Course Outline: Eleventh Grade English

Transcription

1 Course Outline: Eleventh Grade English English 11 is a study of American literature that spans from the 1600s to the present. America s literature began with the lore of the Native Americans, and then it appeared in the journals of settlers, the letters of Civil War soldiers, tales of Mark Twain, the books of John Steinbeck and the poems of Gwendolyn Brooks. Students will be expected to demonstrate proficiency in English language conventions and will practice writing a variety of essays and assignments to accompany their reading. They will also read and respond to recommended literary works such as The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, various selections from Edgar Allan Poe, Steinbeck, Dickinson, and other notable American authors. The following units are selected from the Holt McDougal Literature Anthology. This text may be purchased using instructional funds or parents may opt to follow the recommended unit suggestions using their own literature selections to cover these concepts and to complete these assignments. For those who already have a curriculum or class for English 11, use this outline to help guide you in the type of quality assignments required to be given to your ES at the end of each learning period. If you already have an American literature course or class, please let your ES know and together you can discuss the assignments that you will complete each learning period. *All essay options should be 5 paragraphs minimum, unless otherwise noted. Unit 1 Early American Writing Read The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano by Olaudah Equiano. Citing examples from the text, write an essay that describes how this personal account adds to your understanding of slavery. 2. Read The General History of Virginia by John Smith. Write an essay that discusses the qualities of leadership that John Smith reveals in this selection. Cite evidence from the text as support. 3. Read Of Plymouth Plantation by William Bradford. Write an essay that discusses the concept of when does hardship unite us? Which beliefs most contributed to the colonists willingness to face hardships together? How does Bradford s appeal to common beliefs influence readers especially Bradford s Puritan contemporaries? Support your examples with details from Bradford s account.

2 Unit 2 Early American Writing Continued 1. Read the famous sermon by Jonathan Edwards entitled Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God. Write an essay that analyzes the vivid imagery (writing that appeals to any or all of the five senses sight, sound, taste, touch, smell) that Edwards uses in his sermon to paint pictures with words and how this imagery might affect the audience. 2. Read Acts 1 and 2 of The Crucible by Arthur Miller. Write an essay that analyzes how Abigail and Reverend Hale play a role in the group hysteria that arises during these acts. 3. Read Acts 3-5 of The Crucible by Arthur Miller. Write an essay that analyzes why John Proctor changes his mind and tears up the confession. Discuss Proctor s perception of a morally righteous person and how that perception affects his decision. Think about Rebecca Nurse s reaction to his confession and Elizabeth s assertion that there be no higher judge under Heaven than Proctor is! Unit 3 Early American Writing Continued 1. Read Patrick Henry s Speech in the Virginia Convention and excerpts from Thomas Paine s The Crisis. Write an essay that compares the themes of rebellion and freedom as discussed in both selections. 2. Read The Declaration of Independence. Take the major points and create and deliver a 5- minute minimum persuasive speech where you take on the role of Thomas Jefferson addressing the American people. 3. Read excerpts from Benjamin Franklin s Autobiography and also excerpts from Franklin s Poor Richard s Alamanac. Write an essay comparing and contrasting yourself to Benjamin Franklin in regard to his efforts at self- improvement. What things did he do that you find important and helpful? What advice of his would you most want to follow.? Unit 4 American Romanticism Read Washington Irving s The Devil and Tom Walker, Rip Van Winkle, and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Choose one of the main characters from any of the stories and write a narrative where you take on the role of that character and you describe the events from your point of view. 2. Read The Fall of the House of Usher and The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe. Write a comparison/contrast essay that discusses how both selections depict the theme of sadness and grief. 3. Read The Masque of the Red Death by Edgar Allan Poe. Write an essay that discusses Poe s use of symbolism (colors, characters names, objects) and imagery (writing that draws pictures that appeal to any or all of the five senses sight, sound, taste, touch, smell). Unit 5 From Romanticism to Realism

3 1. Read at least three of the following by Walt Whitman: I Hear America Singing, Song of Myself, A Noiseless Patient Spider, Beat! Beat! Drums! The Preface of Leaves of Grass. In an essay, describe the different types of Americans and their lives that Walt Whitman explored in his writings. 2. Read at least four of the following by Emily Dickinson: Because I Could Not Stop for Death, Success if Counted Sweetest, Much Madness is Divinest Sense, My Life Closed Twice Before Its Close, The Soul Selects Her Own Society, I Heard a Fly Buzz- When I Died, My Life Had Stood- a Loaded Gun. Write an essay that explores the essential truths about life that Dickinson wrote about in her poems. 3. Read an abridged version from the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass. Write an essay that discusses Douglass dream of freedom and his right to self- determination. Unit 6 From Romanticism to Realism Continued 1. Read an abridged version from Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl by Harriet Jacobs. Write an essay that describes what Harriet Jacobs had to give up in order to be free. Was the end result (freedom) worth what she had to give up? Why or why not? 2. Read The Gettysburg Address and The Emancipation Proclamation by Abraham Lincoln. Knowing he would be speaking to an audience of people mourning the tremendous losses of the Civil War, Lincoln chose his words carefully and used language that conveyed a sense of their importance in history. Imagine you had just heard Lincoln give his speeches. Write a persuasive letter to your relatives and friends supporting Lincoln s arguments for the Civil War. 3. Read An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge by Ambrose Bierce. Then watch the short movie version of it that can be found on Write an essay that analyzes that discusses the following regarding the film version vs. the story version: moments in the film that do not appear in the story, whether the rising suspense of the hanging scene was portrayed more vividly in the story or the film, the voice- over narration in the film vs. the reader reading the story for himself. Unit 7 Regionalism and Naturalism Read Life on the Mississippi by Mark Twain. Write an essay that describes why Twain could never see the Mississippi the same way after he learned his trade. 2. Read The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County by Mark Twain. Write an essay that explains how the elaborate setup affects the impact of the story s punch line. Use examples from the story to support your ideas. 3. Read The Outcasts of Poker Flat by Bret Harte. Write an essay that discusses the following: besides being literally cast out of Poker Flat, in what way are

4 Oakhurst, the Duchess, Mother Shipton, and Uncle Billy exiles from society? What moral statement does the author make about their fellow townspeople? Unit 8 The Harlem Renaissance and Modernism Choose One of More Options Below: 1. Read the following poems by Langston Hughes: Harlem, The Negro Speaks of Rivers, I,Too, The Weary Blues. Much of Langston Hughes identity was shaped by his environment. Write an essay that describes how he felt about the people and places he wrote about in his poetry. Use examples from Hughes poems. 2. Read the following by Robert Frost: The Road Not Taken, Acquainted with the Night, Nothing Gold Can Stay, and Out, Out-. Write an essay that compares and contrasts the themes of these poems by Frost. 3. Read The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock by T.S. Eliot. The narrator sees himself as set apart from the crowd. His self- conscious ruminations reflect a profound fear of rejection. Write an essay that describes his sense of rejection and whom or what he might fear. Unit 9 The Harlem Renaissance and Modernism Continued 1. Read The Jilting of Granny Weatherall by Katherine Anne Porter. Write an essay that describes the difference between how Granny remembers the events and how the events actually happened. 2. Read A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner. Write an essay that analyzes the mood of the story. Identify at least three passages that create an especially strong mood or atmosphere for the reader. 3. Read The Life You Save May Be Your Own by Flannery O Connor. Find at least two examples of religious imagery in the story and write an essay that explains what they contribute to its meaning and its message. Unit 10 The American Novel Read one novel or drama from the list below and write a character analysis essay that traces how the main character changes from the beginning of the novel to the end. Use textual examples to support your ideas. Do not write a summary of the novel, but instead focus on the main character and his/her character as it changes throughout. The Great Gatsby The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Moby Dick Joy Luck Club Gone with the Wind The Grapes of Wrath The Catcher in the Rye The Good Earth Their Eyes Were Watching God The Heart is a Lonely Hunter Fahrenheit 451 The Scarlet Letter Ethan Frome The Red Badge of Courage Death of a Salesman Unit 11 Contemporary Literature Present The Power of Research

5 Read various contemporary literary pieces such as novels, poems, dramas, short stories, newspaper articles, magazine articles, etc. Choose a theme or topic that is depicted in one or more of these pieces and write a research paper in which you use various sources as examples that support your thesis. Use MLA formatting for this paper.