Lesson plans can easily be developed around a specific period in American literature. An example of an early period is the Enlightenment period, marked by political writings. Following this is American Romanticism, a 19th century movement that saw the focus of literature change to fanciful entertainment with inclusions of topics like frontier life. More recent periods include the Modern Age, which was marked by confusion, but produced some memorable works, and contemporary literature, or any work from around 1946 to the present. These lesson plans can include discussions on major themes, works and authors.
America is a melting pot. As such, it has produced literature from a vast number of peoples, each supporting different views of the world and society. Form a lesson plan around literature from a particular minority group, and either present a broad discourse on the subject or focus more closely on a specific writer, time period or text. For example, one lesson plan could cover the Harlem Renaissance, a period in the 1920s composed of African American literature from Harlem, New York. Another topic can cover Native American writings and how they respond to the American government's effects on their cultures.
Each major American author offers a unique body of work to study, including not only texts, but philosophies, criticisms, ideas and literary techniques. Form a lesson plan around a single writer and make relations to the time period, political situation, etc. For example, choosing Herman Melville opens up the possibility of a lesson plan on works like "Moby Dick" and "Billy Budd," American Romanticism and issues of father-son relationships that crop up regularly in his work. Another choice is the poet Robert Frost, who mainly focused on the theme of nature and shared philosophical views with Emerson and Thoreau.
Another lesson plan idea is to focus on a specific style of writing. A versatile topic that falls under this category is humor writing. This lesson can begin by speaking about humor itself and how it is an evolving literary mechanism that is manufactured in response to changes in society and the frame of mind of an author. Famous humorists, like Mark Twain, can also be discussed, focusing on the differences and similarities between fictional writing and essays. Also, the evolution of American humor can be tracked and discussed among students. How humor in the 1800s is different from contemporary humor is one topic of discussion.