American Literature-English III

Course Duration: Full Year

Category: High School, Reading/Language Arts

Prerequisite: English II

Assessment: Pre-Test, Lesson Practice, Unit Exams, Mid-Term Exam, Final Exam

Language: English

Course Overview

American Literature-English III uses the works of the masters to give the student a well-rounded look at American Literature, beginning with Native American lore and continuing on through the Modernist Movement. Sprinkled with strategically-placed morsels of grammar and style, this course enhances the student's ability to enjoy and produce literature. Course topics include:

Early America
Genres of Writing
American Romanticism (The Transcendentalists)
American Romanticism (Gothic Literature)
Regionalism and Realism
The Modernist Movement
Annotated Bibliography

Acellus American Literature-English III is taught by Acellus Instructor Deborah Haus. Acellus American Literature-English III is A-G Approved through the University of California.

Course Objectives & Student Learning Outcomes

Acellus American Literature-English III continues to build on the foundation of literacy in reading and writing in the context of the American experience. Specifically, the course aids students in the following:

Reading, assessing, and assimilating increasingly complex texts, both fiction and non-fiction, of literary and historical significance, providing a basis for students to compare themes and topics
Conducting effective long and short-term research utilizing multiple types of resources and incorporating the results into effective written and/or oral presentations
Producing oral and written presentations based on student analysis and comparison of texts, on research conducted, and on conclusions drawn through study and discussion.
Utilizing multimedia components in both written and oral presentations where these aid in making clear points
Preparing for and participating in well-directed group discussions, considering other’s points of view, exchanging knowledge and ideas, and incorporating information and insights gained
Adhering to the conventions of Standard English in writing and speaking with emphasis on enhancing writing skills for better flow and cohesion
Gaining an appreciation for and a greater understanding of the American experience through literature

This course was developed by the International Academy of Science. Learn More

Scope and Sequence

Unit 1 – Early AmericaIn this unit students study early American authors. They explore specific works, including The World on the Turtle's Back from Native American legend, La Relacion by Cabeza de Vaca, and the autobiographical The Life of Olaudah Equiano. They also review To My Dear and Loving Husband and Upon the Burning of our House by Anne Bradstreet, and Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God by Jonathan Edwards.Unit 2 – Genres of LiteratureIn this unit students discuss combining sentences using apositives, using coordinating conjunctions, and using subordinate conjunctions. They go on to investigate genres of writing, including expository, narrative, descriptive, and persuasive writing.Unit 3 – American Romanticism (The Transcendentalists I)In this unit students learn about the historical significance of American romanticism. They review A Psalm of Life by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, and The First Snowfall by James Russell Lowell, as well as Nature, and excerpts from Self-Reliance by Ralph Waldo Emerson. They also explore aphorisms, author purpose, and ideals.Unit 4 – American Romanticism (The Transcendentalists II)In this unit students study Civil Disobedience, and an excerpt from Walden, both by Henry David Thoreau. They review I Hear America Singing and Song of Myself by Walt Whitman, and Because I Could Not Stop for Death by Emily Dickenson. They also study free verse poetry, aphorisms, purpose, and ideals.Unit 5 – American Romanticism (Gothic Literature I)In this unit students discuss gothic literature. They study The Devil and Tom Walker by Washington Irving, as well as The Raven and The Masque of the Red Death by Edgar Allan Poe.Unit 6 – American Romanticism (Gothic Literature II)In this unit students explore Dr. Heidegger's Experiment by Nathaniel Hawthorne. They also review an excerpt from Moby Dick by Hermon Melville. They further study vocabulary, allegory, and misplaced and dangling modifiers. Following this unit students are presented with the Mid-Term Review and Exam.Unit 7 – Regionalism and Realism IIn this unit students discuss realism and regional literature. They explore The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County and an excerpt from Life on the Mississippi by Mark Twain. They study A Wagner Matinee by Willa Cather, and The Open Boat by Stephen Crane, and discuss regionalism, point of view, dialect, and figures of speech.Unit 8 – Regionalism and Realism IIIn this unit students explore To Build a Fire by Jack London, and discuss naturalism and setting. They study April Showers by Edith Wharton, and The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin. They discuss theme, conflict, and realism.Unit 9 – The Modernist Movement IIn this unit students discuss the modernist movement. They explore an excerpt from Spoon River Anthology by Edgar Lee Masters, Chicago by Carl Sandburg, The Road Not Taken and Death of the Hired Man by Robert Frost, and The River Merchant's Wife: A Letter by Ezra Pound.Unit 10 – The Modernist Movement IIIn this unit students study The Widow's Lament in Springtime by William Carlos Williams. They enjoy In Just by e.e. cummings. They investigate Poetry by Marianne Moore, and they explore The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock by T.S. Elliot. They also study vocabulary, and commas in nonessential elements.Unit 11 – Annotated BibliographyIn this unit students discuss how to create an annotated bibliography, including what an annotated bibliography is, the elements it contains, and how to choose a topic. They study how to write a thesis statement, how to gather sources from the Internet and from research databases, and how to format an annotated bibliography in MLS style. Following this unit students are presented with the Final Review and Exam.