Living Deliberately: Transcendentalism Then and Now

Build background knowledge on Transcendentalism and Ralph Waldo Emerson.

“Ralph Waldo Emerson and the Beauty of the Everyday”

Standards

RI.11-12.2RL.11-12.2SL.11-12.1SL.11-12.6

Identify Emerson's central ideas and how he develops those ideas in excerpts from "Self-Reliance."

“Excerpts from "Self-Reliance"”

Standards

L.11-12.5RI.11-12.2RI.11-12.4

Analyze Emerson's use of literary devices and rhetoric to convey his argument about the relationship between man and nature.

“Chapter 1 from Nature”

Standards

L.11-12.5RI.11-12.4RI.11-12.6RL.11-12.9

Build background knowledge on Thoreau, and identify his purpose and audience for Walden.

“Excerpts from Walden” — Paragraphs 1–4
“Walden Film”

Standards

L.11-12.5RI.11-12.4RI.11-12.6RL.11-12.9

Analyze Thoreau's use of figurative language and rhetorical devices to convey his central ideas in Walden.

“Excerpts from Walden” — Paragraphs 6–10

Standards

L.11-12.5RI.11-12.4RI.11-12.6RL.11-12.9

Analyze how Thoreau uses imagery and figurative language to develop his central ideas.

“Excerpts from Walden” — Paragraphs 11–16

Standards

L.11-12.5RI.11-12.2RL.11-12.4

Assessment

Socratic Seminar

Engage in a Socratic seminar about poetry, making connections to ideas from Emerson and Thoreau and supporting arguments with strong textual evidence.

“Transcendentalism Socratic Seminar Poems”

Standards

L.11-12.5RL.11-12.2RL.11-12.4SL.11-12.1.aSL.11-12.1.bSL.11-12.1.cSL.11-12.1.d

Analyze Sherry Turkle's purpose and how she persuades her audience using rhetorical appeals.

“Sherry Turkle: Connected, but alone?”

Standards

RI.11-12.2RI.11-12.6SL.11-12.3

Analyze Thoreau's central ideas and rhetorical strategies in his essay "On the Duty of Civil Disobedience."

“Excerpts from "On the Duty of Civil Disobedience"”

Standards

RI.11-12.2RI.11-12.6

Engage in small group discussions of Emily Dickinson poems, as well as a Gallery Walk, analyzing Dickinson's central ideas and how she communicates those through diction, imagery, and other literary devices.

“Selected Poems by Emily Dickinson”

Standards

L.11-12.1L.11-12.5RL.11-12.2RL.11-12.4

Analyze how Whitman uses imagery and figurative language to convey his central themes in "Song of Myself."

“Excerpts from "Song of Myself"”

Standards

RL.11-12.2RL.11-12.4RL.11-12.5

Writing

Overview

Create an informational slideshow that explains how an individual today embodies key values of transcendentalism and can be considered a modern transcendentalist.

Day 1 - Brainstorming

Brainstorm and select an individual who embodies transcendental values, and identify 2–3 values with initial examples and evidence.

Transcendental Values Brainstorm Graphic Organizer (G11, U1, L12)
Modern Transcendentalist Brainstorm Graphic Organizer (G11, U1, L12)

Standards

W.11-12.2W.11-12.4W.11-12.5

Day 2 - Planning

Plan the structure of an informational slideshow by organizing ideas and evidence, selecting relevant quotations, and explaining how they support the thesis.

Informational Slideshow Outline (G11, U1, L12)

Standards

SL.11-12.4W.11-12.2.aW.11-12.2.bW.11-12.2.fW.11-12.4W.11-12.5

Day 3 - Drafting

Draft an informational slideshow that uses text features to organize and enhance ideas and speaker notes to explain, expand on, and connect the information presented.