Honors : American Literature 1

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Description:

Volume 1 covers oral traditions of Native Americans and colonial writings to the evolution of regionalism, realism, and naturalism. Students examine Native American traditions; colonists and revolutionaries; adventurers and philosophers; slave experiences; and regionalism, realism, and the beginning of a new century. Students respond to authors such as Bradford, Edwards, Paine, Cooper, Poe, Douglass, Bierce, Twain, and Cather.

Lessons emphasize individual and group projects, discussion, in-class writing, and enrichment activities—all designed to engage honors students in the issues and values of a rich cultural heritage. Primary sources are especially significant in this effort as students hear the voices of Americans of an earlier generation and recognize their relevance to political as well as aesthetic concerns. Suggestions for further reading and an appendix of appropriate Web sites are also included.

Use Center for Learning novel/drama units to enhance your approach to literature by including great American novels and plays.

• The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
• The Crucible
• Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass
• The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail
• The Scarlet Letter

See our Novel/Drama section for additional titles.

Activities:

Students are encouraged to see connections to the arts, to public policy, to ethics, and to their own character development. They are invited to imagine, to create, and to remember. Students read, discuss, prepare a choral reading, examine primary documents, compare and contrast writers, write essays, analyze characters, research, and prepare group presentations.