Have students pick an event from a book that is a symbolic of part of the American experience and then reenact it. For example, in "Angela's Ashes" by Frank McCourt, students could reenact the ceremony of Mass, an experience that left a significant impact on the main character and is also part of the American experience for a certain subgroup of Americans: Catholics.
Pick a novel where characters are extremely detailed by the author and the story revolves around their character attributes. Some examples are Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby" and Salinger's "Catcher in the Rye." Discuss the personality of the characters in class. Have each student expand beyond the novel and write a short story with the same character from the novel but with a different plot. Encourage the students to be creative with the story but stay true to the character's personality. Discuss with the class how they each came to get to know the character. This activity will take them inside the mind of an author.
Students have an advantage with the prolific criticism and review of American literature available in literature encyclopedias. Have students pick a novel and topic they would like to research further and write a paper on. Take the class to the school library one day to guide the students to academic resources. Have students record all research and quotations on index cards. The length of the paper depends on the class level and teacher's preference.
Most American literature read in class has been adapted into a movie or play. Use this opportunity to explore how literature changes when adapted to a movie. Have students summarize the most heartfelt and important scenes in a novel. Then watch the movie or play. Have the students check the movie to see if the scenes they thought were important were included and/or changed in the adaptation. Ask the students to write a short response to explain the differences, and ask questions such as "Are the audiences different?"