Curated OER
Henry David Thoreau's Philosophy
Students research and report on the life and times of Henry David Thoreau. In this Thoreau research lesson, students visit the given website and freewrite about Thoreau's life and home. Students work in groups to research and report on...
Curated OER
"Approaching Walden: From Emerson to Thoreau"
Learners examine selected local leaves in greater detail in the classroom by using more analytical drawing techniques. They use Thoreau's drawing of a Scarlett Oak as their model. Students choose a leave from a box of leaves removed...
Curated OER
Ethos, Logos, and Pathos
Students compare and contrast "Letter From a Birmingham Jail" and "Civil Disobedience" by writing a paper using MLA format.
Curated OER
Incorporating Thoreau And Theatre
Students investigate the writings of Thoreau. They read passages orally and look for words of imagery in the text. Students also answer a series of questions and they convert passages of writing into theatrical presentations in order to...
Curated OER
Breaking Free From Conformity
Learners reflect upon how Transcendentalism focuses on individualism. From their belief that God was within every person to their steadfast belief that every man should make decisions based on personal moral values, individualism was...
Curated OER
Breaking Free From Conformity: A study in modern day Transcendentalism
Students begin with a journal entry on the topic "Why does Ralph Waldo Emerson advocate self-reliance?" They listen to Gavin Degraw's "I Want to Be." Students write their interpretation of the song. Students write an essay about Liars...
Curated OER
Great Philsophers Revisited
Students work together to research the great philsophers of literature. With a focus on Emerson or Thoreau, they describe his ideas of transcendentalism or civil disobedience, respectively. In groups, they create a short video clip to...
Curated OER
Non-violent Protest Through The Ages
Middle schoolers are introduced to non-violent ways to solve disagreements with others. In groups, they analyze the ways Martin Luther King, Gandhi and Thoreau shared their views in non-violent ways. They complete a sketch of the life...
Curated OER
Criticism of Modernity: Gandhi's Association with the American Transcendentalists
Eleventh graders explore Gandhi's philosophy links to the works of American Transcendentalists Emerson and Thoreau. In this transcendentalism lesson, 11th graders discuss essential questions about civilization and modernity.
Curated OER
American Transcendentalism and Buddhism:
High schoolers study American transcendentalism through readings of Emerson and Thoreau. They make cognitive connections to the similarities to Buddhism in these writings. The connection of the literary movement is explained in the art...
Curated OER
Give Peace A Chance: Nonviolence as a valid strategy for social change
Students analyze how people solve conflicts. In this conflict resolution lesson, students look at Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King's nonviolence movements. They see the reasoning behind nonviolence and how it works.
Curated OER
Court Documents Related to
Young scholars use the National Archives to researcj cout coduments related to Martin Luther King, Jr.
Curated OER
Anonymous Patriots: Songs of the Revolution
Give your class a deeper understanding of the context and meaning behind early American song lyrics. By reading the lyrics to "Yankee Doodle" and "Revolutionary Tea," high schoolers will practice analysis by examining the structure and...
Curated OER
The Evolution of Transcendentalism
Key concepts, major writers, and historical events related to Transcendentalism are explored in a student-produced PowerPoint about this movement. The presentation could be used as an introduction to a unit or as a model that class...
Curated OER
The Individual and His Role in Society
Tenth graders discover how various writers approach the themes of : alienation and solitude, living life "deliberately" and "phonies." Through reading, journaling, class discussion, and writing assignments they realize the power of the...
Constitutional Rights Foundation
Constitutional Rights Foundation: Thoreau and Civil Disobedience
Thoreau is remembered for his simple life and passion in his proclamation on "civil disobedience." A brief biographical article highlighting his life and political enthusiasm during the era of Transcendentalism.
Eserver
E Server: The Thoreau Reader: "Civil Disobedience" by Thoreau
This site provides the full text of Thoreau's essay, "Civil Disobedience," in three parts. Content also includes a brief background as to how Thoreau wrote this essay and links to related sites.
Georgia Department of Education
Ga Virtual Learning: American Transcendentalism: Civil Disobedience
This lesson from a unit on American Transcendentalism focuses on civil disobedience using "Essay on Civil Disobedience" by Henry David Thoreau and "Letter from Birmingham Jail" by Martin Luther King Jr. Links are provided to each of the...
National Humanities Center
National Humanities Center: America in Class: Thoreau's Critique of Democracy in "Civil Disobedience"
National Humanities Center lesson explores the criticisms Thoreau makes about a representative democracy form of government. Lesson includes interactive assignments, teacher notes, strategies for Close reading, follow-up and vocabulary.
Eserver
E Server: The Thoreau Reader: "Civil Disobedience" Part 1 of 3
This is the annotated text of Part 1 of "Civil Disobedience," an essay by Henry David Thoreau. The essay, written in 1849, is about following your conscience.
Other
Mass Humanities: Mass Moments: Henry David Thoreau Spends Night in Jail
July 23, 1846 Henry David Thoreau is arrested and jailed for civil disobedience against the Massachusetts Poll Tax. Take a look at the events of that day as well as the life and legacy of Thoreau.
CommonLit
Common Lit: Excerpt From "Civil Disobedience"
A learning module that begins with Henry David Thoreau's "Excerpt from 'Civil Disobedience'" accompanied by guided reading questions, assessment questions, and discussion questions. The text can be printed as a PDF or assigned online...
National Humanities Center
National Humanities Center: Toolbox Library: Henry David Thoreau: Civil Disobedience: 1848
Thoreau's essay that calls for citizens to break unjust laws, particularly those promoting the continuation and expansion of slavery.
PBS
Pbs Learning Media: Henry David Thoreau: Author, Philosopher, and Abolitionist
By watching a short video and engaging in two primary source activities, students will explore the philosophy, writings, and impact of Henry David Thoreau.