Three annotated passages from Ralph Waldo Emerson's essay on "Nature" provide young philosophers a chance to improve their reading comprehension skills as they gain insight into Emerson's ideas.

Additional Tags

english language arts

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Instructional Ideas

• Use the first passage to model how to approach Emerson's essay, the second as a guided group activity, and the final one as individual practice
• Follow up with a whole-class discussion about the aspects of Emerson's essay that reflect transcendental principles

Pros

• The various exercises on each worksheet encourage a close reading of the passage

Cons

• None of the exercises encourage readers to practice critical thinking or analytical skills