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Weekly Calendar   This is where you will find each week listed and the agenda for each day with links to resources and information that you will need.

American Literature Syllabus

Weekly Essays

Unit One: The New Land

Unit One: Native Americans and Explorers

Unit One: Native American, Explorers, and Settler Literature

Unit One: Puritans, Ministers, and Witches
 

Unit Two: The Revolutionary Period  1750 - 1800

Unit Two: Benjamin Franklin

Unit Two: Patrick Henry, Thomas Paine, Phillis Wheatley

Unit Two: Freedom Essay with supporting evidence from
    Thomas Jefferson and the "Declaration of Independence" and
    Abigail Adams and various quotes and letters.

QUARTER TWO

Quarter Two Essays will be completed outside of class.  The essays will follow the
5-paragraph format that you learned in Quarter 1.  Include a strong introduction, at
least three body paragraphs, and a smashing conclusion.  All essays must be typed,
error free, and follow MLA formatting guidelines.  At least two pieces of supporting
evidence for each paragraph must be included.  These must be quotes....no
paraphrasing allowed. 

Follow proper MLA guidelines for correct citing of sources
in text and in the Works Cited.
Here are some helpful websites for MLA documentation.  It is important that you
use some sort of MLA reference guide, whether in print or online, to make sure
you are using the correct formats! :)

American Literature Essay Grade Sheet

Essay and Researching Helpful Sites and Information

Unit Three: A Growing Nation   1800 - 1840

Edgar Allen Poe: Due December 2, 2011
    Thesis Statement:  Edgar Allen Poe, a gifted poet, but best known as a master
                                    of mystery and the macabre, produced gothic romances that
                                    often reflected his difficult and tragic life.
            

The Romantic Poets: Due December 16, 2011
    Thesis Statement: The Romantic poets of the early to mid-1800's in America-
                                    celebrating nature, self understanding, and ideal societies -
                                    made poetry accessible to common people, and at the same
                                    time, established a literary culture in America.

The Transcendentalists: Due January 6, 2011
    Thesis Statement:  The Transcendentalists, represented by Emerson and Thoreau,
                                    sought self-understanding and emphasized the importance of
                                    humans finding one's own truth through intuition rather than
                                    through scientific methods or religious doctrines.

Thesis Statement Writing

Write a Thesis Statement for an essay about each of these four writers:

• Walt Whitman
• Herman Melville
• Nathaniel Hawthorne
• Emily Dickinson

Make the thesis statements three-pronged.  You do not have to write the essay for these if you have scored an 85% or better on the above essays.