Include this activity about Walt Whitman's immortal "O Captain! My Captain!" in your poetry or transcendentalism unit. Containing a short biography about Whitman as well as the text of the poem, the worksheet prompts learners to answer...

Explore the idea of democratic poetry. Upper graders read Walt Whitman, examining daguerreotypes, and compare Whitman to Langston Hughes. They describe aspects of Whitman's I Hear America Singing to Langston Hughes' Let America Be...

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 worksheet, complete with the poem's text and a photograph...

Can you love something so much you want to change it? Young patriots investigate Walt Whitman's love of America—and his suggestions to improve it—using primary sources as well as video evidence. Scholars research American issues of the...

Walt Whitman's Song of Myself is the anchor text for a series of worksheets that model for young scholars how to become active readers. Questions require text-based as well as analytical responses.

Discussion questions for Walt Whitman's "Son of Myself" ask class members to reflect on the beauty that can be found in labor, the sense of identity that transcends divisions, and on the many riddles in Whitman's poem. ...

The Mexican-American war marked a significant moment in United States history, as well as in the history of American media. The mid-nineteenth century saw the introduction of the Penny Press, which provided many American citizens with...

Three animators provide different visual interpretations of Walt Whitman's "A Noiseless Patient Spider." What a great way to generate a discussion of interpretation, mood, and tone.

Looking for a resource that models how to read and analyze a poem? Check out this packet that uses sections of Walt Whitman's "Song of Myself" to demonstrate how to paraphrase, note literary elements, and identify the poet's inferences.

Pair the famous poems "I Hear America Singing," by Walt Whitman, and "I, Too, Sing America," by Langston Hughes, with a more recent poem by Elizabeth Alexander called "Praise Song for the Day" to demonstrate a theme and introduce your...

Pupils read a short biography of Walt Whitman and a portion of Whitman's epic poem "Song of Myself." Readers then respond to a series of comprehension questions.

Walt Whitman was a composter? Certainly the cycle of life and death he describes in "Leaves of Grass" parallels the processes going on in a compose pile. The interdisciplinary approach detailed here could be used to foster a deeper...

The poems of Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson are the focus of a unit that asks readers to consider how an artist's life and changes in society influences his or her work. After careful study of Whitman's and Dickinson's perspectives on...

In this poetry unit worksheet packet, students complete several activities designed to review key poetry concepts. All worksheets focus on a comparison of Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson. Students respond to poems, complete short answer...

Walt Whitman's "I Hear America Singing" is the focus of a reading comprehension activity that asks kids to read, and then respond, to text-based questions and discussion prompts.

Students determine if Lincoln and Whitman ever met and write a dialogue between the two men. For this Whitman and Lincoln lesson, students read Whitman's poem "Beat! Beat! Drums!" and connect it to the events of Lincoln's presidency....

Who was Walt Whitman, and what link does he have to president Abraham Lincoln?  After Lincoln's assassination, Whitman wrote "O Captain! My Captain!" This poem and "When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom'd" are the focus of exercises...

In this reading comprehension activity, students respond to 6 short answer and essay questions based on "Crossing Brooklyn Ferry," by Walt Whitman.

Although the work Americans do has changed over time, the plight of the American worker has largely remained the same. Facilitate a class discussion aboutAmerican workers using Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's "The Village Blacksmith" and...

In this online interactive reading comprehension instructional activity, students respond to 12 multiple choice questions about Whitman's Leaves of Grass. Students may submit their answers to be scored.

Celebrate Earth Day with a study of the cycle of life, decay and rebirth as seen in Walt Whitman’s “The Compost.” Ask the composters in your class to share their experiences with this process before reading the poem. After the reading,...

In these New American poetry packet worksheets, students complete an in-depth series of worksheets that utilize the poems of Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson.

When was the last time you responded to something with wonderment and awe? Explore this particular Habit of Mind with three lessons, each based on a literary skill as well. The first lesson prompts kids to read Walt Whitman's...