Name
Date
Unit 1 Introduction
Names and Terms to Know
A. DIRECTIONS: Write a brief sentence explaining each of the following names and terms. You
will find all of the information you need in the Unit Introduction in your textbook.
1. Jamestown:
2. Stamp Act:
3. The Puritan Ethic:
4. Olaudah Equiano:
5. John Adams:
6. Jean de Crèvecoeur
B. DIRECTIONS: Use the hints below to help you answer each question.
1. What role did Puritanism play in the settlement of North American by Europeans?
[Hints: What caused the Puritans to leave Europe? What was the “shining city on a hill”?]
2. What were some differences between the New England and Southern colonies?
[Hints: What was the economy of New England like? What was the economy of the Southern
colonies like? How were their lifestyles different? What happened in 1619 in Virginia?]
3. How did Enlightenment ideas influence the new American society?
[Hints: What was the “social contract”? How did Enlightenment ideas influence the colonists
to seek independence from England?]
Unit 1 Resources: A Gathering of Voices
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Name
Date
Unit 1 Introduction
Essential Question 1: What is the relationship between place and literature?
A. DIRECTIONS: Answer the questions about the first Essential Question in the Introduction,
about the relationship between place and literature. All the information you need is in the Unit
1 Introduction in your textbook.
1. The Natural Environment of the New World
a. The natural world the settlers found was
b. The Native American attitude toward nature was
2. The Colonists and Nature
a. The colonists regarded nature as belonging
b. The religious colonists’ dream for the New World was
c. In contrast to their dream, the colonists’ reality in the New World was
d. By the eighteenth century, the colonists’ attitude had changed to
3. The Attitudes toward Nature Expressed in the Literature
a. The religious colonists’ “Errand into the Wilderness” was
b. Later on, reason and technology made the natural world
B. DIRECTIONS: Complete the sentence stems based on the Essential Question Vocabulary
words.
1. In contrast to a city, a wilderness is
2. Early Americans appreciated both the danger and the splendor of
3. Some of the terrors that faced the early colonists were
Unit 1 Resources: A Gathering of Voices
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Name
Date
Unit 1 Introduction
Essential Question 2: What makes American literature American?
A. DIRECTIONS: On the lines provided, answer the questions about the second Essential
Question in the Introduction, about what makes American literature American. All the
information you need is in the Unit 1 Introduction in your textbook.
1. Theme in Literature
a. A theme is
b. Themes in literary works are revealed through
2. Three Early American Themes
a. In their writings about nature, early Americans expressed
b. The public writings of early Americans showed the unique combination of
c. Most early American writing emphasized two values:
3. Uniquely American Aspects of These Themes
a. What qualities did early Americans associate with their land?
b. What was the attitude of early Americans toward the past and traditional
European themes?
c. What vision of themselves did early Americans express in their writings?
B. DIRECTIONS: Complete the sentence stems based on the Essential Question Vocabulary
words.
1. Anita’s independence made her very unlikely to
2. Raj’s optimism led him to approach challenges expecting
3. A sense of community developed in our class when
Unit 1 Resources: A Gathering of Voices
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Name
Date
Unit 1 Introduction
Essential Question 3: How does literature shape or reflect society?
A. DIRECTIONS: On the lines provided, answer the questions about the third Essential Question
in the Introduction, about the relationship between the writer and society. All the information
you need is in the Unit 1 Introduction in your textbook.
1. Social and Political Forces Affecting Early American Literature
a. Puritan daily life, social relations, and lawmaking were all marked by
b. The Enlightenment is associated with the qualities of
c. Deep painful marks on American literature were left by relationships between
Americans of European descent and
2. Major Roles of Early American Writers
a. Examples of early American writers as oral poets and historians include
b. Examples of early American writers as preachers and lawmakers include
c. Early American autobiographers include
B. DIRECTIONS: Complete the sentence stems based on the Essential Question Vocabulary
words.
1. When Lani finally learned to govern her impulses, she
2. We celebrate our family’s heritage by
3. The preacher’s sermon interpreted the doctrine of
Unit 1 Resources: A Gathering of Voices
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11
Name
Date
Unit 1 Introduction
Following-Through Activities
A. CHECK YOUR COMPREHENSION: Use this chart to complete the Check Your Comprehension
activity in the Unit 1 Introduction. In the middle column, fill in two key concepts related to each
Essential Question. In the right column, list a group of people (Native Americans, Puritans, or
early revolutionaries) connected with each concept.
ESSENTIAL QUESTION
Place and Literature
American Literature
Writer and Society
Key Concept
Group
1.
1.
2.
2.
1. Self-determination
1. Revolutionaries like
Thomas Jefferson
2.
2.
1.
1.
2.
2.
B. EXTEND YOUR LEARNING: Use this graphic organizer to help plan your research for the
Extend Your Learning activity.
What type of spoken
literature are you
researching?
What was the
speaker’s purpose?
What form did the
performance take?
What types of
language did the
speaker use?
What else do we
know about how the
performance looked
and sounded?
Gestures
Movements
Unit 1 Resources: A Gathering of Voices
© Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
12
Vocalization