Social Reform in the 1800s Ideals in Early American Art and Literature

Goals & Objectives

Goal:
Students will learn how the ideals of transcendentalism, individualism, and romanticism affected American art,
literature, and philosophy in the early-1800s.

Objective:
Students will be able to identify, interpret, and compare the ideals of transcendentalism and romanticism by
reading an expository text.

California State Content Standards

HSS 8.6.7: Identify common themes in American art as well as transcendentalism and individualism (e.g., writings
about and by Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, Herman Melville, Louisa May Alcott, Nathaniel
Hawthorne, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow).

Common Core Literacy Standards

Reading:
CCSS.RH.6-8.4: Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including vocabulary
specific to domains related to history/social studies.

CCSS.RH.6-8.7: Integrate visual information (e.g. in charts, graphs, photographs, videos, or maps) with other
information in print and digital texts.

Writing:
CCSS. WHST.6-8.1.a: Introduce claims about a topic or issue, acknowledge and distinguish the claims from
alternate or opposing claims, and organize the reasons and evidence logically.

CCSS.WHST.6-8.1.b: Support claims with logical reasoning and relevant, accurate data and evidence that
demonstrate an understanding of the topic or text, using credible sources.

Driving Historical Question

Do the ideals of early American reforms in philosophy, art, and literature still exist in our society?

Lesson Introduction (Anticipatory Set/Hook/Accessing Prior Knowledge) Time: 8 Min

The teacher will play a 2-minute clip from the movie Little Women. The clip depicts a group
of girls discussing a coming out party, but shows the ideals and viewpoints of many
Americans in the late 1800s. After watching the video, students will be asked to respond to
the clip in their journals, specifically focusing on what life was like during this time period.
They will have 2 minutes to write and will then get with partners to discuss their answers
for about 1 minute. The class will then participate in an idea whip, in which each pair will
discuss their reaction to the clip. This clip, along with the quick-write and pair-share
activity will set the stage for the entrance of transcendentalism and romanticism. There are
elements in the clip that apply to romantic ideals, specifically the antagonization of the girls
that are in high society. After 2-3 minutes of the idea whip, the teacher will move on.
Vocabulary (Content Language Development) Time: Throughout Lesson
Romanticism
Transcend
Transcendentalism
Abstract

These key terms will be taught to students during the gallery walk and the foldable activity.
Once the first stage of the foldable activity is finished, the teacher will, with the help of
students, write the vocabulary terms on the board. Two of these terms are included in the
foldable so they do not need to be written down in their notebooks.

Content Delivery (Method of Instruction) Time: 12 Minutes

The teacher will facilitate the class in a brief gallery walk of quotes or images from
transcendentalist and romantic ideals. There will be 6 different stations, 2 images and 4
quotes. Each station will have 1-2 questions for students to answer in their notebooks to
help them comprehend the quote or the image. 4-5 students will be at a station at one time
and they will rotate when finished. The purpose of this activity is to familiarize and expose
the students to transcendentalist and romantic works firsthand. This will help build
background knowledge of these ideals before they delve more deeply into the reading of
their textbooks. The text discusses a variety of different artists and authors that the
students will likely have never had exposure to and the gallery walk will give them that
exposure and help them make necessary connections to the text. After the gallery walk, The
teacher will lead a 2 minute discussion about the students answers to the questions.
Students will then independently create a 2-sided pocket foldable while reading their
textbook. More information on this activity can be found under student engagement.

Student Engagement (Critical Thinking & Student Activities) Time: 30 Minutes

Students will complete a 2-sided pocket foldable while they are reading the textbook.
Students will set up their foldable based on the instructions given to them and by watching
the teacher model how to create it. Once their foldables are ready, they will be asked to
write the title on the front (Transcendentalism v. Romanticism) and leave space to draw a
relevant picture for each topic. They should be drawing the pictures at the end after they
have learned about the ideals. On the inside of the foldable they will write
transcendentalism on the left side and romanticism on the right side (on the pockets). They
will be asked to read through the section focusing only on the main ideas of
transcendentalism and romanticism. Underneath the key terms, they will write down the
main ideas for each one as they are reading the text. Once they have finished, they will then
read the section one more time and write down on notecards the key figures of each
movement, key facts about them, and why they are significant. Students will be expected to
color-code their notecards to the ideal that they match. Once they are finished, students
will get into small groups and work together to complete any notecards that they have not
finished.
Lesson Closure Time: 5 Minutes
Students will use their foldables to rank who they believe were the most influential authors
or artists in both transcendentalism and in romanticism. They must write their reasoning
for the top two in each category. This will be turned in before leaving class as an exit
activity. Students will also be given homework to draw their pictures onto their foldables.
Now that they have information about each ideal, drawing the pictures will help them
remember what they learned.

Assessments (Formative & Summative)

Formative Entry-Level: Idea Whip
By asking each pair for their reactions to the video clip, the teacher can determine if the
students have enough background information on life in America at that time to
continue with the lesson. If students do not exhibit an understanding of society at that
time, then the teacher may need to give more background information before moving
forward.

Formative Progress Monitoring: Gallery Walk Monitoring and Discussion

During the Gallery Walk, the teacher will circulate and monitor students answers to the
questions on each quote or image. After the gallery walk, the teacher will lead a whole
class discussion to determine if students are understand the concepts and background
knowledge regarding transcendentalism and romanticism. The teacher will use a
name-o-matic system to call on students randomly and will give a significant amount
of wait time to answer the questions.

Formative Progress Monitoring: Monitoring During Close Reading and Foldable

While students are doing their close reading and completing their foldables, the teacher
will be circulating to answer any questions and to ensure that students are
comprehending the reading. Students that need extra scaffolding will be given extra
help. If the majority of students are not comprehending the text, then the teacher may
need to consider teaching the text using a different strategy.

Formative Progress Monitoring: Ranking Exit Slips

The rankings exit slips will inform the teacher at the close of the lesson how well
students understood the text. Ranking key figures by their significance to one of the
ideals integrates both main ideas and the various important people in the text. If a large
amount of students cannot rank or cannot give reasons for their rankings than the
teacher may need to reteach the text in a different way.

Summative Not Applicable

Accommodations for English Learners, Striving Readers and Students with Special Needs
English Learners are accommodated in this lesson through the heavy use of videos and
images, as are students with special needs. The foldable activity is useful for all categories
of learners because it is both hands-on and an organizational tool. Organizing the text into
two separate categories and by different text structure (main ideas and then key figures)
will help students to more easily comprehend the information given to them. ELLs, SSNs,
and Striving Readers will all be further accommodated by purposeful groupings and
pairings, which means that striving readers may be paired with more advanced readers
and ELLs placed with native speakers. During the close reading and foldable, all students
will be accommodated and given extra scaffolding as needed. The teacher will always allow
significant wait time in between asking a question and demanding an answer from a
student, which will help all of these students. If possible, ELLs may be given a translated
version of the text to compare to the English version.

Resources (Books, Websites, Handouts, Materials)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H0A2ycH3_vI
Holt, United States History, Independence to 1914
Brainyquotes.com Henry David Thoreau, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Walt Whitman, and
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Plain white or construction paper
Glue or Stapler
2 colored pens or highlighters