Feedback on my new Amer. Lit Syllabus
Seth Figueiredo
I just finished working on my syllabus for my 11th grade
American Lit. class, and was hoping that some of you more experienced
teachers (and parents, too) would give me your opinions and/or advice
on it. I'm at a fairly diverse school, some ESL, but they tend to be
pretty good English speakers. All in all, the student body would be
on the average to advanced end of the spectrum, since it is an
academic/ technical magnet, and they must test to get in. We're on a
4 period block schedule, 1 1/2 hours per class. I really appreciate
any advice. Thanks!
CountJade
(Essays are generally 2 pages in length)
Colonial And Romantic Period
Aug. 6 Class Introduction and Diagnostics
Aug. 7 Introduction to the Puritans, Plain Style, Epistolary
Method
John Winthrop(P); Smith(P); Byrd(B50-55)
Aug. 8 Rowlandson (B40-46); Bradstreet (P)
Aug. 9 Film: The Crucible
Aug. 10 Film: The Crucible and Discussion
Essay 1: Discuss ways in which you see the Puritan Legacy still
operating in America today.
Aug. 13 Introduction to Religious Conflict and Enlightenment
Taylor (B73); Edwards (B78-83)
Aug. 14 Franklin's Autobiography (P)
Aug. 15 Franklin's Autobiography Part 2 (P)
Aug. 16 Equiano "Life of Gustavus Vassa-Excerpts"(P)
Aug. 17 Equiano; In Class Writing
Essay 2: Discuss how Franklin embodied Enlightenment
philosophy in his autobiography, and contrast that ideal with the
reality portrayed by Equiano.
Aug. 20 Thomas Paine (P); Henry (B102-104); Jefferson (B117-123)
Aug. 21 Introduction to Romanticism
Bryant (B170-172); Longfellow (B175-180)
Aug. 22 (B206-214) Emerson (B216-225); Thoreau (B230-244)
Aug. 23 Poe "Fall of the House of Usher(B260-279), Raven (B282-286)
Aug. 24 Poe
Essay 3: Keeping in Mind Enlightenment, and what we've read
about America's struggle for Liberty, discuss how that struggle
applied to disenfrachised people such as Bradstreet, Rowlandson, and
Equiano.
Aug. 27 Hawthorne "Minister's Black Veil" (B296-308)
Aug. 28 Dickinson (B372-394); Whitman (P)
Aug. 29 Melville "Moby Dick" -Excerpted Chapters (P);
Aug. 30 Melville
Aug. 31 Melville and Test Review
Essay 4: Discuss ways in which Hawthorne, Poe, and Dickinson
explore the dark underbelly of man and society.
Sep. 3 LABOR DAY - NO SCHOOL
Sep. 4 Quarter Exam and Non-Fiction Analysis Kick (P)
Exam Essay: Melville and Society
Sep. 5 Non-Fiction Analysis
Sep. 6 Proposal Writing
Sep. 7 Proposal Writing
Essay 5: Job Proposal
Realism and Naturalism
Sep. 10 Introduction to Realism and Naturalism
Sep. 11 James "Beast In The Jungle" (P)
Sep. 12 James Continued
Sep. 13 Gillman "The Yellow Wallpaper" (P)
Sep. 14 Gillman Continued
Essay 6: If the mind constructs Reality, discuss how the
characters in
James' and Gillman's stories constructed/destroyed their
reality.
Sep. 17 Jewett "The WhiteHeron" (P)
Sep. 18 London "The League of the Old Men" (P)
Sep. 19 London "Bastarde" (P)
Sep. 20 Black Hawk (B447); Chief Joseph (B448), Black Elk (P)
Sep. 21 Booker T. Washington : "Up from Slavery -Excerpts"(P)
Essay 7: Guided Creative Writing
Sep. 24 F. Douglass "Autobiography" Excerpts(P)
Sep. 25 Hunter (B478); Lincoln (B479); Upson (B476); Whitman (B477)
Sep. 26 Bierce "Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge" (B467)
Sep. 27 Crane "Mystery of Heroism" (B487-493);
Film: Red Badge of Courage
Sep. 28 Crane Discussion
Essay 8: Discuss how the issues framing the Civil War informed
American Literature.
Oct. 1 Twain Selected Essays (P) and "Huckleberry Finn"
Oct. 2 Twain Continued
Oct. 3 Twain and Film: Mark Twain
Oct. 4 Review for Midterm
Oct. 5 Mid-Term Exam
Essay 9: Twain Paper
Oct. 9 Contract Writing
Oct. 10 Contract Writing
Oct. 11 NO SCHOOL
Oct. 12 NO SCHOOL
Modernism
Oct. 15 Introduction to Modernism and the Look Back
Oct. 16 Frost (P)
Oct. 17 Faulkner "Barn Burning" (P)
Oct. 18 Fitzgerald "Babylon, Revisited" (P)
Oct. 19 John Dos Passos "USA-Excerpt" (P)
Essay 10: Reader Reaction
Oct. 22 Film: Grapes of Wrath
Oct. 23 Film and Discussion
Oct. 24 Hemingway: "A Clean Well Lighted Place" (P)
Oct. 25 Hemingway: "Natural History of the Dead" (P)
"Old Man at the Bridge" (P); Jarell (B933)
Oct. 26 Barthelme "Game" (B955-961)
Essay 11: Soundtrack
Oct. 29 Langston Hughes (P)
Oct. 30 Hurston "Their Eyes Were Watching God-Excerpt" (P)
Oct. 31 Ralph Ellison "Invisible Man-Excerpt" (P)
Nov. 1 T.S. Elliot (P)
Nov. 2 e.e. cummings (P)
Essay 12: Discuss how the Modern wasn't all it was cracked up
to be to the modernists.
Nov. 5 Miller "Death of a Salesman" (P)
Nov. 6 Miller
Nov. 7 Miller
Nov. 8 Test Review and Pre-Write
Nov. 9 Quarter Test
Exam Essay: Miller and changing roles in society
Nov. 12 VETERAN'S DAY - NO SCHOOL
Nov. 13 Career Paper
Nov. 14 Career Paper
Nov. 15 Career Paper
Post-Modernism
Nov. 16 Introduction Postmodernism and Deconstruction
Nov. 19 Poetry Workshop
Nov. 20 Poetry Workshop and Research Paper Workshop
Nov. 21 THANKSGIVING BREAK - NO SCHOOL
Nov. 22 THANKSGIVING BREAK - NO SCHOOL
Nov. 23 THANKSGIVING BREAK - NO SCHOOL
Nov. 26 Philip Roth "Defender of the Faith" (P)
Nov. 27 Oates "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?" (P)
Nov. 28 Vonnegut "Fates Worse Than Death" (P)
Nov. 29 Morrow "Confessions of Ebenezer Scrooge" (P)
Nov. 30 Plath (B1149); Ginsberg (P)
Dec. 3 In Class Writing : Writers and Social Concerns
Dec. 4 Research Paper
Dec. 5 Research Paper
Dec. 6 Introduction and Discussion "What Is Reality?"
Dec. 7 Borges "Circle of Stones" (P)
Essay 13: Compare Borge's questioning of reality with Dick's
questioning of Humanity.
Dec. 10 Philip Dick: Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep
Dec. 11 Continue Discussion of DADOES
Dec. 12 Film: Matrix
Dec. 13 Film Discussion RESEARCH PAPER DUE!!!
Dec. 14 Final Exam Review
Dec. 17 Final Exam
Dec. 18 Final Exam In-Class Essay
Carol
Surprisingly, my kids liked Emerson and Thoreau, so I spent more time on them.
And paired Emerson with Ellison's "Hidden Name and Complex Fate" since Ellison
was named after Emerson. We did Their Eyes Were Watching God. And the kids
made their own videotapes from scripts they wrote from sections of the novels
they read. Kids liked Our Town, too.
I might use more modern poetry.
Doesn't anybody teach Red Badge of Courage any more?
Carol O
Vincent High School, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
http://www.milwaukee.k12.wi.us/vincent/
Seth Figueiredo
>Chronological is OK, but I always mixed it up and did it thematically.
I'm actually doing it thematically, as by literary evolution with a
strong historical and social connection. It of course happens that IS
chronologically. ;)
>I might use more modern poetry.
The problem with modern poetry is that A) it's harder to find for
someon who does not have expertise in a wide range of it; B) to be
honest, most of the modern, and by that I mean post 60's, poetry isn't
very good IMO. I am using quite a bit of modern prose, especially
since I am concentrating on post-modern deconstruction on those lines.
Namely, questioning established views of reality and humanity.
>Doesn't anybody teach Red Badge of Courage any more?
>
Actually, we're doing a screening of the film, since i don't have
access to the novel. Thanks for your input!
CountJade
Terri P. Powers
grade English for many years, and I currently teach 11th AP Language. Next
year my school is moving to a 4 X 4 block, so it was helpful to me to see
your syllabus, as I am a novice when it comes to teaching for 90 minutes.
We have always been on a six period day.
I have a new challenge for next year. I will be teaching a year long
combination course. We are combining 11th AP Language with AP U.S. History,
and I will teach it. The students will get credit for two courses.
Based on what I see in your syllabus, your students will have a great
year.
Terri
Seth Figueiredo
<TPow...@ix.netcom.com> wrote:
> I like your syllabus, especially the essay topics. I have taught 11th
>grade English for many years, and I currently teach 11th AP Language.
Thanks, Terri. After reflection, I think that what I might do is use
that syllabus as a baseline for the 11th grade Honors class I have, as
most of them will feed directly into 12th grade English AP. That way,
I'll have a "year long" AP class. I'll have them read maybe 2 or 3
novels for outside reading as well as what's on the syllabus. For the
regular academic classes, I'll probably scale down the pacing
slightly, but maybe not. I'll have to see how they handle it.
> I have a new challenge for next year. I will be teaching a year long
>combination course. We are combining 11th AP Language with AP U.S. History,
>and I will teach it. The students will get credit for two courses
That's actually a pretty darn neat idea. I've always held that
teaching lit. is half about writing, half about history. THe
literature just doesn't make much sense, otherwise.
> Based on what I see in your syllabus, your students will have a great
>year.
Thanks again, I certainly hope so!
CountJade