Colonial & post colonial texts

[BookLover27]

I teach 11th American Literature....any ideas on possible excerpts or short pieces we could use in a two week span for Colonial/post colonial literature?
I know the authors that are out there, the problem I've had is finding something that not only do I think is interesting to read, but also that 11th graders might get into. Some of the things we've tried in the past that seemed "boring" for lack of a better word were...Bradstreet...Paine....Franklin....Mather... .Edwards...etc..

:p

[jamiejones]

I usually focus on persuasive techniques in the Colonial unit. I look at "Speech to the Virginia Convention," for example, and look at the three types of appeals - ethical, logical and emotional appeals. Then, I take Edwards' "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" and apply the same appeals. One thing that makes this interesting is I have a student come up and preach the sermon. When they witness that role playing they can see/hear those appeals much more vividly. It takes a very strong, didactic piece and makes it interesting and fun. Then I usually move on to The Crucible. Obviously you can see the connections I make there. I don't know if that approach helps or not, but I have had some success with it.