National Endowment for the Humanities
Faulkner's As I Lay Dying: Images of Faulkner and the South
Learners research one aspect of the life of Faulkner and the culture of the South. In this As I Lay Dying instructional activity, learners explore a webpage on Faulkner and write a summary. Learners analyze the images and consider the...
Yale University
"This is Not a Story to Pass On": Teaching Toni Morrison's Beloved
Tenth graders read "Beloved" by Toni Morrison. In groups, they research the life and works of Morrison and read a speech by Sojouner Truth. Using the novel, they discuss the experiences of slaves and the effect of slavery on their...
Curated OER
"What is an American?"
Eleventh graders ponder about what it means to be an "American." They discuss the impact of an author's word choice and sentence structure on text. They identify some major themes and development of the Letters... Compose paragraphs and...
National Endowment for the Humanities
Nathaniel Hawthorne and Literary Humor
Young scholars examine Nathaniel Hawthorne's style of humor and compare it to other humorists. They discuss the purpose of literary humor and determine how it develops characters and plots in stories. They analyze the use of different...
Curated OER
To Kill a Mockingbird: Fun Trivia Quiz
A standard reading comprehension quiz, this resource asks 10 multiple choice questions that focus on the characters in Harper Lee's modern classic novel, To Kill a Mockingbird. The fact-based questions, which focus on identifying...
Curated OER
Cliffs Notes: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
A simple, standard, reading comprehension quiz for The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. High schoolers answer multiple choice questions that test their ability to recall information about the plot and characters from Mark Twain's novel....
Curated OER
The Lost Generation Writers of the 1920's
Eleventh graders explore works of the Lost Generation writers of the 1920's. In this American literature lesson, 11th graders analyze provided selections from Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald and then respond to a writing prompt...
Curated OER
Greetings from Maya Angelou
Students investigate the life and works of Maya Angelou. They complete a Webquest, read poems, listen to a reading by Maya Angelou, answer discussion questions, and write a poem, short story, or essay based on a newspaper article.
Curated OER
Crucible Test
In this literature analysis worksheet, students write a paragraph using quotes and specific examples as an essay test of The Crucible.
Curated OER
American Literature Authors and Their Works
Learners match American Literature authors with their short stories, poems, and books. In this American Literature lesson, students are given an overview of the authors and their main works. Then learners independently do a matching...
Bibliomania
Bibliomania: "Adventures of Tom Sawyer" (Text)
Bibliomania provides the complete text of Mark Twain's "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer." Text is separated into chapters, and is an excellent example of regionalism, satire, theme, and irony.
Indiana University
Harriet Beecher Stowe Wright Fiction Collection
Full-text works by Harriet Beecher Stowe can be viewed as facsimiles of the original books, as PDF documents, and as plain text.
Bibliomania
Bibliomania: Simonds History of American Literature
This site presents the full text of the "Simonds History of American Literature." This detailed reference book explores the literature in early colonial times, the eighteenth century, the beginning of the nineteenth century, the New...
Bibliomania
Bibliomania: Full Text of Billy Budd
This site from Bibliomania contains the full text to Herman Melville's Billy Budd written in 1891. A brief but factual introduction is given along with a table of contents that has each chapter of the book accessible by link.
Bibliomania
Bibliomania: Fenimore Cooper the Last of the Mohicans
Full text of James Fenimore Cooper's novel, "The Last of the Mohicans." Chapters of the text are preceded by an "Author's Introduction," as well as a brief paragraph introducing the context, characters, and plot of the novel.
Indiana University
The Piazza Tales (Full Text) by Herman Melville
Full-texts of such Melville works as "Bartleby the Scrivner" and "Benito Cerino" can be read as facsimiles of the original editions as well as PDF and plain text documents.
Indiana University
Wright American Fiction Collection: Mark Twain
The full texts to Twain's lesser-known works can be accessed from this site such as "Celebrated Jumping Frog" and "The Innocents Abroad." Read facsimiles of the original books or plain text versions.
Georgetown University
Georgetown University: Jean Toomer (1894 1967)
Excellent research site! Includes theme, perspective, form, style,audience, comparison, and contrast of the famous author's work.
Georgetown University
Georgetown University: Countee Cullen (1903 1946)
Includes form, style, comparison and contrast of Countee Cullen's work. Also has links to famous contemporaries of the era.
Bartleby
Bartleby.com: "The Outcasts of Poker Flat" by Francis Bret Harte
This is the text of the the short story "The Outcasts of Poker Flat" by Francis Bret Harte.
PBS
Pbs Teachers: A Death in the Family
Created in association with the Masterpiece Theatre film version of "A Death in the Family," this teacher's guide provides materials for the study of the film or the book. Learners will study the life and work of James Agee, determine...
US National Archives
Nara: Teaching With Documents: Little House in Census: Almanzo and Laura Wilder
Data from the 1880 and the 1900 Censuses, and how these relate to the lives of Almanzo and Laura Ingalls Wilder, are presented here. There are also ideas for teaching using primary sources.
University at Buffalo
Phat African American Poetry Book: Arna Bontemps
Three of Arna Bontemps' more famous poems are printed here.
University at Buffalo
Circle Association: Harlem Renaissance History and Links
This resource from the Circle Association at the University of Buffalo gives background on the origins of the Harlem Renaissance and highlights its most famous authors.