Academy of American Poets
We Sing America
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...
PBS
Walt Whitman: Journalist and Poet
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...
National Endowment for the Humanities
Walt Whitman to Langston Hughes: Poems for a Democracy
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...
Curated OER
"I Hear America Singing": Controversy and Music in the Mexican War
Eighth graders examine the Mexican War and its outcome through music. In this primary source analysis lesson, 8th graders analyze the lyrics of selected songs to consider the 2 perspectives regarding U.S. involvement in the war. Students...
Santa Ana Unified School District
Early American Poets
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...
Curated OER
Say It Loud!: A Celebration Of Black Music In America - Gospel Beginnings
High schoolers identify musical characteristics of gospel and sing a gospel selection. They practice the call and response technique. After going through individual parts, they sing the entire song with piano accompaniment.
Santa Ana Unified School District
Getting to the Core: Early American Poets
How do poets convey emotion and represent their views of life? Pupils learn more about Whitman and Dickinson through the unit and analyze their bold reinvention of craft and style for poets to come. Looking at classic pieces such as...
Curated OER
Poetry, Take Me Away!
Students explore a variety of poetry and poetry concepts. They examine figurative language, mood, and literary devices. The students write and recite their own poetry.
Curated OER
Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman
In this online interactive reading comprehension worksheet, learners respond to 12 multiple choice questions about Whitman's Leaves of Grass. Students may submit their answers to be scored.
Curated OER
Six Trait Writing with Twain and Doyle
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...
Curated OER
Voices Together Listening
In this music learning exercise, students listen to five pieces of vocal music. They identify and describe each of the pieces heard and select the one feature that best matches the music listed.
Other
I Hear America Singing: Whitman and the Music of His Time
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.
Bartleby
Bartleby.com: E Text/i Hear America Singing
This site provides the online text for "I Hear America Singing" by Walt Whitman.
CommonLit
Common Lit: I Hear America Singing
A learning module that begins with the poem "I Hear America Singing" by Walt Whitman accompanied by guided reading questions, assessment questions, and discussion questions. The text can be printed as a PDF or assigned online through...
Library of Congress
Loc: Commentary on "I Hear America Singing"
On this site learn more about "I Hear America Singing" and listen to a recording of it being read by Billy Collins.
ReadWriteThink
Read Write Think: Walt Whitman as a Model Poet ?I Hear My School Singing?
Contains plans for two lessons that use Walt Whitman's "I Hear America Singing" as a model for learners to compose their own pieces about the school community. In addition to objectives and standards, this instructional plan contains...
ReadWriteThink
Read Write Think: Poetry: Varying Views of America
Lesson allows students to examine the various views of American perspective through studying three poems by diverse poets: "I Hear America Singing" by Walt Whitman, "I, Too, Sing America" by Langston Hughes, and "On the Pulse of Morning"...
Library of Congress
Loc: Patriotic Melodies
The Library of Congress site profiles 26 American patriotic songs with commentary, supporting visual material, and recordings of "America the Beautiful," "Fanfare for the Common Man" and the like.
National Endowment for the Humanities
Neh: Edsit Ement: Writing Poetry Like Pros
By looking to examples of popular poetry in a variety of forms, students learn to analyze, appreciate, and synthesize poetry in the classroom. "Writing Poetry Like Pros" provides several links to poetry texts and suggestions for creating...
National Endowment for the Humanities
Neh: Edsit Ement: Walt Whitman to Langston Hughes: Poems for a Democracy
For this lesson plan, students will consider "Walt Whitman to Langston Hughes: Poems for a Democracy." The plan includes worksheets and other student materials that can be found under the resource tab.
University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania: Repetition
Explains the role of repetition in poetry. Gives several examples of poems that use repetition as a literary device.
Academy of American Poets
Poets.org: Walt Whitman
Poets.org provides a brief biographical overview of Walt Whitman including information on his life and links to selected poems. A column of links to additional reading information on Whitman is also provided.
New York Times
New York Times: Crossword Puzzle: The Renaissance
Here is an interactive & printable crossword puzzle developed by the New York Times Learning Network. The theme of this puzzle is The Renaissance.