American Literature & Research E-book by Meredith Curtis

Teens Read American Classics & Write a Research Paper Step-by-Step!

Students have a blast reading, writing, and discussing American works, going all the way back to Colonial Times.  Some works are included in American Literature & Research, a 1-credit high school English course, but you will need to purchase or borrow literature to read for this course.

Students learn to research using primary and secondary sources and to write a research paper step by step. Preparation includes a précis (concise summary), paraphrase, thesis statement, notecards, and essay.

Teens read beloved American authors such as Mark Twain, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Cotton Mather, Mary Rowlandson, Herman Melville, Lew Wallace, Lois Lowry, Frank Peretti, Emily Dickinson, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Alexander Hamilton, Jonathan Edwards, Booker T. Washington, and Charles Schultz. Instead of book reports, books are discussed in a “book club” setting with snacks. Questions are provided as a springboard for lively conversations about these amazing books.

Use American Literature & Research at home, in a homeschool co-op, or in a Christian school.

We will….
Read and discuss great literature & works
Read original documents when you write your précis and paraphrases Write a research paper step-by-step
Read sermons, speeches, & plays aloud
Write an essay and letter to the editor
Learn about the Sunday funny papers & write your own cartoon
Learn some American history along the way

Some of the literature and classic works we are reading are included in American Literature & Research:

"Day of Doom" by Michael Wigglesworth (Long Poem)
Brief Narrative of the Progress of the Gospel by John Eliot
Narrative of the Captivity & Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson by Mrs. Mary Rowlandson (Biographical Adventure) “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” by Jonathan Edwards (Sermon)
Six of the Federalist Papers by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, John Jay, & Others (Letters/Editorials)
“Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death” by Patrick Henry (Speech)
Six of the Anti-Federalist Papers by Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry, Richard Henry Lee, & Others (Letters/Editorials)
“The Tell-Tale Heart” by Edgar Allan Poe (Suspense/Short Story)
“Diary of Adam & Eve” by Mark Twain (Humor/Short Story)
“Bartleby the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street” by Herman Melville (Short Story) “Should America Intercede for the Jews” by William E. Blackstone (Letter of Appeal) “Booze Sermon” by Billy Sunday (Sermon)

Here is a list of the rest of the American classics we will be reading 

Plimoth Plantation by William Bradford
Diary of David Brainerd by David Brainerd (Journal)
Autobiography of Ben Franklin by Benjamin Franklin (Autobiography)
The Deer Slayer by James Fenimore Cooper (Historical Fiction/Novel)
The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne (Historical Fiction/Novel)
A Narrative of the Life of David Crockett by Davy Crockett
Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe (Novel)
Ben Hur by Lew Wallace (Historical Fiction/Novel)
In His Steps by Charles Sheldon (Novel)
Up From Slavery by Booker T. Washington (Autobiography)
The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemmingway
"Our Town" by Thorton Wilder (Play)
To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee (Historical Fiction/Novel)
Tilly by Frank Peretti (Novel)
Snoopy & Peanuts Comic Strips by Charles Schwartz (Humor, Comics)
The Giver by Lois Lowry (Fantasy)

Series: Homeschooling High School to Glory of God
Author: Meredith Curtis
Publisher: Powerline Productions
E-book: 488 pages
Age/Grade: High School

American Literature & Research is a 1 Credit High School English Course.