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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The South, the North and the Great Migration: Blues and Literature

For Teachers 8th - 12th Standards
Here is a complex lesson plan that interweaves the history of the Jim Crow South and the Great Migration with the study of poetry, art, and blues music from the Harlem Renaissance. The plan helps young historians develop a deep...
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Lesson Plan
National Endowment for the Humanities

Neh: Edsit Ement: All Together Now: Collaborations in Poetry Writing

For Teachers 3rd - 5th Standards
Three learning activities to teach K-2 students about poetry. Very detailed lessons with references and other suggested activities. Ways to individualize and academic content standards are noted. (Attachment may not load in archived URL.)
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Website
University of Illinois

University of Illinois: Martin Espada Links

For Students 9th - 10th
This page links to a lot of information about Martin Espada.
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Activity
University of Illinois

University of Illinois: Modern American Poetry: Robert Frost (1874 1963)

For Students 9th - 10th
Critical analysis of numerous Frost poems by foremost literary critics like William Pritchard. This is a great resource for students learning how to analyze Frost's poetry.
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eBook
University of Michigan

Making of America: Illustrated Poems of Oliver Wendell Holmes

For Students 9th - 10th
A complete, searchable text of "Illustrated Poems of Oliver Wendell Holmes," which was illustrated by George Randolph Barse and others.
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Website
Other

I Hear America Singing: Whitman and the Music of His Time

For Students 9th - 10th
This I Hear America Singing site describes Whitman's views on music, the influence it had on his work, and a discussion of music in Whitman's time.
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Primary
University of Toronto (Canada)

University of Toronto: Selected Poetry of Oliver Wendell Holmes

For Students 9th - 10th
From the University of Toronto Representative Poetry On-Line site, this page contains a brief discussion of the life and works of Oliver Wendell Holmes, American writer and physician. Contains links to electronic text versions of ten...
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eBook
Bartleby

Bartleby.com: E Text/i Hear America Singing

For Students 9th - 10th
This site provides the online text for "I Hear America Singing" by Walt Whitman.
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Handout
Bartleby

Bartleby.com: Renascence and Other Poems, by Edna St. Vincent Millay

For Students 9th - 10th
This site offers biographical information on Edna St. Vincent Millay, as well as the complete text of seventeen of her poems and Sonnets I-VI.
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eBook
University of Virginia

University of Virginia: Sara Teasdale: Rivers to the Sea

For Students 9th - 10th
Index to the full text of Sara Teasdale's 1915 collection of poems, "Rivers to the Sea."
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Website
Bartleby

Bartleby.com: The Golden Treasury of Best Songs and Lyrical Poems in Eng Lang

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
Electronic text of Thomas Palgrave's book, "The Golden Treasury: Of the Best Songs and Lyrical Poems in the English Language". There are several ways to find the poem that you want to study: by author, by title, by first line, and by...
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Unit Plan
Annenberg Foundation

Annenberg Learner: American Passages: Spirit of Nationalism: Ralph Waldo Emerson

For Students 9th - 10th
This features a brief biography of Ralph Waldo Emerson, an optimistic Transcendentalist author who's personal life was filled with tragedy. See "Ralph Waldo Emerson Activities" for related materials.
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Website
Academy of American Poets

Poets.org: Poets

For Students 9th - 10th
This site provides a searchable database of the biographies of more than 2500 contemporary and classic poets. Browse all poets, filter the list by state and schools & movements, or search by name.
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eBook
Other

The Poetry of John Haines

For Students 9th - 10th
This introduction to a new collection of John Haines' poetry by poet and critic Dana Gioia surveys Haines' work and includes the poem, "The Flight."
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eBook
Other

America Dept. Of State: Outline of American Literature [Pdf]

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
This online book presents an overview of American literature chronologically. Eras and movements are explained and biographies of significant authors are provided. This is a good way to understand the background and influences of...
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eBook
ibiblio

Ibiblio: E Book: Poems by Emily Dickinson

For Students 9th - 10th
This is an e-text of the first published selection of the poems of Emily Dickinson (1830?1886) originally appeared in 1890, edited by Mabel Loomis Todd and Thomas Wentworth Higginson. The text contains 115 poems and can be searched by...
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Unit Plan
Other

University of South Carolina: Walt Whitman Exhibit

For Students 9th - 10th
This extensive site studies the life and work of Walt Whitman. Provides a detailed biography and an analysis of Whitman's literary contributions. Includes detailed information about the development of "Leaves of Grass" and photographs of...
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Primary
Other

University of South Carolina: Leaves of Grass

For Students 9th - 10th
This University of South Carolina site, presented by the Department of Rare Books and Special Collections, chronicles the publication history of Whitman's many revisions of "Leaves of Grass." Includes photographs of rare copies of early...
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Website
University of Illinois

University of Illinois: Modern American Poetry: Online Companion

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
A site that lists syllabi, biographies, and criticism of many American poets of the 20th century.
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Unit Plan
Annenberg Foundation

Annenberg Learner: American Passages: Masculine Heroes: Walt Whitman

For Students 9th - 10th
American Passages presents a concise biography of nineteenth century progressive American poet, Walt Whitman. See "Walt Whitman Activities" for artifacts and activities.
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Website
University of Illinois

University of Illinois: Modern American Poetry: Richard Wilbur

For Students 9th - 10th
Read Richard Wilbur's biography and several commentaries about him.
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Website
University of Groningen

American History: Outlines: Outline of American Literature 1991

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
This website provides an outline of American literature beginning in 1776.
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Handout
Bibliomania

Bibliomania: Oliver Wendell Holmes Biography

For Students 9th - 10th
Ths Bibliomania site provides a biography of the 19th century American poet Oliver Wendell Holmes (1809-1894). Discusses his ancestry, childhood, education, and career in medicine and literature. Includes analyses of his works and a...
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Website
ibiblio

Ibiblio: Emily Dickinson

For Students 9th - 10th
This brief biography from Ibiblio.org provides details about the very private Emily Dickinson. Describes her efforts to publish her poem and how Dickinson's sister found more than 1,700 poems stuffed in a drawer after Emily's death.