Elegy Teacher Resources

Walt Whitman's "O Captain! My Captain!" is one of the most famous and emotional tributes to Abraham Lincoln. Guide readers through the evocative elegy with a reading comprehension instructional activity, complete with the poem's text and...

Words can be a powerful tool in the hands of a poet. Class members examine a poem written by Ross Gay in response to the death of Eric Garner and a news report of the same death. They then read an article about the death of Tamir Rice...

Young scholars examine an elegy for form, tone and subject matter.  In this elegy lesson, students share impressions from Dylan Thomas's poem and a critic's response to the poem. Young scholars discuss emotions and the refusal to mourn...

Twelfth graders use a trip to the Aquia Episcopal Church in Virginia for motivation and background information before reading Thomas Gray's "Elegy". They consider the use of sensory metaphors.

In this poetry worksheet on "Thanatopsis," by William Cullen Bryant, students read the poem and answer several questions based on it. Students analyze word usage and tone, define 'elegy', and compare the poem to artwork created...

Put the Romantic Age into context for British Literature classes with a PowerPoint that defines and characterizes this movement in literature, music and art. Notable painters, writers, and musicians are listed, as are key romantic themes...

Challenge the research skills of your High school pupils with this on-line activity. They must search the Internet for answers to questions that have to do with the band, As I Lay Dying.

Students research Rudy Autio. In this research lesson students maneuver through the Internet to better understand the artist Rudy Autio. They examine his background, educational experiences, art production, influences, and style.

Young scholars analyze elements unique to the Chicano art form of the teatro (theater) and examine history connected to the form, namely the farm workers' movement of the 1960's.

High schoolers read information about Anglo-Saxon rulers and literary techniques, then complete a worksheet to help them review. Students take notes about the oral tradition, Anglo-Saxon literary terms, and Anglo-Saxon poetry. High...

Fifth graders review the terms narrative and classic poetry. They are introduced to SMUGGLER'S SONG and compare the structure to recently read poetry. They join in on the refrain reading the story together as a class.

Fifth graders re-read the story "The Highwayman" understanding the term "narrative verse". As a paired activity, they predict who or what might be the audience and provide feedback.

In this language arts worksheet, students 21 look for words having to do with types of literature and literary elements. Students may self correct by selecting the link at the bottom of the page.

The University of Victoria's English department gives a comprehensive definition of the "elegy" poetic form. Example included.

This is the text of the 128-line poem "Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard" by Thomas Gray. It is a meditation on death and remembrance of those who died. Links are provided for analysis and more information.

A learning module that begins with Thomas Gray's poem "Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard" accompanied by guided reading questions, assessment questions, and discussion questions. The text can be printed as a PDF or assigned online...

A learning module that begins with an "A Satirical Elegy on the Death of a Late Famous General" by Jonathan Swift, accompanied by guided reading questions, assessment questions, and discussion questions. The text can be printed as a PDF...

The poems in the Exeter Book known as the 'Old English elegies' focus on loss, separation, and the transience of earthly things. This article explores these poems, which include The Wanderer and The Wife's Lament, and highlights the...

This video [4:00] discusses Robert Motherwell's, Elegy to the Spanish Republic No. 57, 1957-60, oil on canvas, 84 x 109-1/8 inches (San Francisco Museum of Modern Art) Speakers: Dr. Beth Harris and Dr. Steven Zucker.

"An Elegy on the Death of a Mad Dog", written in 1920 by Oliver Goldsmith, has been digitized and made available by the Rosetta Project. This 7 page book is appropriate for early readers.

The University of Virginia offers the e-text of Wheatley's poem "Elegy to Reverend and Dr. Samuel E. Cooper"

Read Thomas Gray's (arguably) most famous poem, as well as several others at Poets' Corner. No commentary or interpretation available.

A clickable list to selected full-text works by John Donne, including songs, sonnets, elegies, epigrams, and satires.

This lesson from a Restoration and Eighteenth Century unit focues on the Age of Sensibility and Samuel Johnson's A Dictionary of the English Language, the first English dictionary. It provides a link to a Discovery Channel Video...