The Grade 11 American Studies curriculum is based on the assumption that students benefit both intellectually and personally from an integrated approach to the study of American Literature and History. Our students, as they enter the world of the 21^st Century, will need to have skills to equip them for a world which required the ability to adapt to change. They will need to approach problems solving from an educated point of view in order to reach their maximum potential. Typically, High School juniors are discovering and defining their resources for learning. As they enter the workforce and make choices about their future, they need to identity who they are and how they learn. For many students, the process of synthesizing information across the curriculum may be new. Thus the year long course will introduce a shared, cultural frame work and provide opportunities for students to cultivate and practice higher order thinking skills in the study of Literature and History.

American Studies is team-taught by members of the English and Social Studies departments. Classes and assessments draw upon multiple modalities of student learning styles (visual, verbal, interpersonal, and problem solving) to motivate and facilitate the learning process.

COURSE INFORMATION

ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS

• How does the balance between the ideal (hopes, goals and dreams) and the real (actual outcomes) influence our sense of what it means to be American?
• How does diversity and the cultural frames through which we view (assess?) it, shape our knowledge of society and our interactions with others?
• How do we maintain our sense of self—and its unique needs—while contributing productively to the needs of a broader democratic society?

FOCUS QUESTIONS

• What political, economic, social and religious forces (goals?) motivated the original settlers, and how did these forces create distinctions among the colonies?
• How did the varying perceptions of the new world (size, wilderness, opportunity) influence the development of each region or colony?
• How did the need and increasing potential for individuality pose challenges to the goal to maintain social, economic and religious unity in the emerging colonies?

CONTENT KNOWLEDGE OBJECTIVES

INITIAL UNDERSTANDING The student will . . .

• identify the major initial settlements throughout New England and the Mid-Atlantic regions.
• describe the core goals for each settling group.
• differentiate between the varying perspectives and goals in order to comprehend the foundations of American culture (how and why people came) and the continued presence of many of the perceptions and goals as a component of the American identity and regional differences that play a vital role in understanding many events/outcomes in American history.

DEVELOPING AN INTERPRETATION The student will . . .

• examine the importance of initial American writings as a barometer for opinion, hope, and bias represented by any cultural/social group. (e.g., beautiful garden or utopia vs. howling wilderness)

MAKING CONNECTIONS The student will . . .

• trace the desire to achieve perfection and to attain goals (a human and prominently American quality) all the way back to the earliest settlers.

EXAMINING THE CONTENT The student will . . .

• describe how literature consistently renders social commentary, often regardless of form differences.
• evaluate the use of figurative language as a means for expressing opinion and passion in writing. (American Rhetoric)

COURSE INFORMATION

ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS

• What political, economic, social, cultural and religious forces motivate Americans, and how do they affect the decisions we make in our nation?

FOCUS QUESTIONS

• What unique qualities and traits developed among the American colonies?
• Why did the burgeoning American culture become increasingly incompatible with traditional European qualities?

CONTENT KNOWLEDGE OBJECTIVES

INITIAL UNDERSTANDING The student will . . .

• identify the evolving qualities of and in the American colonies and the increasing momentum toward autonomy and democratic rule

DEVELOPING AN INTERPRETATION The student will . . .

• examine the shift in focus of the literature from theocratic faith and spirituality to individuality rooted in reason and self-examination.

MAKING CONNECTIONS The student will . . .

• compare the philosophies/beliefs of the Enlightenment thinkers with your own.

EXAMINING THE CONTENT The student will . . .

• evaluate the practicality of attempting to transplant a wholly European culture in the American colonies.
• recognize the differences in style between early colonial and Enlightenment writings by applying the analytical frame of form, purpose, audience and topic.
• understand that despite being dry and unentertaining, these writings represent the first American literature.
• assess the use of tone and voice by Enlightenment writers.

COURSE INFORMATION

ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS

• How does the American natural landscape, its forces, vastness and potential, shape our lives and motivate us to learn more about ourselves?
• How does our immersion in the study of history, literature and the arts assist in constructing and modifying our understanding of America and being an American?
• How do we maintain our sense of self—and its unique needs—while contributing productively to the needs of a broader democratic society?

FOCUS QUESTIONS

• How does the literature of the period reflect a distinct shift in the perception of the American wilderness?
• How does the period reflect a growing desire for a national, fulfilling literature?
• How does the literature of the periodreflect man’s desire tomaintain his individuality (including personal difference) as he furthers his awareness of human nature and assesses his values/beliefs?

CONTENT KNOWLEDGE OBJECTIVES

INITIAL UNDERSTANDING The student will . . .

• identify the tension between maintaining unity and seeking personal fulfillment.
• describe the components of American Romanticism (Light/Dark, definition).

DEVELOPING AN INTERPRETATION The student will . . .

• compare the Romantics’ perception of nature and the wild with those of the Puritan and Enlightenment thinkers/writers.
• examine the relationship between 19^th century Americans and the expanding boundaries of the U.S.
• describe the literal and abstract significance (connotations?) of nature/wilderness and its influence upon the individual.

MAKING CONNECTIONS The student will . . .

• describe man’s relationship with nature in the modern U.S.
• examine the balance between individuality and social unity today.
• estimate the importance of taking intellectual and philosophical risks.

EXAMINING THE CONTENT The student will . . .

• identify the use of allegory, figurative language and symbolism by romantic authors/poets.
• assess the quality and effectiveness of writings from the Romantic period.

COURSE INFORMATION

ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS

• How do we maintain our sense of self—and its unique needs—while contributing productively to the needs of a broader democratic society?
• How does the balance between ideology (hope, goals, and dreams) and reality (melancholy, actuality) influence our sense of what it means to be American?

FOCUS QUESTIONS

• Can we genuinely balance personal freedom with the need to contribute productively to society?
• To what extent are we actually free?

CONTENT KNOWLEDGE OBJECTIVES

INITIAL UNDERSTANDING The student will . . .

• describe the central tenets of Transcendentalism.
• identify the significant historical issues relevant to the regulation of personal rights in the U.S

DEVELOPING AN INTERPRETATION The student will . . .

• explain why Transcendentalism was a natural departure from Romanticism

MAKING CONNECTIONS The student will . . .

• identify and Apply the relevance of Transcendentalism to contemporary America.
• form a stance regarding the extent to which individuality and personal freedom are appreciated and exercised.

EXAMINING THE CONTENT The student will . . .

• evaluate the essay form regarding structure and tone.

COURSE INFORMATION

ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS

• How does the balance between ideology (hope, goals, and dreams) and reality (melancholy, actuality) influence our sense of what it means to be American?
• How does diversity, and the cultural frame through which we view it, shape our knowledge of society and our interactions with others?
• What political, economic, social, cultural and religious forces motivate Americans, and how do they affect the decisions we make in our nation?

FOCUS QUESTIONS

• How did the government’sresponse to the end of the Civil War affect the lives of freed slaves and the generations which followed?
• What were the goals of black Americans following the Civil War and to what extent were they achieved?
• How does the literature in the nearly 100 years betweenthe war’s end and the CivilRights Act (1964) reflect the struggles and achievements of Black Americans?

CONTENT KNOWLEDGE OBJECTIVES

INITIAL UNDERSTANDING The student will . . .

• identify the significant policies/events of Reconstruction and the Jim Crow era.
• identify the central writers and works associated with each significant period in the quest for civil rights.

DEVELOPING AN INTERPRETATION The student will . . .

• evaluate the philosophies (perspectives?) and principles espoused in the writings of this period.
• describe the legacy of these policies/events in relation to the Civil Rights Movement.
• explore personal beliefs regarding diversity and race and how these affect the development and modification of cultural perspective.
• take a critical stance regarding which approach to achieving civil rights might be most effective (comparing Washington and Du Bois).

MAKING CONNECTIONS The student will . . .

• examine the current issues of civil rights in the U.S. and their relationship with prior actions and regulatory efforts.
• predict future factors affecting civil rights in the U.S. and hypothesize how they should be approached.

EXAMINING THE CONTENT The student will . . .

• evaluate the impact of various writings from the period.
• assess the importance of genre and style in evaluating writings and documents of the civil rights period.