American Literature and Composition I: The American Dream

 

"Literature is as old as speech.  It grew out of human need for it and has not changed except to become more needed.  The skalds, the bards, the writers are not separate and exclusive.  From the beginning, their functions, their duties, their responsibilities have been decreed by our species."

                                            -- John Steinbeck, Nobel Prize Acceptance Speech, 1962

"One cannot say that the real American Poetry is the poetry of the soil. One cannot say it is the poetry of the city.  One cannot say it is the poetry of the native as one cannot say it is the poetry of the alien.  Tell me what America is and I'll tell you what its poetry is."

--Robert Frost

 

American Literature and Composition II: The American Character

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The Chalk Board: Journals, Assignments and Readings

Journal:  Literature--Do We Need it? 8/21

Journal: Success-- what does it mean to be a success?

8/25
Journal:  What is "America"? 8/26
Journal:  American "Stew" and You--Events that shape/influence... 8/27
Notes: "American Stew" An overview of American Literature/Movements/Influences 8/27
Notebook Check 1/ 40pts.  
Writing Rules and Tools Grammar Guide--Bring  to Class Every Day 8/28
Read:  Russell Baker pp.998-999 8/24
Read:  "School vs. Education"  pp.1002-1003 8/24
Read: Edwin Arlington Robinson/ "Richard Corey"  Irony  pp.  633-635 8/24
Voices of American Character pp.628-632 8/31
Walt Whitman: "I Hear America Singing"
p. 331
8/31
Langston Hughes/ "Harlem" #3 "I, Too"  #3 pp. 689-690 8/31
The Harlem Renaissance 9/1
Claude McKay/ "America" /your "America" poem 9/1
Countee Cullen/  "Tableau" #5 9/1
Journal:  p. 695 #5 + Your "America" poem, about 15 lines, average line 5 words...be prepared to share! 9/2
"Voices"/Harlem Renaissance Quiz 9/3
Dickinson pp.352-353/ "Success is Counted Sweetest" p.356
Journal:  p. 356 #7-8
9/4
Read/Review Kate Chopin/“A Pair of Silk Stockings” pp. 480-484 9/8
Journal/Notebook assignment:  p. 484 #1, #2, #6 and #8.  1-2 pages, paragraphs.  Be specific. 9/9
A Pair of Silk Stockings/Creative Response: p. 485 9/10
Notebook Check! 50pts 9/11
Chicago/Carl Sandburg pp.729-732 Great job with Oral Interpretation of "Chicago"!
Critical Response #2 Whitman vs. Sandburg (chart) 9/14
Short Works/Success Quiz 9/15
Read:  American Drama pp.758-767 9/16
Raisin in the Sun:  Dream Deferred? (Journal) What happens to a "dream deferred?" Do you agree with the poet?  Why/ why not-- explain. 9/21
Lorraine Hansberry: A Raisin in the Sun Act I 9/22
Scene 1: Raisin:  Which character are you rooting for most and why? (Journal) 9/23
Journal Act I:  p. 834  #5 / #10 9/25
Raisin: Act II 9/28
Journal:  p. 855 #11 & #12 9/30
Raisin: Act III 10/1
Raisin in the Sun /movie 10/5-10/6-10/7
Review for Success Unit Test! 10/14--Test!
Journal:  Safari/Battle of the Bands 10/15
A Raisin in the Sun: Creative Response 10/19
LAND/OWNERSHIP/SACRED PLACES Discussion 10/20
Journal:
1. Describe your dream home/estate in detail.
2. Is it possible to experience God / the spiritual / the sacred in nature? Explain.
10/20
William Least Heat Moon:  Blue Highways/ Map Groups 10/21
Blue Highways 10/22
Blue Highways/ Journal: p. 1077 #4,#5,#8 10/26
Transcendentalism: Read pp. 182-185 10/27
Journal:  Melville: "What stuff all this is"--agree/disagree why? 10/27
Read & Discuss: Ralph Waldo Emerson 10/28
Aphorism Groups/Present and Discuss 10/29-10/30
Journal: Emerson Aphorism Response 10/30
Journal: Thoreau/Walden Response 11/2
Journal: Thoreau "Metaphorical Style" p. 219 1-6--Choose 3 11/3
Notebook Check! 11/4
John Steinbeck Biography 11/4-11/5
"Travels with Charley" Journal: Pet Story 11/5
"Pet Story" Discussion / Of Mice and Men 11/6
Of Mice and Men Themes/Setting 11/9
Study Guide: Of Mice and Men Ch .1 11/10
Study Guide: Of Mice and Men Ch. 2 11/11
Read: Of Mice and Men Ch. 3 11/12
Journal x3: Of Mice and Men Chapter Titles/Defense 11/13
Study Guide: Of Mice and Men Ch. 3 11/16
QUIZ:  Of Mice and Men Ch. 1-3 11/17
Study Guide:  Of Mice and Men Ch. 4 11/18
Study Guide: Of Mice and Men Ch. 5-6 11/19
Notebook/Study Guide Ck 140pts. 11/20
Of Mice and Men / movie 11/20
Of Mice and Men / movie 11/23-24
Freedom Interview/Notebook/Discussion 11/30
Of Mice and Men / Naturalism
 Discussion / Review
12/1
Land / Ownership Unit Test 12/2
Naturalism/Of Mice and Men Essay 12/3
Mark Twain Biography / Preface Huck Finn 12/7
Writing Portfolio Workshop and Conferences 12/8-12/9
Read: Huck Finn Ch. I-IV /1-4 12/8
Read: Huck Finn Ch. V-X / 5-10 12/9
Read: Huck Finn Ch.  XI - XV / 11-15 12/10
Read: Huck Finn Ch. XVI - XX / 16-20 12 /11
   
   
   
   
 

 

Back to Mr. M's Homepage

 

 American Stew

 

Lab use/Writing Policy

1062 Vocabulary Words

Word Roots and Prefixes

 

unit5 online

 

Success

Land

Freedom

 

Love/Compassion

Courage

Rebellion

 

Mr. McManis / Room 27

8th HR  American Literature and Composition I:  The American Dream

Success, Land/Ownership, Freedom

What You Need:

Grading:

PAGAD = 40%

(Projects/Presentations, Activities, Groups, Discussion and Debate)

TESTS = 30%

Writing Process/Formal Essays = 30%

= 100% of Quarter Grade

Semester Exam = 20%

Quarter 1 = 40%

Quarter 2 = 40%

= 100% of Semester Grade

Keys:

Participate!

Respect !

Be A Good Student !

Index Card:

Name              Class/ Hr

Your email / Parent email

Favorites:

  1. Book
  2. Movie
  3. TV Show/ Sport
  4. Food
  5. Activities

 

Classroom Policy:

Do your BEST.  Try it—Participate!  Come to class on time.

If you are absent, YOU are responsible for getting notes, making up assignments, tests and so on.  Be sure to see me when you return to get make up assignments.

McManis’s keys to the game:

                        Respect! 

                                    For yourself…

                                    Your peers…

                                    Your school…

                                    The Learning Process...