Early American Writing 1491-1800
(Native American Literature, Literature of Explorations and Early Settlement, Literature of the Puritan Experience, Literature of the American Revolution).
Unit Learning goal: Students will demonstrate knowledge of the foundation works of American Literature by choosing one of the four subsections of this Unit (Native American Experience, Early Explorers and Settlers, The Puritan Experience, and Writers of the Revolution) researching and reading an additional story, essay or speech of their choice and creating a video or presentation discussing the theme and how the work fits its particular period.
Scale/Rubric relating to learning goal:
4 – The student can create a video that explores two or more of the subsections of this unit and relate it to a theme and time period.
3 – The student can create a video that explores one of the subsections of this unit and relate it to a theme and time period.
2 – With some direction/help from the teacher the student can create a video that explores one of the subsections of this unit and relate it to a theme and time period.
1 – Even with help from the teacher the student is unable to can create a video that explores one of the subsections of this unit and relate it to a theme and time period.
Objectives (smaller chunks of overall goal) and suggested time periods
At the end of this Unit the Students will be able to
1) Determine the themes of Native American Myths and cite textual support to back up their ideas
2) Compare and Contrast a Native American Myth with the story of “Adam and Eve”
3) Discuss how the author makes a character appealing despite their character flaws (“Coyote and the Buffalo”).
4) Determine an author’s point of view and purpose by citing specific textual support (“The General History of Virginia”, “Sinners in the Hands of An Angry God”, “Speech in the Virginia Convention”)
5) Write a short essay about the power of experience
6) Outline the similarities in the experiences/viewpoints of the early explores and settlers. Connect these experiences to Unit themes.
7) Discuss how you persuade someone to do something (Sinners in the Hands of An Angry God”).
8) Be able to define Ethos, Pathos, Logos
9) Discuss the claims of arguments in an author’s work.
10) Discuss the author’s tone and it’s effect on a piece (“Sinners in the Hands of An Angry God”, “Speech in the House of the Virginia Convention”)
11) List fives things that make a good persuasive argument
12) Outline issues that make up the Puritan Experience
13) Outline the Declaration of Independence. Make a list of favorite grievances.
14) Outline the type of appeals and claims found in “The Crisis”.
15) Pick out examples of parallelism in works and use parallelism in writing.
16) Use adverb, adjective, and noun clauses
17) Write a personal narrative.
Major Themes addressed:
Who owns the Land? What makes a good explorer? Are people basically Good? Who has the write to rule?
The Native American Experience
“The World on the Turtle’s Back” (Iroquois Creation Myth)
Adam and Eve – (from the Bible)
“Coyote and the Buffalo”
One story of the students choice from http://americanfolklore.net/folklore/native-american-myths/
Exploration and the Early Settlers
From “The Devastation of the West Indies”
From “The General History of Virginia”
From “Of Plymouth Plantation”
The Puritan Experience
“Sinners in the Hands of An Angry God”
The Crucible by Arthur Miller
Writers of the Revolution
“Speech in the Virginia Convention”
“The Declaration of Independence”
“The Crisis”
from The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin
Big Idea Questions/Stems:
How do you determine an unreliable narrator?
What makes up the American Character? How did the Puritans influence the American Character?
How does Experience shape us?
What writers influence the American Revolution?
What was the Revolution really about?
Why was Benjamin Franklin the most famous American of his time?
What can we learn about the American Experience from the early explorers?