Famous American Authors
Famous American Authors
American Literature Unit
English Language Arts – 11th Grade
Mr. Omar Martinez
This lecture will be focusing on famous American authors through various time periods. We
will be covering essential information about 4 authors such as their life, writing style, and
famous works they have written. This information will be useful in not only identifying
some famous American authors, but identifying various qualities of their life that may have
led them to make certain decisions about their writings. We will then be looking at some of
their most popular works and ways in which you can remember either the author or their
works. This will be the intro to the unit where we will eventually discuss other authors of
your choosing.
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Famous American Authors
Objectives
• By the end of class, students will know background information about famous
American author.
• By the end of class, students will be able to identify works from famous American
Authors.
Objectives California Common Core State Standards
• CCSS.ELA‐Literacy.RI.11‐12.7.
and • Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in different media
or formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively) as well as in words in order to address a
question or solve a problem.
Standards • CCSS.ELA‐Literacy.SL.11‐12.2.
• Integrate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media
(e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) in order to make informed decisions and solve
problems, evaluating the credibility and accuracy of each source and noting any
discrepancies among the data.
• CCSS.ELA‐Literacy.SL.11‐12.5.
• Make strategic use of digital media (e.g., textual, graphical, audio, visual, and
interactive elements) in presentations to enhance understanding of findings,
reasoning, and evidence and to add interest.
These are the objectives we will be focusing on today. The content objectives are what you
should be able to do by the end of the class whereas the content standards are how we will
be accomplishing the objective.
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Famous American Authors
In the next minute, write down as many things as you
can about a famous/favorite author. (ex: Name of
author, books, facts, etc.)
Quick‐Write
and Pair‐
Share: Next, turn to a partner and share your information to
each other.
Famous
Authors Finally, write down some information about your
partner’s author that stood out to you. (ex: Why did
they choose that author? Have you heard about the
author before?)
Educational Hook (Interprersonal)
So the first activity is a really short quick‐write followed by a simple pair‐share. First, just
write down as many things that come to mind about a famous author of your choosing.
Afterwards, present your author to your neighbor and write down some ideas of their
famous author. We will be using this as a base to start our lecture where I will be
presenting four authors in similar manners.
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Famous American Authors
Table of Authors
Edgar Allan Poe Walt Whitman Ernest Hemingway Toni Morrison
Photograph
Background
Information
Writing Style
Famous Works
Reminder Visual
Table Organizer
This is a table you have been provided before this presentation. These are the four authors
we will be looking at today and you will be tasked with paying attention to the lecture and
filling out the table accordingly. This will be the note taking method we will be using and
you must fill out the information to the best of your abilities for full credit and for the
eventual quiz on these authors. Make sure you write the information throughout the
lecture in ways that you will remember the information. You do not have to copy
everything word for word but essential information must be included.
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Famous American Authors
Edgar Allan Poe
• January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849
• American short‐story writer, poet, critic, and editor.
• “Father of the detective story”
• Joined the army due to poverty.
• Married his younger cousin Virginia.
• Cause of death uncertain.
The first author we will be looking at is Edgar Allen Poe. Here is some basic information
about him that is important. For the most part, you will need to know each authors birth
dates and dates of death if applicable, the types of wirings they focused on, and some
small trivia information.
Cestre, C. Mabbott, T. O., Barzun, J. (2019, Apr 8). Edgar Allan Poe. Retrieved from
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Edgar‐Allan‐Poe
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Famous American Authors
Edgar Allan Poe – Style/Works
Famous works
Writing Style • The Raven
• Narrative poem about a talking raven draws the
• Many of his works were romantic writings. main character to madness
• Romanticism – movement that focused on • The Tell‐Tale Heart
emphasizing, inspiration, subjectivity, and the
primacy of the individual • Short gothic fiction which deals with sanity and
murder.
• Wrote about the occult, satanic ideas, terror, and
sadness. • The Masque of the Red Death
• Short gothic fiction which is believed to be about
the inevitability of death.
Here are Edgar Allan Poe’s writing style which he is known for the most as well as his most
popular works. He is known as a romantic/gothic writer due to his focus on dark and
mysterious ideas. Most of his writings have to do with something dark and mysterious and
The Raven, The Tell‐Tale Heart, and The Masque of the Red Death, are perhaps his most
popular writing examples.
Cestre, C., Mabbott, T. O., Barzun, J. (2019, Apr 8). Edgar Allan Poe. Retrieved from
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Edgar‐Allan‐Poe
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Famous American Authors
Edgar Allan Poe – Short Biography
• Watch the short biography provided about
Edgar Allan Poe.
• Write down any information which stands out
to you.
• Try to find an image you can use on your table.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x‐387NMCR6w&t=1s
Dual‐Coding
We will now watch this really short and simple biography about Edgar Allan Poe to get a
better sense of him besides the basic information I have gone over. Be sure to note
something information for your guided notes as you will need to include a visual which you
use to remember Edgar Allan Poe.
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Famous American Authors
Edgar Allan Poe – Visual Reminder
Now you try! Example Images
• Using the information presented earlier
and on the video, what images come to
mind which you can use to remember
Edgar Allan Poe or his works?
• Draw any images which would help you
on the table provided earlier.
Progress Monitoring Question
Now, you will use what was just presented to create a visual reminder about either Edgar
Allen Poe or his works. It does not have to be complex or something obvious, make sure it
helps you remember Poe or his works.
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Famous American Authors
Walt Whitman
• May 31, 1819 – March 26, 1892
• American renaissance poet,
journalist, essayist.
• Labeled as “The father of free
verse”
• Gained more recognition in
Europe than US.
• Died after his health continued to
decline after a stroke.
We will now look at the second author which is Walt Whitman. He is one of the earliest
American authors and is one of the most influential authors ever. His works are timeless
due to being something new which no other author had done up until he came along.
Allen, G.W., Jeffares, A.N. (2019, March 22). Walt Whitman. Retrieved from
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Walt‐Whitman
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Famous American Authors
Walt Whitman – Style/Works
Famous Work
• Leaves of Grass
Writing Style • Collection of poetry.
• Influenced by the Romantic movement in literature and • Whitman’s most famous and popular work.
art.
• Went through nine variations all throughout his life.
• Believed the poet should “Express his own personality in
his verse” • Franklin Evans
• Extensively used free verse. • Temperance novel
• Poems are filled with religious faith, fertility, sex, nature. • First novel by Whitman.
• Rag‐to‐riches story.
What makes Whitman unique is his poetry. He is one of the pioneers of free verse poetry
and he really made it his own style. His poems were seen as controversial as he wrote
outwrite about religion, sex, nature, and used imagery which had not been used before. His
most famous work is Leaves of Grass which is a collection of poems that he worked on
extensively throughout his life up until his death.
Allen, G.W., Jeffares, A.N. (2019, March 22). Walt Whitman. Retrieved from
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Walt‐Whitman
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Famous American Authors
Walt Whitman – Short Biography
• Watch the short biography provided about
Walt Whitman.
• Write down any information which stands out
to you.
• Try to find an image you can use on your table.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nla‐JDEp4jw&t=1s
Dual‐Coding
Similar to Edgar Allan Poe we will now watch a simple biography about Whitman. Again, be
sure to note something of interest that makes him stand out to you for your guided notes.
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Famous American Authors
Walt Whitman – Visual Reminder
Now you try! Sample Images
• Using the information presented earlier and on
the video, what images come to mind which
you can use to remember Walt Whitman or his
works?
• Draw any images which would help you on the
table provided earlier.
Progress Monitoring Question
Now take a few minutes to fill out your guided notes about a visual reminder for Whitman.
If you have difficulty coming up with an image, just draw something simple but label it so
you can refer to it later.
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Famous American Authors
Ernest Hemingway
• July 21 1899 – July 2, 1961
• American novelist and short‐story writer.
• Awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature.
• Noted for the intense masculinity of his
writings and his adventurous life.
• Large influence on American and British
fiction in 20th century.
• Died by suicide.
The third author of importance is Ernest Hemingway. He is also an American author but his
writing is different from Poe and Whitman. Hemingway lived a rather tragic life and was
married multiple times over until he eventually committed suicide.
Young, P. (2019, April 10). Ernest Hemingway. Retrieved from
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ernest‐Hemingway
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Famous American Authors
Ernest Hemingway – Style/Works
Works
Style • The Sun Also Rises
• Writings deal with war. • Early and enduring modernist novel. Hemingway’s
• Economical and understated style. greatest work. Characters are based off real people
and events.
• Reflections to his experiences of war.
• The Farewell to Arms
• Developed the “iceberg theory” • Set during Italian World War 1. First‐person account of
• Facts float above water, the supporting structure and an American serving in the Italian Army.
symbolism operate out of sight.
• The Old Man and the Sea
• Simplistic prose style. • Last major work by Hemingway. Tells story of an
aging Cuban Fisherman who struggles with a marlin.
What makes Hemingway unique in his writings is that he mostly tended to write about
experiences surrounding the war. These were either based off first hand experiences or he
used what he know about the war to shape his writings. He is the creator of the “iceberg
theory” which has been used many times throughout literature and is a staple belief which
you should look into when you have time. Most of his famous works deal with the war or
are set in a time of war and he based most of his characters and events after things that
happened in his life.
Young, P. (2019, April 10). Ernest Hemingway. Retrieved from
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ernest‐Hemingway
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Famous American Authors
Ernest Hemingway – Short Biography
• Watch the short biography provided about
Ernest Hemingway.
• Write down any information which stands out
to you.
• Try to find an image you can use on your table.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JQDe0GCNHg
Dual‐Coding
Here is the third short biography of Hemmingway so again, pay attention to something that
makes him stand out to you. Make a note of it and make sure to fill in your guided notes so
you can refer to them later if need be.
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Famous American Authors
Ernest Hemingway – Visual Reminder
Now you try! Sample Images
• Using the information presented earlier and on
the video, what images come to mind which
you can use to remember Ernest Hemingway
or his works?
• Draw any images which would help you on the
table provided earlier.
Progress Monitoring Question
Now by using your notes of the video, create a visual reminder for Hemingway or his works.
You can reference the images I have provided which are covers of his most famous books
and create something similar but you must make sure it makes sense to you later.
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Famous American Authors
Toni Morrison
• February 18, 1931 ‐
• American novelist, editor, and professor.
• Nobel Prize and Pulitzer Prize‐ winning novelist.
• Selected for the Jefferson Lecture
• The highest honor for achievement in the humanities.
• Received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2012.
Toni Morrison is the final American author we will be looking at for todays lecture. She is an
award winning author in various fields as writes about topics which are relevant to todays
readers. She has received recognition and medals from various organizations and she
continues to be influential in many readers today.
Biography.com Editors. (2019, April 10). Toni Morrison Biography. Retrieved from
https://www.biography.com/people/toni‐morrison‐9415590
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Famous American Authors
Toni Morrison – Style/Works
Works
• The Bluest Eye
• First novel by Toni Morrison. Tells the story of a young
Style African‐American girl with an inferiority complex
following the Great Depression.
• Known for epic themes, exquisite language, and richly
detailed African‐American characters. • Beloved
• Strong ties to politics and social issues. • Set after the American Civil War. Inspired by the story
of Sethe, a slave who escaped slavery in 1856.
• “Postmodern Feminist”
• A Mercy
• Story of mothers and daughters and primitive
America. Reveals what lies beneath the surface of
slavery.
Toni Morrison’s writing styles is focused on African‐American characters and issues which
are based off real events. She chooses to tackle strong issues which she finds as important
as they are issues that must be discussed and not shied away from. Her most famous works
either feature African‐American characters, issues, or themes which resonate to this day.
Biography.com Editors. (2019, April 10). Toni Morrison Biography. Retrieved from
https://www.biography.com/people/toni‐morrison‐9415590
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Famous American Authors
Toni Morrison – Short Biography
• Watch the short biography provided about
Toni Morrison.
• Write down any information which stands out
to you.
• Try to find an image you can use on your table.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxVUB4g2IUI&t=1s
Dual‐Coding
Now for the final short biography video. Again, be sure to pay attention and draw an
important detail which you can use in a bit for your guided notes.
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Famous American Authors
Toni Morrison – Visual Reminder
Now you try! Sample Images
• Using the information presented earlier and on
the video, what images come to mind which
you can use to remember Toni Morrison or her
works?
• Draw any images which would help you on the
table provided earlier.
Progress Monitoring Question
Now, add the final drawing to you guided notes about something from Toni Morrison. You
can use again the book covers I have provided for a reference or something that was
presented by me or the video. Make sure it is a good visual for you to eventually refer to
when you need it.
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Famous American Authors
Closing Activities
Now you try!
Sample Table: Writing Response:
• Using the author that you shared with a • Following this presentation, is there an author
partner earlier, fill out the following chart with that we discussed that interests you further?
information about the author you chose. What did you like about the
author/presentation that interested you?
Name Background Info Writing Style Famous Works
Culminating Question/Activity
Now it is your turn to do something similar to what we have just done. Using the author
that you chose at the beginning of the lecture, fill out the similar box provided for you on
the second page of the guided notes handout. Organize it in the table in a manner that
someone else could look at it and make sense of what you are discussing. You can either
use your own author you mentioned earlier or the author that your partner mentioned
earlier if it sparked your interest. The second activity you will do is a quick‐write. This quick‐
write should again be answered on the second page of the guided notes and provided as
much information as you can. If one of these authors interested you please let me know.
Also feel free to include other authors that you think would be interesting for me to
mention besides these four.
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