American Literature Instructor: Tonya McQuade

A Few Things about Me … I’ve been teaching for 26 years, with the last 23 at Los Gatos High School. I also taught English for two years in Osaka, Japan, and one year in Santa Barbara, CA. I’m married and have two children: one a college sophomore, and one a junior at LGHS.

My Education Bachelor of Arts, English and Communication Studies, U.C. Santa Barbara Single Subject Teaching Credential - English, U.C. Santa Barbara Master of Arts, Educational Leadership, San Jose State University

Goals for the Year: Reading and sampling American literature, art, and music from various time periods in American history Essay writing skills (various forms) Speaking skills (formal and informal) Critical thinking skills Vocabulary development (including roots) Grammatical precision PSAT/SAT preparation Research techniques

What will we read? Text for Class: The Language of Literature: American Literature Core Novels & Plays: Into the Wild, by Jon Krakauer A Light in the Forest, by Conrad Richter The Crucible, by Arthur Miller Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, by Frederick Douglass The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald Additional Short Stories, Essays, Novel Excerpts, and Poems Choose One: The Joy Luck Club, by Amy Tan The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini The Help, by Kathryn Stockett

What movies will we watch? The Last of the Mohicans (James Fenimore Cooper) Roots, Parts 1 & 2 (Alex Haley) Little Women (Louisa May Alcott) The Color Purple (Alice Walker) East of Eden (John Steinbeck) The Help (Kathryn Stockett) The Kite Runner (Khaled Hosseini) The Joy Luck Club (Amy Tan)

What literary movements will we cover? Primitivism/Native American Tales Colonialism (Pilgrim Tales/Slave Narratives/Puritanism) Age of Reason/Revolutionary Writings Romanticism/Transcendentalism/Gothicism Naturalism/Realism/Regionalism Harlem Renaissance/Civil Rights Movement Modernism/Experimentation Post-Modernism/Wartime Reflections Contemporary Voices/“Confessional” Writing

Some of our Essential Questions... What does it mean to be an American? In what ways has American identity evolved? What is the American dream? Has it remained the same over the decades or changed in some way? Is it attainable for all Americans? What roles have individualism, self-reliance, civil disobedience, and the “pioneer spirit” played in the making of America? What defines a literary movement? How does an understanding of the chronology, themes, and authors of important literary movements show how we as a people came to be who we are today? How do literature, art, and music both reflect and contribute to the cultural and societal values of the time in which they are written/created? How do writers use literary devices and rhetorical techniques to convey ideas and information?

How can you help?

Promote Vocabulary Development Encourage your son or daughter to sign up for “Question of the Day” at Encourage students to use flash cards on Quizlet

Give Writing Assistance Suggest Topics Help Brainstorm Ask Clarifying Questions Give Revision Tips (but don’t take over) Promote Academic Integrity!

Promote: Class Participation Tutorial Attendance Organization & Pacing Planning & Prioritizing Good Study Habits Nutrition and Sleep

Keep an Eye On: Weekly Schedules (on school website) Semester in Brief Outside Reading List AERIES

Some Final Thoughts …

LGHS Service Fair Tuesday, September 23 Front Lawn during Tutorial * Students’ community service hours will be noted on their transcripts

PSAT Test on Saturday, October 18, at LGHS * If juniors do well, they can qualify to be National Merit Scholars

Support the New Millennium Fund! And thanks to NMF … for our English Computer Lab, our LCD projectors and Document Cameras, and the many other things they have purchased for our school!

Contact me if you have any concerns! is best at