Walt Whitman

Lesson Proposal for Distance LearningEnglish I Topic: Walt Whitman and 1850’s America : 

Lesson Proposal for Distance LearningEnglish I Topic: Walt Whitman and 1850’s America Group Project Members Lynn Kraemer-Siracusa Antonella Di Minni Janice Rohn Robert Pedone

Slide 2: 

The Life of Walt Whitman and the Spirit of the 1850’s in America Epic Poetry

Overview : 

Overview Epic poetry is, in a sense, the writing, or chronicling, of history through the eyes of a poet. You will learn about the life of Walt Whitman and the spirit of the 1850’s in America through the epic poem “Song of Myself.”

Three Elements of Epic Poetry : 

Three Elements of Epic Poetry Your learning assignment is broken down into these three parts.

Part 1: The Poet : 

Part 1: The Poet Research the life of the poet Walt Whitman, author of the epic poem “Song of Myself.” Using the Ocean County College Library Databases at http://prod.campuscruiser.com/cruiser/occ/occ/Library/offcampus_db_mar2009.htm , research the life of the poet Walt Whitman. Use the Academic Research Premier and Ebschohost databases. Include at least 3 sources of information. Write at least 300 words E-mail your paper to your instructor by <date>.

Part 2: The Poem : 

Part 2: The Poem Read the epic poem “Song of Myself,” written by Walt Whitman. Annotated text of the poem “Song of Myself” is at the following website address: http://www.vcu.edu/engweb/transcendentalism/roots/legacy/whitman/songofmyselfweb.html

Part 3: The Times : 

Part 3: The Times Complete a group project related to life in the late 1800s. Groups will be assigned topics to research from the following list to ensure that each topic is covered. Labor Urbanism Women Expansionism Religion The West Music Science Immigration Leisure Transportation Agriculture Politics Industry

Researching the Times : 

Researching the Times Using the website of the American Memory from the Library of Congress at http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/index.html , research your assigned topics related to life during the late 1800s.

Putting it Together : 

Putting it Together You will be assigned to a group of 2-4 people. Each member of the group will research one or more topics from the list of topics assigned to the group. Write a response paper that discusses how Whitman’s poem reflects the time period. Your response paper should be no less than 100 words per topic. You will share your research with other members of your group via e-mail. Your group will conduct a chat session related to the group’s research. The research will be combined into a single paper. Your paper will be e-mailed to the instructor. Your instructor will distribute the paper to the rest of the class. There will be a discussion board on the topics with the entire class.

Summary : 

Summary “Song of Myself” has given the reader a glimpse into the life and times of Walt Whitman, and is a classic example of the epic poem.