughout the entire year.
Unit 2: War: What are we fighting for, and how does it change us?
Conflict is common among all nations, but reasons for the conflict and how the conflict is dealt with can really help define a culture. A closer look at war literature is essential to an American literature course because so many American generations have been influenced and in part defined by wars.
Unit 3: Family: What gives us strength, and what can hold us back?
Family plays a huge role in American culture. People are constantly questioning family structure and values, who should play each familial role, and how those roles should be portrayed. These aspects of family have evolved over time and through various regions. Students will read a variety of texts in different genres that exhibit different representations of family.
Unit 4: Society: How does it shape us, and where do I fit in?
Some societal structures and interactions are common across times and places, but there are also societal elements that are unique to a culture that help define that place. This unit will focus on how interactions between people of a society and the values, laws, and ideals that govern those actions help define America. Studying these various aspects of society will have great cultural significance, as well as providing students with civic awareness and preparing them for the future social needs of their society. Students will observe interactions between characters in the texts we read, and then they will be asked to dig deeper and ask why these characters acted the way they did.
Second Semester
Unit 5: Customs and Traditions: What do we believe?It is important for students to understand that while these customs and traditions help define an individual, all of the individual’s beliefs help define American culture. Studying texts that expose students to customs and traditions held in America has cultural significance and holds relevance to students. America is built on many traditions that originated in other parts of the world. This mix of customs makes American culture unique, and these traditions are found in our literature, making American literature unique as well.
Unit 6: The African American Perspective: Hearing Silenced Voices
This unit is designed to give students an insight into the stories of African Americans. The voices of the minority groups in America is an important part of the nation’s culture, and hearing and understanding these stories has cultural significance as well as literary significance. The texts written by and about African Americans provide us with insight into a very important group of people that add a lot not only to the American culture, but also to American literature. The experiences of African American men and women are an essential piece to getting the complete picture of America.
Unit 7: The Female Perspective: Seeing Both Sides
Females were, for many years, an under-represented group in the literary world, and today there are still far less female-authored books in the canon than male-authored. The female voice is an important one to consider when looking at the literature that defines America. Students often read texts from various points throughout history that are written by a man, and I want them to broaden their view and read stories from similar time frames that come from a different perspective.
Unit: 8: Nature and Art: Connections and Expressions that Influence American Identity
The way people interact and depict nature as well as the importance they give art helps define a place. America has been greatly influenced by nature and this influence comes through in American literature. Things such as porches and road trips are thought to be “American” and there is a great fascination with the wilderness and the horizon that is not necessarily present in other cultures. The period when Manifest Destiny commanded the movement of many Americans West is just another testament to the strong influence of nature on American culture. Understanding the unique view American’s have of nature will help students continue to develop that definition of what makes literature American.
Yearlong Culminating Text: Final Exam
Below you can view a calendar displaying yearlong unit organization.
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