THECHANGINGAMERICANLANDSCAPE

ANENVIRONMENTALPARADOXDoreneKahl

NEHSummerInstitute2010

FinalunitoftheyearThisunitissituatedattheendof11thgradeAmerican

Literatureandfollowsinstructionintheorderlistedbelow.

1.  Language&CommunicationandIssuesofLanguageinanAmericanClassic

2.  TheArtofMemoir&PersonalWriting3.  RhetoricofPolitics&Speech4.  MediaExploration:CorporateCulture&Advertising;

Internet;andFilm5.  Class,CulturalDiversity,andtheAmericanDream6.  TheChangingAmericanLandscape

ESSENTIALQUESTIONHowdowetalkaboutapieceoftextin

anacademicway?

Forexample,addressingfictionmayinclude: Basictextelements(PSCT) Genre Literaryperiods LiteraryCriticalTheory(cfAppleman)

ESSENTIALQUESTIONHowdowetalkaboutapieceoftextinan

academicway?

Addressingnon‐fictionmayinclude:Whatisitabout?Whowroteitandforwhom(purpose)?Whenwasitwrittenandwhatelsewashappeningwhenitwaswritten(purpose)?Howisitrelevanttoday?

SubjectAudienceSpeaker/LogosPathosEthos

HABITSOFMIND•  Howdoyouknow?(Evidence)•  Whosepointofviewareyouseeing?(Perspective,Empathy)

•  Whatcauseswhat?(Connections,Cause&Effect)•  Howmightthingshavebeendifferent?(Conjecture,Imagination)

•  Howdoesitmatter?(Relevance)FromDeborahMeier.ThePowerofTheirIdeas:LessonsforAmericafromaSmallSchoolinHarlem.BeaconPress,2002.

TEXTCONNECTIONS

TexttoSelf

TexttoText

TexttoWorld

FromKeene,EllinOliver&SusanZimmermann.MosaicofThought:TeachingComprehensioninaReader’sWorkshop.PortsmouthNH:Heinemann,1997.

DEFININGANDREADINGTEXTINTHE21STCENTURY

Scholes,Robert.TextualPower:LiteraryTheoryandtheTeachingofEnglish.YaleUniversityPress,1986.

Intertextuality‐‐JuliaKristeva:essentiallymeans“socialsituatedness”thatistheideathatallutterances[ortexts]areresponsestopreviousutterancesandareaddressedtospecificaddressees.

NCTESTANDARDS(1‐6)Studentsreadawiderangeofprintandnon‐printtextstobuildanunderstandingoftexts,ofthemselves,and

oftheculturesoftheUnitedStatesandtheworld;toacquirenewinformation;torespondtotheneedsanddemandsofsocietyandtheworkplace;andforpersonalfulfillment.Amongthesetextsarefictionandnonfiction,classicandcontemporaryworks.

Studentsreadawiderangeofliteraturefrommanyperiodsinmanygenrestobuildanunderstandingofthemanydimensions(e.g.,philosophical,ethical,aesthetic)ofhumanexperience.

Studentsapplyawiderangeofstrategiestocomprehend,interpret,evaluate,andappreciatetexts.Theydrawontheirpriorexperience,theirinteractionswithotherreadersandwriters,theirknowledgeofwordmeaningandofothertexts,theirwordidentificationstrategies,andtheirunderstandingoftextualfeatures(e.g.,sound‐lettercorrespondence,sentencestructure,context,graphics).

Studentsadjusttheiruseofspoken,written,andvisuallanguage(e.g.,conventions,style,vocabulary)tocommunicateeffectivelywithavarietyofaudiencesandfordifferentpurposes.

Studentsemployawiderangeofstrategiesastheywriteandusedifferentwritingprocesselementsappropriatelytocommunicatewithdifferentaudiencesforavarietyofpurposes.

Studentsapplyknowledgeoflanguagestructure,languageconventions(e.g.,spellingandpunctuation),mediatechniques,figurativelanguage,andgenretocreate,critique,anddiscussprintandnon‐printtexts.

NCTESTANDARDS(7‐12)Studentsconductresearchonissuesandinterestsbygeneratingideasandquestions,andbyposingproblems.

Theygather,evaluate,andsynthesizedatafromavarietyofsources(e.g.,printandnon‐printtexts,artifacts,people)tocommunicatetheirdiscoveriesinwaysthatsuittheirpurposeandaudience.

Studentsuseavarietyoftechnologicalandinformationresources(e.g.,libraries,databases,computernetworks,video)togatherandsynthesizeinformationandtocreateandcommunicateknowledge.

Studentsdevelopanunderstandingofandrespectfordiversityinlanguageuse,patterns,anddialectsacrosscultures,ethnicgroups,geographicregions,andsocialroles.

StudentswhosefirstlanguageisnotEnglishmakeuseoftheirfirstlanguagetodevelopcompetencyintheEnglishlanguageartsandtodevelopunderstandingofcontentacrossthecurriculum.

Studentsparticipateasknowledgeable,reflective,creative,andcriticalmembersofavarietyofliteracycommunities.

Studentsusespoken,written,andvisuallanguagetoaccomplishtheirownpurposes(e.g.,forlearning,enjoyment,persuasion,andtheexchangeofinformation).

ANALYZINGCourseofEmpire

BackgroundInformation

Generally

IndividuallyPurpose

EffectApplication/Relevance

Cole:SavageState

Cole:Pastoral

Cole:Consummation

Cole:Destruction

Cole:Desolation

NatureRalphWaldoEmerson

“Whenwespeakofnatureinthismanner,wehaveadistinctbutmostpoeticalsenseinthemind.Wemeantheintegrityofimpressionmadebymanifoldnaturalobjects.Itisthiswhichdistinguishesthestickoftimberofthewood‐cutter,fromthetreeofthepoet.ThecharminglandscapewhichIsawthismorning,isindubitablymadeupofsometwentyorthirtyfarms.Millerownsthisfield,Lockethat,andManningthewoodlandbeyond.Butnoneofthemownsthelandscape.Thereisapropertyinthehorizonwhichnomanhasbuthewhoseeyecanintegratealltheparts,thatis,thepoet.Thisisthebestpartofthesemen'sfarms,yettothistheirwarranty‐deedsgivenotitle.”

NatureRalphWaldoEmerson,1836

IMAGININGAMERICA

“ImaginingAmerica:Iconsof20thCenturyAmericanArt”Videoco‐createdbyJonathanFinebergandJohnCarlin.(AiredDec2005;notavailable?)Althoughthetitlespeakstothe20thcentury,alengthydiscussionofCole’sOxbowand19thcenturyinfluenceisilluminating.

2‐hourPBSartdocumentaryaddressesnaturesociety,identity,massmedia,“spiritualwilderness”,and“thespacebetweenart&life.”

TheOxbow,ThomasCole

“ImaginingAmerica…”includeslengthydiscussionabouttheinfluenceofthispainting.

PanoramicPerception“Speedandluxury,however,alteredwhatpeopleactuallysaw.Perceptivetravelershadlongnotedthattheswiftnessofthetrainmadethesceneryarapidlymovingblur.ThehistorianWolfgangSchivelbuschexplainsthatrailroadtravelrequiredanewkindofperception.Alldetailsnearthetraindisappearedintoahazeofspeed,andthetravelercouldseeonlythegeneraloutlineofthefardistance.Schivelbuschcallsthis‘panoramicperception’”(185)

FromMilnerII,Clyde,ed.ANewSignificance:Re‐envisioningtheHistoryoftheAmericanWest.NY:OxfordUniversityPress,1996.

WaldenHenryDavidThoreauARusticMill,Bierstadt

ManufacturedLandscapesDocumentaryaboutEdBurtynsky’slandscapephotos

KennecottCopperMine(Burtynsky)

“MANUFACTUREDLANDSCAPES”PhotographerEdBurtynsky

Documentaryvideo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZiKBKnesnU(4mins)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M3uYIWig82A&NR=1(2mins)

TopicsforInquiry

“TheLandEthic”AldoLeopold

“TheStoneHorse”BarryLopez

“Landscape,History,andthePuebloImagination”LeslieMarmonSilko

“TheTroubleWithWilderness”WilliamCronan

“AWindStormintheForests”JohnMuir

“MarshlandElegy”AldoLeopold

AnExplorationofRomanticismThroughArtandPoetry

•  http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom‐resources/lesson‐plans/exploration‐romanticism‐through‐poetry‐1142.html

FIVETHEMESOFGEOGRAPHY

LocationPlace

Human/EnvironmentInteraction

Movement

Region

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/resources/ngo/education/themes.html

HUMAN/ENVIRONMENTINTERACTION

THEME3:HUMAN/ENVIRONMENTINTERACTION“Theenvironmentmeansdifferentthingstodifferentpeople,dependingontheirculturalbackgroundsandtechnologicalresources.Instudyinghuman/environmentinteraction,geographerslookatalltheeffects—positiveandnegative—thatoccurwhenpeopleinteractwiththeirsurroundings.Sometimesahumanact,suchasdammingarivertopreventfloodingortoprovideirrigation,requiresconsiderationofthepotentialconsequences.TheconstructionofHooverDamontheColoradoRiver,forexample,changedthenaturallandscape,butitalsocreatedareservoirthathelpsprovidewaterandelectricpowerforthearidSouthwest.Studyingtheconsequencesofhuman/environmentinteractionhelpspeopleplanandmanagetheenvironmentresponsibly.”

Fromnationalgeographic.com

TakeaLookAround

SalemStateCollegeoffersexamplesoflocallandscapechanges.

SaltMarshnexttodorm

Newconstruction/landscaping(metaphor)

SSCSALTMARSH(It’sablurryGreatEgret)

SSCSALTMARSH(It’sablurryGreatEgret)

It’sametaphor

“Youjustdon’texpecttofindconfrontationalconceptualartworksandwichedbetweenaposhprivategolfcourseandagenteelmansion‐turned‐museumwherestaffmembersbusythemselvescaringforEnglishgardens.”

MacCash,Doug.“Artist’sGulfofMexicoOilSpillProtest”inTheTimes‐Picayune,July12,2010.

DeepwaterHorizonResponse

http://videos.nola.com/times‐picayune/2010/06/mitchell_gaudets_deepwater_hor.html

“DeepwaterHorizonResponse”byMitchellGaudett:Acontemporaryartist’sresponsetoanenvironmentalcatastrophe.

WORKSCONSULTEDFORNEHRESEARCHPROJECTSUMMER2010

•  Appleman,Deborah.CriticalEncountersinHighSchoolEnglish:TeachingLiteraryTheorytoAdolescents.NY:TeachersCollegePress(andNCTE),2000.

•  Bang,Molly.PictureThis:PerceptionandComposition.NY:BulfinchPress,1991.•  Bruce,Chris,curator.MythoftheWest.NY:RizzoliInternationalPublications,Inc.(for

UniversityofSeattle’sHenryArtGallery),1990.•  Gould,KennethA.&TammyL.Lewis.TwentyLessonsinEnvironmentalSociology.NY:Oxford

UniversityPress,2009.•  Hawken,Paul.BlessedUnrest:HowtheLargestMovementintheWorldCameintoBeingand

WhyNoOneSawItComing.NY:Viking,2007.•  Heinrichs,Jay.ThankYouforArguing:WhatAristotle,Lincoln,andHomerSimpsonCanTeach

UsAbouttheArtofPersuasion.NY:ThreeRiversPress,2007.•  Johnston,Patricia,ed.SeeingHighandLow:RepresentingSocialConflictinAmericanVisual

Culture.Berkeley:UniversityofCaliforniaPress,2006.•  McQuade,Donald&RobertAtwan,eds.TheWriter’sPresence:APoolofEssays.Boston:

BedfordBooksofStMartin’sPress,1994.•  Meier,Deborah.ThePowerofTheirIdeas:LessonsforAmericafromaSmallSchoolin

Harlem.BeaconPress,2002.

WORKSCONSULTEDFORNEHRESEARCHPROJECTSUMMER2010

•  MilnerII,ClydeA.etal.,eds.TheOxfordHistoryoftheAmericanWest.NY:OxfordUniversityPress,1994.

•  Peterson,LindaH.andJohnC.Brereton,eds.TheNortonReader.TwelfthEdition.NY:WWNorton&Co,2008.

•  Pollan,Michael.SecondNature:AGardener’sEducation.DeltaPublishing,1992.•  Priscolli,JeromeDeliandAaronT.Wolf.ManagingandTransformingWaterConflicts.NY:

CambridgeUniversityPress,2009.•  Rice,Scott.FromReadingtoRevision.Belmont,CA:WadsworthPub,divofThomsenPub,

1996.•  Schama,Simon.LandscapeandMemory.NY:AlfredA.Knopf,1995.•  Shiva,Vandana.EarthDemocracy:JusticeSustainabilityandPeace.CambridgeMA:South

EndPress,2005.•  Smith,LyndsayA.&PatriciaChow‐Fraser.“ImpactsofAdjacentLandUseandIsolationon

MarshBirdCommunities”inEnvironmentalManagement45:1040,2010.•  Solnit,Rebecca.StormingtheGatesofParadise:LandscapesforPolitics.LA:Universityof

CaliforniaPress,2007.•  Washington,SylviaHood,et.al.,eds.EchoesfromthePoisonedWell:GlobalMemoriesof

EnvironmentalInjustice.Lanham,MD:LexingtonBooks,2006.

TheBritishLibrary

ThislinktakesyoutotheBritishLibrarywhichhasaneducationalprogram[me].ThisparticularsiteexplorestheevolvingaspectsoftheEnglishlanguagespecifictodictionaries.

http://www.bl.uk/learning/langlit/dic/meanings.html