Unit I Revisions - LPSS · Web viewThe grammar and composition focus is a persuasive essay that reflects the study of persuasive language used in the speeches and essays studied in

English III

English III

Table of Contents

Unit 1: The Colonial Period in American Literature.....................................................1

Unit 2: The Revolutionary Period in American Literature.........................................17

Unit 3: The National Period in American Literature...................................................32

Unit 4: The Civil War Period in American Literature.................................................46

Unit 5: The Rise of Realism and Naturalism in American Literature........................58

Unit 6: The Early Years of the Twentieth Century in American Literature.............71

Unit 7: The Mid/Late Twentieth Century and Beyond in American Literature.......85

Louisiana Comprehensive Curriculum, Revised 2008Course Introduction

The Louisiana Department of Education issued the Comprehensive Curriculum in 2005. The curriculum has been revised based on teacher feedback, an external review by a team of content experts from outside the state, and input from course writers. As in the first edition, the Louisiana Comprehensive Curriculum, revised 2008 is aligned with state content standards, as defined by Grade-Level Expectations (GLEs), and organized into coherent, time-bound units with sample activities and classroom assessments to guide teaching and learning. The order of the units ensures that all GLEs to be tested are addressed prior to the administration of iLEAP assessments.

District Implementation GuidelinesLocal districts are responsible for implementation and monitoring of the Louisiana Comprehensive Curriculum and have been delegated the responsibility to decide if

units are to be taught in the order presented substitutions of equivalent activities are allowed GLES can be adequately addressed using fewer activities than presented permitted changes are to be made at the district, school, or teacher level

Districts have been requested to inform teachers of decisions made.

Implementation of Activities in the ClassroomIncorporation of activities into lesson plans is critical to the successful implementation of the Louisiana Comprehensive Curriculum. Lesson plans should be designed to introduce students to one or more of the activities, to provide background information and follow-up, and to prepare students for success in mastering the Grade-Level Expectations associated with the activities. Lesson plans should address individual needs of students and should include processes for re-teaching concepts or skills for students who need additional instruction. Appropriate accommodations must be made for students with disabilities.

New FeaturesContent Area Literacy Strategies are an integral part of approximately one-third of the activities. Strategy names are italicized. The link (view literacy strategy descriptions) opens a document containing detailed descriptions and examples of the literacy strategies. This document can also be accessed directly at http://www.louisianaschools.net/lde/uploads/11056.doc.

A Materials List is provided for each activity and Blackline Masters (BLMs) are provided to assist in the delivery of activities or to assess student learning. A separate Blackline Master document is provided for each course.

The Access Guide to the Comprehensive Curriculum is an online database of suggested strategies, accommodations, assistive technology, and assessment options that may provide greater access to the curriculum activities. The Access Guide will be piloted during the 2008-2009 school year in Grades 4 and 8, with other grades to be added over time. Click on the Access Guide icon found on the first page of each unit or by going directly to the url http://mconn.doe.state.la.us/accessguide/default.aspx.

http://mconn.doe.state.la.us/accessguide/default.aspx

http://www.louisianaschools.net/lde/uploads/11056.doc


http://mconn.doe.state.la.us/accessguide/default.aspx%00%E5%A1%B9%EF%92%81%E1%B4%BB%E4%A1%BF%E2%B2%AF%E5%B6%82%E8%97%84%E6%8C%A7%00%00%EA%AE%A5

Louisiana Comprehensive Curriculum, Revised 2008

English IIIUnit 1: The Colonial Period in American Literature

Time Frame: Approximately six weeks

Unit Description

This unit focuses on responding to the primary genres of the colonial period of American literature, such as myths, journals, historical accounts, and early poetry. Analysis will lead to a discovery of how each text relates to the historical context of the time. Activities will include a variety of comprehension strategies to analyze the effects of literary elements and devices and to connect these texts to real-life experiences in both short responses and multi-paragraph compositions. Vocabulary study will occur through defining words within the context of the literature. The writing focus on a personal narrative will include a study of the proper use of the conventions of grammar in the writing process.

Student Understandings

One of the essential goals of this unit is for students to identify how social and historical context has always helped to define Americans. This process is displayed in the written and visual communications from each time period. Students will analyze the literature of the colonial period to recognize that the literature, like the nation itself, was in the earliest stage of development and will realize that the literature reflects the diversity of each of the colonies. Students will provide supported responses to the texts and identify the effects of the literary elements and devices, particularly those related to histories, journals, and early poems.

Guiding Questions

1. Can students draw conclusions and make inferences about the development of the contemporary American identity from visual and written text?

2. Can students access and synthesize information from a variety of resources and present their findings in both written and oral responses?

3. Can students identify the primary characteristics of the colonial period and explain how they are reflected in the literature of the age?

4. Can students use a variety of strategies to analyze the significance of the major literary forms of the early American explorers and settlers?

5. Can students explain how the poet Anne Bradstreet uses imagery and figurative language to describe experiences and convey meaning?

6. Can students connect events from the past such as the Salem witchcraft trials to current events through verbal or written expression?

English IIIUnit 1The Colonial Period in American Literature 1



7. Can students use a writing process to develop a complex composition that connects their own personal experiences to the overall concept of an American identity?

Unit 1 Grade-Level Expectations (GLEs)

GLE # GLE Text and Benchmarks01a. Extend basic and technical vocabulary using a variety of strategies, including

analysis of an author’s word choice (ELA-1-H1)01b. Extend basic and technical vocabulary using a variety of strategies, including

use of related forms of words (ELA-1-H1)01c. Extend basic and technical vocabulary using a variety of strategies, including

analysis of analogous statements (ELA-1-H1)03a. Draw conclusions and make inferences about ideas and information in complex

texts in oral and written responses, including fiction/nonfiction (ELA-1-H3)03b. Draw conclusions and make inferences about ideas and information in complex

texts in oral and written responses, including drama/poetry (ELA-1-H3)03d. Draw conclusions and make inferences about ideas and information in complex

texts in oral and written responses, including film/visual texts (ELA-1-H3)05. Analyze and critique the impact of historical periods, diverse ethnic groups, and

major influences (e.g., philosophical, political, religious, ethical, social) on American, British, or world literature in oral and written responses (ELA-6-H1)

06. Analyze and explain the significance of literary forms, techniques, characteristics, and recurrent themes of major literary periods in ancient, American, British, or world literature (ELA-6-H2)

07c. Analyze and synthesize in oral and written responses distinctive elements (e.g., structure) of a variety of literary forms and types, including forms of lyric and narrative poetry such as the ballad, sonnets, pastorals, elegies, and the dramatic monologue (ELA-6-H3)

07d. Analyze and synthesize in oral and written responses distinctive elements (e.g., structure) of a variety of literary forms and types, including drama (ELA-6-H3)

07e. Analyze and synthesize in oral and written responses distinctive elements (e.g., structure) of a variety of literary forms and types, including short stories, novellas, and novels (ELA-6-H3)

08a. Analyze in oral and written responses the ways in which works of ancient, American, British, or world literature represent views or comments on life, for example, an autobiography/diary gives insight into a particular time and place (ELA-6-H4)

09a. Demonstrate understanding of information in American, British, and world literature using a variety of strategies, including interpreting and evaluating presentation of events and information (ELA-7-H1)

09b. Demonstrate understanding of information in American, British, and world literature using a variety of strategies, including evaluating the credibility of arguments in nonfiction works (ELA-7-H1)

09c. Demonstrate understanding of information in American, British, and world literature using a variety of strategies, including making inferences and drawing



GLE # GLE Text and Benchmarksconclusions (ELA-7-H1)

09d. Demonstrate understanding of information in American, British, and world literature using a variety of strategies, including evaluating the author’s use of complex literary elements, (e.g., symbolism, themes, characterization, ideas) (ELA-7-H1)

09e. Demonstrate understanding of information in American, British, and world literature using a variety of strategies, including comparing and contrasting major periods, themes, styles, and trends within and across texts (ELA-7-H1)

09f. Demonstrate understanding of information in American, British, and world literature using a variety of strategies, including making predictions and generalizations about ideas and information (ELA-7-H1)

09h. Demonstrate understanding of information in American, British, and world literature using a variety of strategies, including synthesizing (ELA-7-H1)

11. Analyze and evaluate the philosophical arguments presented in literary works, including American, British, or world literature (ELA-7-H2)

12. Analyze and evaluate works of American, British, or world literature in terms of an author’s life, culture, and philosophical assumptions (ELA-7-H3)

13a. Analyze information within and across grade-appropriate print and non-print texts using various reasoning skills, including identifying cause-effect relationships (ELA-7-H4)

13b. Analyze information within and across grade-appropriate print and non-print texts using various reasoning skills, including raising questions (ELA-7-H4)

13d. Analyze information within and across grade-appropriate print and non-print texts using various reasoning skills, including generating a theory or hypothesis (ELA-7-H4)

13f. Analyze information within and across grade-appropriate print and non-print texts using various reasoning skills, including distinguishing facts from opinions and probability (ELA-7-H4)

14a. Develop complex compositions, essays, and reports that include a clearly stated central idea/thesis statement (ELA-2-H1)

14b. Develop complex compositions, essays, and reports that include a clear, overall structure (e.g., introduction, body, appropriate conclusion (ELA-2-H1)

14c. Develop complex compositions, essays, and reports that include supporting paragraphs organized in logical sequence (e.g., chronological order) (ELA-2-H1)

14d. Develop complex compositions, essays, and reports that include transitional words, phrases, and devices that unify throughout (ELA-2-H1)

15a. Develop complex compositions on student- or teacher-selected topics that are suited to an identified audience and purpose and that include word choices appropriate to the identified audience and/or purpose (ELA-2-H2)

15b. Develop complex compositions on student- or teacher-selected topics that are suited to an identified audience and purpose and that include vocabulary selected to clarify meaning, create images, and set a tone (ELA-2-H2)

15c. Develop complex compositions on student- or teacher-selected topics that are suited to an identified audience and purpose and that include information/ideas



GLE # GLE Text and Benchmarksselected to engage the interest of the reader (ELA-2-H2)

15d. Develop complex compositions on student- or teacher-selected topics that are suited to an identified audience and purpose and that include clear voice (individual personality) (ELA-2-H2)

16a. Develop complex compositions using writing processes such as selecting topic and form (e.g., determining a purpose and audience) (ELA-2-H3)

16b. Develop complex compositions using writing processes such as prewriting (e.g. brainstorming, clustering, outlining, generating main idea/thesis statements) (ELA-2-H3)

16c. Develop complex compositions using writing process such as drafting (ELA-2-H3)

16d. Develop complex compositions using writing processes such as conferencing with teachers and peers (ELA-2-H3)

16e. Develop complex compositions using writing processes such as revising for content and structure based on feedback (ELA-2-H3)

16f. Develop complex compositions using writing processes such as proofreading/editing to improve conventions of language (ELA-2-H3)

16g. Develop complex compositions using writing processes such as publishing using available technology (ELA-2-H3)

18. Develop writing/compositions using a variety of complex literary and rhetorical devices (ELA-2-H5)

19a. Extend development of individual style, including avoidance of overused words, cliches, and jargon

19b. Extend development of individual style, including a variety of sentence structures and patterns

19c. Extend development of individual style, including diction that sets tone and mood

19d. Extend development of individual style, including vocabulary and phrasing that reflect the character and temperament (voice) of the writer (ELA-2-H5)

20a. Write for various purposes, including interpretations/explanations that connect life experiences to works of American, British, and world literature (ELA-2-H6)

21. Apply standard rules of sentence formation, including parallel structure (ELA-3-H2)

22a. Apply standard rules of usage, for example: avoiding split infinitives (ELA-3-H2)

22b. Apply standard rules of usage, for example: using the subjunctive mood appropriately (ELA-3-H2)

23d. Apply standard rules of mechanics and punctuation for commas after introductory adverb clauses and long introductory phrases (ELA-3-H2)

23g. Apply standard rules of mechanics and punctuation for manuscript form (ELA-3-H2)

24. Use a variety of resources (e.g., dictionaries, thesauruses, glossaries, technology) and textual features (e.g., definitional footnotes, sidebars) to verify word spellings (ELA-3-H3)



GLE # GLE Text and Benchmarks25. Use standard English grammar, diction, and syntax when speaking in formal

presentations and informal group discussions (ELA-4-H1)26a. Select language appropriate to specific purposes and audiences for speaking,

including delivering informational/book reports in class (ELA-4-H1)26c. Select language appropriate to specific purposes and audiences for speaking,

including participating in class discussions (ELA-4-H1)27a. Listen to detailed oral instructions and presentations and carry out complex

procedures, including reading and questioning (ELA-4-H2)27b. Listen to detailed oral instructions and presentations and carry out complex

procedures, including writing responses (ELA-4-H2)27c. Listen to detailed oral instructions and presentations and carry out complex

procedures, including forming groups (ELA-4-H2)27d. Listen to detailed oral instructions and presentations and carry out complex

procedures, including taking accurate, detailed notes (ELA-4-H2)29a. Deliver presentations that include language, diction, and syntax selected to suit

a purpose and impact an audience (ELA-4-H3)29b. Deliver presentations that include delivery techniques including repetition, eye

contact, and appeal to emotion suited to a purpose and audience (ELA-4-H3)29c. Deliver presentations that include an organization that includes an introduction,

relevant examples, and/or anecdotes, and a conclusion arranged to impact an audience (ELA-4-H3)

30a. Use active listening strategies, including: monitoring messages for clarity (ELA-4-H4)

30b. Use active listening strategies, including: selecting and organizing information (ELA-4-H4)

31b. Deliver oral presentations, including responses that analyze information in texts and media (ELA-4-H4)

34a. Select and critique relevant information for a research project using the organizational features of a variety of resources, including print texts (e.g., prefaces, appendices, annotations, citations, bibliographic references)

34b. Select and critique relevant information for a research project using the organizational features of a variety of resources, including electronic texts (e.g., database keyword searches, search engines, e-mail addresses)

35a. Locate, analyze, and synthesize information from a variety of complex resources, including multiple print texts (e.g., encyclopedias, atlases, library catalogs, specialized dictionaries, almanacs, technical encyclopedias, and periodicals)

35b. Locate, analyze, and synthesize information from a variety of complex resources, including electronic sources (e.g., Web sites, databases) (ELA-5-H2)

35c. Locate, analyze, and synthesize information from a variety of complex resources, including other media (e.g., community and government data, television and radio resources, and audio and visual materials) (ELA-5-H2)

36. Analyze the usefulness and accuracy of sources by determining their validity (e.g., authority, accuracy, objectivity, publication date, and coverage) (ELA-5-H2)



GLE # GLE Text and Benchmarks37b. Access information and conduct research using various grade-appropriate data-

gathering strategies/tools, including evaluating the validity and/or reliability of primary and/or secondary sources (ELA-5-H3)

37c. Access information and conduct research using various grade-appropriate data-gathering strategies/tools, including using graphic organizers (e.g., outlining, charts, timelines, webs) (ELA-5-H3)

39c. Use word processing and/or technology to draft, revise, and publish various works, including analytical reports that include research reports on high-interest and literary topics (ELA-5-H4)

40a. Use selected style guides to produce complex reports that include credit for sources (e.g., appropriate parenthetical documentation and notes) (ELA-5-H5)

40b. Use selected style guides to produce complex reports that include standard formatting for source acknowledgment (ELA-5-H5)

Sample Activities

Activity 1: Ongoing Independent Reading (GLEs: 03a, 07e, 09a)

Materials List: teacher-provided independent reading lists

Throughout each of these units, students should explore a wide range of authors and texts, with a focus on American authors, in addition to the readings required in the whole- class activities. To encourage students to be independent and thoughtful readers, they should investigate subjects and ideas that matter to them through their own choices in independent reading activities. This will show them that reading can be useful, enjoyable, and relevant in their everyday lives. This practice may be especially important if students are reluctant readers or are not accustomed to reading independently. The teacher should monitor this reading, making sure to incorporate both oral and written responses to the text.

Activity 2: Ongoing Vocabulary Study (GLEs: 01a, 01b, 01c, 21, 23d, 24)

Materials List: student vocabulary logs, Checklist of Common Errors BLM

To extend basic and technical vocabulary, students will record both student- and teacher- selected new and unfamiliar vocabulary in an ongoing vocabulary log. This log should include a definition, the part of speech, and a sentence for each word. Sentences should contain appropriate context and enough detail to convey the meaning of the word. Students should refer to the Checklist of Common Errors BLM to apply the standard rules of mechanics and punctuation, including parallel structure, no split infinitives, commas after introductory adverb clauses, and commas after long introductory phrases.



Activity 3: Ongoing Writing Prompts to Make Real-Life Connections and to Assess Understanding (GLEs: 05, 09a, 09c, 09d, 09f, 20a, 30b)

Materials List: prompts, note cards

Students will use writing-for-understanding strategies such as the following: entrance cards as a lesson initiation activity “Stop and Writes” as a comprehension, reflection, or prediction activity during

reading annotated text as a during-reading activity exit cards as a lesson closure activity

Prompts should address comprehension, higher-order thinking, and connections between text and real-life experiences. Prompts can be used to begin discussions or for assessments. During discussion, students will use active listening strategies, including monitoring messages for clarity and selecting and organizing essential information.

Activity 4: Ongoing Grammar Study (GLEs: 21, 22a, 22b, 23d)

Materials List: mini-lesson activities, student writing samples, practice exercises, Checklist of Common Errors BLM

The teacher will facilitate a classroom discussion during the drafting/revising process of any composition on sentence formation problems (i.e., fragments, run-ons, or syntax problems) or standard rules of usage or mechanics (i.e., subject/verb agreement, appropriate verb tense, pronoun/antecedent agreement, appropriate pronoun case, comparative forms of adjectives, avoidance of double negatives, and appropriate punctuation/capitalization). Discussion will be based on the common errors in student writing samples using the Checklist of Common Errors BLM. Mini-lesson activities will be from student-generated examples and will be ongoing and skill specific. Ideally, the mini-lessons will become differentiated for students’ specific needs and will be integrated within student writing assignments and not taught in isolation.

Activity 5: Analyzing the American Identity (GLEs: 03d, 13a, 13b, 13d, 20a, 27c)

Materials List: contemporary photos or collages, student journals

The teacher will display a series of visual images that prompt discussion of the varied identities of contemporary Americans. Suggested images are collages from Photomosaics by Robert Silvers or a series of photographs that display Americans in various occupations, leisure activities, or landscapes. The students should then:

Create a list in their journals of the various individual identities or personal qualities depicted in the photos.

Create a list in their journals of those influences that can shape any individual, such as family, schooling, politics, economics, etc.



Review these lists in small groups and then whole-class discussion. Write a journal entry that describes the type of identity they would like to

have for their school year and the various factors that will help to shape it.

In closing, the teacher should review relevant points of the discussion, explaining that the texts students will study in this course are reflective of the defining factors for each successive generation in the development of our nation.

Activity 6: Searching Print Texts and the Web for Significant Facts on a Native American Tribe (GLEs: 03d, 23g, 25, 26a, 27c, 29a, 29b, 29c, 31b, 34a, 34b, 35a, 35b, 35c, 36, 37b, 37c, 39c, 40b) Materials List: portraits by George Catlin, student guides for gathering and synthesizing resource information, guide to formatting a bibliography, Researching a Native American Tribe BLM

The teacher will provide a brief background of the 18th century artist George Catlin and display several of his Native American portraits, which can be accessed on many museum web sites. In small groups, students should discuss and record a physical description of each subject. Students should then brainstorm ideas about the subject’s personal qualities, life, and times. Groups should present their views in whole-class discussion.

Each student will then choose and research a different Native American tribe from a teacher-provided list by using a variety of print and electronic resources. Students will note significant aspects of this tribe (e.g., location, history, famous members, lifestyle, unique customs, belief system, and contemporary life). The students will then use this information to complete the following activities which may be assessed with the Researching a Native American Tribe BLM:

Locate three credible sources and evaluate the sources for validity. Summarize and outline the main or most relevant points. Organize information in the format of a news magazine with a collection of

brief articles and illustrations, a detailed children’s book with text and illustrations, or a PowerPoint® presentation using print and graphics.

Use standard formatting to acknowledge sources of information. Present findings to class in a presentation of approximately five minutes.

Following the presentations, students should read a translation of Chief Seattle’s Oration of 1854, which can be accessed at (http://www.english.ilstu.edu/351/hypertext97/Jus/Seattle/title.htm).Students should then choose a quote from the speech to discuss in a journal entry. The comments should include what they have learned from the various presentations on Native American tribes.


http://www.english.ilstu.edu/351/hypertext97/Jus/Seattle/title.htm


Activity 7: Myths across Centuries and Cultures (GLEs: 06, 09a, 09c, 09e, 09h, 20a)

Materials List: various Native American myths, teacher’s display chart with three columns

Students should read a selection of Native American myths, such as “The Chief’s Daughters,” that contain strong life lessons. Other examples may be found online at http://www.angelfire.com/ca/Indian/stories.html. During reading, students should record a selected number of “life lessons” displayed in each myth. As they finish, the students should work in small groups to compare and list their findings. Students will develop a chart with three columns. They should list varied examples of life lessons in the first column. Then they should include support for each from a text in the second column. Finally, they should list a corresponding contemporary example, possibly from a story, a film, or a television show, in the third column. When the list is completed, each group should give an example during whole-class discussion.

In closing, students should select one of the life lessons and use it as a topic for a journal entry, discussing how they could apply it to their personal lives or to a time when they learned this lesson the hard way.

Activity 8: Analyzing Historical Accounts and Journals of Early Explorers (GLEs: 01a, 03a, 05, 08a, 09b, 09c, 09f, 12, 13a, 13b, 13f, 14a, 14b, 27a, 27b, 27d) Materials List: text by an explorer such as Christopher Columbus or Cabeza de Vaca, list of DR-TA prompts, plan for stopping points during reading, list of qualities for bias, Analyzing an Explorer’s Historical Account BLM.

The teacher should employ the strategy of DR-TA or directed reading-thinking activity (view literacy strategy descriptions) in this activity. This instructional approach involves students directly in prediction and self-monitoring during reading. Begin by asking students to share their own knowledge of the period of exploration in the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries. The students should note the detail as it is charted during whole-class discussion. The teacher should build on that knowledge with a brief author’s biography and details of the time, place, and expedition of the specific text. Then the teacher should point out the title and ask students to record a list of predictions about the text. These predictions should be prompted with questions such as:

What unexpected difficulties do you believe this explorer’s journal will describe?

What successes will this account describe? How do you think this explorer will portray himself? How do you think he will portray his men? What attitude do you expect this explorer to take toward the natives his

expedition encounters?



http://www.angelfire.com/ca/Indian/stories.html


The students will read through a section of the text, stopping at several predetermined places. At each stopping point, the students should reread their predictions and revise them, if necessary. Any new predictions and relevant evidence should be noted as well. This cycle should be repeated throughout the text, and periodically the teacher should model the process of predicting and supplying evidence during reading.

EXAMPLE:Student prediction: I expect that Columbus will describe the natives as frightening and maybe hostile or dangerous.Student revision: Since Columbus refers to the natives as “timid” and says they do not have guns, he does not seem to be afraid of them or expect them to attack.

When the process is complete, the teacher should display a list of the characteristics of bias that includes:

Exaggeration or oversimplification Emotionally charged words An author’s special interest in an issue Unreliable evidence Evidence of stereotyping

The class should discuss and note how this text might display bias on the part of the author.

The students should then use their notes from the text to form a composition that compares and/or contrasts their initial predictions with their findings during reading. The composition should also include a discussion of how the piece displays any bias on the part of the author. The composition may be assessed using the Analyzing an Explorer’s Historical Account BLM.

Activity 9: Historical Accounts and Journals of the Colonial Period (GLEs: 03a, 06, 08a, 09a, 09b, 09c, 12, 13a, 15a, 15b, 15d, 20a, 26c, 30a) Materials List: student journals, author’s biography, historical background notes, excerpt from a text by William Bradford or John Smith, RAFT Writing Assessment BLM

Students should reflect in a journal on how they might feel when they first leave home to live on their own, including problems or emotions they might experience. Their ideas should be shared in a whole-class discussion.

The discussion should be expanded with an analysis of the recurrent theme of the journey in literature. The class should list fictional journeys they may be familiar with, such as The Odyssey. Students should then note that a historical primary source provides first-hand evidence or an eyewitness account of a real event and usually reflects the individual viewpoint or bias of the recorder. The class should then list realistic journeys, such as those of the explorers, the Pilgrims, or Lewis and Clark, noting the primary sources that describe them.



Next, students will note biography and brief historical background for the author and the situation in the excerpt. After completing either oral or silent reading, students should work in small groups to create a timeline of events in the text.

The teacher will then review the RAFT (view literacy strategy descriptions) writing process which helps students display understanding and make new learning permanent. Students create a composition that retells an event by taking on the voice of another participant in the situation besides the narrator. This composition includes:

Role (one who has observed the new settlers) Audience (his fellow observers) Format (a narration in the observer’s voice) Topic (the situation described in the excerpt)

Students will remain in their small groups to create a RAFT composition for the excerpt. As a role, groups might choose one of the Mayflower sailors, one of the Native American observers, or one of the other settlers. They should use the timeline they have already made to recreate the situation in the text from the new character’s point of view. The composition should reflect the diction, tone, and voice of the new speaker with chronologically organized support. As each group reads the composition aloud, the class should evaluate each for accuracy and logic based on the text. These compositions should be assessed with the RAFT Writing Assessment BLM.

Activity 10: Colonial Poet Anne Bradstreet (GLEs: 03b, 05, 06, 07c, 09d, 09e, 12, 14a, 14b, 14c, 14d, 15b, 15d, 20a)

Materials List: copies of song lyrics, Bradstreet’s poems, student journals, organizer for essay of compare/contrast, Connecting Music Lyrics and Poetry BLM

The teacher should provide students with a copy of contemporary song lyrics (www. lyrics.com) that contain figurative language and imagery to demonstrate the concept of lyric poetry. In small groups, students should mark examples of language devices and personal thoughts or conflict. Students should share their findings in a whole-class discussion that leads to a consensus of the definition of lyric poetry.

Students should then note the biography of Anne Bradstreet and a review of the Puritan lifestyle. As small groups read Bradstreet’s selected poems, they should mark language devices and evidence of Bradstreet’s personal thoughts and conflicts.

Each student should then use the markings from the song lyrics and the poems to write a composition that compares and/or contrasts one of Bradstreet’s poems to the lyrics of a contemporary piece of music. The composition should include a main idea supported by clearly organized support that includes:

Discussion of the use of figurative language Discussion of the display of personal reflection Any noted differences or similarities in tone or voice of the speaker




The composition may be assessed using the Connecting Music Lyrics and Poetry BLM.

Activity 11: Connecting Events Across Decades with Arthur Miller’s play The Crucible (GLEs: 03b, 05, 06, 07d, 09a, 09c, 09d, 09e, 09f, 09h, 11, 12, 13a, 14a, 14b, 14c, 14d, 20a, 23g, 24, 27a, 27b, 27c, 40a)

Materials List: Introductory Opinionnaire for The Crucible BLM; background notes on Salem, Arthur Miller, and the McCarthy Era; vocabulary logs; student journals; copies of The Crucible; Analyzing a Dynamic Character BLM

As introduction, the teacher should present the opinionnaire (view literacy strategy descriptions) statements using the Introductory Opinionnaire for The Crucible BLM. Students should work in small groups to discuss, mark each statement, and fill in support. A representative from each group should report the findings for whole-class discussion.

The teacher should facilitate the following for students to note before reading the play: Review of the theocracy and lifestyle of Puritans in Salem Village in the late 17th

century, including events leading up to and surrounding the Salem Witchcraft trials of 1692.

An overview of the life of Arthur Miller, including his reasons for writing the play The Crucible.

General teacher-provided background on the McCarthy Era and the hearings of the House Un-American Activities Committee.

A discussion of contemporary “witch hunts” and the meaning of the word. A review of the character list from the play and a description of the setting.

The students should read the play aloud with assigned parts or listen to an audio recording as they follow in the text and complete the following:

Record written responses to questions that guide their understanding of characters and events at the end of each act.

Follow Act II with description for the major characters by using a modified version of the split-page notetaking (view literacy strategy descriptions) technique. The double-entry chart should incorporate a quote on the left that displays a strong trait or dramatic response from each character and the student’s personal opinions, reactions, judgments, or predictions on the right.

EXAMPLE:Hale: If Rebecca Nurse be tainted, then Rev Hale seems to have a lot ofnothing’s left to stop the whole faith in the Puritan system of green world from burning. Let you rest justice, and he is asking Rebecca’supon the justice of the court... (949) husband to trust this. He also seems

to be a compassionate man.These charts may be used to develop character analysis compositions with properly documented quotes or as a part of a study guide for a test.






Compose the following journal entries at the end of each act: Act I: a journal from the viewpoint of one of the major characters. Act II: discuss a time when they were accused of something they did not

do, including a description of the situation, their feelings, and how the situation was resolved.

Act III: a reaction to the events and a prediction of what will happen to John Proctor and his family.

Act IV: reactions to the final episode in the play. Work in small groups at the end of Act III to chart the similarities between the

Salem trials and the McCarthy hearings, based on the interaction between the judges and the accused or their families. Each group should then present any findings to the class.

Review the general qualities of a dynamic character and discuss those dynamic characters in the play. Students should then use a writing process to publish a detailed description of the changes that occur in one of the play’s characters and incorporate quotations with proper parenthetical documentation as support. The composition may be assessed using the Analyzing a Dynamic Character BLM.

Close with a discussion of the connections between the introductory opinionnaire statements and the situation for the accused during the Salem trials.

Activity 12: Using the Writing Process: A Personal Narrative of a Defining Moment (GLEs: 01a, 03a, 14a, 14b, 14c, 14d, 15a, 15b, 15c, 15d, 16a, 16b, 16c, 16d, 16e, 16f, 16g, 18, 19a, 19b, 19c, 19d, 21, 22a, 22b)

Materials List: model narrative essay, Topic Evaluation for a Personal Narrative BLM , notes and exercises for review of pronouns, writing samples for refining descriptive language, Assessing the Personal Narrative BLM

The class should chart how each text from Unit I in some way depicts a defining moment for an individual or group, and the class should make the connection to the overall concept of identity.

The teacher should next provide a list of the qualities of the narrative mode, a review of imagery and figurative language, and a brief discussion of how these devices can be used to develop a personal narrative. Students should receive a copy of a model personal narrative essay to analyze. Examples are The Chase by Annie Dillard or A Ride Through Spain by Truman Capote.

The class should read the opening paragraphs of the essay together as the teacher models how to “mark up” a text. During reading, the students should mark or annotate:

the structure of the essay and the function of major paragraphs any use of imagery or figurative language used to illustrate a situation examples of how tone and voice are established and maintained by the speaker points where the speaker acknowledges how the experience provided personal

growth in some way



Next, each student should create a personal timeline, highlighting those events they might consider defining or life changing using the Evaluating Experiences for a Narrative BLM. Students may then choose a topic for a personal narrative based on one of these defining moments. A pre-write should develop both narrative and descriptive details in a list or web format. The teacher should then provide an outlined overview of how to plan an essay that includes:

how to develop an introduction and a conclusion how to structure a body with both general discussion and specific details that

include imagery and figurative language for illustration how to address an audience with proper tone and voice

As rough drafts are completed, students should work through a lesson on correct use of pronoun case and agreement that includes reinforcement exercises and identifying errors in context. Students should highlight the pronouns in their own drafts and correct any errors in pronoun use.

After completing revisions that include conferencing with peers or the teacher, students should use available technology to publish a final draft of the paper.

The essay may be assessed using the Assessing the Personal Narrative BLM.

Sample Assessments

General Guidelines

Use a variety of performance assessments to determine student understanding of content. Select assessments that are consistent with the type of product that results from the student activities and develop a scoring rubric collaboratively with other teachers or students. The following are sample assessments that could be used with this unit:

General Assessments

Students will develop journal entries that are reflective responses to literary texts and discussions that link historical events to contemporary situations.

Students will annotate model essays. Students will use a writing process in literary analysis and complex

compositions. Students will complete various reinforcement exercises to review the correct

usage of pronouns in context.



Activity-Specific Assessments

Activity 2: Students’ ongoing vocabulary logs may be assessed or evaluated based on any of the following: The vocabulary log contains a pre-approved number of unfamiliar words with

definition, part of speech, and sentence from the readings in this unit. Students choose ten of their sentences to be assessed for proper context and

mechanics. Students choose ten of their words and create a study guide for another

student that might include definitions, along with a word search, a fill-in-the-blank exercise with their original sentences, or an objective quiz. Students then switch papers and complete the task.

Activity 6: Students will research a Native American tribe to produce a text, either electronic or print, that includes:

Information on locations, customs, lifestyles, belief systems, unique circumstances, famous members, and modern-day existence

Accessible format, correct documentation of resources in final product An oral presentation in small groups or in a whole-class setting

The research product may be assessed using the Researching a Native American Tribe BLM.

Activity 8: Students develop a composition to compare/contrast predictions and conclusions from DR-TA reading that includes:

Discussion of original predictions Analysis of new responses Review of any bias found

The composition may be assessed using the Analyzing an Explorer’s Historical Account BLM.

Activity 9: Students will develop a brief composition using the RAFT strategy that includes:

Developing an accurate recreation Reflecting diction, tone, voice of new speaker Using chronologically organized specific support

The composition may be assessed using the RAFT Writing Assessment BLM.



Activity 10: After reading Anne Bradstreet’s poems, the students will complete an essay that compares and/or contrasts the lyrics of a contemporary song to the language in Bradstreet’s poem. The process should include:

A topic sentence A well-organized body of support General discussion of lyrical message Specific examples of figurative language and imagery A closing paragraph that summarizes the objective

The composition may be assessed using the Connecting Music Lyrics and Poetry BLM.

Activity 11 : Students will describe a dynamic character from The Crucible in an essay with detailed support including documented quotations. The process should include:

A pre-write that includes a listing or word web of major character traits, relationships with other characters, behaviors that display important traits, strong quotes that display realization or change, a timeline of events to trace growth or change in this character

A rough draft of at least six well-developed paragraphs that traces the character’s involvement with the conflict and resolution, includes specific support, from both events and dialogue, and contains properly documented quotes

Revision and editing for content as well as usage and mechanics that may include peer editing or conferencing with the teacher

A final draft that displays cohesive context, good use of logical order, detailed support, and correct use of the conventions of usage and mechanics

The essay may be assessed using the Analyzing a Dynamic Character BLM.

Activity 12: Students will use a writing process for a personal narrative that relates a defining moment. The process should include:

a pre-write that develops narrative detail and imagery using a graphic organizer

a rough draft that includes an introduction, body, and conclusion a detailed lesson on correct use of pronoun case and agreement including

reinforcement exercises and errors in context an examination of refining and sharpening descriptive language using

students’ writing samples a published final draft using proper manuscript form

The final draft should be the result of a revision process that checks for logical order, cohesive paragraphs, sufficient narrative and descriptive detail, appropriate tone, and strong student voice. Editing checks should check for proper use of the conventions of usage and mechanics. The essay may be assessed using the Assessing the Personal Narrative BLM.



English IIIUnit 2: The Revolutionary Period in American Literature


Unit Description

This unit focuses on responding to the historical documents, speeches, and autobiography of the Revolutionary Period in American literature and how the literature relates to the historical context of the time. Interpreting the literature will include a variety of reading and comprehension strategies to analyze the effects of the literary elements and devices and how they are used effectively to achieve a purpose in persuasive writing. A variety of responses will address aspects of the literature and explain its relationship to real-life experiences. There is a continuation of the study of vocabulary through defining words within the context of the literature. The grammar and composition focus is a persuasive essay that reflects the study of persuasive language used in the speeches and essays studied in the unit.


The essential goals of this unit are for students to interpret and analyze the literature of the Revolutionary Period, recognizing that the literary works reflect the political temperament of the period. Student analysis of the documents of the time will show that the literature is evolving into a national literature. Students will express supported responses to the texts and interpret the effects of the literary elements and devices, particularly those related to speeches, essays, and autobiography. Students will use these aspects of persuasive writing to develop a complex composition.

Guiding Questions

1. Can students identify the primary characteristics of the Revolutionary Period and how they are reflected in the literature of the period?

2. Can students connect events from an autobiography, such as that of Ben Franklin, to contemporary life?

3. Can students evaluate rhetorical strategies used to persuade in speeches and sermons of the time?

4. Can students explain how Thomas Paine’s use of diction and figurative language are effective tools to convey a message in his persuasive essays?

5. Can students demonstrate how the historical documents of the period reflect the early patriots’ views of freedom and how their views compare to the students’ personal views?

6. Can students identify the techniques of good persuasive writing and use a writing process to develop an essay based on these techniques?

English IIIUnit 2The Revolutionary Period 17







analysis of analogous statements (ELA-1-H1)02b. Analyze the significance of complex literary and rhetorical devices in

American, British, or world texts, including rhetorical questions (ELA-1-H2)03a. Draw conclusions and make inferences about ideas and information in complex

texts in oral and written responses, including fiction/nonfiction (ELA-1-H3)03c. Draw conclusions and make inferences about ideas and information in complex

texts in oral and written responses, including public documents (ELA-1-H3)03d. Draw conclusions and make inferences about ideas and information in complex

texts in oral and written responses, including film/visual texts (ELA-1-H3)03e. Draw conclusions and make inferences about ideas and information in complex

texts in oral and written responses, including debates/speeches (ELA-1-H3)04. Evaluate ways in which the main idea, rationale, or thesis, and information in

complex texts, including consumer, workplace, public, and historical documents, represent a view or comment on life (ELA-1-H4)

05. Analyze and critique the impact of historical periods, diverse ethnic groups, and major influences (e.g., philosophical, political, religious, ethical, social) on American, British, or world literature in oral and written responses (ELA-6-H1)


07a. Analyze and synthesize in oral and written responses distinctive elements (e.g., structure) of a variety of literary forms and types, including essays and memoirs by early and modern essay writers (ELA-6-H3)

07e Analyze and synthesize in oral and written responses distinctive elements (e.g.,structure) of a variety of literary forms and types, including short stories, novellas, and novels. (ELA-6-H3)

07f. Analyze and synthesize in oral and written responses distinctive elements (e.g., structure) of a variety of literary forms and types, including biographies and autobiographies (ELA-6-H3)

07g. Analyze and synthesize in oral and written responses distinctive elements (e.g., structure) of a variety of literary forms and types, including speeches (ELA-6-H3)



GLE # GLE Text and Benchmarks08a. Analyze in oral and written responses the ways in which works of ancient,

American, British, or world literature represent views or comments on life, for example an autobiography/diary gives insight into a particular time and place (ELA-6-H4)



09c. Demonstrate understanding of information in American, British, and world literature using a variety of strategies, including making inferences and drawing conclusions (ELA-7-H1)




09g. Demonstrate understanding of information in American, British, and world literature using a variety of strategies, including critiquing the strengths and weaknesses of ideas and information (ELA-7-H1)

10a. Identify, gather, and evaluate appropriate sources and relevant information to solve problems using multiple sources, including school library catalogs (ELA-7-H2)

10b. Identify, gather, and evaluate appropriate sources and relevant information to solve problems using multiple sources, including online databases (ELA-7-H2)

10c. Identify, gather, and evaluate appropriate sources and relevant information to solve problems using multiple sources, including electronic resources (ELA-7-H2)

10d. Identify, gather, and evaluate appropriate sources and relevant information to solve problems using multiple sources, including Internet-based resources (ELA-7-H2)



13a. Analyze information within and across grade-appropriate texts using reasoning skills, including identifying cause-effect relationships (ELA-7-H4)



GLE # GLE Text and Benchmarks13b. Analyze information within and across grade-appropriate texts using reasoning

skills, including raising questions (ELA-7-H4)13c. Analyze information within and across grade-appropriate texts using reasoning

skills, including reasoning inductively and deductively (ELA-7-H4)13d. Analyze information within and across grade-appropriate texts using reasoning

skills, including generating a theory or hypothesis (ELA-7-H4)13e. Analyze information within and across grade-appropriate texts using reasoning

skills, including skimming/scanning (ELA-7-H4)13f. Analyze information within and across grade-appropriate texts using reasoning

skills, including distinguishing facts from opinions and probability (ELA-7-H4)14a. Develop complex compositions, essays, and reports that include a clearly stated

central idea/thesis statement (ELA-2-H1)14b. Develop complex compositions, essays, and reports that include a clear, overall

structure including an introduction, a body, and an appropriate conclusion (ELA-2-H1)

14c. Develop complex compositions, essays, and reports that include supporting paragraphs organized in a logical sequence (e.g., spatial order, order of importance, ascending/descending order, chronological order, parallel construction) (ELA-2-H1)


15a. Develop complex compositions on student- or teacher-selected topics that are suited to an identified audience and purpose that include word choices that are appropriate to the identified audience and/or purpose (ELA-2-H2)

15b. Develop complex compositions on student- or teacher-selected topics that are suited to an identified audience and purpose that include vocabulary selected to clarify meaning, create images, and set a tone (ELA-2-H2)

15c. Develop complex compositions on student- or teacher-selected topics that are suited to an identified audience and purpose that include information/ideas selected to engage the interest of the reader (ELA-2-H2)

15d. Develop complex compositions on student- or teacher-selected topics that are suited to an identified audience and purpose that include clear voice (individual personality) (ELA-2-H2)


16b. Develop complex compositions using writing processes such as prewriting (e.g., brainstorming, clustering, outlining, generating main idea/thesis statements) (ELA-2-H3)

16c. Develop complex compositions using writing processes such as drafting (ELA-2-H3)

16d. Develop complex compositions using writing processes such as conferencing with peers and teachers (ELA-2-H3)




GLE # GLE Text and Benchmarks16f. Develop complex compositions using writing processes such as

proofreading/editing to improve conventions of language (ELA-2-H3)16g. Develop complex compositions using writing processes such as publishing

using available technology (ELA-2-H3)17g. Use the various modes to write complex compositions, including persuasive

essays (ELA-2-H4)18. Develop writing/compositions using a variety of complex literary and rhetorical

devices (ELA-2-H5)19a. Extend development of individual style, including avoidance of overused

words, clichés, and jargon (ELA-2-H5)19b. Extend development of individual style, including a variety of sentence

structures and patterns (ELA-2-H5)19c. Extend development of individual style, including diction that sets tone and

mood (ELA-2-H5)19d. Extend development of individual style, including vocabulary and phrasing that

reflect the character and temperament (voice) of the writer (ELA-2-H5)20a. Write for various purposes, including interpretations/explanations that connect

life experiences to works of American, British, and world literature (ELA-2-H6)21. Apply standard rules of sentence formation, including parallel structure (ELA-

3-H2)22a Apply standard rules of usage, for example avoid splitting infinitives. (ELA-3-

H2)22b Apply standard rules of usage, for example use the subjunctive mood

appropriately (ELA-3-H2)23d. Apply standard rules of mechanics and punctuation, including commas after

introductory adverb clauses and long introductory phrases (ELA-3-H2)23g. Apply standard rules of mechanics and punctuation, including manuscript form

(ELA-3-H2)24. Use a variety of resources (e.g., dictionaries, thesauruses, glossaries,

technology) and textual features, (e.g., definitional footnotes, sidebars) to verify word spellings (ELA-3-H3)

25. Use standard English grammar, diction, and syntax when speaking in formal presentations and informal group discussions (ELA-4-H1)

26a. Select language appropriate to specific purposes and audiences for speaking, including delivering informational/book reports in class (ELA-4-H1)

26c. Select language appropriate to specific purposes and audiences for speaking, including participating in class discussions (ELA-4-H1)

27c. Listen to detailed oral instructions and presentations and carry out complex procedures, including forming groups (ELA-4-H2)

27d. Listen to detailed oral instructions and presentations and carry out complex procedures, including taking accurate, detailed notes (ELA-4-H2)

29a. Deliver presentations that include language, diction, and syntax selected to suit a purpose and impact an audience (ELA-4-H3)

29b. Deliver presentations that include delivery techniques including repetition, eye contact, and appeal to emotion suited to a purpose and audience (ELA-4-H3)



GLE # GLE Text and Benchmarks30a. Use active listening strategies, including monitoring messages for clarity

(ELA-4-H4)30b. Use active listening strategies, including selecting and organizing information

(ELA-4-H4)31a. Deliver oral presentations, including speeches that use appropriate rhetorical

strategies (ELA-4-H4)31b. Deliver oral presentations, including responses that analyze information in texts

and media (ELA-4-H4)31c. Deliver oral presentations, including persuasive arguments that clarify or defend

positions (ELA-4-H4)32a. Give oral and written analysis of media information, including identifying

logical fallacies (e.g., attack ad hominem, false causality, overgeneralization, bandwagon effect) used in oral addresses (ELA-4-H5)

32b. Give oral and written analysis of media information, including analyzing the techniques used in media messages for a particular audience (ELA-4-H5)

32d. Give oral and written analysis of media information, including identifying critiquing strategies (e.g., advertisements, propaganda techniques, visual representations, special effects) used by media to inform, persuade, entertain, and transmit culture (ELA-4-H5)

34a. Select and critique relevant information for a research project using the organizational features of a variety of resources, including print texts (e.g., prefaces, appendices, annotations, citations, bibliographic references) (ELA-5-H1)

34b. Select and critique relevant information for a research project using the organizational features of a variety of resources, including electronic texts (e.g., database keyword searches, search engines, e-mail addresses) (ELA-5-H1)

35a. Locate, analyze, and synthesize information from a variety of complex resources, including multiple print texts (e.g., encyclopedias, atlases, library catalogs, specialized dictionaries, almanacs, technical encyclopedias, and periodicals: (ELA-5-H2)

35b. Locate, analyze, and synthesize information from a variety of complex resources, including electronic sources (e.g., Web sites or databases) (ELA-5-H2)


40a. Use selected style guides to produce complex reports that include standard formatting for source acknowledgment (ELA-5-H5)



Sample Activities



Throughout each of these units, students should explore a wide range of authors and texts with a focus on American authors, in addition to the readings required in the whole-class activities. To encourage students to be independent and thoughtful readers, they should investigate subjects and ideas that matter to them through their own choices in independent reading activities. This will show them that reading can be useful, enjoyable, and relevant in their everyday lives. This practice may be especially important if students are reluctant readers or are not accustomed to reading independently. The teacher should monitor this reading, making sure to incorporate both oral and written responses to the text.


Materials List: student vocabulary logs, Checklist of Common Errors BLM (see Unit 1)






Prompts should address comprehension, higher-order thinking, and connections between texts and real-life experiences. Prompts can be used to begin discussions or for assessments. During discussion, students will use active listening strategies, including monitoring messages for clarity and selecting and organizing essential information.




Materials List: mini-lesson activities, student writing samples, practice exercises, Checklist of Common Errors BLM (see Unit 1)


Activity 5: The Age of Revolution: An Overview and Search (GLEs: 10a, 10b, 10c, 10d, 13a, 13e, 20a, 27c, 27d, 29a, 29b, 34a, 34b, 35a, 35b, 37c, 40a)

Materials List: timeline of major events, instructions for research process, notes on standard formatting for resources, student generated rubric

The teacher will display a general timeline of major events in the development of the nation from the French and Indian War to the Constitutional Convention. As students discuss their knowledge of these events, the teacher should fill in any gaps that are pertinent to their understanding of the time and the writing to follow.

Next, small groups of students should be assigned the name of a writer from this unit. (It may be necessary to split Ben Franklin’s life and work between two groups.) Each group should:

Locate relevant information in online electronic resources, web databases, and print sources that include biography and involvement in the significant events of the Revolutionary Period.

Use processes such as skimming/scanning, note taking, outlining, and summarizing to gather and organize the information.

Use standard formatting for source acknowledgement. Make a brief presentation of findings at the beginning of the selected activity

using a visual aid, such as a PowerPoint® presentation, poster, or transparency. Help the class record pertinent notes.

The class should also devise a rubric for evaluating the effectiveness of other participants’ presentations that includes evaluation of organization, delivery techniques, and summary of the topic.



Activity 6: The Life and Work of Benjamin Franklin (GLEs: 03a, 05, 07f, 08a, 09a, 09b, 09c, 09d, 09f, 11, 12, 13a, 20a, 25, 26a, 26c, 29a, 30b )

Materials List: excerpts from Franklin’s Autobiography and Poor Richard’s Almanac, Questioning the Author BLM

Student groups should present an overview of Franklin’s life (from Activity 5) that includes when and why Franklin wrote his Autobiography. The entire class should note pertinent facts during the presentation.

Students should then read a passage from Franklin’s Autobiography (online at www.gutenberg.net), such as the description of his trip to Philadelphia or his explanation of his “Plan for Moral Perfection.”

As students read a selected passage from Franklin’s Autobiography, they should use a modified form of the reading strategy of Questioning the Author (QtA) (view literacy strategy descriptions) to interact with the information and build real-life connections to the text. QtA encourages readers to analyze the author’s purpose as they form questions about the author’s meaning while the teacher facilitates discussion to further build understanding.

The teacher should begin the lesson by displaying the Questioning the Author BLM and modeling an example of how to adapt the questions to Franklin’s text. During reading, each student should stop at the end of pre-selected segments and record two questions that examine the link between text and historical background, question the meaning of Franklin’s message, or elicit a possible connection to their personal lives. Each student should also question the author’s purpose by using two unfamiliar words in the passage.

EXAMPLES:How does this part of Franklin’s autobiography relate a lesson about courage?Does Franklin’s discussion in this passage have any connection to my life today?What message is Franklin trying to convey about his personal character in this segment?What does Franklin mean by the word __________?

Students should then discuss their work in pairs or small groups to come up with the best two questions for each segment. Each pair should then display their questions to one segment for class discussion, and the teacher should help students through a discussion of possible responses. As the presenters record these responses, the rest of the class should also note the information.

These notes should be used to draft a composition that discusses what the autobiography shows about Franklin as a person, how his stories about himself serve as advice for good living, and how the messages conveyed in the text can relate to their personal lives today. Students’ original questions may be attached to the composition for informal assessment.




http://www.gutenberg.net/


As a closing journal, students should write an “autobiographical” narrative about an incident in their lives that could be used as a lesson for a sibling or a friend. They should use first person and discuss the incident in the past tense.

Activity 7: Analyzing the Persuasive Rhetoric of a Sermon (GLEs: 03a, 03d, 05, 07g, 09a, 09d, 09g, 12, 20a, 26c, 31b, 32a)

Materials List: excerpt from Edwards’s sermon, list of rhetorical devices

The class should research and note a brief review of the significant aspects of the Puritan lifestyle before students present a biography of Jonathan Edwards (from Activity 5) and his connection to the “Great Awakening” of the early 1700s. Students should follow the text as they listen to an audio version of an excerpt from Edwards’s “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.” They should then note this list of rhetorical devices and strategies used in persuasion, along with their definitions:

bandwagon effect time pressure imagery figurative language.

The class should brainstorm (view literacy strategy descriptions) contemporary examples to illustrate each device, then return to Edwards’s sermon and locate examples of each device within the text. These should be charted to include a quote, the device, and an explanation of its intended purpose.

Working in small groups, students should then create an ad for a political candidate that includes each of the four devices. Each group should present the ad to the whole class.

Activity 8: Analysis of Patrick Henry’s Speech (GLEs: 02b, 03e, 05, 07g, 09b, 09d, 11, 12, 13a, 20a, 26c, 30a, 31a)

Materials List: copy of Patrick Henry’s speech, student journals, list of rhetorical devices and definitions

After the group presentation of Patrick Henry’s biography (from Activity 5), students should read Patrick Henry’s “Speech to the Second Virginia Convention.” After reading, the class should review the definition for each of the following rhetorical devices.

rhetorical question emotional appeal connotative language literary/historical allusion extended metaphor

Students should then use the strategy of split-page notetaking (view literacy strategy descriptions) to create a chart that analyzes at least one example of each of these






rhetorical devices used as persuasive techniques in Henry’s speech. The chart should include a quote from the piece on the left side of the line. On the right side of the line the students should identify the rhetorical device and explain its purpose.

EXAMPLE:

“I have but one lamp by which my feet are Henry uses this metaphor to influence guided; and that is the lamp of experience.” listeners to trust the lessons learned

from their experiences with the King

In closing students should answer this question in a journal: “What political or social causes in today’s society are as important to citizens of our country as freedom was to Patrick Henry, and how is that passion expressed?” The class should then discuss their responses.

Activity 9: Figurative Language in the Essays of Thomas Paine (GLEs: 02b, 05, 06, 07a, 09a, 09c, 09e, 11, 12, 13a, 20a)

Materials List: presentation rubric, Analyzing Paine’s Essay BLM

After a group presentation of Thomas Paine’s biography (from Activity 5), students should read one of Paine’s essays from The American Crisis. Then in small groups, students should locate five significant quotes from the essay that contain figurative language. The groups will use the graphic organizer (view literacy strategy descriptions ) in the Analyzing Paine’s Essay BLM to record the quote, identify the type of figurative language, relate the quote’s literal meaning, and explain how the quote helps convey the purpose of the piece. Each group should then present this work to the class. Each student should next choose one quote to be used as the topic for a journal entry. The journal will mention the quote’s significance to the Revolutionary Period, its relevance to the personal life of the student, and its relevance in today’s world.

Activity 10: Analyzing Organization and Support in a Historical Document (GLEs: 03c, 04, 09a, 09b, 09g, 13a)

Materials List: copies of the Declaration of Independence, list of questions for analysis

After a group presentation of the life and work of Thomas Jefferson (from Activity 5), students should participate in an oral reading of the Declaration of Independence. After reading, students should analyze the essay by answering the following:

What is the document’s overall purpose? What is the document’s thesis? What form of organization does the document use? What supporting details does the document use to develop the thesis?



In what way is this support effective? How does the conclusion effectively restate the thesis? List and define specific words that convey a strong negative connotation. What is the tone of the document? How does this tone add to the overall strength of the document?

Students should then share their answers in whole-class discussion.

In closing, students should reflect on the significance of freedom in their lives in a journal entry. The entry should include a discussion of what conditions might require members of our society to sacrifice freedom or when it might be necessary to declare independence in today’s society, perhaps as a family member or a student.

Activity 11: Analyzing Contemporary Editorials (GLEs: 09a, 09b, 09c, 09d, 09e, 09f, 09g, 13f, 32a, 32b)

Materials List: teacher’s editorial example, instructions for the assignment, Assessment for an Editorial Analysis BLM

Students will locate a prearranged number of editorials by nationally syndicated columnists or local editorialists to analyze. They should annotate and note each of the following:

Title, author, source, date Structure of the article, including the main idea and an outline of its support The author’s tone A list of rhetorical or language devices with a quote and the purpose for each A paragraph of analysis that includes the truth the piece conveys, questions the

piece evokes, effectiveness of the piece, and a personal reactionStudents should share these in small-group or whole-class discussion. They may be assessed with the Assessment for an Editorial Analysis BLM.

Activity 12: Reading and Responding to a Slave Narrative (GLEs: 07f, 08a, 09a, 09c, 12, 18, 20a)

Materials List: excerpt from Equiano’s Narrative, list of SQPL questions

Students will read an excerpt from a slave’s autobiography or narrative, such as The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano or The African, Written by Himself by Gustavus Vassa.

Before reading, students will employ the literacy strategy of SQPL (view literacy strategy descriptions) as a pre-reading activity to create interest and provoke questions on the subject.

Based on the excerpt, the teacher should prepare a statement that would cause students to





wonder about the reality of being kidnapped and sold into slavery. Examples might be: Many African children who were kidnapped and sold as slaves had never

seen a boat or the ocean. White slave traders were neglectful in the care of their cargo. Children who were kidnapped often never saw their families again. This narrative was written by a slave who gained freedom.

After the statement has been displayed for the class, ask students in small groups to generate 2-3 questions related to the statement. The questions should be recorded, and any that are repeated should be starred. The teacher should then add any questions that may be necessary to complete students’ understanding of the main ideas of the excerpt.As the students read the excerpt, they should record the answers to the posted questions in a learning log (view literacy strategy descriptions), and their responses should be shared in whole-class discussion.

As closure, students should write a journal entry that discusses a contemporary situation similar to the suffering Equiano describes with a personal reaction. If students are unaware of such a situation, they might search through magazines or news databases to locate a story. These journals might then be shared in whole-class discussion.

Activity 13: Using the Techniques of Persuasive Writing (GLEs: 13a, 13b, 13c, 13d, 14a, 14b, 14c, 14d, 15a, 15b, 15c, 15d, 16a, 16b, 16c, 16d, 16e, 16f, 16g, 17g, 18, 19a, 19b, 19c, 19d, 21, 23d, 23g 31c, 32a, 32b, 32d)

Materials List: editorials for journal prompts, media presentations on controversial issues, examples of logical fallacies, examples of inductive and deductive reasoning, Assessment for the Persuasive Essay BLM, Peer Evaluation Form BLM

The students will use the writing process to complete a multi-paragraph persuasive essay using the following steps: Prewriting

Analyze the structure, tone, diction, and techniques of a variety of current editorials from magazines, newspapers and brief media presentations that discuss varied viewpoints on contemporary issues; discuss personal views in journals

In small groups and then whole-class, brainstorm and discuss lists of issues that have two sides or problems that need solutions in various categories such as school, local, national, or global issues:

o Choose and narrow a topic for a persuasive essay with special attention to a clearly defined purpose and audience

o Write a thesis or controlling statement for the papero Chart both support and opposition for the thesis

Drafting Note various ways to structure a persuasive essay, including order of importance,

acknowledgment and rebuttal of the opposition, and using inductive or deductive reasoning.




Review examples of logical fallacies, such as overgeneralization, false causality, and ad hominem.

Review list of rhetorical devices or strategies used to inform and persuade. Choose a method of organization, such as order of importance, and draft an

outline. Use any brainstorming notes or charts and the outline to compose first and

possibly second rough drafts. Revising and Editing

Review the correct use of parallel structure in a mini lesson. Note examples of how to eliminate unnecessary language and redundancy. Review the standard rules of mechanics and punctuation, including the use of

commas after introductory adverb clauses and long introductory phrases. Conference with peers using the Peer Evaluation Form BLM for feedback to be

used in revision and editing. Conference with teacher using the Assessment for the Persuasive Essay BLM as a

guide to revising and editing Publishing

Type the final draft using available technology and correct manuscript form. Share papers orally either in a small group or whole-class setting; use diction that

sets tone and mood and phrasing that reflects the voice of the writer.

Sample Assessments

General Guidelines

Use a variety of performance assessments to determine student understanding of content. Select assessments that are consistent with the type of product that results from the student activities and develop a scoring rubric collaboratively with other teachers or students. The following are samples of assessments that could be used for this unit:

General Assessments

Students will research writers of the Revolutionary Period in cooperative groups and prepare a brief oral presentation.

Students will use a graphic organizer to analyze rhetorical devices and strategies in historical essays and documents.

Students will develop journal entries that create responses to text along with connections to contemporary situations.




Activity 2 : Students will create a list of a prearranged number of words that are unfamiliar to them from the texts in this unit.

Each entry of the log should include a definition of the word, its part of speech, and a sentence that contains enough content to display the meaning of the word.

Students choose a prearranged number of sentences to be evaluated. They should be assessed for content, detail, usage, and mechanics. Sentences should include detailed context. Sentences should contain no errors in mechanics, spelling, or punctuation.

Working in small groups, students might trade logs and take a prearranged number of words and definitions from each member’s work.

Students should choose one word in their logs from each text and write a brief paragraph of 25-50 words. The paragraph should explain the word’s use in the context and the author’s purpose in choosing it.

Activity 6: Students will write a composition that summarizes an excerpt from Benjamin Franklin’s Autobiography. The piece should include:

What the autobiography shows about Franklin as a person, How his stories about himself serve as advice for good living, How the messages conveyed in the text can relate to their personal

lives today.

Activity 11: Students will locate and analyze a contemporary editorial to note structure, tone, and devices used in persuasive writing. The analysis should include:

the main idea, an outline of support, the author’s tone, quotes that display rhetorical devices and their purpose, a paragraph discussing the effectiveness of the piece.

Activity 13: Students will use the writing process to produce a persuasive essay based on an issue that has two sides or a problem that needs a solution. Topics should come from student-generated issues that deal with contemporary situations. The teacher should use the Assessment for the Persuasive Essay BLM to evaluate the essay.



‘English IIIUnit 3: The National Period in American Literature

Time Frame: Approximately four weeks

Unit Description

This unit focuses on responding to the primary genres of the National Period of American Literature, such as short stories, novels, essays, and poetry, to discover how the literature relates to the historical context of the time. Interpreting the literature will include a variety of comprehension strategies, including questions requiring higher-order thinking skills. A variety of written responses and compositions will analyze the effects of literary elements and devices and explain the relationship of the literature to real-life experiences. Grammar review will be embedded in the writing process, and vocabulary study will continue through defining words within the context of the literature.


The essential goals of this unit are for students to interpret and analyze the literature of the National Period and to note its relevance to contemporary life. Students should recognize that the writing reflects the culture and philosophies of the time and the literature itself is a reflection of a growing national identity. Other critical goals are for students to express supported responses to texts with focus on the effects of literary elements and devices, particularly in short stories and essays.

Guiding Questions

1. Can students identify the major influences of the National Period and how they are reflected in the literature of the time?

2. Can students analyze how the characteristics of a folktale help to establish a recurrent theme in the stories of Washington Irving?

3. Can students analyze and synthesize how the distinctive qualities of Romantic writing are reflected in a poem by William Cullen Bryant?

4. Can students show how the work of Edgar Allan Poe displays the effects of an author’s life and culture?

5. Can students identify the characteristics of Transcendentalism and explain how Ralph Waldo Emerson’s discussion of nature and mankind represents views or comments on life?

6. Can students analyze the philosophical arguments in the writing of Henry David Thoreau and explain how these arguments are relative to contemporary situations?

English IIIUnit 3The National Period 32



7. Can students identify the major elements in a short story or novel and use them to draw conclusions and make inferences about ideas presented in the fiction of Nathaniel Hawthorne?



analysis of an author’s word choice (ELA-1-H1)01b. Extend basic and technical vocabulary using a variety of strategies, including use

of related forms of words (ELA-1-H1)01c. Extend basic and technical vocabulary using a variety of strategies, including


texts in oral and written responses, including fiction/nonfiction (ELA -1-H3)03b. Draw conclusions and make inferences about ideas and information in complex

texts in oral and written responses, including drama/poetry (ELA-1-H3)03d. Draw conclusions and make inferences about ideas and information in complex

texts in oral and written responses, including film/visual texts (ELA-1-H3)05. Analyze and critique the impact of historical periods, diverse ethnic groups, and



07a. Analyze and synthesize in oral and written responses distinctive elements (e.g., structure) of a variety of literary forms and types, including essays and memoirs by early and modern essay writers (ELA-6-H3)



08d. Analyze in oral and written responses the ways in which works of ancient, American, British, or world literature represent views or comments on life, for example, an allegory uses fictional figures to express truths about human experiences (ELA-6-H4)





GLE # GLE Text and Benchmarks09c. Demonstrate understanding of information in American, British, and world

literature using a variety of strategies, including making inferences and drawing conclusions (ELA-7-H1)







14a. Develop complex compositions, essays, and reports that include a clearly central idea/thesis statement (ELA-2-H1)

14b. Develop complex compositions, essays, and reports that include a clear, overall structure (e.g., introduction, body, appropriate conclusion (ELA-2-H1)


14d. Develop complex compositions, essays, and reports that include transitional words, phrases, Develop complex compositions using writing processes such as and devices that unify throughout (ELA-2-H1)




16f. Develop complex compositions using writing processes such as proofreading, editing to improve conventions of language (ELA-2-H3)




GLE # GLE Text and Benchmarks21. Apply standard rules of sentence formation, including parallel structure (ELA-3-

H2)22a. Apply standard rules of usage, for example: avoid splitting infinitives (ELA-3-

H2)22b. Apply standard rules of usage, for example: use the subjunctive mood

appropriately (ELA-3-H2)23d. Apply standard rules of mechanics and punctuation, including commas after

introductory adverb clauses and long introductory phrases (ELA-3-H2)24. Use a variety of resources (e.g., dictionaries, thesauruses, glossaries, technology)

and textual features, (e.g., definitional footnotes, sidebars) to verify word spellings (ELA-3-H3)


26a. Select language appropriate to specific purposes and audiences for speaking, including delivering informational/book reports in class (ELA-4-H1)


27a. Listen to detailed oral instructions and presentations and carry out complex procedures, including reading and questioning (ELA-4-H2)

27b. Listen to detailed oral instructions and presentations and carry out complex procedures, including writing responses (ELA-4-H2)

27c. Listen to detailed oral instructions and presentations and carry out complex procedures, including forming groups (ELA-4-H2)


29a. Deliver presentations that include language, diction, and syntax selected to suit a purpose and impact on an audience (ELA-4-H3)

30b. Use active listening strategies, including:selecting and organizing information (ELA-4-H4)


Sample Activities



Throughout each of these units, students should explore a wide range of authors and texts with a focus on American authors, in addition to the readings required in the whole-class activities. To encourage students to be independent and thoughtful readers, they should investigate subjects and ideas that matter to them through their own choices in independent reading activities. This will show them that reading can be useful, enjoyable,



and relevant in their everyday lives. This practice may be especially important if students are reluctant readers or are not accustomed to reading independently. The teacher should monitor this reading, making sure to incorporate both oral and written responses to the text.











The teacher will facilitate a classroom discussion during the drafting/revising process of any composition on sentence formation problems (i.e., fragments, run-ons, or syntax problems,) or standard rules of usage or mechanics (i.e., subject/verb agreement, appropriate verb tense, pronoun/antecedent agreement, appropriate pronoun case, comparative forms of adjectives, avoidance of double negatives, and appropriate



punctuation/capitalization). Discussion will be based on the common errors in student writing samples using the Checklist of Common Errors BLM. Mini-lesson activities will be from student-generated examples and will be ongoing and skill specific. Ideally, the mini-lessons will become differentiated for students’ specific needs and will be integrated within student writing assignments and not taught in isolation.

Activity 5: Understanding the National Period (GLEs: 05, 09a, 09f, 09h, 25, 26a, 27c, 27d, 29a) Materials List: folder of items for group work, brief biography for each author, historical overview of 1800-1850

The teacher should divide the class into groups and give each group a folder on a different author from this unit containing items such as maps or photographs of relevant locations, quotes by the author, copies of paintings, and a short biography for each.Information can be found at http://classicauthors.net or:

Irving http://www.hudsonvalley.org/education/Links/links.html Bryant http://www.npg.si.edu/exh/brady/gallery/70gal.html; Poe http://www.poemuseum.org/ Emerson http://www.cas.sc.edu/engl/emerson/ Thoreau http://www.vcu.edu/engweb/transcendentalism/authors/thoreau/ Hawthorne http://hawthorneinsalem.org/Introduction.html

Each group should review the information and then create a skit or “infomercial” to present the author and his locale to the class by using some of the information in the folder as visuals during the presentation. The class should note significant detail from each author.

To wrap up the activity, the teacher should facilitate a discussion of changes in America during this time period, including brief details of westward expansion, population growth, and the prevailing philosophies of the time.

Activity 6: Washington Irving (GLEs: 06, 07e, 09a, 09c, 09d, 09h, 27a, 27c)

Materials List: posted list of folktale characteristics, copy of “The Devil and Tom Walker,” Analysis of a Folktale BLM

Before a reading of Washington Irving’s short story “The Devil and Tom Walker,” students should note the characteristics of a folktale including:

stereotypical characters usually a humorous tone unrealistic or unlikely situations lesson of a general truth about life


http://hawthorneinsalem.org/Introduction.html

http://www.vcu.edu/engweb/transcendentalism/authors/thoreau/

http://www.cas.sc.edu/engl/emerson/

http://www.poemuseum.org/

http://www.npg.si.edu/exh/brady/gallery/70gal.html

http://www.hudsonvalley.org/education/Links/links.html

http://classicauthors.net/


The teacher should then demonstrate the use of a graphic organizer (view literacy strategy descriptions) that will help students connect characters and events to the elements of a traditional folk tale.

The teacher should distribute copies of the Analysis of a Folktale BLM, read the first paragraph of the story aloud, and demonstrate how to summarize briefly the description in the box labeled “Unrealistic Situations.” Students should then continue reading the story, filling in the boxes with examples for each category. Next, support from the chart should be used by students in developing a brief composition that explains how the author uses these elements to develop a general truth about life. These might be shared in whole-class discussion.

The class should then work in small groups to modernize the story, rewriting it with the same general plot and a similar theme adapted to a contemporary setting and characters. After an oral reading by each group, the class might discuss the nature of greed both past and present. As closure, students should reflect on this topic in a journal or learning log (view literacy strategy descriptions ).

Activity 7: William Cullen Bryant’s “Thanatopsis” (GLEs: 03b, 05, 06, 07c, 09a, 09c, 14a, 14b, 14c, 14d, 16a, 16b, 16c, 16f, 20a, 26c, 27b)

Materials List: notes on the Romantic Movement, Analysis of “Thanatopsis” BLM, “Thanatopsis” Composition Rubric BLM

In a journal entry, students should describe the most beautiful or “restorative” place they have ever been, including a detailed description of the time and how the natural setting was soothing or inspiring.

Students should then note a description of the Romantic literary movement that includes the following characteristics:

deep appreciation for nature awareness of and respect for the past celebration of the individual focus on emotional, spiritual, and imaginative experiences

Class discussion that includes a connection to students’ journals should call attention to landscapes that inspired the writers of this time.

The teacher will next provide a brief overview of the poem “Thanatopsis” and a review of iambic pentameter. Students should be directed to scan the poem silently before an oral reading by the teacher or selected students. During reading, the teacher should stop to paraphrase key lines for general understanding and point out that the poem has two different speakers and four sections. Students should then work in pairs using the Analysis of “Thantopsis” BLM to create an outline and summary of each section.






Finally, students should use these notes and a writing process to draft a composition that explains how this poem displays the qualities of Romantic writing. The discussion should include specific support and quotes from the poem and an analysis of the theme with a personal reaction.

Activity 8: Works of Edgar Allan Poe (GLEs: 06, 09d, 12, 20a, 26c)

Materials List: selection of Poe’s stories, SPAWN prompt

The teacher should engage the students in a discussion of Poe’s life, which includes how an author’s work can be a reflection of a difficult personal life. The discussion should lead to contemporary examples of musicians, actors, or writers whose art or public life may exhibit their private problems. Students should next write a journal entry discussing why they think famous people such as those they have discussed sometimes “self-destruct” and whether or not they deserve sympathy.

Students should then be allowed to choose from several of Poe’s short stories. Suggested titles are “The Fall of the House of Usher,” “The Black Cat,” or “The Pit and the Pendulum.” During reading, students should note or chart similarities between what happens to the characters in the story and what they have learned of Poe’s life and the early 19th century.

Students should reflect further on how the story connects to the author’s life by using the literacy strategy of SPAWN writing (view literacy strategy descriptions ).

After reading, the teacher should have the students use the S- Special Powers aspect of SPAWN writing to focus on the concept of whether or not a person who might regret serious mistakes has the power to change. The teacher should provide the class with the following prompt:

You now have the power to change actions of a character in the story you have just read so that the outcome of the situation will change. Start by briefly summarizing the plot and explaining how you believe it relates to Poe’s life. Then describe what choices or actions of the character you would change, the reasons for these changes, and how you believe this would change the outcome.

When students have completed their writing, they should share their responses in small group or whole-class discussion. The compositions can be assessed further as an informal writing that has obvious connections to the text.




Activity 9: Understanding Transcendentalism (GLEs: 03d, 05, 06, 09a, 09c, 09e, 09h, 27c, 27d, 31b)

Materials List: varied news articles on modern innovators, Contemporary Nonconformists and Transcendentalism BLM, notes on Transcendentalism

To introduce the concept of Transcendentalism, students should work in small groups with a variety of news articles that describe contemporary inventors, scientists, political activists, artists, or business innovators who are modern nonconformists. Possible sources are http://www.time.com/time/ or http://www.ted.com/. TED (Technology, Entertainment, and Design) is an annual conference where presenters make 18-minute talks pitching their innovative ideas. After reviewing an article, each group should complete Section One of the Contemporary Nonconformists and Transcendentalism BLM.

The teacher should then facilitate a discussion of how these contemporary innovators have relied on their own instincts and intuition in their accomplishments. Students should then note the characteristics of Transcendentalism. Information can be found at http://www.vcu.edu/engweb/transcendentalism. After a class discussion of these characteristics, students should fill in Section Two of the BLM. Each group should then present their findings to the class.

Activity 10: The Writings of Ralph Waldo Emerson and Transcendentalism (GLEs: 03a, 05, 06, 07a, 09a, 09c, 09d, 09e, 11, 12, 20a)

Materials List: excerpt from “Self Reliance”, list of quotes from “Self Reliance”

The teacher should facilitate an oral reading and discussion of an excerpt from Emerson’s essay “Self Reliance.” Students will then use split page note-taking (view literacy strategy descriptions ) to analyze several of Emerson’s quotes from the essay that give insight or advice. These quotes may be teacher- or student-selected. The quotes should be recorded on the left side of the page. On the right side, students should discuss their meaning and relevance to contemporary life. The following is an example of the entry format:

Quote Student Response“We are always getting ready This means that people have great ideasto live but never living.” but never seem to do anything with them.

They always think they will act on them later. Many want to take time for travelor writing or playing music; but theyjust don’t get started, or they let other things get in the way.

Volunteers should then read their responses as the teacher facilitates a class discussion of each. Students should next choose one quote from their notes to relate to their personal




http://www.vcu.edu/engweb/transcendentalism

http://www.ted.com/

http://www.time.com/time/


lives in a learning log (view literacy strategy descriptions) entry or journal.

As an additional activity, students can write a dialogue between a teenager and a parent or other authority figure that concerns a disagreement over some issue such as grades, curfews, friends, clothes, music, or a job. The dialogue should contain several quotes from Emerson included in the teen’s responses.

Activity 11: Henry David Thoreau and Walden Pond (GLEs: 03a, 05, 06, 07a, 09a, 09b, 09c, 11, 12, 20a, 27c)

Materials List: excerpt from Walden, Using QtA to Analyze Thoreau BLM

Students will first review a biography of Henry David Thoreau including the influences of Emerson, Transcendentalism, and his “experiment” at Walden Pond. To help students reflect on the ideas in Thoreau’s Walden, the teacher should involve the class in the QtA (view literacy strategy descriptions ) collaborative process of building understanding during reading. In an introduction to an excerpt from Walden, the teacher should make the students aware of the idea that the reading process should involve close questioning of the author’s ideas. The teacher should then display the Using QtA to Analyze Thoreau BLM and discuss the list of questions that can be used in this process.

Students should then participate in an oral reading of the entire excerpt from Walden to become accustomed to Thoreau’s structure and tone. Then the teacher should reread the first paragraph and demonstrate the questioning technique by involving the class in a discussion of these questions:

What is Thoreau talking about here? Does this idea make sense to you? Does Thoreau make his reasons clear to you? Why or why not?

The students should record one question and a personal response in their notebooks for paragraph one. The response should include the students’ reasons as support. This process of one question and a response for each paragraph should continue as students work in pairs to engage in the QtA process throughout the rest of the excerpt. When pairs have completed this, students should come together in larger groups of 6-8 to discuss their questions and responses. Group members should participate in this session by adding one new question and response to their notes for each paragraph. The teacher should move around to monitor and help facilitate the discussion in each group.

Finally, each student should choose a significant quote from the excerpt and develop a journal or learning log (view literacy strategy descriptions ) entry that introduces the quote and applies it to contemporary life and their own personal situations.






Activity 12: Henry David Thoreau’s “Of Civil Disobedience” (GLEs: 03a, 05, 06, 07a, 09a, 09b, 09c, 09e, 11, 12, 20a, 26c)

Materials List: photographs of contemporary civil disobedience, essay describing the civil disobedience of Dr. Martin Luther King, teacher’s notes on Thoreau’s night in jail, excerpt from Thoreau’s “Of Civil Disobedience”

The teacher should display photographs of contemporary examples of civil disobedience, such as a sit-in or a protest walk (http://www.history.com/ ), and encourage the class to discuss the purpose of civil disobedience and the differences between violent and peaceful protest.

Students should next read and annotate an essay that describes the civil disobedience of Dr. Martin Luther King. Examples might be:

“Letter from a Birmingham Jail” “Choice: A Tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.” (Alice Walker)

The teacher should then give students an overview of Thoreau’s night in jail that prompted his essay “Of Civil Disobedience.” After reading an excerpt from his essay, students should complete one or more of the following:

Identify two of Thoreau’s topics and list his supporting reasons or evidence for each.

Choose one quote or position from the piece and take a stand for or against it in an editorial.

Write an “unsent letter” to a government official or political candidate that uses one of Thoreau’s statements in a request or discussion of advice.

Write a short composition explaining how the essay displays the philosophy of Transcendentalism, using specific support from the excerpt.

Explore in a small group discussion what Thoreau would have thought about contemporary issues such as government deficits, modern taxes, or the Internet.

As closure, students should write a journal entry discussing any situations where civil disobedience might be necessary. Volunteers might read their journals for class discussion.

Activity 13: The Fiction of Nathaniel Hawthorne (GLEs: 03a, 05, 06, 07e, 08d, 09a)

Materials List: Opinionnaire for Hawthorne’s Fiction BLM, copies of a short story by Hawthorne or the novel The Scarlet Letter, selected vocabulary for log, guided-reading questions, topics for journal entries or RAFT writing, portfolio research topics, graphic organizer materials to analyze story elements

An introduction to Hawthorne’s work should begin with the opinionnaire (view literacy strategy descriptions ) BLM that involves the students with the concept of keeping secrets. The teacher should provide small groups with a list of modern situations that illustrate the concept. An example of this would be: You and a best friend cheat on a




http://www.history.com/


test. However, only your friend is caught by the teacher and receives a failing grade for both the test and the course. He or she does not mention your involvement. Should you mention it now? Groups should discuss/debate each statement, survey members, and record an explanation for their choices. Each group should then explain the results to the class. This should lead to a class discussion about when it is justifiable to keep a secret and the possible results of such a situation. The teacher will then connect students’ discussion to a general overview of Hawthorne’s writing.

Before working with one of Hawthorne’s short stories, such as “The Minister’s Black Veil” or his novel The Scarlet Letter, the class should note a description of the work of the author in a teacher-facilitated overview.

Students should then read the short story or novel and complete any of the following activities. In the case of the novel, these activities may be used as an ongoing portfolio to be checked during and after reading:

ongoing vocabulary log of new or unfamiliar words guided reading questions artwork depicting dramatic scenes RAFT (view literacy strategy descriptions) writing from the viewpoint of various

characters graphic organizers (view literacy strategy descriptions), such as word webs or

charts to analyze story elements such as characters, theme, symbolism, and irony (e.g., a word web that contains the word hypocrisy at the center)

split note-taking (view literacy strategy descriptions) to analyze quotes that express the author’s views on human nature

character descriptions a composition that discusses any of the major themes

As a closing activity, students should write a journal entry in which they discuss what they have learned about the American identity from this unit overall and how it compares and/or contrasts with our society today.

Sample Assessments

General Guidelines







General Assessments Students will complete a variety of responses during teacher-directed grammar

and usage mini lessons. Students will participate in both small-group and whole-class discussions

involving the interpretation and analysis of various texts. Students will facilitate comprehension of texts in various “Stop and Writes” or

annotations. Students will write a variety of journal entries that make connections between

historical events or philosophical ideas and their personal lives. Students will compose various responses to texts in learning logs (view literacy

strategy descriptions ) . Students will create a portfolio of work on a short story or novel by Nathanial

Hawthorne.


Activity 2: Students’ ongoing vocabulary logs may be assessed or evaluated based on any of the following:

The vocabulary log contains a pre-approved number of unfamiliar words with definition, part of speech, and sentence from the readings in this unit.

Students choose ten of their sentences to be assessed for proper context and mechanics.

Students choose ten of their words and create a study guide for another student that might include definitions along with a word search, a fill-in-the-blank exercise with their original sentences, or an objective quiz. Students then switch papers and complete the task.

Activity 5 : After reading Washington Irving’s story “The Devil and Tom Walker” and participating in a class discussion of the story’s basic elements, the students will form cooperative groups to create a modernized version of the story. The groups should work together to create the basic elements of the story and may divide themselves into separate functions for finishing and sharing with the whole class. The work may be evaluated on the following elements:

prewriting activities involving the basic elements of their modernized version of the story

use of a writing process to draft and publish the work work that displays a similarity to characters and themes of the original

story full participation by all group members, either by division of

assignments or collaboration oral sharing of the story





Activity 7: Students will use a writing process to develop a multi-paragraph composition that analyzes the qualities of Romantic writing in the poem “Thanatopsis.” The composition should include

general description of Romanticism specific examples of support proper documentation for quotes theme analysis personal reaction



English III

Unit 4: The Civil War Period in American Literature

Time Frame: Approximately three weeks

Unit Description

This unit focuses on reading and responding to the primary genre from the Civil War period of American Literature, such as letters, speeches, short stories, novels, autobiography, and poetry, to discover how the literature relates to the historical context of the time. Interpreting the literature will include a variety of comprehension strategies to analyze the effects of literary elements and devices and explain its relationship to real-life experiences in both short responses and multi-paragraph compositions. Vocabulary study will continue through defining words within the context of the literature, and grammar study will be imbedded in the writing process.


The essential goal of this unit is for students to interpret and analyze the literature of the Civil War period. Students will understand how the turbulence of the period is reflected in its primary genre and identify the emergence of the African American voice. Other critical goals include expressing supported responses to texts and examining the effects of literary elements and devices in both the prose and poetry of the time.

Guiding Questions

1. Can students identify the primary characteristics of the Civil War period and how they are reflected in the literature of the time?

2. Can students compare and contrast the autobiographies of two men from different historical times?

3. Can students analyze African American spirituals to show what they reveal about the human spirit and identify the effect of the refrain?

4. Can students explain what the letters and journals of the period reveal about the effects of war and compare this to a contemporary situation?

5. Can students identify the use of distinctive stylistic elements in historical speeches?

6. Can students analyze how authors have used the elements of fiction to convey relevant themes of the Civil War period?

7. Can students demonstrate how the poet Walt Whitman uses imagery and figurative language to create mood and convey meaning in his poems?

English IIIUnit 4The Civil War Period 46









texts in oral and written responses, including drama/poetry (ELA-1-H3)03e. Draw conclusions and make inferences about ideas and information in complex

texts in oral and written responses, including debates/speeches (ELA-1-H3)04. Evaluate ways in which the main idea, rationale, or thesis, and information in

complex texts, including consumer, workplace, public, and historical documents, represent a view or comment on life (ELA-1-H4)





07g. Analyze and synthesize in oral and written responses distinctive elements (e.g., structure) of a variety of literary forms and types, including speeches (ELA-6-H3)

08a. Analyze in oral and written responses the ways in which works of ancient, American, British, or world literature represent views or comments on life, for example an autobiography/diary gives insight into a particular time and place (ELA-6-H4)














14b. Develop complex compositions, essays, and reports that include a clear, overall structure including an introduction, a body, and an appropriate conclusion (ELA-2-H1)


14d. Develop complex compositions, essays, and reports that include a clear, overall structure including transitional words, phrases, and devices that unify throughout (ELA-2-H1)

15d. Develop complex compositions on student- or teacher-selected topics that are suited to an identified audience and purpose and that include clear voice (individual personality) (ELA-2-H2)







GLE # GLE Text and Benchmarks16e. Develop complex compositions using writing processes such as revising for

content and structure based on feedback (ELA-2-H3)16f. Develop complex compositions using writing processes such as

proofreading/editing to improve conventions of language (ELA-2-H3)16g. Develop complex compositions using writing processes such as publishing

using available technology (ELA-2-H3)20a. Write for various purposes, including interpretations/explanations that connect

life experiences to works of American, British, and world literature (ELA-2-H6)21. Apply standard rules of sentence formation, including parallel structure (ELA-

3-H2)22a. Apply standard rules of usage, for example: avoid splitting infinitives (ELA-3-


appropriately (ELA-3-H2)23d. Apply standard rules of mechanics and punctuation, including: commas after

introductory adverb clauses and long introductory phrases (ELA-3-H2)24. Use a variety of resources (e.g., dictionaries, thesauruses, glossaries,

technology) and textual features (e.g., definitional footnotes, sidebars) to verify word spellings (ELA-3-H3)




30b. Use active listening strategies, including selecting and organizing information (ELA-4-H4)

35a. Locate, analyze, and synthesize information from a variety of complex resources, including: multiple print texts (e.g., encyclopedias, atlases, library catalogs, specialized dictionaries, almanacs, technical encyclopedias, and periodicals) (ELA-5-H2)

35b. Locate, analyze, and synthesize information from a variety of complex resources, including electronic sources (e.g., Web sites or databases) (ELA-5-H2)

37c. Access information and conduct research using various grade-appropriate data-gathering strategies/tools, including: using graphic organizers (e.g., outlining, charts, timelines, webs) (ELA-5-H3)



Sample Activities

















Activity 5: The Autobiography of Frederick Douglass (GLEs: 08a, 09b, 09c, 09e, 09h, 12, 14a, 14b, 14c, 14d, 16b, 16c, 16d, 16e, 16f, 16g, 25, 27d)

Materials List: biography of Douglass, copies of his book or excerpts from the text

Students will note significant detail of the life of Frederick Douglass from a biography or a teacher-directed mini-lesson. Students will then read The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, Written by Himself or selected chapters from the work.

During reading, students should chart the name and a brief description of any significant person or group Douglass describes in an incident. Below each they should record what Douglass says he has learned about life or the institution of slavery. These comments should include a brief quote for support.

Students will then use notes from both the biography and autobiography to write a description of Douglass based on a personal impression of his character. The composition should use detailed support from the student’s notes and should include:

his major qualities, his attitudes on the institution of slavery, a personal impression of his accomplishments.



Activity 6: Comparing/ Contrasting Autobiographies (GLEs: 08a, 09b, 09c, 09e, 09h, 12, 14a, 14b, 14c, 14d, 16b, 16c, 16d, 16e, 16f, 16g)

Materials List: Franklin-Douglas Graphic Organizer BLM, Composition Rubric for Comparing Autobiographies BLM

Students should review their notes from Unit 2 Activity 6 on Benjamin Franklin. Then in small groups, each student should complete the Franklin-Douglas Graphic Organizer BLM as a graphic organizer (view literacy strategy descriptions) to note similarities and differences in content, tone, style, and diction in the autobiographies of the two men. The chart also includes a reference to the period and each man’s significance to his time. Students will then use these notes for a multi-paragraph composition that compares and/or contrasts the two works. Compositions may be assessed using the Composition Rubric for Comparing Autobiographies BLM.

Activity 7: The Language of Spirituals (GLEs: 06, 07c, 09d, 12, 16a, 16b, 20a)

Materials List: audio tape of spirituals, Analyzing the Refrain in a Spiritual BLM

Students will respond to a journal prompt discussing how particular types of music provide inspiration.

In a teacher-facilitated overview, the class should note the purpose, style, and significance of Spirituals of the early19th century. Students will then read or listen to samples of spiritual music of slaves from this time. They will analyze how language devices such as the refrain create mood and purpose using the graphic organizer (view literacy strategy descriptions ) for Analyzing the Refrain in a Spiritual BLM.

Students will then select one of the spirituals and analyze its use of a refrain. The analysis should explain how the refrain is used to create a rhythm, establish a mood, and emphasize the central idea or theme.

Activity 8: Life during the Civil War Period through Photos, Journals, and Letters (GLEs: 03a, 05, 08a, 09a, 09c, 09e, 09h, 12, 15d, 20a, 35a, 35b)

Materials List: various texts of Civil War Period journals or letters, instruction for learning log responses

Students will read excerpts from a series of published Civil War journals or letters, such as those of Mary Chesnut, Louisa May Alcott, or General Robert E. Lee. They will also view a selection of the Civil War photographs published by Matthew Brady and others which can be found at http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/cwphtml/ and http://memory.loc.gov/learn/lessons/98/brady/home.html


http://memory.loc.gov/learn/lessons/98/brady/home.html

http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/cwphtml/





Students will briefly summarize the content, tone, and purpose of each print or visual text in a learning log (view literacy strategy descriptions). This strategy helps the student organize new information and provides a reference for class discussion and tests. Small groups should discuss what each text displays about life during the Civil War period for both military personnel and those who live or work near a war zone. These ideas should also be recorded in student logs and shared in whole-class discussion.

Each group will then locate a current news article or photograph that reveals what life is like for both civilians and soldiers in a contemporary war zone. These articles should also be shared in whole-class discussion as students note responses in their logs.

Finally students should use details from the completed learning log to write a composition or journal entry discussing any new knowledge they have gained from these texts and a personal reaction.

Activity 9: The Women’s Movement and Sojourner Truth (GLEs: 05, 06, 07g, 09a, 09b, 11, 20a)

Materials List: biography of Sojourner Truth, copies of A’rnt’ I a Woman?

Students should view a photo of Sojourner Truth at http://www.sojournertruth.org/History/Biography/Default.htm and participate in an oral reading of a version of her speech to the convention of 1851 titled And A’rnt’ I a Woman Too? ( http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/sojtruth-woman.html ) Students should then complete the following tasks as a learning log (view literacy strategy descriptions):

a definition of the term women’s suffrage a brief description of events at the convention of 1851 an outline of the main points and support from the speech a discussion of whether the speech is organized with inductive or deductive

reasoning a journal entry based on the question: What issues does Sojourner Truth raise that

you consider to be of contemporary importance?

Activity 10: Fiction of the Civil War Period (GLEs: 03a, 05, 06, 07e, 09a, 09c, 09d)

Materials List: copies of a short story or novel set during the Civil War, a prompt for SPAWN activity

Students will read a short story or novel that depicts the Civil War Period. Possible novel choices are The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane or The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara. Possible short stories are “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” by Ambrose Bierce or “A Mystery of Heroism” by Stephen Crane.



http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/sojtruth-woman.html

http://www.sojournertruth.org/History/Biography/Default.htm



The students will then respond to an Alternative Viewpoints prompt from the SPAWN (view literacy strategy descriptions) writing strategy to encourage further reflection about what they have learned from the story. These responses are typically short in length and can be informally assessed as journals or kept in student’s learning logs. Students will begin by choosing an incident with some intensity from the text. They should brainstorm (view literacy strategy descriptions) all of the possible witnesses to the situation other than the main character. They should then choose one of these witnesses to write a news article or letter vividly describing the situation from a personal perspective. The new description should use specific and accurate detail from the story but should also be creative in its development of the personal reaction of the speaker. Students should then share their work in groups or whole-class discussion.

Activity 11: Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address (GLEs: 01a, 03e, 04, 07g, 09a, 09b, 09c, 11, 12, 20a, 26c, 37c)

Materials List: historical background of Lincoln’s speech, copies of the “Gettysburg Address,” Vocabulary Cards for Lincoln’s Address BLM

Students should note the background and public reaction to Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address using detail found at http://www.answers.com/topic/gettysburg-address?cat=biz-fin . They should then listen to an oral reading of Lincoln’s speech.

Students will then complete the Vocabulary Cards for Lincoln’s Address BLM. Vocabulary cards (view literacy strategy descriptions) are useful in helping students see connections between words and their attributes, and examples from both general use and the text they are studying. These cards can be kept with their vocabulary logs for easy reference. In this case, the cards will help students become familiar with new language devices and help them make the connections between Lincoln’s careful choice of words and the persuasive nature of the speech. For each card students should:

Print the definition of the device on the top left Note a general example of the device or element on the top right Write a quoted example from Lincoln’s speech on the bottom left Note the emotional effect on the bottom right

English IIIUnit 4The Civil War Period

General example:Our vacation included relaxing by the pool, eating in local restaurants, and taking in the sights.

Define parallelism: The use of a series of words, phrases, or sentences that have similar grammatical form

Lincoln’s quote:

“…we can not dedicate—we can not consecrate—we can not hallow—this ground

Emotional effect:Gives a spiritual or religious connection to the battlefield and helps make it a cemetery to honor the dead

54


http://www.answers.com/topic/gettysburg-address?cat=biz-fin

http://www.answers.com/topic/gettysburg-address?cat=biz-fin




The completed cards should be used as support in a brief composition that explains how the language in Lincoln’s dedicatory remarks creates a powerful piece of persuasive writing. In closing, students should reflect on any contemporary issues that might pose a danger to our democracy in a journal entry.

Activity 12: The Poetry of Walt Whitman (GLEs: 03b, 07c, 09c, 09d, 16b, 16c, 16d, 16e, 16f)

Materials List: biography of Whitman, copies of his poem, When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d, Analyzing Whitman’s Poetry BLM, Composition Rubric for Whitman BLM

Students should note detail of Whitman’s life and work with a focus on the Civil War period that might include viewing a biographical video or web cast from United Streaming http://streaming.discoveryeducation.com/home/aboutus.cfm or the History Channel at http://www.history.com/ .

The class should view a photograph of the funeral procession of Lincoln and participate in an oral reading of the poem When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d, stopping periodically for clarification and discussion.

Working in pairs, students will use the Analyzing Whitman’s Poetry BLM graphic organizer (view literacy strategy descriptions) as a framework for noting how the poet uses poetic elements and devices to create a personal expression of grief. Partners should reread each designated section of the poem and paraphrase the meaning, choose one quote or phrase that contains a language device, and briefly explain its purpose. The summary statement at the bottom of the page should be filled in when the chart is complete.

Each student will then use the chart to complete a two- to three-paragraph explication of the poem that may be assessed using the Composition Rubric for Whitman BLM. As a closing for the essay, students should comment on how the poem displays the national character of the time.



http://www.history.com/

http://streaming.discoveryeducation.com/home/aboutus.cfm


Sample Assessments

General Guidelines

Use a variety of performance assessments to determine student understanding of content. Select assessments that are consistent with the type of product that results from the student activities, and develop a scoring rubric collaboratively with other teachers or students. The following are samples of assessments that could be used for this unit:

General Assessments

The ongoing vocabulary log contains a pre-approved number of unfamiliar words with definition, part of speech, and sentence for each.

Students’ recorded responses to varied texts in a learning log (view literacy strategy descriptions) aid in comprehension and provide notes for class discussion, composition, quizzes, or tests.

Using student’s journal responses as informal assessments, make historical texts relative to students’ personal lives and the modern world.

Students will respond to an Alternative Viewpoints prompt from the SPAWN writing strategy (view literacy strategy descriptions). These responses are typically short and can be informally assessed as journals or kept in students’ learning logs. Students will choose an eyewitness to an event to write a news article or letter vividly describing the situation from a personal perspective. The new description should use specific and accurate detail from the story but should also be creative in its development of the personal reaction of the speaker.


Activity 5 : Using both biography and autobiography of the life of Frederick Douglass, students should convey their personal impressions in a description of Douglass using detailed support from their notes. The composition should include:

his major qualities his attitudes on the institution of slavery a personal impression of his accomplishments

Activity 6 : Students will use The Franklin-Douglass graphic organizer (view literacy strategy descriptions) in a writing process to develop an essay discussing the similarities and differences in the autobiographies of Benjamin Franklin and Frederick Douglass. The essay should include discussion of content, tone, style, diction, and historical significance of each text. The essay may be evaluated using the Composition Rubric for Comparing Autobiographies BLM based on:






effective method of organization with equal treatment of each text clear use of a writing process clear statement of a thesis or topic cohesive paragraphs detailed support from each text interesting elaboration and discussion of main ideas strong closing statements

Activity 7 : Students will analyze the use of language devices in an African American Spiritual of the 19th century using the Analyzing the Refrain in a Spiritual BLM. The analysis should include an explanation of:

how the refrain is used to create a rhythm establish a mood emphasize the central idea or theme

Activity 12 : Students will use the Graphic Organizer for Whitman’s Poetry BLM to analyze When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d. They will next use a writing process to develop a two- to three-paragraph explication of Walt Whitman’s poem. This composition should be assessed using the Composition Rubric for Whitman BLM. This should include:

discussion of the literary elements and imagery in the poem relationship of the poem to the life of the poet and the historical period explanation of new or different thoughts about Lincoln after reading the

poem discussion of the national character during this time



English IIIUnit 5: The Rise of Realism and Naturalism in American Literature

Time Frame: Approximately five weeks

Unit Description

This unit focuses on reading and responding to the primary genres of the period from 1865-1910 to discover how the short stories, novels, and poetry relate to the historical context of the time. Interpreting the literature will include applying a variety of reading and comprehension strategies to analyze the effects of the literary elements and devices, as well as responding to questions requiring higher-order thinking. Research will aid the understanding of the rise of realism and naturalism during this time. Compositions in various modes will address aspects of the literature and explain its relationship to real-life experiences. Grammar study will be imbedded in the writing process, and vocabulary study will continue within the context of the literature.


The essential goals of this unit are to interpret and analyze the literature of the period of Regionalism and Realism. Students should recognize that the turbulence of the previous period influenced the next generation and should also identify the effects of social issues on the literature of the day. Other critical goals are to express supported responses to the texts, as well as focus on the effects of the literary elements and devices, particularly those related to the new styles of poetry and the prose fiction.

Guiding Questions

1. Can students identify the primary characteristics of the period of Realism and Regionalism, and explain how they are reflected in the literature of the age?

2. Can students identify how the poems of Emily Dickinson use structure and language devices to create meaning?

3. Can students use a variety of strategies, including making predictions and generalizations, to gain meaning from the short fiction of Kate Chopin?

4. Can students analyze and synthesize in oral and written responses how Edgar Lee Masters uses the distinctive elements of narrative poetry to reveal character?

5. Can students identify the characteristics of “local color” and realism as they appear in the works of Kate Chopin, Bret Harte, and Mark Twain?

6. Can students analyze how the important story elements of Mark Twain’s work establish significant recurrent themes of American literature?

7. Can students explain how the short stories of the time use literary devices to reflect the primary traits of realism and naturalism?

English IIIUnit 5The Rise of Realism and Naturalism in American Literature 58






use of related forms of words (ELA-1-H1) 01c. Extend basic and technical vocabulary using a variety of strategies, including



texts in oral and written responses, including public documents (ELA-1-H3)05. Analyze and critique the impact of historical periods, diverse ethnic groups, and














GLE # GLE Text and Benchmarks12. Analyze and evaluate works of American, British, or world literature in terms of

an author’s life, culture, and philosophical assumptions (ELA-7-H3)13a. Analyze information within and across grade-appropriate print and nonprint

texts using various reasoning skills, including identifying cause-effect relationships (ELA-7-H4)

14a. Develop complex compositions, essays, and reports that include the following: a clearly stated central idea/thesis statement (ELA-2-H1)

14b. Develop complex compositions, essays, and reports that include the following: a clear overall structure (e.g., introduction, body, appropriate conclusion) ELA-2-H1)

14c. Develop complex compositions, essays, and reports that include the following: supporting paragraphs organized in a logical sequence (e.g., special order, order of importance, ascending/descending order, chronological order, parallel construction) ELA-2-H1)

14d. Develop complex compositions, essays, and reports that include the following: transitional words, phrases, and devices that unify throughout (ELA-2-H1)








17d. Use the various modes to write complex compositions, including: literary analyses that incorporate research (ELA-2-H4)


21. Apply standard rules of sentence formation, including parallel structure (ELA-3-H2)

22a. Apply standard rules of usage, for example: avoid split infinitives (ELA-3-H2)22b. Apply standard rules of usage, for example: use the subjunctive mood

appropriately (ELA-3-H2)23d. Apply standard rules of mechanics and punctuation, including: commas after

introductory adverb clauses and long introductory phrases (ELA-3-H2)24. Use a variety of resources (e.g., dictionaries, thesauruses, glossaries,

technology) and textual features, (e.g., definitional footnotes, sidebars) to verify word spellings (ELA-3-H3)



GLE # GLE Text and Benchmarks25. Use standard English grammar, diction, and syntax when speaking in formal

presentations and informal group discussions (ELA-4-H1)26a. Select language appropriate to specific purposes and audiences for speaking,

including delivering informational/book reports in class (ELA-4-H1)26c. Select language appropriate to specific purposes and audiences for speaking,

including participating in class discussions (ELA-4-H1)27a. Listen to detailed oral instructions and presentations and carry out complex

procedures, including reading and questioning (ELA-4-H2)27b. Listen to detailed oral instructions and presentations and carry out complex

procedures, including writing responses (ELA-4-H2)27c. Listen to detailed oral instructions and presentations and carry out complex

procedures, including forming groups (ELA-4-H2)27d. Listen to detailed oral instructions and presentations and carry out complex

procedures, including taking accurate, detailed notes (ELA-4-H2)29a. Deliver presentations that include language, diction, and syntax selected to suit

a purpose and impact an audience (ELA-4-H3)29c. Deliver presentations that include an organization that includes an introduction,

relevant examples, and/or anecdotes, and a conclusion arranged to impact an audience (ELA-4-H3)

30a. Use active listening strategies, including monitoring messages for clarity (ELA-4-H4)


34a. Select and critique relevant information for a research project using the organizational features of a variety of resources, including: print texts (e.g., prefaces, appendices, annotations, citations, bibliographic references) (ELA-5-H1)

35a. Locate, analyze, and synthesize information from a variety of complex resources, including: multiple print texts (e.g., encyclopedias, atlases, library catalogs, specialized dictionaries, almanacs, technical encyclopedias, and periodicals) ELA-5-H2)

35b. Locate, analyze, and synthesize information from a variety of complex resources, including: electronic sources (e.g., Web sites or databases)


37d. Access information and conduct research using various grade-appropriate data-gathering strategies/tools, including compiling and organizing information to support the central ideas, concepts, and themes of a formal paper or presentation (ELA-5-H3)

37e. Access information and conduct research using various grade-appropriate data-gathering strategies/tools, including preparing annotated bibliographies and anecdotal scripts (ELA-5-H3)

40b. Use selected style guides to produce complex reports that include the following: standard formatting for source acknowledgment (ELA-5-H5)



GLE # GLE Text and Benchmarks41. Analyze and synthesize information found in various complex graphic

organizers, including detailed maps, comparative charts, extended tables, graphs, diagrams, cutaways, overlays, and sidebars (ELA-5-H6)

Sample Activities










reading



annotated text as a during-reading activity exit cards as a lesson closure activity

Prompts should address comprehension, higher-order thinking, and connections between texts and real-life experiences. Prompts can be used to begin discussions or for assessments. During discussion, students will use active listening strategies, including monitoring messages for clarity and selecting and organizing essential information.



The teacher will facilitate a classroom discussion during the drafting/revising process of any composition on sentence formation problems (i.e., fragments, run-ons, or syntax problems,) or standard rules of usage or mechanics (i.e., subject/verb agreement, appropriate verb tense, pronoun/antecedent agreement, appropriate pronoun case, comparative forms of adjectives, avoidance of double negatives, and appropriate punctuation/capitalization). Discussion will be based on the common errors in student writing samples using the Checklist of Common Errors BLM. Mini-lesson activities will be from student-generated examples and will be ongoing and skill specific. Ideally, the mini-lessons will become differentiated for students’ specific needs and will be integrated within student writing assignments and not taught in isolation.

Activity 5: Reconstruction and the Rise of Realism and Naturalism (GLEs: 05, 06, 09h, 12, 13a, 25, 26a, 27d, 29c, 30a, 30b, 34a, 35a, 35b, 37c, 37d, 37e, 40b, 41)

Materials List: period overview notes, list of research topics, Assessment Rubric for Research Presentation BLM

The teacher should facilitate an overview of the period from 1865-1910 that includes a discussion of the qualities of “regionalism” and “local color.” Following this discussion, students will work in small groups to research a regional author from the time. Each group will select an author from this period, such as Bret Harte or Jack London, and locate information on how that author’s work reflects the lifestyle and social issues of a particular region. Students will access print sources and web databases, select reliable sources, and use research processes (e.g., skimming and scanning, note-taking, outlining, summarizing) to research the topic, using information from a variety of complex resources. Such information can be accessed at http://www.wsu.edu/~campbelld/amlit/aufram.html or search.ebscohost.com/

Students will select an appropriate format or graphic organizer (view literacy strategy descriptions, such as a PowerPoint® presentation, for reporting their findings to the whole class. The work should include standard formatting for source acknowledgment. Presentations might include artwork or photographs for added emphasis and description.




http://www.wsu.edu/~campbelld/amlit/aufram.html%20or%20search.ebscohost.com/


This research should be assessed with the Assessment Rubric for Research Presentation BLM. Presentations will occur as an opening for the appropriate activity, and the class will record pertinent notes for later reference.

Activity 6: Poetry of Emily Dickinson (GLEs: 03b, 07c, 09c, 09d, 12, 20a, 27c, 29a)

Materials List: selected poems, Analyzing Emily Dickinson’s Poems BLM

The students will view a presentation of the life and work of Emily Dickinson that includes the influence of Emerson and a description of her poetic style.

The teacher will then display one of Dickinson’s poems, such as “Success is Counted Sweetest” and

read it aloud demonstrate how to paraphrase each line point out significant aspects of the poem’s structure mark stylistic elements and explain the overall meaning

Small groups of students will each select a different poem from Dickinson’s works to explicate in detail. Each member will use the Analyzing Dickinson’s Poems BLM to interpret meaning and analyze the poet’s use of imagery and figurative language. Each group will present its work to the whole class, beginning with an oral reading of the poem.

Each student will then select one of the poems studied in this activity to discuss in a journal entry. The entry should briefly summarize the poem’s theme and make personal real-life connections to the meaning of the poem. The journal may be a part of a portfolio assessment at the end of the unit.

Activity 7: Edgar Lee Masters: Spoon River Anthology (GLEs: 03b, 05, 06, 07c, 09a, 09c, 09d, 09e, 09h, 12, 27a, 27b)

Materials List: Selected poems from the collection

Students will view a presentation of the life and work of Edgar Lee Masters. They will review the meaning of the term “eulogy” and note the format and purpose of Masters’ work Spoon River Anthology, including the concepts that :

the characters are all from the same fictional town the dead characters have nothing to lose in being honest many characters discuss relationships with others in the book the poems create a realistic picture of small, turn-of the-century Midwestern town



Students will then read selected poems from the anthology that might be grouped by related characters, such as married couples, war veterans, or accident victims. To summarize the essence of each life, students will use a modified version of the literacy strategy of GISTing (view literacy strategy descriptions). This strategy is useful in teaching the important subskill of summarizing by limiting the total number of words students can use, which forces them to think about only the most important information.

The teacher should demonstrate the technique by giving students a copy of one poem to mark up. The poem should be divided into several sections, depending on its length. Students should be asked to mark a limited number of words from each line that display the most significant aspects of the character’s life. The teacher should then ask students to choose those underlined words that are the most significant and then the class should decided how to best combine selected words from each line to create one total statement that best summarizes the section. Each subsequent section should be addressed in the same manner until there is a brief summary of the entire poem that describes the character in a concise way.

EXAMPLE: Section one “Lucinda Matlock”I went to dances at Chandlerville,And played snap-out at Winchester.One time we changed partners, Driving home in the moonlight of middle June,And then I found Davis.We were married and lived together for seventy years,Enjoying, working, raising the twelve children,Eight of whom we lostEre I had reached the age of sixty.

(Summary statement: After I found Davis in the June moonlight after a dance, we had a seventy year marriage, enjoying, working, and raising twelve children.)

Students will then work in small groups, using the same process to create a GIST statement for additional poems from the collection. Each group will then present one of these selections in whole-class discussion. Students should note the name and GIST statements for each speaker in a learning log (view literacy strategy descriptions). Each student should then use the collection of summaries to construct a composition that describes the town of Spoon River. This descriptive paragraph should include a topic sentence and selected GIST statements as support.

Activity 8: Kate Chopin and Local Color (GLEs: 03a, 05, 06, 07e, 09a, 09c, 09d, 09f, 11, 12, 13a, 20a, 25, 26a, 26c, 27c)

Materials List: story by Kate Chopin, DR-TA for Chopin’s Work BLM

Student groups will provide an overview of the life and work of Kate Chopin with focus on her time in Louisiana, a definition of “local color,” and a discussion of how her stories





reflect the “local color” of the state. The overview should also include the social, legal, and political issues that concerned women of the period from 1865-1910.

Students will then examine the title page of a short story by Kate Chopin such as “The Story of an Hour” or “A Pair of Silk Stockings” as the teacher initiates a Directed Reading-Thinking Activity or DR-TA (view literacy strategy descriptions). This activity highlights the strategies good readers use to understand text and gives students a record of their thought processes during reading. The teacher should begin the lesson by asking students to make predictions or ask questions based on the title, their background knowledge, or any other contextual clues. When students have recorded these predictions on the DR-TA for Chopin’s Work BLM, they should begin a silent reading of the story. During reading, students should be directed to stop at predetermined places in the text to check and revise their predictions, citing new evidence that has influenced their opinions. After reading, a class discussion of the story can be facilitated using the students’ notes. Students should then record their final impressions of the story’s theme in the after-reading box at the bottom of the page.

Finally, students will use the “Alternative Viewpoints” aspect of SPAWN (view literacy strategy descriptions) to allow students to understand the situation in the story from a different perspective. The writing will create an epitaph in the main character’s voice, similar to those epitaphs of Edgar Lee Masters’ Spoon River Anthology. The epitaph should:

convey Mrs. Mallard’s character through dramatic monologue directly convey her true feelings display the irony of the last sentence in the story

Activity 9: Analysis of Local Color in Bret Harte’s Story The Outcasts of Poker Flat (GLEs: 03a, 06, 07e, 09a, 09c, 09d, 09f, 14a, 14b, 14c, 14d, 20a)

Materials List: Opinionnaire: “The Outcasts of Poker Flat” BLM, copies of the story, Charting Local Color for Bret Harte’s Story BLM, Assessing the Composition for “Poker Flats” BLM

Students will work in small groups to complete the opinionnaire (view literacy strategy descriptions). The Opinionnaire: “The Outcasts of Poker Flat” BLM will help to introduce students to the concept of regionalism. Groups will discuss each statement, mark a response, and record a reason. These items should be discussed in whole-class format.

Students will then note details of the life and work of Bret Harte and review the characteristics of regionalism and local color, including the focus on language, customs, and geography of a particular area and time.

As students read the story, they should stop periodically to complete the graphic organizer (view literacy strategy descriptions) Charting Local Color for Bret Harte’s









Story BLM. They will quote details of dress, mannerisms, speech, and moral qualities of each major character in the story.

Students will choose one character from the chart and write a detailed description. The composition should include a statement from the opinionnaire as a central focus and include chart details as support. It should also discuss how character development and local color help to develop a theme. Teachers may use the Assessing the Composition for “Poker Flats” BLM to assess the composition.

Activity 10: Mark Twain and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (GLEs: 03a, 05, 06, 07e, 09a, 09c, 09d, 09h, 11, 12, 13a, 14a, 14b, 14c, 14d, 16a, 16b, 16c, 16d, 16e, 16f, 16g, 17d)

Materials List: copies of the novel, Charting Local Color in Huck Finn BLM, Huck Finn Character Development Rubric BLM

Students will first view a presentation of the biography of Mark Twain to note details of his life and the development of his work.

As a whole class, students will read the first chapter of Huckleberry Finn, followed by discussion of the setting, the main character, and the events that initiate the story. Students will continue reading Huckleberry Finn and complete any of the following activities to be collected and assessed as a portfolio of work.

Divide the book into sections by pages or chapters. Then complete split-note page notes (view literacy strategy descriptions) with quotes that display realism and at least one quote from each section that contains a comment on slavery or Huck’s relationship with Jim. Comments on the right side of the vertical line should discuss what each quote displays about people, places, and lifestyle during the time.

Create a timeline that traces the journey that Huck and Jim take together on the river. This could be done in small groups and could be transferred to large wall charts with artwork.

Choose an episode from Huck’s time on land, such as the feud or the conflict between Boggs and Colonel Sherburn, and use the graphic organizer (view literacy strategy descriptions) Charting Local Color in Huck Finn BLM to note specific examples of realism/local color. The chart can then be used to write a description that focuses on the lifestyle and stereotypical characters in this time and place and the overall meaning or lesson.

Small groups use a word web to explain the symbolism of: the fog in Chapter 15, the raft, the river, Sherburn’s rooftop, or the feud in Chapter 18. Each group should present these webs in class discussion.

Choose an episode for Jim to narrate using the literacy strategy of RAFT (view literacy strategy descriptions). The narration should retell the situation from Jim’s perspective.








Locate an example of irony in the final chapters of the story and write a brief composition explaining how the ironic situation helps to develop a theme.

In small groups, recreate a particular situation from the novel by writing a skit with dialogue and props. Each group will then read or perform its scene for the whole class.

After completing the novel, students will develop a multi-paragraph essay that traces the development of Huck’s attitude or view of life or knowledge and awareness of Jim as a man. Students may use detail from any of the previous activities as support. The composition should be developed with a writing process and may be assessed with the Huck Finn Character Development Rubric BLM.

Activity 11: Realism and Naturalism in the Stories of Stephen Crane or Jack London (GLEs: 03a, 05, 06, 07e, 09d, 12, 20a, 26a, 27c)

Materials List: copies of the story, overview of realism and naturalism, examples of real-life incidents from web sites or news stories

The students will note the following characteristics of realism and naturalism from a teacher-facilitated overview:

focus on the lives of ordinary people in realistic situations contrast with romantic view of nature as a maternal and healing force view of nature and the universe as cold, indifferent forces view of individuals as victims of forces they could not control works that exposed poverty, corruption, and the futility of war

The teacher should demonstrate the concepts of naturalism by facilitating a discussion of a real-life incident where humans are pitted against natural or social forces beyond their control. One example is the sinking of the USS Indianapolis during WW II. Information may be found at http://www.discovery.com/exp/indianapolis/indianapolis.html. In addition, a video of Quint’s speech that describes the incident in the film Jaws can be found at this web site.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYyLWAgo7Vw.

Students will then view a presentation of the life and work of a representative author such as Stephen Crane or Jack London. As students read the selected story, such as Crane’s “The Open Boat,” or London’s “To Build a Fire,” they should stop at the end of pre-selected segments to record a set number of specific examples of imagery or figurative language that display realism or the power of nature in split-page notes (view literacy strategy descriptions). Students should record the quote on the left. On the right, they should identify the language as simile, metaphor, personification, or imagery, and briefly explain the connection to naturalism with a personal reaction. EXAMPLE:

“Many a man ought to have a The imagery shows how tight their space is bathtub larger than the boat which in the middle of a huge ocean. I would behere rode upon the sea.” very nervous to be crammed into a small




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYyLWAgo7Vw

http://www.discovery.com/exp/indianapolis/indianapolis.html


rowboat with three other strangers in the middle of the ocean.

“The tower was a giant, standing The metaphor shows there is no hope of helpwith its back to the plight of the and no one realizes the boat cannot comeants... in. They are small—insignificant like ants.

Students should then work in small groups to create a news story that reflects the use of realism, local color, and naturalism. The news story should convey a contemporary situation, using specific detail to convey the danger and intensity of the setting and the outcome of the situation. As unit closure, students should share these articles in whole-class discussion.

Sample Assessments

General Guidelines


General Assessments



Students will compose an epitaph through Mrs. Mallard’s voice similar to those epitaphs of Edgar Lee Masters’ Spoon River Anthology in which she conveys her true feelings and the irony in the last sentence of the story.

Students will compile a collection of written responses, graphic organizers, and brief compositions from the novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, collected as a portfolio and assessed with a teacher-provided portfolio checklist.

Small groups will create a news story that displays the elements of naturalism in a representative short story by an author such as Stephen Crane or Jack London.






Activity 5 : In small groups, students should access print sources and web databases, select reliable resources, and use research processes to locate information on an author from this period, and how that author’s work reflects the lifestyle and social issues of a particular region. Groups should then share their findings with the class. Presentations may be assessed using the Assessment Rubric for a Research Presentation.

Activity 7 : Each student should use the collection of GIST statements to construct a composition that describes the town of Spoon River. This description should include

a clearly stated central idea selected GIST statements as support transitional language to connect ideas application of standard rules of usage, mechanics, and punctuation

Activity 9: Students should choose one character from the Charting Local Color BLM and write a detailed description. The composition should use a statement from the opinionnaire (view literacy strategy descriptions) as a central focus and detail from the chart as support. It should include a discussion of how character development and local color help to develop a theme. The composition may be assessed using the Assessing the Composition for “Poker Flats” BLM.

Activity 10 : After completing the novel, students will develop a multi-paragraph essay that traces the development of Huck’s attitude or view of Jim as a man. Students may use detail from any of the previous activities as support. The composition should be developed with a writing process and may be assessed with the Huck Finn Character Development Rubric BLM.




English IIIUnit 6: The Early Years of the Twentieth Century in American Literature


Unit Description

This unit focuses on works of the early twentieth century in American literature, such as short stories, novels, poetry and drama, to examine the relationships between the historical context of the period and its literature. A variety of reading and comprehension strategies will lead toward analyzing the effects of literary elements and devices, along with responses to questions requiring higher-order thinking. Use of research processes and a variety of compositions will address aspects of the literature and explain its relationship to real-life experiences. Grammar study will be imbedded in the writing process and vocabulary study will continue to focus on defining words within the context of the literature.


The essential goals of this unit are for students to interpret and analyze the literature of the early twentieth century. In this process, students will identify the effects of war and a rapidly changing society on the authors and their works. Other critical goals include expressing supported responses to the texts, as well as analyzing the effects of the literary elements and devices on the genres of the day.

Guiding Questions

1. Can students identify the primary characteristics of the early twentieth century and how they are reflected in the literature of the age?

2. Can students research and analyze how historical events can have an impact on philosophical, religious, ethical, and social attributes of a nation?

3. Can students work cooperatively to draw conclusions about an author’s use of complex literary devices to represent views or comments on life.

4. Can students synthesize historical background, poetry, and visual art to explain how varied works of the Harlem Renaissance represent views or comments on life?

5. Can students demonstrate how the poets of the early twentieth century use imagery and figurative language to reveal their perception of American life?

6. Can students analyze and explain how fiction writers of the time used distinctive elements such as character and setting to help establish a theme?

English IIIUnit 6The Early Years of the Twentieth Century in American Literature 71





analysis of an author’s word choice (ELA-1-H1)01b. Extend basic and technical vocabulary using a variety of strategies, including use of

related forms of words (ELA-1-H1)01c. Extend basic and technical vocabulary using a variety of strategies, including

analysis of analogous statements (ELA-1-H1)02a. Analyze the significance of complex literary and rhetorical devices in American,

British, or world texts, including apostrophes (ELA-1-H2)02b. Analyze the significance of complex literary and rhetorical devices in American,

British, or world texts, including rhetorical questions (ELA-1-H2)02d. Analyze the significance of complex literary and rhetorical devices in American,

British, or world texts, including implicit metaphors (metonymy and synecdoche) (ELA-1-H2)

03a. Draw conclusions and make inferences about ideas and information in complex texts in oral and written responses, including fiction/nonfiction (ELA-1-H3)

03b. Draw conclusions and make inferences about ideas and information in complex texts in oral and written responses, including drama/poetry (ELA-1-H3)

03d. Draw conclusions and make inferences about ideas and information in complex texts in oral and written responses, including film/visual texts (ELA-1-H3)





08b. Analyze in oral and written responses the ways in which works of ancient, American, British, or world literature represent views or comments on life, for example, the pastoral idealizes life in the country (ELA-6-H4)













14b. Develop complex compositions, essays, and reports that include a clear, overall structure (e.g., introduction, body, appropriate conclusion) (ELA-2-H1)








17c. Use various modes to write complex compositions, including: a research project (ELA-2-H4)




GLE# GLE Text and Benchmarks21. Apply standard rules of sentence formation, including parallel structure (ELA-3H2)22a. Apply standard rules of usage, for example: avoid split infinitives (ELA-3-H2)22b. Apply standard rules of usage, for example: use the subjunctive mood appropriately

(ELA-3-H2)23a. Apply standard rules of mechanics and punctuation, including: parentheses(ELA-

3-H2)23d. Apply standard rules of mechanics and punctuation, including: commas after

introductory adverb clauses and long introductory phrases (ELA-3-H2)23g. Apply standard rules of mechanics and punctuation including: manuscript form

(ELA-3-H2)24. Use a variety of resources (e.g., dictionaries, thesauruses, glossaries, technology)

and textual features (e.g., definitional footnotes, sidebars) to verify word spellings (ELA-3-H3)

26a. Select language appropriate to specific purposes and audiences for speaking, including: delivering information/book reports in class (ELA-4-H1)

26c. Select language appropriate to specific purposes and audiences for speaking, including: participating in class discussions (ELA-4-H1)

27c. Listen to detailed oral instructions and presentations and carry out complex procedures, including: forming groups (ELA-4-H2)

29a. Deliver presentations that include language, diction, and syntax selected to suit a purpose and impact and audience (ELA-4-H3)

29b. Deliver presentations that include delivery techniques including repetition, eye contact, and appeal to emotion suited to a purpose and audience (ELA-4-H3)

29c. Deliver presentations that include an organization that includes introduction, relevant examples, and/or anecdotes, and a conclusion arranged to impact an audience (ELA-4-H3)


34a. Select and critique relevant information for a research project using the organizational features of a variety of resources, including print texts (e.g., prefaces, appendices, annotations, citations, bibliographic references) (ELA-5-H1)


35a. Locate, analyze and synthesize information from a variety of complex resources, including multiple print texts (e.g., encyclopedias, atlases, library catalogs, specialized dictionaries, almanacs, technical encyclopedias, and periodicals) (ELA-5-H2)

35b. Locate, analyze and synthesize information from a variety of complex resources, including electronic sources (e.g., Web sites or databases) (ELA-5-H2)

37c. Access information and conduct research using various grade-appropriate data-gathering strategies/tools, including: using graphic organizers (e.g., outlining, charts, timelines, webs) (ELA-5-H3)



GLE # GLE Text and Benchmarks37d. Access information and conduct research using various grade-appropriate data-

gathering strategies/tools, including: compiling and organizing information to support the central ideas, concepts, and themes of a formal paper or presentation (ELA-5-H3)

38a. Write extended research reports (e.g., historical investigations, reports about high interest and library subjects) which include researched information that supports main ideas (ELA-5-H3)

38b. Write extended research reports (e.g., historical investigations, reports about high interest and library subjects) which include facts, details, examples, and explanations from sources (ELA-5-H3)

38d. Write extended research reports (e.g., historical investigations, reports about high interest and library subjects) which include complete documentation (e.g., endnotes or parenthetical citations, works cited lists or bibliographies) consistent with a specified style guide (ELA-5-H3)

39c. Use word processing and/or technology to draft, revise, and publish various works, including research reports on high interest literary topics (ELA-5-H4)

40a. Use selected style guides to produce complex reports that include standard formatting for source acknowledgment (ELA-5-H5)

40b. Use selected style guides to produce complex reports that include standard formatting for source acknowledgment (ELA-5-H5)

Sample Activities







Materials List: student vocabulary logs, Checklist of Common Errors BLM (see Unit 1)To extend basic and technical vocabulary, students will record both student- and teacher- selected new and unfamiliar vocabulary in an ongoing vocabulary log. This log should include a definition, the part of speech, and a sentence for each word. Sentences should contain appropriate context and enough detail to convey the meaning of the word. Students should refer to the Checklist of Common Errors BLM to apply the standard rules of mechanics and punctuation, including parallel structure, no split infinitives, commas after introductory adverb clauses, and commas after long introductory phrases.



Students will use writing-for-understanding strategies such as the following: entrance cards as a lesson initiation activity “Stop and Writes” as a comprehension, reflection or prediction activity during








Activity 5: The Early Twentieth Century: The Beginning of the Modern Age and the Lost Generation Writers (GLEs: 05, 09a, 09f, 09h, 26c)

Materials List: Comparing Youth of Today/ Youth of the 20s BLM, teacher’s notes for overview of the early twentieth century

In small groups, students will brainstorm (view literacy strategy descriptions) the characteristics and motivations that define youth of the twenty-first century. They will note these using the graphic organizer (view literacy strategy descriptions) Comparing Youth of Today/ Youth of the ‘20s BLM. Groups should share these findings in whole-class discussion.

The teacher should next provide an overview of the early twentieth century with focus on the turbulence and change during WWI and its aftermath. The discussion should also mention the well-known authors of the “Lost Generation” of the 1920s, such as Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Gertrude Stein, and Ezra Pound. In whole-class discussion, students should fill in the remainder of the page to compare past and present. Each group should present one category for class discussion.

Activity 6: Researching the Roaring Twenties (GLEs: 09h, 14a, 14b, 14c, 14d, 17c, 21, 23a, 23d, 23g, 24, 34a, 34b, 35a, 35b, 37d, 38a, 38b, 38d, 39c, 40a, 40b)

Materials List: list of research topics, Rubric for Roaring Twenties Research BLM

Students will research a Roaring Twenties topic from a teacher-provided list (e.g., Al Capone, Lucky Luciano, Babe Ruth, prohibition, fads, dances, fashion, etc.). They should use research processes (e.g., skimming and scanning, note-taking, outlining, summarizing etc.) to locate and organize information from a variety of print or electronic resources. They should publish their findings in a documented essay using a selected style guide to provide complete documentation for all sources. The final product may be assessed using the Rubric for Roaring Twenties Research BLM.

Activity 7: F. Scott Fitzgerald and The Great Gatsby (GLEs: 03a, 05, 06, 07e, 09a, 09c, 09d, 09e, 09f, 09h, 11, 12, 27c, 37c)

Materials List: video biography of Fitzgerald, copies of the novel, Student Notes for Chapter 1 Reciprocal Teaching BLM, Student Notes for Reciprocal Teaching #2 BLM

Students should view a biography of F. Scott Fitzgerald, noting key moments in the development of his writing career, his fame during the Roaring Twenties, and his life as an expatriate. Information on Fitzgerald can be found at http://www.pbs.org/

The class will then work in groups of four to complete the following activities for each chapter of the novel. Students should collect work in a portfolio for assessment. Included in


http://www.pbs.org/




the sample activities will be the literacy strategy of reciprocal teaching (view literacy strategy descriptions), which allows students to take a specific role in group discussion to aid in comprehension and discovery of meaning in a text. Reciprocal teaching requires each group member to fulfill one of the following four roles to help each other to understand the novel.

Summarizer—gets group consensus for a summary statement for the section Questioner—asks the group questions that might help focus understanding of

the main idea of the text or access information in the text/encourages further higher order questioning

Clarifier—uses peers to understand vocabulary, particular devices, or references to unknown events/ makes connections to themselves, other texts, or the world

Predictor—Activates background knowledge/determines purpose for reading/ gets group consensus for educated guess about the text/serves as a motivator to confirm or contradict the prediction

● Chapter 1: The teacher should facilitate a discussion for each role as students complete the Student Notes for Chapter 1 Reciprocal Teaching BLM.

The teacher should offer a brief introduction to the setting and the narrator and then model the predictor role by asking students to make educated guesses about who the “Great Gatsby” is. Students should record their predictions in the box.

The class should listen to an audio or oral reading of Chapter 1. Questioning: The teacher should facilitate a discussion of various questions

students might have about the characters and their lives. Students should record examples in the questions box.

Clarification: The teacher should direct the students in a discussion of the author’s use of colors as symbols in this chapter. Students should record their notes in the section for clarifier.

Summary statement: The teacher should facilitate a discussion of events in the chapter and direct the class in developing a brief summary.

Prediction confirmed? The class should discuss whether or not their predictions were confirmed by the chapter and record the appropriate notes.

Chapter 2: Students should read the chapter. Each group member should make brief notes

to fulfill a role for reciprocal teaching. Then each group member should facilitate a discussion based on that role as the group fills out each section of the Student Notes for Reciprocal Teaching #2 BLM.

Each student should compose a thorough character description of Tom Buchanan that includes details of appearance, background, and behavior.

Chapter 3: After a silent reading of the chapter, groups should work together to create a

reporter’s news story, summarizing Gatsby’s party from beginning to end. The summary should include examples of the author’s use of figurative language and speculation about who Gatsby really is. These may be discussed by the class.





Chapter 4: The chapter should be broken into three sections: Gatsby’s story to Nick, the

lunch with Wolfsheim, and Jordan’s story. Groups should create a bulleted list of characteristics of Gatsby for each section.

RAFT (view literacy strategy descriptions) writing: Students should recreate what was in the letter from Gatsby that Daisy held crumpled in her hand the night before her wedding. Role: GatsbyAudience: DaisyFormat: A letterTopic: Gatsby’s message to Daisy on her wedding night

Chapter 5: After a silent reading of this chapter, groups should complete a reciprocal

teaching cycle using the Student Notes for Reciprocal Teaching #2 BLM. Chapter 6:

Groups should work together to create a timeline of Jay Gatsby’s life, putting together the information Nick has provided from the beginning of the story.

Students should write a brief composition explaining how the author’s life is incorporated into elements of the story.

Chapter 7: The chapter should be broken into three sections. After each is read, groups

should work together to create a detailed timeline of events. Each student should choose a major incident from this chapter and use the

literacy strategy of RAFT to describe the situation from a character’s point of view other than the narrator (Example: Daisy, Jordan, or Gatsby describes the scene at the Plaza Hotel.)

Students should track the use of automobiles in the novel. They should use these notes to write a brief composition explaining what these cars represent.

Chapter 8; Each group should complete a new Reciprocal Teaching cycle for this

chapter using the Student Notes for Reciprocal Teaching #2 BLM. Chapter 9:

Each group should discuss how Nick Carraway might be at fault for what happens in the story, considering his comment that he is “the only honest person” he knows. Then each student should write a letter to Nick expressing the outcome of the discussion.

Students should choose one quote from the final chapter that might express one of the themes of the novel. They should discuss how the quote displays the theme in a composition using the characters and events from the novel as support.




Activity 8: Imagist Poetry of the Early 20th Century (GLEs: 02b, 02d, 03b, 06, 07c, 09a, 09c, 09d, 12, 20a, 37c)

Materials List: sample painting from the Imagist Period, copy of the poem “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock,” Who is Prufrock? BLM

Students will view a painting that displays “Imagism.” Samples may be found in the works of Karl Wirsum at http://www.mmoca.org/exhibitions/exhibitdetails/karlwirsum/index.html. The class should discuss their immediate reactions as the teacher points out overall characteristics and various details. In a journal entry, students will discuss

their overall impression of the meaning of the painting ways in which the images in the painting appeal to each of the five senses any emotion the work conveys how it could apply to everyday life.

Students will note the definition of imagist poetry and discuss how the artwork fits the depiction of that style. Students will note brief detail of the life and work of T. S. Eliot. Students should begin a study of the poem “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” by quickly scanning the entire work to get an overview. The class should then participate in an oral reading where the teacher periodically stops to paraphrase or explain.

Working in pairs and using the Who is Prufrock? BLM, students should then locate one example of a language device or strategy for each section of the poem. Then they will answer the question located on the bottom of the BLM.

Next, each student should then choose one section of the poem and use the “special powers” aspect of the strategy SPAWN (view literacy strategy descriptions) to create a new life for Prufrock. The rewritten segment should use the same language devices and tone but create an alternate outcome for the character. These rewrites may be assessed informally or read aloud for class discussion.

Activity 9: Harlem Renaissance (GLEs: 03b, 03d, 05, 09a, 09d, 09h, 11, 12, 26a, 29a, 29b, 29c, 34a, 34b, 35a, 35b, 37d, 40a, 40b)

Materials List: background on the Harlem Renaissance; Connecting Poetry, Art, and Music in Harlem BLM; Assessing the Presentation BLM; Assessing the Composition BLM

The teacher should begin the activity with an overview of the circumstances that brought about the Harlem Renaissance in the 1920s. In small groups, students will research one writer of the Harlem Renaissance using a research process and available electronic or print resources. Resources and links to information may be found at http://www.loc.gov/rr/program/bib/harlem/harlem.html


http://www.loc.gov/rr/program/bib/harlem/harlem.html


http://www.mmoca.org/exhibitions/exhibitdetails/karlwirsum/index.html


The group should also choose one poem by this author to analyze the language devices, the tone, and the theme by using the Connecting Poetry, Art, and Music in Harlem BLM. Next, these groups should use the same resources to locate a painting, a photograph, or a piece of music from the time they believe conveys a similar attitude and theme as the poem and will create an analysis as they complete the Connecting Poetry, Art, and Music in Harlem BLM. Finally, each group should make a brief, well-organized presentation that includes a discussion of the poet, a dramatic reading of the poem, and a presentation of the art or the music. The presentation may be evaluated using the Assessing the Presentation BLM.

The class should note important facts from each presentation in a learning log (view literacy strategy descriptions ) . In a composition, students should then explain how art, music, and literature helped develop a cultural identity for African-Americans in Harlem in the 1920s, using the detail from their notes for support. The composition may be assessed using the Assessing the Composition BLM.

Activity 10: Ernest Hemingway and the Hemingway Hero (GLEs: 03a, 05, 06, 07e, 09c, 09d, 09f, 11, 12, 16a, 16b, 16c, 16f, 16g)

Materials List: Hemingway background notes, copies of the story, student journals, Analyzing the Hemingway Hero BLM

Students should write a journal entry that describes why and how someone they have known could be considered a hero, along with details or events to support.

Students will then note the life and work of Ernest Hemingway from a teacher-facilitated overview that discusses his life, his writing style, and the following qualities of a Hemingway hero:

qualities of skill, competence, bravery, and endurance ability to show “grace under pressure”

Students will then read a Hemingway short story such as “The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber” or “In Another Country.” During reading, students should use split-notetaking (view literacy strategy descriptions ) to list each character and note incidents that display the qualities of a Hemingway hero and incidents which do not. These should span the entire story for each character.

EXAMPLE:“Macomber had not thought Francis is so scared he can barely move. Thishow the lion felt as he got out is probably because he listened to the lion roar all of the car. He only knew that night. He told his wife he was nervous, but she onlyhis hands were shaking and as made fun of him. He is the true opposite of a hero he walked away from the car here; he shows no competence or bravery in huntingit was almost impossible for his lion. His “muscles fluttering” shows hehim to make his legs move.” has no “grace under pressure.” He is a coward.






This prewriting activity should be used in a composition that compares or contrasts one character quality of a Hemingway hero. The Analyzing the Hemingway Hero BLM may be used to assess the work.

Activity 11: The Poetry of Robert Frost (GLEs: 02a, 02b, 03b, 05, 06, 07c, 08b, 09d, 12)

Materials List: author background, copies of selected poems by Robert Frost

The teacher will provide a brief overview of the life and work of Robert Frost. Students will then participate in an oral reading of selected works as “The Death of the Hired Man,” “Mending Wall,” or “Birches.” In whole-class discussion, students will use a learning log (view literacy strategy descriptions ) to note the use of

figurative language (i.e., apostrophe, personification) use of the rhetorical question tone the meaning of each poem

Students should then use the literacy strategy of RAFT (view literacy strategy descriptions) to retell the story behind one of Frost’s poems as someone who was involved in the incident or a bystander who observed the situation and is now telling family or friends what happened. The anecdote should include feelings and thoughts, as well as events.

Role: someone involved or someone who has observed the situation Audience: family or friends Format: an informal conversation Topic: the situation or events described in the poem

These conversations should be shared in whole-class discussion.

Activity 12: Southern Writers of the early 20th century (GLEs: 03b, 06, 07e, 09a, 09c, 09d, 12, 14a, 14b, 14c, 14d, 16a, 16b, 16c, 16f, 16g, 37c) Materials List: author background, copies of the story, Connecting Setting and Theme in Southern Writing BLM

The class should view various projected photographs from news sources or web sites that depict the landscape of southern towns and landscapes during the depression era. These may be found at http://lcweb2.loc.gov/fsowhome.html.

The students will note details of the life and work of a southern writer from this period, such as Eudora Welty or William Faulkner, that includes discussion of the time and place of the author’s life. The class should then read a representative short story by this author (e.g., Welty’s “A Worn Path” or Faulkner’s “A Rose for Miss Emily”). During reading, students should record the events in a timeline that includes illustrations or a description of the location of each event. They should also note on the timeline where a theme becomes clear.


http://lcweb2.loc.gov/fsowhome.html




After reading, students will use their responses to develop a composition on the author’s use of time and place to develop a theme. Students should use descriptive detail from the story to support a main idea. The Connecting Setting and Theme in Southern Writing BLM may be used to assess the composition.

Sample Assessments

General Guidelines


General Assessments

Students will complete a graphic organizer (view literacy strategy descriptions), to discover similarities and differences between the culture of young adults of the 1920s and contemporary youth.

Students will make connections between their personal lives and the various issues presented by these writers in responses to various journal prompts.



Students will compile a collection of written responses, graphic organizers, and brief compositions from the novel The Great Gatsby, collected as a portfolio and assessed with a teacher-provided portfolio checklist.


Activity 5 : Students will research a topic from the Roaring Twenties using a teacher-provided list. Students will use research processes to locate and organize information from a variety of print or electronic resources and publish it in a report that includes parenthetical credit for sources and standard formatting for source acknowledgement. The paper may be assessed using the Rubric for Roaring Twenties Research BLM

Activity 9 : In small groups, students will research one aspect of the Harlem Renaissance using a research process and available electronic or print resources.






Groups will then plan a brief presentation that will include a dramatic reading, music, or visual presentation that may be assessed using the Assessing the Presentation BLM for the following:

information, ideas that are selected to engage the interest of the audience language selected to suit the purpose and the audience organization that includes an introduction, relevant examples, and a

conclusion with impact

Activity 10 : Students will write a multi-paragraph composition comparing a major character in a Hemingway work to his heroic code. The essay should:

define a Hemingway hero describe the character explain whether or not the character fits the code provide evidence from the story to support their idea

The composition may be assessed using the Analyzing the Hemingway Hero BLM.

Activity 12 : Students will use a writing process to develop a multi-paragraph composition that explains a Southern short story writer’s use of setting to develop a theme. The composition should include descriptive detail from the story to support a main idea.



English IIIUnit 7: The Mid/Late Twentieth Century and Beyond in American Literature

Time Frame: Approximately four weeks

Unit Description

This unit focuses on reading and responding to the short stories, poetry, web sources and media resources of the mid/late twentieth century. A variety of reading and comprehension strategies will help students analyze contemporary literature, relate to the historical context, and appreciate the value of life-long reading and learning. Use of available technology will provide research and publishing opportunities and real-world experience. Grammar and vocabulary study will continue within the context of the literature.


The essential goals of this unit are to interpret and analyze the literature of the mid/late twentieth century. Students will recognize the impact of technology on twentieth-century society, its authors, and their works. Students will also express supported responses to the texts and focus on examining the effects of the literary elements and devices on the varied genres of the day.

Guiding Questions

1. Can students identify characteristics of the mid/late twentieth century and explain how they are reflected in the literature of the age?

2. Can students explain how works by contemporary American writers of various cultures convey their perceptions of American life?

3. Can students describe how the experiences recorded by contemporary authors compare to real-life experiences?

4. Can students determine how the modern media affect contemporary attitudes?5. Can students use correct manuscript form and current technology to produce

writing for real-world experience?

English IIIUnit 7 The Mid/Late Twentieth Century and Beyond 85







analysis of analogous statements (ELA-1-H1)02a. Analyze the significance of complex literary and rhetorical devices in

American, British, or world texts, including apostrophes (ELA-1-H2)02b. Analyze the significance of complex literary and rhetorical devices in

American, British, or world texts, including rhetorical questions (ELA-1-H2)02d. Analyze the significance of complex literary and rhetorical devices in

American, British, or world texts, including implicit metaphors (metonymy and synecdoche) (ELA-1-H2)

03a. Draw conclusions and make inferences about ideas and information in complex texts in oral and written responses, including fiction/nonfiction (ELA-1-H3)

03b. Draw conclusions and make inferences about ideas and information in complex texts in oral and written responses, including drama/poetry (ELA-1-H3)

03d. Draw conclusions and make inferences about ideas and information in complex texts in oral and written responses, including film/visual texts (ELA-1-H3)









GLE # GLE Text and Benchmarks09d. Demonstrate understanding of information in American, British, and world

literature using a variety of strategies, including evaluating the author’s use of complex literary elements, (e.g., symbolism, themes, characterization, ideas) (ELA-7-H1)






13f. Analyze information within and across grade-appropriate print and nonprint texts using various reasoning skills, including distinguishing facts from opinions and probability (ELA-7-H4)


14b. Develop complex compositions, essays, and reports that include a clear, overall structure (e.g., introduction, body, appropriate conclusion) (ELA-2-H1)

14c. Develop complex compositions, essays, and reports that include supporting paragraphs organized in a logical sequence (e.g., spatial order, order of importance, ascending/descending order, chronological order, parallel construction (ELA-2-H1)


16a. Develop complex compositions using writing processes such as selecting topic and form (e.g., determining purpose and audience) (ELA-H2-H3)

16b. Develop complex compositions using writing processes such as prewriting (e.g., brainstorming, clustering, outlining, generating main idea/thesis statements (ELA-2-H3)

16c. Develop complex compositions using writing processes such as drafting (e.g., determining purpose and audience) (ELA-H2-H3)


16e. Develop complex compositions using writing processes such as revising for content and structure based on feedback (ELA-H2-H3)

16f. Develop complex compositions using writing processes such as proofreading/editing to improve conventions of language (ELA-H2-H3)

16g. Develop complex compositions using writing processes such as publishing using available technology (ELA-H2-H3)



GLE # GLE Text and Benchmarks17c. Use the various modes to writ compositions, such as a research project (ELA-2-

H4)17d. Use the various modes to write complex compositions, including literary

analyses that incorporate research (ELA-2-H4)20a. Write for various purposes, including interpretations/explanations that connect

life experiences to works of American, British, and world literature (ELA-2-H6)21. Apply standard rules of sentence formation, such as parallel structure (ELA-3-

H2)22a. Apply standard rules of usage, for example: avoid splitting infinitives (ELA-3-


appropriately (ELA-3-H2)23a. Apply standard rules of mechanics and punctuation for parentheses (ELA-3-H2)23b. Apply standard rules of mechanics and punctuation for brackets (ELA-3-H2)23c. Apply standard rules of mechanics and punctuation, including dashes (ELA-3-

H2)23d. Apply standard rules of mechanics and punctuation, including commas after

introductory adverb clauses and long introductory phrases (ELA-3-H2)23g. Apply standard rules of mechanics and punctuation for manuscript form (ELA-

3-H2)24. Use a variety of resources (e.g., dictionaries, thesauruses, glossaries,

technology) and textual features (e.g., definitional footnotes, sidebars) to verify word spellings (ELA-3-H3)

26b. Select language appropriate to specific purposes and audiences for speaking, including conducting interviews/surveys of classmates or the general public (ELA-4-H1)



32a. Give oral and written analyses of media information, including identifying logical fallacies (e.g., attack ad hominem, false causality, overgeneralization, bandwagon effect) used in oral addresses (ELA-4-H5)

32b. Give oral and written analyses of media information, including analyzing the techniques used in media messages for a particular audience (ELA-4-H5)

32c. Give oral and written analyses of media information, including critiquing a speaker’s diction and syntax in relation to the purpose of an oral presentation (ELA-4-H5)

32d. Give oral and written analyses of media information, including critiquing strategies (e.g., advertisements, propaganda techniques, visual representations, special effects) used by the media to inform, persuade, entertain, and transmit culture (ELA-4-H5)



GLE # GLE Text and Benchmarks34a. Select and critique relevant information for a research project using the

organizational features of a variety of resources, including print texts (e.g., prefaces, appendices, annotations, citations, bibliographic references) (ELA-5-H1)


35b Locate, analyze, and synthesize information from a variety of complex resources, including electronic sources (e.g., Web sites or databases) (ELA-5-H2)

39a. Use word processing and/or technology to draft, revise, and publish various works, including functional documents (e.g., requests for information, resumes, letters of complaint, memos, proposals), using formatting techniques that make the document user friendly (ELA-5-H4)

39c Use word processing and/or technology to draft, revise, and publish various works, including research reports on high-interest and literary topics (ELA-5-H4)

40a. Use selected style guides to produce complex reports that include credit for sources (e.g., appropriate parenthetical documentation and notes) (ELA-5-H5)

40b. Use selected style guides to produce complex reports that include standard formatting for source acknowledgement (ELA-5-H5)

Sample Activities



Throughout each of these units, students should explore a wide range of authors and texts with a focus on American authors, in addition to the readings required in the whole-class activities. For a study of contemporary American novels, students might be referred to the List of Recommended Novels at the end of the unit. To encourage students to be independent and thoughtful readers, they should investigate subjects and ideas that matter to them through their own choices in independent reading activities. This will show them that reading can be useful, enjoyable, and relevant in their everyday lives. This practice may be especially important if students are reluctant readers or are not accustomed to reading independently. The teacher should monitor this reading, making sure to incorporate both oral and written responses to the text.





To extend basic and technical vocabulary, students will record both student- and teacher- selected new and unfamiliar vocabulary in an ongoing vocabulary log. This log should include a definition, the part of speech, and a sentence for each word. Sentences should contain appropriate context and enough detail to convey the meaning of the word. Students should refer to the Checklist of Common Errors BLM from Unit 1 to apply the standard rules of mechanics and punctuation, including parallel structure, no split infinitives, commas after introductory adverb clauses, and commas after long introductory phrases.



Students will use writing-for-understanding strategies, such as the following: entrance cards as a lesson initiation activity “Stop and Writes” as a comprehension, reflection or prediction activity during



Activity 4: Ongoing Grammar Study (GLEs: 21, 22a, 22b, 23a, 23b, 23c, 23d)


The teacher will facilitate a classroom discussion during the drafting/revising process of any composition on sentence formation problems (i.e., fragments, run-ons, or syntax problems,) or standard rules of usage or mechanics (i.e., subject/verb agreement, appropriate verb tense, pronoun/antecedent agreement, appropriate pronoun case, comparative forms of adjectives, avoidance of double negatives, and appropriate punctuation/capitalization). Discussion will be based on the common errors in student writing samples by using the Checklist of Common Errors BLM from Unit 1. Mini-lesson activities will be from student-generated examples and will be ongoing and skill specific. Ideally, the mini-lessons will become differentiated for students’ specific needs and will be integrated within student writing assignments and not taught in isolation.



Activity 5: The Mid/Late Twentieth Century and Effects of the Media (GLEs: 03d, 05, 09a, 09c, 09f, 13f, 17c, 26b, 30b, 31b, 32a, 32b, 32c, 32d, 39a)

Materials List: Analysis of Media Presentations BLM

After a teacher-facilitated overview of the role of the media in the early twenty-first century, students will examine the effects of the media on the public. In small groups, students will complete the following activities:

view examples of media presentations (e.g., televised advertisements, political speeches, political advertisements, documentaries, web-based advertisements)

analyze each example by identifying the purpose, audience, and persuasive techniques, such as “time pressure” or “band wagon”

critique the effectiveness of each example by using the graphic organizer (view literacy strategy descriptions) on the Analysis of Media Presentations BLM

generate, distribute, and collect a questionnaire to survey parents regarding changes in media that have occurred in their lifetimes

Each group will then develop a brief presentation of their findings that includes the following:

conclusions about the effects of the media on twentieth century American society

perspectives acquired from results of questionnaire personal observations of the influence of media on twentieth century

society

Activity 6 Modern Poetry: (GLEs: 02a, 02b, 02d, 03b, 07c, 09a, 09d)

Materials List: selected poems for study, Analyzing Modern Poetry BLM

Students will read several works of representative contemporary poets, such as Nikki Giovanni, Gwendolyn Brooks, Rita Dove, or Billy Collins. In small groups, students should read each poem and analyze the style, tone and substance by using the Analyzing Modern Poetry BLM. Each group should present their findings in whole-class discussion. Students should then write an “unsent letter” to one of the poets that includes

comments on the poet’s style questions about the work of a poet or the meaning of the work a discussion what new knowledge they have gained from the poem

These may be shared in whole-class discussion or informally assessed.





Activity 7: A Researched Literary Analysis of Modern Short Fiction (GLEs: 03a, 06, 07e, 09a, 09d, 11, 12, 14a, 14b, 14c, 14d, 16a, 16b, 16c, 16d, 16e, 16f, 16g, 17d, 23g, 34a, 34b, 35b, 39c, 40a, 40b)

Materials List: topic list, Literary Analysis Assessment Rubric BLM

Students will choose an author of contemporary short stories and one work by that author to analyze from a teacher-provided list of authors, such as Ray Bradbury, James Baldwin, Bernard Malamud, Ann Beattie, or Tim O’Brien. They will access print sources and web databases to locate information in reliable sources, such as http://www.ebscohost.com/, and will apply the research process (e.g., skimming and scanning, note-taking, outlining, summarizing). Students will then use word processing and/or technology to draft, revise, and publish a research report that utilizes correct documentation of all sources. The research paper should include the following:

author’s life time period and relevant influences or writing movement author’s writing style analysis of one piece of short fiction based on published critical analysis

Students will incorporate the following elements in their research: peer grouping or conferencing with the teacher for revision of drafts proper conventions for source documentation, including parenthetical

documentation for textual references editing techniques to apply standard rules of sentence formation, including use of

parallel structure editing techniques to apply standard rules of usage, such as avoiding split

infinitives and using subjunctive mood appropriately editing techniques to apply standard rules of mechanics and punctuation,

including use of parentheses and commas after introductory clauses and phrases available technology to publish the report

The paper may be assessed using the Literary Analysis Assessment Rubric BLM.

Activity 8: Connecting Generations (GLEs: 05, 06, 09c, 09e, 09h, 14a, 14b, 14c, 14d, 20a)

Materials List: photographs or Photomosaic used for Unit 1, Final Composition: Qualities of an American BLM

In whole-class discussion, students should chart a complete list of works they have studied during the year. Then working in small groups, they should again brainstorm (view literacy strategy descriptions ) and list several major qualities, such as greed, hypocrisy, independence or resourcefulness, that each text has displayed about Americans in a particular time and place. The class might also return to the original photographs they viewed at the beginning of the year as a part of the discussion.



http://www.ebscohost.com/


During this time, students should locate a current news article that exhibits any one of the qualities from the chart. For example, an article on a political figure that has been charged with malfeasance in office might represent greed or hypocrisy. In large groups, students should read and discuss the articles, noting ideas from each other’s work.

Students should then return to their small groups to discuss and identify any strands that run from the colonial to contemporary times. As closure, each student should choose several of the qualities they have identified and draft a composition that includes reference to various works as support. The composition may be assessed by using the Final Composition: Qualities of an American BLM.

Sample Assessments

General Guidelines


General Assessments

Students will record definitions and parts of speech of new and unfamiliar vocabulary in an ongoing vocabulary log and use words correctly in sentences, making sure to observe the standard rules of mechanics and punctuation (e.g., parentheses and brackets).


Activity 5 : Students will examine the effects of the media on the public. In small groups, students will complete the following activities:

view examples of media presentations analyze each example by identifying the purpose, audience, and

persuasive techniques critique the effectiveness of each example by using the graphic

organizer (view literacy strategy descriptions) on the Analysis of Media Presentations BLM

generate, distribute, and collect a questionnaire to survey parents regarding changes in media that have occurred in their lifetimes

Each group will then develop a brief presentation of their findings that includes the following:

conclusions about the effects of the media on twentieth century




American society perspectives acquired from results of questionnaire personal observations of the influence of media on twentieth century

society

Activity 7 : Students will choose an author of contemporary short stories and one work by that author to research and analyze in a formal research paper of literary analysis. Students will then use word processing and/or technology to draft, revise, and publish a research report that utilizes correct documentation of all sources.The research paper should include:

the author’s life the time period and relevant influences or writing movement the author’s writing style an analysis of one piece of short fiction based on published critical

analysis

The paper may be assessed on the following components by using the Literary Analysis Assessment Rubric BLM :

research processes, such as skimming/scanning, note-taking, outlining, summarizing

discussion of the author and work in an interesting, logically organized text

cohesive paragraphs, varied sentence structure, and concise language evidence of a variety of both print and web resources application of the standard rules of sentence formation, usage, and

mechanics and punctuation application of format from a selected style guide to give proper credit

for sources and source acknowledgment

Activity 8 : After students work in small groups to discuss and identify the qualities of Americans that connect the nation from colonial to contemporary times, each student will choose several of the qualities identified by the group and will draft a composition that includes reference to the various works as support. The composition may be assessed by using the Final Composition: Qualities of an American BLM.



Recommended List of Novels:

Title AuthorHow the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents Julia AlvarezFoundation Isaac AsimovDances with Wolves Michael BlakeRange of Motion / Durable Goods Elizabeth BergCold Sassy Tree Olive Ann BurnsIn Cold Blood Truman CapoteMy Antonia Willa CatherThe Awakening Kate ChopinThe Great Santini Pat ConroyAndromeda Strain/ Congo Michael CrichtonJurassic Park/ Sphere Michael CrichtonA Southern Woman Elena Bates EuloTime and Again Jack FinneyFried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café Fannie FlaggCold Mountain Charles FrazierA Lesson before Dying Ernest GainesSights Unseen Kaye GibbonsOrdinary People Judith GuestA Farewell to Arms Ernest HemingwayAt Risk Alice HoffmanTheir Eyes Were Watching God Nora Zeale HurstonOne Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest Ken KeseyThe Secret Life of Bees Sue Monk KiddThe Bean Trees/ Pigs in Heaven Barbara KingsolverShoeless Joe W.P. KinsellaThe Bourne Identity Robert LudlumBoy’s Life Robert McCammon The Shipping News Annie ProulxOne True Thing Anna QuindlenThe Catcher in the Rye J. D. SalingerCannery Row/ Of Mice and Men John SteinbeckThe Joy Luck Club Amy TanSlaughterhouse- Five Kurt VonnegutMontana 1945 Larry WatsonLittle Altars Everywhere Rebecca Wells


Documents

Unit I Revisions - LPSS · Web viewThe grammar and composition focus is a persuasive essay that reflects the study of persuasive language used in the speeches and essays studied in