American Literature Lesson Plans

Teachers thread the literature of American Slavery with the events taking place during these tumultuous years to create meaningful learning experiences for their students. With the thematic strands of the social studies standards set up, all teachers can take advantage of this increasingly popular focus on interdisciplinary study.

Uncle Tom's Cabin Unit of Study
This unit contains examines one of the most influential pieces of American literature, Uncle Tom's Cabin, and its effects on American society and culture during and after the slave era. Through a series of seven lessons, individual students and groups will investigate primary and secondary sources to explore the life of Harriet Beecher Stowe, her relationships with her family and other celebrities of the time period, and the content and context of the novel. Thus unit contains nine lessons and one essay.
Target grade levels: Middle and high school, grades 6-12
For use with: Uncle Tom's Cabin, studies on slavery

A Gathering of Old Men Unit of Study
This unit of study on Ernest Gaines' A Gathering of Old Men fully integrates history into the literature curriculum. Lessons range from literary technique to classical study of literature to the history of slavery in Louisiana, where the story is set, and the role of the African-American Church, offering students insight into the lives of the enslaved of America's past.
Target grade levels: High school, grades 11-12
For use with: Essay: Historical Overview

The Bondwoman's Narrative Lesson Plan Unit
The focus is on The Bondwoman's Narrative as a primary source, with secondary emphasis, research, and discussion on the factors/influences surrounding the novel as a historical text--the discovery of the original manuscript; the person credited with its discovery, purchase, and publication; the controversy surrounding the authenticity of the text; and the genre of historical fiction.
Target grade levels: High School, Grades 9-12
For Use With: The Bondswoman's Narrative

The Glory Field by Walter Dean Myers
This lesson follows a family during slavery and its aftermath in The Glory Field. The novel encompasses aspects of slavery ranging from Middle Passage through the Civil War, and into the Jim Crow years to the end of the 20th century, making it a good complement to the study of American History in social studies classes.
Target grade levels: Middle School, Grades six-eight
For Use With: The Glory Field by Walter Dean Myers

Young Adult Literature and the History of Slavery
This 10-lesson collaborative unit asks middle schoolers to teach elementary school students about slavery in the U.S. using images, literature, narratives, and drama.
Target grade levels: Middle and elementary school students
For Use With: Studies on slavery

Nightjohn and Sarny by Gary Paulsen: The History of Slavery:
This multi-lesson unit uses Paulsen's works to help students understand the slavery experience from the point of view of the enslaved. The unit covers the timeline of slavery, the language of slaves, and an introduction to the Library of Congress collection of ex-slave narratives. Teachers of younger students should be aware that the novels contain some descriptions of violence.
Target grade levels: Mature fifth/sixth grades and middle school students
For Use With: Historical Overview

Study Guide for Cane River:
This comprehensive reading guide for Lalita Tademy's novel, Cane River, offers teachers pre-reading through post-reading discussion questions, ideas for further research, an extensive vocabulary list, and essay prompts. Link to the Lalita Tademy narrative on this site.
Target grade levels: Middle and high school

Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt Interdisciplinary Unit:
This 5-lesson interdisciplinary unit uses the simple, yet compelling story Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt, both as a bridge to study each academic discipline as addressed in the story and as a way to help students understand the complexities involved with slavery and escaping from it.
Target grade levels: Second through eighth grade

"Desiree's Baby" by Kate Chopin: A Question of Race:
This lesson focuses on the notion of race in the 1800s by examining Chopin's short story. A copy of the short story can be accessed directly from the lesson.
Target grade levels: Middle and High School

Quilting and Culture: Using Alice Walker's "Everyday Use" To Learn About African-American Quilting:
Using the text of Walker's short story as a springboard for research about quilting, this lesson culminates with students designing their own quilt patterns while giving them a better understanding about the link between quilting and African-American culture.
Target grade levels: Middle and high school, with literature adaptation to upper elementary