Unit Title: A Troubled Young Nation Grade: 11

A Troubled Young Nation

Essential Questions:

Enduring Understandings: 

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What is an American?

American individualism and the pursuit of freedom influence the American novel. With The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, racism and slavery will finally be discussed in an American novel. The culture of African Americans was shaped by their struggle against slavery. New forms of verse will explore the self and its relation to the world.

How does the literature of this period reflect the idea of the American individual? What is the American Dream? How do women protagonists reflect women’s place in society? How did slavery lead to the civil war? How was the Civil War reflected in the writing of the period? What made the poetry of Whitman and Dickinson revolutionary? How do elements of Romanticism and Transcendentalism influence the literature of this era? How does religion get people through difficult times? What kind of influences can speeches and memoirs have? How can newfound knowledge make it necessary to change one’s life?

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How should one treat an occasion where one believes one is being treated unfairly? How are reading and writing powerful skills?

Unit Title: A Troubled Young Nation Grade: 11

A Troubled Young Nation Critical Skills:

Critical Content: •abolition •American dream •assimilation •autobiography •biography •determinism •the “melting pot” •mood •naturalism •realism •regionalism •satire  primary source  secondary source  secession  oratory  diction

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Determine and analyze the development of the theme or themes in American literature of the nineteenth century (e.g., freedom, the American dream, racism, regionalism, survival, “individual vs. society,” and “civilized society” vs. the wilderness).

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Compare the treatment of related themes in different genres (e.g., The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave).

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Explain how fictional characters in late nineteenth century America express the challenges facing America at the time, citing both textual evidence from both fiction and nonfiction to make the case.

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Distinguish the voice of the narrative, including a satirical voice

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Write a research paper on the Civil War.

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Present your historical finding to the class through a formal speech.

Unit Title: A Troubled Young Nation Grade: 11

Established Goal:

This eight-week unit, the fourth of six, examines the literature of the late nineteenth century in America, exploring in particular the themes related to the evolving young nation, such as the challenges of westward expansion, slavery, the changing role of women, regionalism, the displacement of Native Americans, the growth of cities, and immigration. Focused Assessed

Learning Targets

RL.11.3

Analyze the impact of the author’s choices regarding how to develop and relate elements of a story or drama (e.g., where a story is set, how the action is ordered, how the characters are introduced and developed). Analyze a complex set of ideas or sequence of events and explain how specific individuals, ideas, or events interact and develop over the course of the text. Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on addressing what is most significant for a specific purpose and audience. (Editing for conventions should demonstrate command of Language standards 1–3 up to and including grades 11–12 on page 54.) Integrate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) in order to make informed decisions and solve problems, evaluating the credibility and accuracy of each source and noting any discrepancies among the data. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.

RI.11.3 W.11.5

SL.11.2

L.11.2 SL.11.1 a- d

Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 11 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.

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a. Come to discussions prepared, having read and researched material under study; explicitly draw on that preparation by referring to evidence from texts and other research on the topic or issue to stimulate a thoughtful, well-reasoned exchange of ideas.

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b. Work with peers to promote civil, democratic discussions and decisionmaking, set clear goals and deadlines, and establish individual roles as needed.

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c. Propel conversations by posing and responding to questions that probe reasoning and evidence; ensure a hearing for a full range of positions on a topic or issue; clarify, verify, or challenge ideas and conclusions; and promote divergent and creative perspectives.

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d. Respond thoughtfully to diverse perspectives; synthesize comments, claims, and evidence made on all sides of an issue; resolve contradictions when possible; and determine what additional information or research is required to deepen the investigation or complete the task.

WL.11.8

Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital

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Unit Title: A Troubled Young Nation Grade: 11 sources, using advanced searches effectively; assess the strengths and limitations of each source in terms of the task, purpose, and audience; integrate information into the text selectively to maintain the flow of ideas, avoiding plagiarism and overreliance on any one source and following a standard format for citation.

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Unit Title: A Troubled Young Nation Grade: 11

Suggested Learning Activities and Performance Tasks with Ideas for Differentiation R)=Remediation E)=Extension Option 1: Critical Ways of Seeing The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in Context (National Endowment for the Humanities) Core Standard(s): RL.11.6 By studying Mark Twain's novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and its critics with a focus on cultural context, students will develop essential analytical tools for navigating this text and for exploring controversies that surround this quintessential American novel. Option 2: Essay and Discussion How does Twain address the issue of slavery in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Use at least three pieces of textual evidence to support an original thesis statement. Core Standard(s): RL.11.6, W.11.2, W.11.9 Personal or Social Tragedy?—A Close Reading of Edith Wharton's Ethan Frome (National Endowment for the Humanities) Core Standard(s): RL.11.1, RI.11.2 At the end of this lesson students will be able to: •Situate Ethan Frome within the context of American regionalist literature; •Gather, annotate, and analyze key quotations from Ethan Frome; •Respond to contemporary reviews of Ethan Frome; and •Use textual evidence to support their own claims about the plight of the novel’s protagonist. After the American Revolution: Free African Americans in the North (National Endowment for the Humanities) Core Standard(s): RL.11.6 In this lesson, students will meet some of those African Americans and practice the techniques authors use to transform information about individuals into readable biographies. The New Americans (PBS) Core Standard(s): RI.11.7 The New Americans Web site offers an online educational adventure for seventh- to twelfth-grade students. The site supplements the documentary mini-series, which explores the immigrant experience through the personal stories of immigrants to the United States. 5

E) Show Edith Warton’s Age of Innocence, a setting more representative of Warton’s work.

Unit Title: A Troubled Young Nation Grade: 11

Melting Pot: American Fiction of Immigration (PBS) This is a summary list of novels—with brief descriptions—about the American immigrant experience from different eras. We Shall Remain http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/weshallremain/beyond_broadcast/teach_and_learn This is a website of teacher resources to accompany the PBS multimedia project, "We Shall Remain," which documents native American history. Classroom Discussion Core Standard(s): SL 11.1 a-d.

American Passages A Literary Survey

“Unit 7. Slavery and Freedom” View the video at http://www.learner.org/amerpass/. Have students complete the worksheet in the appendix titled “Slavery and Freedom Video Note Sheet.” Follow the completion of the worksheet with a classroom discussion covering the questions included. Africans in America (Part 4) (PBS) Core Standard(s): RL.11.1, RI.11.1, LS.11.1 “The Yellow Wallpaper” This edsitement lesson encourages students to examine the historical, social, cultural, and economic context of Gilman's story (please note that the lesson is also appropriate as a stand-alone lesson or as a compliment to studying pieces of literature by women during the same time period). Students will examine advertisements, images, magazine articles, and other primary source documents to gain an understanding of the roles of American middle-class women in the mid- to late-1800s. Edsitement.neh.gov Core Standard(s): RL.11.1, RL.11.3, RI.11.1, RI.11.3, W.11.2 Mini Essay Core Standard(s): WL.11.8 Mini Essay and Discussion Core Standard(s): WL.11.8, SL.11.2 Students will write a mini essay about the significance of “The Gettysburg Address.” They will share their findings to the class. See appendix: The Importance of The Gettysburg Address Essay and Discussion Write an essay in which you agree or disagree with the following statement, offering at least three pieces of evidence from the texts to support an original thesis statement: “Women in nineteenth century America could not really be free.” Core Standard(s): RL.11.1, W.11.1

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Unit Title: A Troubled Young Nation Grade: 11 Essay and Discussion Choose two women from among the works studied and compare and contrast their life experiences, noting the ways in which they either exemplified or were an exception to the times in which they lived. Use at least three pieces of evidence from the texts to support an original thesis statement. Core Standard(s): RL.11.1, RI.11.10, W.11.1, W.11.9 Historical Research Paper Investigating the Civil War p. 444-453 in the Glencoe text. Core Standard(s): Speaking, Listening and Viewing Workshop Delivering an Oral Report on a Historical Investigation p. 454-455 in Glencoe text. Core Standard(s): Oral Presentation Create a multimedia presentation that summarizes one of the novels you’ve read and present questions that you think the novel raises about its uniquely American themes. See Appendix. Core Standard(s): SL 11.1 a-d., W.11.6, SL.11.5 Group PowerPoint and Presentation Students will use the materials at http://libguides.mpsaz.net/content.php?pid=97190&sid=728253 to create a PowerPoint analyzing a poem written by Whitman or Dickinson. Core Standard(s):

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Unit Title: A Troubled Young Nation Grade: 11

Resources Literary Texts Folk Tales “Promises of Freedom”  “Plantation Proverbs” (Uncle Remus)  “All God’s Children Had Wings”  “The Signifying Monkey” Short Stories 

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“April Showers” (Edith Wharton) (Glencoe) Lexile 1020 “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County” (Mark Twain) (Glencoe) Lexile 1410 from “Two Views of the River” (Mark Twain) (Glencoe) Lexile 1130 “The Story of an Hour” (Kate Chopin) (Glencoe) Lexile 960 “The Yellow Wallpaper” (Charlotte Perkins Gilman) Lexile 920 “A Rose for Emily” (William Faulkner) (Glencoe)

Drama 

A Raisin in the Sun (Lorraine Hansbury)

Novels       

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Mark Twain) Lexile 990 The Awakening (Kate Chopin) Lexile 960 Ethan Frome (Edith Wharton) Lexile 1160 Daisy Miller (Henry James) Lexile 1080 The Call of the Wild (Jack London) Lexile 1110 Sister Carrie (Theodore Dreiser) Lexile 980 My Ántonia (Willa Cather) Lexile 1010

Informational Texts Historical Nonfiction  

Letter to Albert G. Hodges (Abraham Lincoln)

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, Written by Himself (Frederick Douglass) (EA) (selections)

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Up From Slavery: An Autobiography (Booker T. Washington) The Narrative of Sojourner Truth (Sojourner Truth and Olive Gilbert) Declaration of Sentiments, Seneca Falls Convention (1848) “The Higher Education of Women” A Voice from the South (Anna Julia Cooper) The Autobiography of an Ex-Coloured Man (James Weldon Johnson) 8

Unit Title: A Troubled Young Nation Grade: 11 

Twenty Years at Hull House (Jane Addams) (selections)

Speeches    

“A House Divided” (Abraham Lincoln) “The Gettysburg Address” (Abraham Lincoln) (Glencoe) Lexile 1490 "Ain’t I a woman?” (Sojourner Truth) (May 29, 1851) (Glencoe) Lexile 750 “I will fight no more forever” (Chief Joseph the Younger of the Nez Perce Nation) (October 5, 1877) (Glencoe) Lexile 380

Art, Music, and Media Music

Spirituals    

“Go Down, Moses” (Traditional) (Glencoe) “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot” (Traditional) (Glencoe) “I Thank God I’m Free at Las” (Traditional) “Lift Every Voice and Sing” (James Weldon Johnson)

Art

Painters  

Thomas Eakins Winslow Homer (Glencoe)

Film "Unchained Memories" (HBO Documentary, in conjunction with the Library of Congress, 2003) (Readings From the Slave Narratives) Born to Trouble (PBS) Clip from Remember the Titans to be used in conjunction with Importance of the Gettysburg Address in appendix

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