AMERICAN LITERATURE

C O U R S E   T R A I L E R

Spiral 1 - Informative/Explanatory

Open this menu for Unit details

Spiral 3 includes the following:

Unit 2: Canonical American Literature

In this unit, we'll overview the many genres that make up the American literary canon. Upon analyzing each genre we will close out the unit by making connections to the 21st century.  Thinking about how these age-old genres have shaped literature, media, and our country today. 

The Norton Anthology of Theory & Criticism

This anthology will explore the many literary theories and ways in which writers/thinkers have analyzed literature. We will use these theories to reflect on our own experiences and how we see the world around us. 

This anthology will help us explore concepts like, but not limited to: 

This is a Unit Tracker that students use as a roadmap or checklist to follow along as they complete a lesson from the unit. There are certain items that require them to write down a soft deadline (e.g., "TIME CHECK!") as a pacing marker of where they should be. Other deadlines could include Socratic Seminars, Essay drafts, one-on-one check-ins and much more!

You'll notice that this unit is separated into two parts: 

In SFUSD, we work towards the Informative/Explanatory spiral, where students are learning about some of the key literary movements to the American literary canon. In this unit, we are looking for students to draw connections between age old topics and bridge it to today's literature and media. 

Read-a-long Mixtapes & Online Discussion Threads

I got the idea for read-a-long mixtapes from a professor of anthropology at Kanas State University, Michael Wesch. The purpose of these mixtapes is to provide students with another entry point to reading. This allows for students to read and listen to the content at the same time. During distance learning, I wanted to provide students with a chance to learn off-screen, and Michael Wesch's solution was a great alternative. 

These mixtapes have audio notes throughout them that help summarizes or make sense of the reading, especially if the reading is dense or requires a higher level of comprehension. Many of the readings for 11th grade are derived from my undergraduate English program to help frame how we will be looking at American Literature in this course. 

These mixtapes are coupled with Discussion Questions on Google Classroom where students are tasked with a guided question and write a response by providing evidence and analysis. These discussion threads are practice for writing standard body paragraphs in a 5-paragraph literary analysis essay (which are often used for SAT Essays or college standard writing).

Example Mixtape

A brief intro for The Norton Anthology of Theory & Criticism 

Instructional Videos

An instructional video is an informational medium that delivers the lessons, new content or instructions for assignments through video. The purpose of using instructional videos as the main learning component is to provide students access at school and at home. These videos allow students to self-direct their learning by pacing the content themselves. They are able to pick up where they left off if they were absent or on vacation. They can even return to review the material at any given time. 

Spiral 2 - Autobiographical Narrative

Open this menu for Unit details

Spiral 3 includes the following:

Unit 3: Literary Theory

In this unit, we will take a deep dive into learning the various forms of critiques and theories that readers use to analyze literature. We will also use these lenses to analyze ourselves, the world around us, and the literature we will read in the coming units. This unit will culminate in a final group project and a reflective short story. 

The Norton Anthology of Theory & Criticism

This anthology will explore the many literary theories and ways in which writers/thinkers have analyzed literature. We will use these theories to reflect on our own experiences and how we see the world around us.

 This anthology will help us explore concepts like, but not limited to:

This is a Unit Tracker that students use as a roadmap or checklist to follow along as they complete a lesson from the unit. There are certain items that require them to write down a soft deadline (e.g., "TIME CHECK!") as a pacing marker of where they should be. Other deadlines could include Socratic Seminars, Essay drafts, one-on-one check-ins and much more!

You'll notice that this unit is separated into two parts: 

In SFUSD, we work towards the Narrative spiral, where students are learning about literay theories and how they can see their presence in their life. In this unit, students are applying these literary theories and drafting a response to one of the 8 UC Personal Insight Questions. 

Instructional Videos

An instructional video is an informational medium that delivers the lessons, new content or instructions for assignments through video. The purpose of using instructional videos as the main learning component is to provide students access at school and at home. These videos allow students to self-direct their learning by pacing the content themselves. They are able to pick up where they left off if they were absent or on vacation. They can even return to review the material at any given time. 

Unit 4: Life After High School

Spiral 3 - Argument

Open this menu for Unit details

Spiral 3 includes the following:

Unit 5: Internment


Internment

by Samira Ahmed

Internment is about 17 year old Layla Amin and her parents being forced into an internment camp for Muslim American citizens. The story takes place in a horrifying near-future, almost dystopian, United States where the U.S. Census has targeted those who identify as Muslim. 

In this unit, we cover topics such as, but not limited to: 

This is a Unit Tracker that students use as a roadmap or checklist to follow along as they complete a lesson from the unit. There are certain items that require them to write down a soft deadline (e.g., "TIME CHECK!") as a pacing marker of where they should be. Other deadlines could include Socratic Seminars, Essay drafts, one-on-one check-ins and much more!

You'll notice that this unit is separated into two parts: 

In SFUSD, we work towards the Argumentative/Persuasive spiral where students learn about comparing and contrasting perspectives.  In this unit, we ask students to examine historical events with prejudice or injustice and make connections in how we see that in our local communities today. 

Example Lesson of Chapter Highlights

To guide students as they read, I am working on creating some highlight videos for students to tune into. 

Unit 6: Dear America


Newsela Text Set - Dear America: Where do Asians Fit in?

The following link is only accessible through a Newsela account, join for access! Open drop menu for details of the Text Set

Essential Question: Does it matter how Americans perceive immigrants?

Supporting questions: 

Student/ Teacher Instructions:

Day 1 - 2 (paired with slide deck below)

Day  3-4 (Independent reading with jig-saw group discussion)

Day  5

Extension Resources: 

Intended Grade Level(s): 11

Content Areas: ELA, Ethnic Studies, Social Sciences

Skills Practiced: CCSS ELA Reading 11.1-3; ELA Writing 11.2, 11.5, 11.6, 11.9; ELA Speaking & Listening 11.1b-c, 11.2, 11.6

Estimated Time: 4-5 lessons (60 minutes each)

Dear America: Notes of an Undocumented Citizen

by Jose Antonio Vargas

Dear America is about the story of an undocumented citizen growing up in the Bay Area. From Jose's autobiography, we will read about other's experiences to help us contextualize ourselves in these untold stories.

In this unit, we cover topics such as, but not limited to: