Homeschool Language Arts American Literature in Historical Context

Welcome to Our American Literature in Historical Context Homeschool Language Arts Course

What benefits come from studying literature in its historical context? In American Literature in Historical Context, high school students explore nine units of literature that date from pre-colonization to postmodernism and investigate the cultural and historical events occurring at the same time a literary work was written, to fully grasp how society impacts literature and how great an impact literature has on society. This thirty-six-week course includes reading assignments, audio files, writing assignments, and devotionals to better understand what influenced each author’s writing and how his/her writing influenced others.

External links may be included within the course content; they do not constitute an endorsement or an approval by SchoolhouseTeachers.com of any of the products, services, or opinions of the corporation, organization, or individual. Contact the external site for answers to questions regarding its content. Parents may wish to preview all links because third-party websites include ads that may change over time. 

 

Para traducir cualquier página web, haz clic en los tres puntos o líneas en la esquina superior derecha de tu navegador, o haz clic aquí para más información.

American Literature
in Historical Context

*Ultimate Membership Only*


Length:
 36 weeks

Content type: Text based
Grades: 9-12

PRINT CERTIFICATE OF COMPLETION

External links may be included within the course content; they do not constitute an endorsement or an approval by SchoolhouseTeachers.com of any of the products, services, or opinions of the corporation, organization, or individual. Contact the external site for answers to questions regarding its content. Parents may wish to preview all links because third-party websites include ads that may change over time. 

 

Para traducir cualquier página web, haz clic en los tres puntos o líneas en la esquina superior derecha de tu navegador, o haz clic aquí para más información.

Related Classes You May Enjoy

All Language Arts Classes
High School Language Arts Classes

Are you enjoying this course? Why not tell your friends about it? Become an affiliate, share your personal link and graphics with your friends, and earn money.
We love hearing from our members as to what classes they or their students enjoyed. Please share some feedback with us so we can make this the best homeschooling curriculum site ever!

 

Getting Started with Our American Literature in Historical Context Homeschool Language Arts Course

The American Literature in Historical Context homeschool language arts course examines American literature and its development from pre-colonization through the present day. Numerous authors are studied as well as the times and culture in which they lived. Homeschool high school students learn what influenced the authors’ writing and how their writing influenced others.

Overview

  • 36 weeks, 5 days a week
  • Includes reading assignments, audio files, writing assignments, assessments, answer keys, and optional devotionals
  • Grades: 9-12

Supplies Needed

Corresponding lessons on SchoolhouseTeachers.com; assorted works of literature. Links to online versions provided in lessons (complete list found in “Introduction, Outline, and Reading List” on the course download page); Teacher Information provided in each unit for discussion purposes; journal for notetaking and research (Reader’s Response Notebook); dictionary, thesaurus

What to Do

Go to Class Lessons and download the lesson plan and lessons file. Start with the Day 1 reading assignment. Follow the instructions each day on the lesson plan and check them off when completed.

Close

Course Sample for Our American Literature in Historical Context Homeschool Language Arts Course

To view a full sample of this course, click here.

 

Introduction

In order to fully grasp an understanding of American literature and how it has progressed over the centuries, it is important to study the cultural and historical events of the time. The American literature of today is extremely different from that written at the beginning of the nation.
It is useful to note that many times literary works reflected social changes before they occurred in society at large. For good or evil it is clear throughout the history of America that literature had a great impact on society.

Ask yourself these questions as you read the literature for this course:
1. What national events may have impacted the author’s work?
2. Was the author trying to impact society with their work?
3. How were women represented?
4. How were minorities represented?
5. Were there any cultural shifts which impacted the literature?
6. What can be learned about the culture from the work?

I hope you enjoy this study through American literature and thoughtfully consider the social changes, both positive and negative, which may have been affected by the popular literature of various periods of American history.

Close

Transcript Information for Our American Literature in Historical Context Homeschool Language Arts Course

This American Literature in Historical Context homeschool language arts course counts as one language arts credit if the student completes all assignments and spends approximately 180 hours working through the course.

Close

Course Outline for Our American Literature in Historical Context Homeschool Language Arts Course

The nine units found in our American Literature in Historical Context homeschool language arts course teach homeschool high school students about American literature and its development from pre-colonization through the present day. Links are provided to access all main readings free online.

Links are provided to read all main readings free online.

Unit One: Weeks 1-4

?-1700: Pre-Colonization through early colonization

  • Main Readings: Myths and Legends of the Sioux by Marie L. McLaughlin and Viking Talesby Jennie Hall
  • Additional Readings and Authors: Mayflower Compact, William Bradford, Edward Winslow, and William Penn

Unit Two: Weeks 5-8

1700-1775: Early Colonization

  • Main Reading: Poems on Various Subjects by Phillis Wheatley
  • Additional Readings by: Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Johnathan Edwards, and George Whitefield

Unit Three: Weeks 9-12

1776-1820: American Revolution and Post-Revolution

  • Main Reading: The Sketchbook of Jeffrey Crayon by Washington Irving
  • Additional Readings and Authors: Hannah Foster, Federalist Essays, and Charles Brockden Brown

Unit Four: Weeks 13-16

1820-1860: Pre-Civil War

  • Main Reading: The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne and short stories by Edgar Allen Poe
  • Additional Authors: James Fenimore Cooper, Frederick Douglass, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, Harriet Beecher Stowe, and Herman Melville

Unit Five: Weeks 17-20

1861-1877: Civil War and Reconstruction

  • Main Reading: Little Women (1868) by Louisa May Alcott
  • Additional Authors: Harriet Ann Jacobs, Abraham Lincoln, Mary Chestnut, Emily Dickinson, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, and Mark Twain

Unit Six: Weeks 21-24

1878-1901: Victorian

  • Main Reading: A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court by Mark Twain
  • Additional Authors: Susan B. Anthony, Booker T. Washington, Walt Whitman, Kate Chopin, Stephen Crane, Kate Douglas Wiggin, and Nora A. Smith
  • Parents: Please note, there is some offensive language in A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court. Please use discretion when assigning this selection to your students or feel free to substitute with another selection.

Unit Seven: Weeks 25-28

1902-1940: World War I, Roaring 20s, Great Depression

  • Main Readings by: Thornton Burgess
  • Additional Authors: Frank L. Baum, Grace Livingston Hill, Edith Wharton, O. Henry, and Paul Lawrence Dunbar

Unit Eight: Weeks 29-32

1941-1969: World War II, Korean War, Civil Rights

  • Main Reading: Nancy Dale: Army Nurse by Ruby Lorraine Radford
  • Additional Authors: Langston Hughes, Ray Bradbury, Agatha Christie, E. E. Smith, and Edgar Rice Burroughs

Unit Nine: Weeks 33-36

1970-Present: Postmodernism

  • Main Readings: Two Novels of Your Choice
  • Additional Authors: Maya Angelou and Shel Silverstein

Please Note: This curriculum may include literature by classic authors who are not necessarily Christian, but the lessons seek to evaluate the works from a Christian worldview.

Close

More About Our American Literature in Historical Context Homeschool Language Arts Course

In order to fully grasp an understanding of American literature and how it has progressed over the centuries, it is important to study the cultural and historical events of the time. The American literature of today is extremely different from that written at the beginning of the nation.

It is useful to note that many times literary works reflected social changes before they occurred in society at large. For good or evil, it is clear throughout the history of America that literature had a great impact on society. High school homeschool students address several key questions as they read the literature for this American Literature in Historical Context homeschool language arts course including:

 

  1. What national events may have impacted the author’s work?
  2. Was the author trying to impact society with their work?
  3. How were women represented?
  4. How were minorities represented?
  5. Were there any cultural shifts which impacted the literature?
  6. What can be learned about the culture from the work?

 

As students enjoy this study through American literature, they are encouraged to thoughtfully consider the social changes, both positive and negative, which may have been affected by the popular literature of various periods of American history.

Close

Quick Start

1.  Bookmark the course for easy access during instruction.

2. Click “View Lesson Plan” and organize as desired (on computer desktop or in a printed format). 

3.  Gather necessary resources as listed in the lesson plan.

4.  Click “Go to Class Lessons” and get started.

5.  Enjoy the course!

6.  Utilize Applecore or your own record keeping system throughout the course.

7.  Print a certificate of completion.

Need help? Check out our tutorials or click the live chat box in the corner of your screen.

Close