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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Veteran's Day or Memorial Day Poetry Lesson

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Young scholars examine poems dealing with Veteran's Day or Memorial Day. They discuss America's involvement in wars and if anyone in their family has served in the military. They write their own poems and share them with the class.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Line It Up

For Teachers K - 5th
Students examine the structure of different poems by various artists. They discuss how the breaks in the poems change the way it is to be read. They also examine the use of tone in the poems.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Literary Response and Analysis

For Teachers 11th
Examine a variety of literary responses to Abraham Lincoln's death and the impact of perception. Your class can work in writing groups to analyze either poetry, eulogy, or a newspaper article. They retell the events of Abraham Lincoln's...
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Worksheet
Curated OER

Astronomy Unit: For Autistic Learners

For Students 1st - 6th
In need of a few great ways to teach an arts-enriched lesson on astronomy? This resource contains several interesting ideas that link poetry to the stars in the sky. These suggestions are very simple and could use a teachers touch, but...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Our City, Our Words

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students write poetry that captures their feelings about their city or town. After presenting their poetry at a class reading students compare their poetry to the work of published poets who have written about the same city.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Exploring the Self

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Learners examine a variety of songs, poems, and books exploring and analyzing the theme of self reliance and being true to one's self. They write a poem, essay, or letter that captures their true spirit and individuality and then they...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Stanza Proud

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students examine different decades in American history, finding connections between the historical events and the poetry written during these time periods. They write their own poetry based on current world events.
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Unit Plan
Curated OER

Six Trait Writing with Twain and Doyle

For Teachers 5th
Students explore the traits of writing in this six lessons unit. Poems, fiction, and drama are evaluated to identify writing strategies. Utilization of vocabulary and writing rubrics help students judge the effectiveness of their own...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Langston Hughes

For Teachers 5th - 6th
Students identify similarities between Hughes' poetry and music (jazz and the blues).
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Sonnet Form

For Teachers 11th - 12th
Students explore the sonnet form. In this lesson on sonnet form, students explore various sonnets and how a sonnet can range from conventional to experimental.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

American Literature Authors and Their Works

For Teachers 9th - 11th
Pupils match American Literature authors with their short stories, poems, and books. In this American Literature lesson, students are given an overview of the authors and their main works. Then pupils independently do a matching...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Basketball for Better Verse

For Teachers 3rd - 12th
Learners listen to and read stories about basketball. They write poetry about basketball.
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Lesson Plan
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Advocates for Human Rights

Who are Immigrants?

For Students 8th - Higher Ed Standards
What do Jerry Yang, Patrick Ewing, John Muir, Charlize Theron, Peter Jennings, and Saint Frances X Cabrini all have in common? They are all immigrants to the United States. Famous and not-so-famous immigrants are the focus of a resource...
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PPT
Curated OER

The Evolution of Transcendentalism

For Teachers 11th - 12th
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...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Experiencing Nature

For Teachers 3rd - 12th
Students create their own landscapes based on the topography of their region after studying the artwork of Cincinnati-based artist William Sonntag and other "Hudson River School" artists.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Exploring the Self

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Learners use different pieces of music and writings to explore the theme of self-reliance and individuality. After viewing a video clip, they discuss how the images made them feel. They keep a writing journal to evaluate their own...
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Interactive
Curated OER

The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks

For Students 9th - 12th
In this online interactive reading comprehension worksheet, high schoolers respond to 10 multiple choice questions about Sparks's The Notebook. Students may submit their answers to be scored.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Household Names

For Teachers 7th - 10th
Students explore the accomplishments of famous New Yorkers in the 19th century. In small groups, students read biographies and match them with a corresponding primary source document. The group that is most accurate in matching the...
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Website
Smithsonian Institution

National Portrait Gallery: One Life: Walt Whitman, a Kosmos

For Students 9th - 10th
This multimedia site offers readings of Whitman's poetry, an introduction, a gallery of images and works through the years of his career, and a reflection of Whitman's significance.
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Unit Plan
Other

The Classroom Electric: Spiders, the Web, and Dickinson & Whitman

For Students 9th - 10th
Based on Emily Dickinson's poem "A Spider sewed at Night" and Walt Whitman's poem "A Noiseless Patient Spider," the authors of this site seek to "explore the nature of creativity, artistry, and audience." They bring together existing...
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Primary
Academy of American Poets

Poets.org: "Song of Myself, I, Ii, Vi & Lii" by Walt Whitman

For Students 9th - 10th
This site provides the text to Walt Whitman's Song of Myself, I, II, VI & LII, a brief biography of Walt Whitman, and links to some of Whitman's other poems.
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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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Unit Plan
Georgia Department of Education

Ga Virtual Learning: American Literature: Transcendentalism: Walt Whitman

For Students 9th - 10th
This lesson from a unit on American Transcendentalism focuses on Walt Whitman and his invention of the American free verse. It includes links to his poems "Song of Myself" and "When I Heard the Learn'd Astronomer." It provides...
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Unit Plan
TED Talks

Ted: Ted Ed: A Poetic Experiment: Walt Whitman, Interpreted by Three Animators

For Students 9th - 10th
Take a journey through Walt Whitman's poem 'A Noiseless Patient Spider' with the help of three animators who each used a different animation style to bring this beautiful poem to life. [3:28]