Introduction to American Literature

Here is a complex lesson plan that interweaves the history of the Jim Crow South and the Great Migration with the study of poetry, art, and blues music from the Harlem Renaissance. The plan helps young historians develop a deep...

Imagine an entire course devoted to dystopian literature. If that concept appeals to you, check out this course that uses 1984 as the anchor text and includes classic short stories as well.

As part of their exploration of the American dream, class members examine primary source materials to compare immigrant experiences of those arriving early in our country's history to those arriving in the US after World War II. To...

Examine the introduction to Our Islands in Their People, written by Major-General Joseph Wheeler. The excerpt, which is about two-and-a-half pages long, is included here along with six questions about the text. Pupils can learn about the...

Most American are familiar with Thomas Paine's impassioned plea about the importance of liberty, but they may not be as familiar with the other ideas put forth in his pamphlet Common Sense. Introduce class members to Paine's...

Alexis de Tocqueville wanted to establish a successful democracy in France, so he turned to the newest example of democracy available in the early nineteenth century: the young American government. Learn more about the observations from...

Could geography really be the most logical explanation for the success rate of any given population? Jared Diamond makes his anthropological contention in his 1997 publication Guns, Germs, and Steel. A short explores his main points and...

A six-week unit takes high schoolers through various works of African-American literature, including poems, plays, and short stories. The lesson plan format includes a week-by-week description of activities, goals, materials, and...

Assess your new learners' writing abilities and knowledge of literary terms with these diagnostic activities. Part of a back-to-school unit, this is meant to provide the teacher with information about the ability levels of their class....

Practice grade-level reading comprehension with this lesson, in which middle schoolers read different examples of Native American literature. They discover different cultures while examining their own, and answer questions related to the...