Curated OER
Supreme Court Decisions on Freedom of Religion
What does freedom of religion mean? Analyze a series of Supreme Court cases where the First Amendment right to freedom of religion was put to the test. They discuss the cases' outcomes and argue whether the right decision was made....
National Endowment for the Humanities
Thirteen Ways of Reading a Modernist Poem
High schoolers analyze modernist poetry and the role of speaker in example poems. Learners study modernist poems from the Romanticism and Victorian periods as well as Wallace Stevens' "Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird." Using a...
National Endowment for the Humanities
Charles Baudelaire: Poète Maudit (The Cursed Poet)
After learning the main ideas of the Decadent movement, high schoolers work in small groups to read and translate poems by the French poet Charles Baudelaire using basic etymology skills. They then read the accurate English translations...
National Endowment for the Humanities
Neh: Edsit Ement: Introduction to Modernist Poetry
Understanding the context of modernism is important for students before they analyze modernist texts themselves. To that end, this is a three-lesson curriculum unit: 1."Understanding the Context of Modernist Poetry;" 2. "Thirteen Ways of...
National Endowment for the Humanities
Neh: Edsit Ement: Stephen Crane's "The Open Boat"
In this lesson, students will examine the relationship of man and nature as portrayed in "The Open Boat," based on Crane's suffering from a shipwreck on The Commodore in which he spent thirty hours on a small boat at sea before being...
British Library
British Library: Explore the World's Knowledge
The United Kingdom's British Library is the largest library in the world. It's collections include cultural artifacts from around the world on topics such as art, music and literature. Explore virtual reproductions of classic works of...
Bibliomania
Bibliomania: Simonds History of American Literature
This site presents the full text of the "Simonds History of American Literature." This detailed reference book explores the literature in early colonial times, the eighteenth century, the beginning of the nineteenth century, the New...
Poetry Foundation
Poetry Foundation: Aphra Behn (1640 1689)
Best known as a dramatist in the late seventeeth century, this site highlights the poetry of Aphra Behn and gives a detailed description of her life and influence. Includes bibliography and links to full text of many of her poems.
Luminarium
Luminarium: Anthology of English Literature
This site provides a selection of major authors and works associated with English literature, ranging from Geoffrey Chaucer to Sir Isaac Newton. Each author's page contains online texts of the author's works, essays about the author and...
Luminarium
Luminarium: The Works of John Donne
A clickable list to selected full-text works by John Donne, including songs, sonnets, elegies, epigrams, and satires.
University of Toronto (Canada)
University of Toronto: Selected Poetry of Anne Bradstreet
Biographical information about Anne Bradstreet's life. Includes details about her works and their publication history. Includes a brief bibliography and the text of eleven of her works.
Bartleby
Bartleby.com: Donne's Relation to Petrarch
Contains full text of "Donne's Relation to Petrarch," as appears in "The Cambridge History of English and American Literature." Explains how Donne broke the Petrarchian poetic style.
Bartleby
Bartleby.com: John Donne: The History of His Poems
Traces Donne's progress and success as a 17th century poet. Full text excerpt taken from "The Cambridge History of English and American Literature."
Bartleby
Bartleby.com: John Donne: His Position and Influence
Excerpt taken from "The Cambridge History of English and American Literature," this site places Donne amidst Elizabethan poets of his era and defines Donne apart from them.
Bartleby
Bartleby.com: Cambridge History of Eng and Am Lit: Beginnings of American Verse
Describes the beginnings of American poetry, beginning with a publication in 1610. Click through the 18 sections to get the full picture. Extracted from The Cambridge History of English and American Literature.
Bartleby
Bartleby.com: Whittier
This Cambridge History of English and American Literature entry is a bibliography of the works of John Greenleaf Whittier, including their original dates of publication. Lists works of biography and criticism written about Whittier...
University of Michigan
Making of America: Ballads of New England
This site from the University of Michigan provides access to online text for "Ballads of New England," an 1870 collection of Whittier's poetry. Poems can be viewed in plain-text format or as page-by-page images from the original work.
New Zealand Ministry of Education
Nz Ministry of Education: The Bell Jar
This lesson discusses Sylvia Plath's works including The Bell Jar. It has students look at biographic information and commentaries about Plath. As students read the novel, they complete response logs and write essays. They debate topics...
PBS
Pbs: The American Novel
Information and analysis on the central concerns, characteristics, and distinguishing features of American literature, presented in timeline format. With synopses of classic works, biographical sketches, overviews of literary movements,...
National Endowment for the Arts
National Endowment of the Arts: The Big Read: The Age of Innocence
Guide to Edith Wharton's, The Age of Innocence, with historical information, author biography, discussion questions, and a ten-lesson unit of study including discussion activities, homework assignments, project ideas, and essay topics.
Authors Calendar
Author's Calendar: Henry Fielding
Good biography of Henry Fielding (1707-1754 CE), the English Romantic novelist.
Bartleby
Bartleby.com: Johnson and Boswell
First section of a longer discussion on the Age of Johnson. Taken from The Cambridge History of English and American Literature.
Annenberg Foundation
Annenberg Learner: American Passages: A Literary Survey: Archive
This search engine provides access to more than 3000 items including visual art, audio files, primary source materials, and additional texts supporting and enriching the understanding of American Literature. RI.9-10.9 US Documents,...
Annenberg Foundation
Annenberg Learner: American Passages: Utopian Promise: Anne Bradstreet
English immigrant in the New World, Anne Bradstreet became an acclaimed poet of Puritan New England. Click on "Anne Bradstreet Activities" for related artifacts and activities.