Mona Shores High School

AMERICAN

LITERATURE

Study Booklet created by

Chris Johnson

Mona Shores High School

Adapted from Glencoe Literature: The Reader’s Choice Teacher Resources

Unit 1

Early America

Name ______

Exploring the Big Ideas at Home

Our Literary Roots

Three big ideas that dominated writing between 1500 and 1800 continue to resonate today. First, respect for the earth, expressed in Native American oral tradition, is reflected in present-day environmental concerns. Second, the United States has always been enriched by the cultural, social, and economic contributions of new immigrants. Third, challenges to liberty and freedom present an ongoing struggle.

ACTIVITY

Directions Talk with one or two people at home who may see parallels between experiences in earlier periods and the present day. Use the following questions as a guide.

1. Do you think that people have more or less respect for nature than the native peoples of North America? Why?

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2. Do you believe that immigrants today face problems that are similar to or different from the ones newcomers faced in earlier centuries? Explain.

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3. Do you think that women today enjoy the same liberties as men? Why or why not?

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4. How have your ideas about individual freedom been affected by recent historical developments?

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5. Do you think that the United States has made significant progress in demonstrating responsibility toward the natural world, tolerance toward others’ beliefs, and political and social equality? Why or why not?

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Name ______

From Of Plymouth Plantation Notes

Make a prediction based on the title: ______

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Author: ______

Three interesting facts about the author

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______
______

Literary element from the selection: ______

Define the literary element: ______

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List the main points for each section of the selection

Their Voyage / The Starving Time
Indian Relations / The First Thanksgiving

1. If you had been a Plymouth settler, what do you think would have been your greatest challenge?

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2. In your opinion, were the Pilgrims skilled in adapting to the unexpected conditions in the New World? Explain. ______

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3. How do the English settlers first perceive the Native Americans? ______

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4. Who is Squanto?______

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5. Paraphrase the first sentence on page 63, paragraph 1, which begins “Being thus arrived…”

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6. How would describe the style of this sentence? ______

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Name ______

Selection Vocabulary Practice

Of Plymouth PlantationWILLIAM BRADFORD

VOCABULARY
resolvev. to decide; determine
providencen. divine care or guidance; foresight
procurev. to obtain by care or effort
commodityn. a product or economic good
feignedadj. fictitious; not genuine

Vocabulary

Practice with Synonyms

Circle the word on each line that does not belong with the others.

1. procure obtain get seek

2. object good gift commodity

3. feigned fake authentic bogus

4. make up your mind resolve agree to conflict

Applying Meanings

Write the vocabulary word that answers each riddle.

1. I am something useful that can be bought or sold for profit. What am I? ______

2. I am the action you take to get something you want. What am I? ______

3. I am unreal, artificial. Don’t put your trust in me. What am I? ______

4. I am what you do when you make up your mind about something? What am I? ______

5. I am leadership or advice that comes from beyond this world. What am I? ______

EXERCISE C

Of Plymouth

Reading Strategy

Monitoring Comprehension

Of Plymouth Plantation WILLIAM BRADFORD

Different texts need to be read in different ways. A suspense novel or a humorous story can usually be read quickly, without stopping to make sure that the meaning is clear. Dense texts need to be read more carefully. Most readers need to pause several times to make sure they understand what the text is about. Languages are constantly evolving. The English that William Bradford spoke when he landed at Plymouth Rock is different from the English you speak today. Some words have taken on different meanings. Other words have fallen out of use. The style of writing has also changed. By today’s standards, Bradford’s sentences are very long, and his use of punctuation seems peculiar. All of these factors make reading his account difficult.

ACTIVITY

Directions Both of the excerpts listed below document the enormous difficulties the early settlers faced. Read each one and think about what it means. On the lines provided, write the same ideas in your own words. Take as many sentences as you need to express what the author expressed. If you do not know what a word means, use the context to try to figure it out or use a dictionary.

Of Plymouth

Original Sentence

Modern Version of Sentence

“Being thus passed the vast ocean, and a sea of troubles before in their preparation … they had now no friends to welcome them nor inns to entertain or refresh their weather beaten bodies; no houses or much less town to repair to, to
seek for succor.” / 1.
“…Six or seven sound persons…spared no pains night nor day, but with abundance of toil and hazard of their own health, fetched them
wood, made them fires, dressed them meat, made their beds, washed their loathsome clothes…in a word, did all the homely and
necessary offices for them which dainty and quesy stomaches cannot endure to hear named…” / 2.

Plantation

Name ______

From Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God Notes

Make a prediction based on the title: ______

______

Author: ______

Three interesting facts about the author

______
______
______

Literary element from the selection: ______

Define the literary element: ______

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Pick an image from the selection that uses strong imagery. Draw that image!

1. Imagine that you are in the congregation listening to Edwards’s sermon. How might you respond? ______

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2. An allusion is a reference to a well-known person, character, place or situation. A) What allusion does Edwards introduce in the last paragraph? ______

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B) Why does he make this reference? ______

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3. What frightening images occur in the first two paragraphs? To which senses do they appeal? ______

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4. List five additional images Edwards uses to make his arguments convincing? ______

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5. Identify negative connotations in this passage: “you are ten thousand times so abominable in his eyes, as the most hateful and venomous serpent is in ours.” ______

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6. How do these connotations reinforce Edwards’s message? ______

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Name ______

Selection Vocabulary Practice

Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God JONATHAN EDWARDS

Vocabulary
appease v. to bring to a state of peace or quiet; sooth
abate v. to lessen or reduce in force or intensity
prudence n. exercise of good and cautious judgment
abhor v. to regard with disgust
abominable adj. disgusting, detestable

Practice with Analogies

Choose the word pair that best completes each analogy.

1. abhor : detest ::2. abate : incite ::

A. like : love A. age : grow

B. love : hate B. walk : run

C. want : desire C. end : begin

D. fight : soothe D. friend : acquaintance

Applying Meanings

Write the vocabulary word that best fits each sentence. Change the form of the word if

necessary.

1. In the interest of ______his parents, he agreed to what they wanted.

2. If this noise doesn’t ______, I think I’ll go crazy. I can’t hear myself think!

3. The disgusted way she looked at the puppy suggested that she ______animals.

4. I couldn’t eat that food. It was ______!

5. Given his poor health, it didn’t seem ______for him to compete in a marathon.

Reading Strategy

Examining Connotation

Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God JONATHAN EDWARDS

Sometimes two or more words that have the same meaning can have very different connotations. Just think about the many different antonyms for the word fat. Thin, lean, skinny, slender, and slim, to name just a few, all have very different connotations. When you hear each word, you probably picture a different image.

ACTIVITY

Directions Complete the chart. Model your responses after the first line in the chart.

Expression Used by Edwards /

Meaning

Connotation

hell is gaping / Hell is wide open for them. / Hell is a huge, frightening place, waiting to swallow up
sinners.
plunge into the bottomless
gulf / 1.
made drunk with your blood
most hateful venomous
serpent / 2.
most hateful venomous
serpent / 3.

4. Do Edwards’s phrases have negative or positive connotations? Why do you think he chose these words?

Sinners in the Hands

Name ______

From The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin Notes

Author: ______

Three interesting facts about the author

______
______
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Literary element from the selection: ______

Define the literary element: ______

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1. Why do you think Franklin insists on paying the boatmen even though he helped row? ______

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2. How should a reader evaluate Franklin’s autobiography differently from a biography or a piece of fiction? ______

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3. Franklin was very self-reliant. Is self-reliance as important today as it was in Franklin’s time?______

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4. Do you think that Franklin presented himself as he really was, or did he present a biased, or one-sided, self-portrait? Support your response with details from the selection. ______

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“…having read some where that cold water drunk plentifully was good for fever, I followed that prescription…”

5. What does Franklin reveal about himself in the above passage? ______

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6. Judging by Franklin’s literary voice, what sort of personality do you imagine he possessed?

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Name ______

Selection Vocabulary Practice

The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin BENJAMIN FRANKLIN

Vocabulary

Vocabulary
indentured adj. bound by contract to serve someone for a time
ambulatory adj. moving from place to place
ingenious adj. exhibiting creative ability; inventive
infidel n. an unbeliever
mortification n. feeling of shame, humiliation, or embarrassment

Practice with Word Origins

Use a dictionary to look up any words you do not understand. If you speak French or Spanish, use your knowledge to help answer the following questions.

1. What do the words ambulatory and ambulance have in common? What do youthink ambu- means?

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2. What do the words mortification, mortal, and mortician have in common?What do you think mort means?

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3. What do the words infidel and fidelity have in common? What do you think –fidel means? B

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Applying Meanings

Write the vocabulary word that matches each clue. Hint: Each clue contains one italicized word that has the same word part as the vocabulary word.

1. I’m confident that you do not accept our faith or share our beliefs. ______

2. My disgrace is immortal. I’ll never be able to hold my head up in this townagain.

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3. Now that he was able to get around on his own two feet, he no longer had torely on the ambulance to get him to his doctor’s appointments. ______

4. Her clever, imaginative ideas have led to many inventions. Some might call hera genius.

EXERCISE C

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Reading Strategy

Analyzing Voice

The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin BENJAMIN FRANKLIN

Voice refers to the way an author uses language to write about his or her subject. Inthe case of an autobiography, it provides the reader with insights into the personalityof the author.

As you read Benjamin Franklin’s autobiography, think about what his voice tellsyou about his personality. Think about how a different kind of man might havedescribed his arrival in a new city.

ACTIVITY

Directions Answer the following questions.

1. Would you describe Franklin’s voice as matter-of-fact or ornate? Give twoexamples to support your answer.

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2. Given that it was written more than 200 years ago, is Franklin’s autobiographydifficult or easy to understand? Explain your answer.

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3. From this passage, does Franklin come across as a modest man or an arrogantone? Support your answer with at least two specific supporting details from thetext.

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4. Would you have wanted to travel with Benjamin Franklin? Why or why not?

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Challenge Planner for Unit One

The Challenge project provides an opportunity to explore the three Big Ideas in Unit 1: The Sacred

Earth and the Power of Storytelling, Life in the New World, and The Road to Independence.

Directions From the topics listed in Section A, choose one that interests you. Once you have decided on a topic, choose a project in Section B that will help you present your ideas on the topic. Projects may be done alone, with a partner, or with a small group. Follow the steps in Section C to plan and complete your challenge project.

Section A. Choose a Topic

1. Native Americans and American colonists had very different ideas about thenatural world, private property, and religion. Identify as many ways as you canin which their views differed. Use passages from at least four of the readingselections to support your ideas.

2. Both William Bradford and Olaudah Equiano arrived in the New World byship. Describe how each ended up in the colonies, how their experiences at seawere similar and different, what happened to each after arriving, and how eachrefers to the Christian God. Use passages from the selections to support yourideas.

3. Based on what you know about life in New England in the 17th and 18th centuriesfrom the writings of William Bradford, Mary Rowlandson, and JonathanEdwards, would you have wanted to be an American colonist? Why or why not?Use passages from the selections to support your position.

4. Thomas Paine, Patrick Henry, and Thomas Jefferson wrote passionately aboutthe tyranny of the British and the need to become independent of Great Britain.Identify the arguments in each man’s writings that would have convinced youto join the colonial army in the American Revolution. If you do not find theirarguments convincing, explain why not.

5. Think about the writings of the three women writers in this unit, Mary Rowlandson,Anne Bradstreet, and Abigail Adams. What did these women have incommon? In what ways were they different? What do their writings tell youabout the lives of women in colonial America?

Section B: Choose a Project

1. Word Collage. Working with a partner or group that has chosen the sametopic, create a visual or oral collage. Draft a written response to the topic youchoose. For a visual collage, create a poster, Web page, or other display of yourwritten material. Display the content so that it conveys a message and is visuallyappealing. For an oral collage, present a reading of your written material,

including excerpts from selections. Using Topic 3, for example, your collagecould present visual or oral representations of the religious beliefs of WilliamBradford, Mary Rowlandson, and Jonathan Edwards, illustrating scenes fromtheir lives. Be prepared to share your collage with the class.

2. Author’s Lunch. Working with a partner or a group that has chosen the sametopic, plan a conversation between two or more unit authors that might takeplace if they met for lunch. The authors may or may not have known each otherin real life. Have each partner take on the role of one author. Where possible,use quotations from the authors’writing to make the conversation as authenticas possible. Try to capture the voice of each author. Using Topic 5, for example,Mary Rowlandson, Anne Bradstreet, and Abigail Adams could discuss what itwas like to be a woman in colonial America.

3. Meet the Press. Working with a group of at least three people, prepare a televisioninterview or radio talk show in which two or more authors are interviewed.At least one member of your group should take on the role of journalist, andat least two members of the group should take on the role of authors. If youchoose to prepare a radio talk show, one member of the group could play therole of various callers, or you could tape record listener calls. For example, usingTopic 2, you could have William Bradford and Olaudah Equiano discuss theirarrival in the New World.

4. Letter Exchange. Work alone or with a partner to create a correspondencebetween two unit authors or between you and a unit author. The correspondenceshould address a topic through original writing and quotations fromselections. You may write the exchange as a traditional letter exchange or inshort segments, as if it were taking place by e-mail. Using Topic 1, for example,you could exchange letters between a Native American and a colonist.

5. Magazine Feature or Book Review. Working with a partner or a small groupthat has chosen the same topic, create a magazine article or book review addressingyour topic. If you write a magazine feature, design and illustrate it usingboxes, sidebars, headlines, and other features to break up the page. If you writea book review, analyze the writings critically, pointing out strengths and weaknesses.Using Topic 4, for example, you could review the writings of Henry,Paine, and Jefferson or write a feature article on their views and styles.

Section C: Make a PlanName ______

1. Clarify any class requirements.

Project due date ______

In-class work time ______

Research beyond the textbook (if needed)

A. sources required ______C. none ______

B. recommended ______D. other ______

Source documentation

A. required for all research ______C. none ______

B. required for quotations ______D. other ______

2. Choose your topic from Section A.

Topic ______

3. Choose your project from Section B.

Project ______

4. Decide whether you will be working alone or with others.

_____ alone _____ partner _____ group

5. If you will be working with others, meet with all the participants to decideon the authors and selections that you will focus on for the project.

Authors ______

Selections ______

6. If you will be working with others, agree on each person’s responsibility beforeyour next meeting on.

Name ______Name ______

Responsibilities ______Responsibilities______

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Name ______Name ______

Responsibilities ______Responsibilities ______

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7. Do your research. If you will be using sources beyond your textbook, find thesources, take notes, and jot down ideas. If you will be using only the textbook, rereadthe selections you have chosen and take notes that are relevant to your project.