Teaching American literature: An outline of units of study and engaging activities for a high school American literature course

Introduce your class to the fundamentals of the American Transcendental movement with this informational text unit from my American Romantic and Transcendental Writers Unit and my American Literature Bundle (please do not purchase both) that features excerpts of Emerson’s “Self-Reliance” and Thoreau’s “Walden”. Students develop their historical awareness, vocabulary, literary analysis skills, rhetorical analysis skills and more. Students wrap up the unit with a RAFT writing activity and/or a test. All teacher notes and keys included. The specific sections include the following: Emerson Section Short WebQuest with Teacher Notes Vocabulary Activity and Quiz With Teacher Keys 1 1/2 Page Excerpt of “Self-Reliance” Group Analysis Activity with Teacher Notes 10 Analysis Questions with Teacher Notes Thoreau Section Short WebQuest with Teacher Notes 2 Page Excerpt of “Walden” 10 Analysis Questions with Teacher Notes Rhetorical Devices Overview and Activity with Teacher Notes Assessment Section RAFT Writing Activity with Rubric 20 Question Multiple Choice/Matching Questions Covering Key Ideas, Literary Purpose, Rhetorical Device Identification and Author/Quote Matching

Links to source precede. Link to “Literary Periods and History Timeline” Link to “American Literature through Time” studyguide.org Link to Story Board That–American Li…

Do you want to enhance your teaching of American Literature? Then use TED talks to teach valuable listening skills and make connectio...

Tips for teaching "The Crucible," by Arthur Miller; how to teach "The Crucible"

Every English teacher has an American Lit course at some time in her career. Here are 12 ways to creatively and thoughtfully approach lessons, the curriculum, and the texts tackled in an American Literature course.

Here are my top 6 tips for teaching making your Gatsby unit memorable.

Getting ready to teach The Great Gatsby or US History? Here's how to introduce the American Dream with primary sources, includes speaking and listening.

Create an engaging and rigorous class novel unit with Interactive Notebooks. Here are some tips for designing for middle and high school students.

Every English teacher has an American Lit course at some time in her career. Here are 12 ways to creatively and thoughtfully approach lessons, the curriculum, and the texts tackled in an American Literature course.

With these Transcendentalism projects, you'll be able to bring texts like Emerson's Self-reliance and Thoreau's Walden to life!

Do you need ideas for an Early American History Unit Study? How about quality read alouds, hands-on activities, and a wall chart type timeline?

Teaching "The Crucible" | How to plan a unit that will engage and challenge your students | "The Crucible" activities, lessons, and unit plan

Source: ASIDE Our third-grade students do a large unit on the Native Americans. It begins with the study of the Iroquois Indians in New ...

My students completed a Pueblo building activity as a unit wrap-up for our study of the Native Americans in the Southwest. They used one centimeter grid paper to cut out a pattern that folded into a box shape. Students added … Continue reading →

"The Last Book" is an interesting series of images collected by Dutch photographer Reinier Gerritsen, who spent 13 weeks over 3 years scouring the subway

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I've collected some of my favorite short stories here across some loose categories to make it easier for you to find a related set you can use if you're looking for top hits for a certain themed course. Or just pick the ones you like the best if categories aren't a concern for you.

Art to Remember is scheduled to ship out to Bradley this Monday, November 18th and we should receive all the art by that Wednesday. My goal...

Help your child learn more about her American heritage with these coloring pages that are chock-full of history featuring the Declaration of Independence.

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In this American Literature Unit, students are introduced to the early writers from late 1600s - late 1700s while learning about the ideologies of Puritanism, Deism, and Animism. In the first part, the students study Anne Bradstreet, Edward Taylor, Jonathan Edwards, John Smith, and William Bradford. In the second part, the students study the works of Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Paine, Patrick Henry, and Equiano (slave narrative). In the final part, students will look at Native American poems and creation stories. The unit uses traditional (cannon) literature accessible online or in most literature texts (I use a Prentice Hall text). Included in the unit are: 22 worksheets / printables, 3 PowerPoint Note Presentations, 2 Unit Test Options, 1 "Jeopardy" Review style game. I did NOT include answers right now, but if you have questions, just contact me. This is the first of a series of units for those of us who are lucky to teach American Lit.

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You may know him as the unofficial patron saint of the morbid, but do you know all of these facts about Edgar Allan Poe?

Help your students improve their writing by focusing on three key skills: paraphrasing, quoting, and summarizing. This unit teaches students how to improve their writing skills by focusing on learning how to paraphrase, quote, and summarize text in their own writing! By learning the crucial skill of paraphrasing, quoting, and summarizing, students will improve their writing drastically! In this informational writing mini-unit, your students will learn the differences between paraphrasing, quoting, and summarizing, and when to use each one in their writing. Most importantly, students will learn that even when they paraphrase information, they still need to cite it! This writing skills unit includes the following: An editable, 27 slide PowerPoint and Google Slides® presentation A standards-based unit outline that includes instruction for 3+ days Three informational text activities to help enhance students' paraphrasing, quoting, and summarizing abilities A full-text informational passages (The Gettysburg Address and the Preamble to the US Constitution) An excerpt text handout from President Barack Obama's first inaugural address with a link to the video and full text version Two helpful student handouts that can be used all year long All PDF activities available in a digital, editable Google® format The instructional presentation teaches students about paraphrasing, quoting, and summarizing, and it includes color-coded examples for how to properly introduce and cite a quote and a quick quiz at the end of the presentations to check student understanding. Teachers like you say... ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Extremely Satisfied Savannah B. says, "The "Paraphrasing, Quoting, and Summarizing: A Unit on Informative Writing" has been an invaluable addition to my curriculum. This unit offers a comprehensive and structured approach to developing students' skills in paraphrasing, quoting, and summarizing—essential components of informative writing. The well-designed lessons and practical exercises effectively guide students through the nuances of these critical skills, promoting a deeper understanding of how to integrate external sources into their writing. As an English teacher, I appreciate the clarity and effectiveness of this unit in fostering not only technical writing abilities but also a heightened awareness of proper citation and source integration. Highly recommended for its practicality and relevance in preparing students for informative writing tasks." ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Extremely Satisfied Rebecca C. says, "There is much more than I anticipated in this resource and found myself needing to spread it out over three days of 55 minute classes. I used it to review what I thought students knew and realized we needed almost a day to practice paraphrase alone. I love being able to print supplemental texts from the presentation for students to write on and the quiz at the end of the presentation. To conclude we used our own reading already completed in class with the handouts, practicing the strategies specifically, before heading into MLA review and our first formal writing. Kids can return to the handouts, and I can reteach as needed through the year. Great product!" ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Extremely Satisfied Gianna P. says, "This resource was so helpful before starting our informational writing unit. I realized many of my students did not know the difference between the three and were having trouble doing it for their essays. This broke it down for them and helped them use it for their essays/short responses since it included sentence stems. Thank you!" You may also like… → Punctuation Teaching Unit → Academic Vocabulary Program → Essay Writing Unit Helpful Advice: * Follow my store by clicking HERE so you don’t miss out on sales and new resources * Please provide feedback on this resource. Doing so will help you earn TPT credits that you can apply toward future purchases! It’s like FREE TPT cash! © The Daring English Teacher, Inc. All rights reserved. License good for single-classroom use only.

Make teaching ethos, pathos, and logos fun and engaging with this rhetorical appeals unit! This comprehensive rhetorical appeals unit includes everything you need to teach your middle and high school students about the different, effective persuasive and argumentative writing strategies, including ethos, pathos, and logos. ⭐️ 2023 UPDATE: Now includes PRINT AND DIGITAL! Teach your students about rhetorical appeals using the engaging and interactive multi-day instructional slide. Students follow along with the ethos, pathos, and logos direct instruction using the included rhetorical appeals graphic organizers and doodle notes. This Digital & Print Rhetorical Appeals Unit Includes: An editable, 37-slide PowerPoint (Google Slides, too) Suggested lesson plan calendar Ethos Pathos Logos Doodle Notes Rhetorical Triangle Doodle Organizer Two informational text activities for individual or group practice Three full-text informational passages (The Gettysburg Address, Chief Joseph's surrender speech, and Lou Gehrig's Farewell to Baseball speech) Writing with appeals activity Argumentative essay handout Thesis graphic organizer Counterclaim graphic organizer Essay outline Peer edit form Argumentative essay rubric Suggested answer keys for three speeches Includes digital Google slides! Students will love how engaging this unit is, and this unit delivers content in an easy-to-understand and accessible manner. They'll enjoy the ethos, pathos, and logos activities and improve their understanding of ethos, pathos, and logos from day 1. Prep is quick and easy... Just follow along with the suggested pacing guide, teach the content on the slides to students, and print out the organizers and activities! TEACHERS LIKE YOU SAID… ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Brittany O. says, "This was the first time I have used notes like these before, and my students ate them up! I even had an unexpected walk-through during the period and my AP loved them, as well!" ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Christina G. says, "A great supplement for my rhetoric unit to provide support for students who were struggling and to provide additional checks for understanding. Having short, complex texts for a quick review was perfect for my needs." ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ First of Her Name. says, "The graphic organizers in this resource are perfect! My students have always struggled with writing thesis statements and counterclaims, but the worksheets in this resource made it incredibly simple! I saw so many lightbulbs click on when using this in my classes!" ___________________________________ You may also like… → Punctuation Teaching Unit → Academic Vocabulary Program → Essay Writing Unit ___________________________________ Helpful Advice: * Make sure you click the "follow" button next to my picture so you don’t miss out on sales and new resources * Please provide feedback on this resource. Doing so will help you earn TPT credits that you can apply toward future purchases! It’s like FREE TPT cash! © The Daring English Teacher, Inc. All rights reserved. License good for single-classroom use only.

The Crucible project ideas and activities to refresh your unit plan with engaging and meaningful teaching ideas.

Library List: Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes America's Paul Revere by Esther Forbes Paul Revere's Ride by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow How to Be a Revolutionary War Soldier by Thomas Ratliff

NEW: A link to an editable template in Canva is provided FOR EACH PRODUCT, so you can personalize and adapt FOR your DISTANCE LEARNING NEEDS needs.You will need to create an account in Canva - basic account is free. A Short Fiction Unit aligned to the New 2019 AP Literature Guidelines and Skills * Builds upon skills from Unit Two: Short Fiction ** Please check out the preview for this product. *** In addition to the 37 pages to download, you will have access to a 102 paged document including a digital copy of all of the short stories (Googledoc) Even if you are not following the new Course Framework and the recommended nine units, this unit is a great way for students to continue developing  and practicing the required skills of this course. These are the short stories of the unit: "The Birthday Party" "The Birth-Mark" "A Clean Well-Lighted place" "A Jury of her peers" "Lamb to the Slaughter" "The Landlady" "The Possibility of Evil" "The Yellow Wallpaper" "Young Goodman Brown" & "Desiree's Baby" Included... Step-by-step guide access to a single document containing a digital copy of all short stories for the unit Collaborative writing assignment w/ "the Birthday Party" Group Jigsaw with eight short stories a Prose fiction analysis prompt created for each short story using the new stable prompt wording. ten graphic organizers One-pager assignment, including scoring guide annotation scoring guide thesis statement writing activity that builds to a ...... literary argument: extended writing piece (4-6 pages) If you like this product, check out the others in my store! Click the links below.  AP LANGUAGE AP Language: Units 1 and 2:  Defining Education and Its Purpose AP Language: 9/11 and the Rhetorical Situation AP Language: An Introduction to the Rhetorical Situation Bundle: AP Language: New 2019 Course Framework: Units 1 & 2 AP Language: An Argument a Day Bundle: AP Language: Starter Kit AP Language: What is the Good Life? Units 3, 4, and 5: Aligned to the 2019 CED Growing Bundles: AP Language: Units 1-9: Aligned to CED AP LITERATURE AP Literature: Unit One: A Short Fiction (Story) Unit: An Intro. to the New 2019 AP Lit. Guidelines AP Literature: Unit One: Short Fiction: "The Birds" Assessment Bundle: AP Literature: Unit One: Short Fiction - Activities and Assessments (the two items listed above) GREAT DEAL!  AP Literature: A Poetry Unit (Unit Two for the new 2019 AP Lit. Course Framework)  AP Literature: Building a Poem: An Interactive Poetry Activity   Bundle: Unit Two: A Poetry Unit and a Building a Poem Activity  AP Literature: Unit Three: Their Eyes Were Watching God (AP Lit 2019 CED)  AP Literature: Unit: Independent Reading Project Bundle: AP Literature Unit Three and an Independent Reading Project  AP Literature: Unit Four: Short Fiction  Bundle AP Literature: New 2019 Course Framework: Units 1-3 AP Literature: Unit 4: Short Fiction (2019 AP Lit. CED) AP Literature: Units 1-4: Assessment (aligned NEW 2019 AP Lit. CED)Bundle: Semester 1: AP Lit: Units 1-4, and more! (2019 AP Lit. CED) AP Literature: Unit 5: Poetry (New AP Literature 2019 CED) AP Lit:Unit 6:Longer Fiction & Drama:The Kite Runner & Fences (2019 AP Lit. CED) BUNDLE: AP Lit: Units 4,5, and 6 (New 2019 AP Lit. CED) AP Literature: Unit 7: Short Fiction (New 2019 AP Lit.CED) BUNDLE: AP Lit: Short Fiction Units 1, 4, & 7 (2019 AP Lit.Course Framework) AP Literature: Unit 8: Poetry (2019 AP Lit. CED) Bundle: AP Lit: Poetry: Units 2, 5, and 8 AP Literature: Unit 9: Longer Fiction:The Handmaid's Tale (New 2019 AP Lit. CED) Bundle: AP Lit.: Longer Fiction Units: 3, 6 & 9 (aligned to the AP Lit 2019 CED) Bundle: AP Lit: Semester 2: Units 5, 6, 7, 8, & 9 (New 2019 AP CED) Bundle: AP Literature: Full Course: Units 1-9 & Much More AP English: A Commonplace Book  (Great for AP Lit and AP Lang)  OTHER  Poetry Analytical Tools: The Graphic Organizer Narrative Writing: Finding Your Voice: The Journey Argument Essay: A Color Coded Reflective Analysis Argumentative Writing: So Much More Than Just an Essay Argumentative Writing: I AM CHANGE BUNDLE: Argumentative Writing (the two above items plus a free download) GREAT DEAL!  The Hate U Give: An Introductory Activity

Need an engaging, student-driven way to teach short stories and/or literary terms? Use this unit as a high-accountability way to scaffold students into tougher literature! In this unit, small groups of students are assigned to one short story (so you can differentiate to students by difficulty level); then, each small group takes a turn PRESENTING the short story to the rest of the class before everyone takes a reading comprehension quiz on that short story. (The process is repeated for all 8 stories, gradually building up students’ ability to understand difficult fiction.) In addition to showing comprehension through quizzes and presentations, students will also be gradually taking notes on the stories by using a Literary Terms glossary, collecting examples of the devices as they appear in the short stories; these 28 terms are assessed on the unit test. The stories include a combination of American, British, and World authors with varying lengths, genres, and difficulty levels, which includes: • Dystopian Sci-Fi: “The Lottery” (Jackson) and “All Summer in a Day” (Bradbury) • Horror: “The Tell-Tale Heart” (Poe) and “The Monkey’s Paw” (Jacobs) • Ethics: “The Lady or the Tiger” (Stockton) and “The Bet” (Chekov) • Plot Twists: “The Story of an Hour” (Chopin) and “The Most Dangerous Game” (O’Connell) Originally designed for a mixed-ability 8th grade classroom as high school prep, this unit will work best for grades 7-10, but the EDITABLE docs can be adjusted to best suit your classroom. You can complete this in a compressed unit (approx. 2-3 weeks) or spread it out over a longer span of time (such as one short story per week over the span of a quarter, which is what we did). This 80-page/slide download includes: • NOW INCLUDES Word/PPT, PDF, and Google Docs/Slides/Forms! The quizzes and test can be self-grading Google Forms or another format of your choice. • Unit Plan and Teacher’s Guide, including suggested calendars and extensive tips for teaching • Pre/Post Test on Literary Terms (with answer key) • PowerPoints: One introducing the unit, one as a sample PPT that students should strive to imitate, and one template for students to make their own • Student Packet: includes directions, unit/presentation rubric, literary terms dictionary (with answer key), and access to a Quizlet set of online flash cards of the terms • Quizzes: One quiz per short story with a combination of multiple choice and short answer questions, plus answer keys • Unit Test: assesses literary devices as well as concepts like theme, symbolism, and quote analysis using multiple question types • Optional Essay: general prompts AND options for each short story WITH a writing rubric! NOTES about the unit: • Multiple Common Core standards for speaking and reading literature are used in this unit. • Since some of the stories are not yet in the public domain, copies of the texts are not included; however, hyperlinks to the stories are given, and they could be found in an internet search. **************************************** You might also like… • Chapter Study Guides • Banned Books: Individualized Reading & Writing Project • Movie vs. Text Activity Bundle **************************************** Customer Tips: Be the first to know about my new discounts, sales, and product launches: • FOLLOW Me: Look for the green star next to my store logo and click it to become a follower. You’ll receive email updates about this store to SAVE even more! ☺ How to get TPT credit to use on future purchases: • Please go to your My Purchases page (you may need to log in). Beside each purchase you'll see a Provide Feedback button. Simply click it and you will be taken to a page where you can give a quick rating and leave a short comment for the product. Each time you give feedback, TPT gives you feedback credits that you use to lower the cost of your future purchases. Your feedback is very important to me, and I take it very seriously! ☺ Questions? Requests for new products? Ask me in the Q&A tab or email me directly at: [email protected] **************************************** Connect with Me Follow Secondary Sara's Blog Follow Sara on Facebook Follow Sara on Pinterest Follow Sara on Instagram Follow Sara on Twitter

Students need teachers to make learning relevant and engaging, and one excellent tool for this is the use of TED Talks. I've been teaching...

A round-up of fantastic ways to make biographies and history study come alive.

Want to engage your students, introduce/practice essential ELA skills, and generate discussion around the theme of the American dream? This mini unit bundle is perfect for an American Literature course that will examine the dream in different texts throughout the year. I begin my American Literature course with this mini unit, so that we can analyze the evolution of the dream, from the Puritans to the Transcendentalists to GATSBY. This bundle contains multiple engaging activities, and each comes with teacher instructions/brief lesson plans. You can select certain activities to complement your existing unit or use all of mine for a complete mini unit. Here's what you will get: -"What does it mean to be an American?" Visual Representation Activity -"What does it mean to be an American?" Gallery Walk Activity -American Dream Political Cartoon Analysis Learning Stations -American Dream Game Reflection/Analysis -American Dream Documentary Viewing Guide -American Dream Speed Debating Activity -American Dream Essay, Outline, and Rubric

Native American Literature can be a fun way to get your kids excited about the past, as well as gain a further understanding of America's earliest authors! Inside this mini-unit, students will be able to read a Native American creation myth, answer study questions, and compare with out creation stories around the globe. Also, they will learn the basics of a Native American Trickster Tale, read an example, and have the workings in order to create their own in fun writing assignment! Included in the Native American Mini-Unit: *Native American Creation Myth- The Sky Tree* *Study Questions* ***ANSWER KEY INCLUDED!*** *Creation around the World Activity* *Oral Literature Activity* *Trickster Tale Origins and Example* *Trickster Tale Work-Up Activity* *Trickster Tale Writing Assignment- Rubric* *Teacher Instruction Guide* ~~~In need of more materials? Check out more American Literature Mini-Units!~~~ Rip Van Winkle- A Mini Unit!Henry Wadsworth Longfellow- The Ropewalk and The Cross of Snow Mini-Unit!Thanatopsis- A Mini-Unit!The Devil and Tom Walker- *MEME* Activity Included!- Mini-Unit! Emerson: Nature and Self-Reliance Mini-Unit! The Minister's Black Veil Mini-Unit! ***************************************************************************** Customer Tips : How to get TPT credit to use on future purchases: •Please go to your My Purchases page (you may need to login). Beside each purchase you'll see a Provide Feedback button. Simply click it and you will be taken to a page where you can give a quick rating and leave a short comment for the product. Each time you give feedback, TPT gives you feedback credits that you use to lower the cost of your future purchases. I value your feedback greatly as it helps me determine which products are most valuable for your classroom so I can create more for you. Be the first to know about my new discounts, freebies and product launches: •Look for the green star next to my store logo and click it to become a follower. BAM! You will now receive email updates about this store! *****************************************************************************

Explore McCarthyism and more with free lesson plans on character dissection and plot analysis, including The Crucible's Allegorical Depths, at StoryboardThat.

Teaching tall tales to kids can be fun when you combine reading with writing your own tales. We'll show you how. Includes free printable tall tale template.

Have you ever done a Google search for "poetry ideas" to teach in your high school English classroom? Let me spoil those search results for you - THEY'RE LAME! Poetry, especially at the high school level, it too important to be treated as a coloring activity, or worse,