American+Literature+Class

Please download and read carefully the American Literature Syllabus



American Literature is a literature-based course which is generally engaged in the third year of the secondary school. The normal prerequisites are mastery of Literature II and Writing II outcomes or the equivalent. In exceptional cases, students may engage in American Literature if the Writing II and/or Literature II outcomes are not mastered.

The content of American Literature includes a historical examination in chronological order of American literature. This includes the study of journals, personal narratives, short stories, documents, plays, poetry, novels, and speeches.


 * __ Course Units __**** : ** The American Literature course is divided into 10 units consisting of 7 Essential Units and 3 teacher-directed Selective Units. Within the 10 units of American Literature, students are expected to read at least one novel in its entirety and 1 play in its entirety. Essential Unit #7 (E07) and many of the Selective Units lend themselves to this requirement. Also within each of the 10 units, students are expected to show mastery on all of the listed “Essential Outcomes.”

In addition, in order to prepare students adequately with college-level writing and speaking skills, many Essential Outcomes include specific writing and speaking outcomes in various genres. Essential writing tasks are found in Unit 2, 3, 5, 6, and 7 and essential speaking tasks are found in Units 2, 6, and 7. These outcomes are intended to be assessed specifically in either formal written or formal spoken form as indicated in the unit so that the students are guaranteed an opportunity to master these skills. Rubrics for each task are included in each unit.

Teachers may also choose to practice additional writing and speaking skills by assessing any other outcomes through a formal written or spoken task.


 * __ Rubrics Used and the 6 + 1 Writing Traits __**** : ** QSI English and Language Arts curriculum has adopted the 6 + 1 Writing Traits for writing tasks at all age levels. As such, the rubrics for the different genre writing tasks (expository, narrative, literary response, persuasive, etc.) are included in this curriculum and are intended for continued use by the teacher. Rubrics are included as a guideline and can be adjusted as per teacher discretion, but the 6 + 1 traits must be maintained. Teachers should also post the 6 + 1 writing traits in their classrooms and support mastery of these traits whenever possible, as they are school-wide at all age levels.

Starting at the age of 12, all students are expected to show mastery-level performance (either a score of 6, 5, or 4 on the rubric) on ALL of the 6 + 1 traits in writing tasks that are assessed with the writing rubrics. Any students who are new to QSI should be immediately familiarized with these 6 + 1 traits so that they are also assessed with the same rubrics.

Rubrics Used: Write Source Grade 10: Response to Literature (pp. 290 -291) Write Source Grade 10: Persuasive (pp. 234 – 235) Write Source Grade 10: Expository (pp. 180 – 181) Write Source Grade 10: Personal Narrative (pp. 124 – 125) Research Process Rubric (see unit) Oral Presentation Rubric (see unit)

QSI Secondary Language Arts and English classes have adopted MLA format for all formal writing tasks.


 * __ Earning Graduation Credit __**** : ** Mastery (at an ‘A’ or ‘B’ level) of 10 units of American Literature is a graduation requirement for the academic diploma. The 7 Essential Units are mandatory, while the remaining 3 Selective Units may be determined by teacher and student to make a total of 10 units mastered.

Students wishing to pursue other literature interests and to gain additional secondary credits may engage in other Selective Units not studied in class.

This course supports and is aligned to the success orientations, competencies, and knowledge noted in the QSI English Program Outcomes for Secondary English.

-There are various support materials for this text by the same publisher. -Assessment rubrics come largely from **// Write Source: Grade Level 10 //**, the text used in Writing 2.
 * __ Course Text Books __**** : **
 * // -The Language of Literature: American Literature //**// . // Evanston, Illinois: McDougal-Littell. 2006. (abbreviated as ‘LOL’)

These units follow the sequence of the identified student textbook, although one unit is not a prerequisite for another. Teachers may choose to teach the units in any order, including inserting appropriate Selective Units between Essential Units and engaging in Selective or Essential Units simultaneously with other Essential Units (especially with the case of E07: In-Depth Study). However, it is highly suggested that the material be covered in historically chronological order regardless of which units are engaged. The units may be engaged in such a sequence to allow maximum coordination with U.S. History.

__ An outline of the 7 Essential Units, 9 Selective Units, and suggested materials follows. __


 * __ Essential Units __**** : **

LOL: selections from pages 16 – 255
 * E01 ** The New Land: Native American Literature, Puritan Literature, and Literature of Discovery

LOL: pages 256-327
 * E02 ** *The Age of Reason: The Revolutionary War and The Enlightenment

LOL: pages 336-445
 * E03 ** *A Growing Nation: Romanticism

LOL: pages 446 - 552
 * E04 ** The New England Renaissance: Transcendentalism and Anti-transcendentalism

LOL: pages 554 – 732
 * E05 ** *A Nation Divided and Expanding: Civil War Literature, Realism, Naturalism, and Regionalism

LOL: pages 912 - 1066
 * E06 ** *A New Century: The Modern Age and The Harlem Renaissance

Primary literary texts (student or teacher-selected) Secondary and primary research sources An online research database service such as Elibrary, Infotrac, or Newsbank MLA Handbook or research skills website such as www.dianahacker.com
 * E07 ** *In-Depth Study: American Author, Literary Work, and/or Literary Period

* //Indicates a unit that includes an essential writing and/or speaking outcome//


 * __ Selective Units: __**

// The Crucible // by Arthur Miller // The Scarlet Letter // by Nathaniel Hawthorne LOL: pages 16 - 255
 * S01 ** Puritan (based) Fiction/ Study

Suggested novel titles: // The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn // by Mark Twain // To Kill A Mockingbird // by Harper Lee // As I Lay Dying // by William Faulkner // Uncle Tom’s Cabin // by Harriet Beecher Stowe // Their Eyes Were Watching God // by Zora Neale Hurston Suggested drama titles: // The Glass Menagerie // by Tennessee Williams // A Streetcar Named Desire // by Tennessee Williams
 * S02 ** Southern Literature

LOL: pages 1068 - 1236 // The Joy Luck Club // by Amy Tan // Bluest Eye or Beloved // by Toni Morrison // Color Purple // by Alice Walker // In Country // by Bobbie Ann Mason // Fallen Angels // by Walter Dean Myers // Catcher in the Rye // or //Franny Zooey// by J. D. Salinger // On the Road // or //Dharma Bums// by Jack Kerouac
 * S03 ** The Contemporary Age: Postwar and Multicultural Literature

LOL: Poetry selections not previously covered
 * S04 ** Focus on American Poetry

LOL: Selections not previously covered Various selections by teacher and/or student
 * S05 ** Focus on American Fiction

LOL: Selections not previously covered Various selections by teacher and/or student
 * S06 ** Focus on American Nonfiction

LOL: Selections not previously covered Various selections by teacher and/or student
 * S07 ** Thematic/Period Novel Study

LOL: Selections not previously covered Various selections by teacher and/or student
 * S08 ** Thematic/Period Drama Study

LOL: Selections not previously covered Various selections by teacher and/or student Suggested writers: Anne Bradstreet Emily Dickenson Phyllis Wheatley Willa Cather Susan B. Anthony Charlotte Perkins Gilman Flannery O’Connor Gertrude Stein Kate Chopin Eudora Welty Gwendolyn Brooks Zora Neale Hurston Lorraine Hansberry Maxine Hong Kingston Amy Tan Bharati Mukherjee Maya Angelou Alice Walker Toni Morrison Leslie Marmon Silko Sandra Cisneros Jamaica Kinkaid Arundhati Roy Sylvia Plath
 * S09 ** American Women Writers