Curriculum Unit Plan
The Concord Transcendentalist Movement
by
Lesley Targonski
Haverhill High School
Haverhill, Massachusetts
Year Level: Grade 11 English
Class Level: College Preparatory (with Honors adjustments)
Aim: To introduce students to the concepts of transcendentalist literature and some of
the authors associated with the movement in mid 19th century America.
Objective:
To have students comprehend the concepts of transcendentalism,
including:
-
Materials:
analysis of a text for it’s transcendentalist components.
writing in the style of the transcendentalists.
ability to identify major players in the movement.
ability to identify the historical contexts of the early to late 1800s’s
America and their influences of the American transcendentalist
movement.
Henry David Thoreau
Civil Disobedience
Excerpts from Walden
A Plea for Captain John Brown [Honors]
A Life of Principle [Honors]
Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Concord Hymn”
Self Reliance
American Scholar [Honors]
Margaret Fuller/Sophia Peabody [Honors]
Teacher choice
Recommended reading: Transcendentalism by Joel Myerson. This is an excellent text with a lot of
information about transcendentalism and it’s proponents. It includes a number of poems, essays, etc from
the authors mentioned above.
Method (In brief):
Day One:
Day Two:
Day Three:
Day Four:
Day Five:
Day Five:
Brainstorm historical context
Explanation of Transcendentalism and the Transcendentalists
Henry David Thoreau
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Compare Thoreau and Emerson
[Honors] Margaret Fuller/Sophia Peabody
Assessment:
Ongoing assessment during classes based on discussion and Socratic questioning.
College Prep: Paper on transcendentalists or Civil Disobedience.
Honors:
In-depth analysis of one transcendentalist.
Including - analysis of an essay, poem or discussion involving that
person, and
A short essay written in the same style as that person.
Day One:
The 1800s
Establish class knowledge of the historical context of the 1800’s.
This includes:
Slavery
Industrialization
Population growth and expansion
War of 1812
Civil War
The influential impact of the War of Independence.
Discuss the time briefly and then have students respond and write-up the things they
indicate - once class knowledge is exhausted, write-up anything else they are missing.
Discuss all in-depth with the students.
Questions to ask your class to initiate discussions:
How do you think this may have influenced people who were writing at the time?
What kind of influence do you think this may have had on their community at large?
Hint: A timeline constructed either by the teacher or the class (if there is time), can be
taped to the wall to remind students of the historical context during the coming week of
instruction.
Homework: Have students read an outline of what transcendentalism is.
Recommendation: Joel Myerson’s book, Transcendentalism, gives a great description of
the movement.
Day Two:
Transcendentalism and Transcendentalists
Divide your class into groups of no more than five (5) students a group.
Give them a list of ten questions that they must answer in their group.
I suggest the following:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Where did the movement originally start?
What are its origins and ideas in its first form?
Who originally started the movement?
Who started the movement in America?
What are the main ideas of the movement?
Who influenced the movement?
Name the major players in the American Transcendentalist Movement.
Name one item written by each one.
How long did the movement last for in America?
Who has been influenced by the transcendentalists since the 1800s?
Answer the questions as a class and discuss. This is to ensure that the class as a whole
and students as individuals have a grasp on the basics of the movement.
Hint: Pin or tape up the answers to these questions after class discussion for future
reference.
Homework: Thoreau essay.
Read and take notes. Be ready to discuss.
Civil Disobedience for College Prep.
Capt. John Brown and A Life of Principle for Honors.
Day Three:
Henry David Thoreau
As a class:
-
discuss Thoreau’s life and experiences.
talk about the essay, (essays), read by the class. Their reactions, thoughts,
ideas, observations, etc.
does Thoreau make people in the class think of someone else? (ie., someone in
today’s society that may be influenced the way that Thoreau was).
If time permits, read an excerpt from Walden in class and have students discuss it’s
transcendental components.
Questions for class discussion:
How do you think Thoreau’s own experiences, social status, etc, influenced his writing.
What modern day situations might inspire someone to write a similar essay to Civil
Disobedience (or Capt. John Brown, etc.)?
Homework: Emerson essay(s). Notes for discussion.
Day Four:
Ralph Waldo Emerson
As a class:
-
discuss Emerson’s life and times.
discuss his profound influences upon the transcendentalist movement, including
his ‘discussions’ and nurturing of persons like Thoreau, Fuller, Peabody, etc.
discuss the essay(s) read by the class and consider transcendental components in
each one.
Divide the class into groups, (of no more than 5 students per group), for the second half
of the class time.
Hand out “Concord Hymn” to each student.
Have the groups read and analyze the poem for content, meaning, poetic device and
transcendental components. Discuss.
Hint: Have the students record their group findings on paper and pin or tape up those
findings.
Homework: College Preparatory - have the class draw a two-column table of
comparison between Thoreau and Emerson. Have them look at
similarities and differences between the two authors. Have them consider
style, presentation, content, subject matter, age, interests, background, etc.
Honors - Have them do the above and also to read one article chosen by
the teacher for either Margaret Fuller or Sophia Peabody.
Day Five:
Thoreau and Emerson Comparison
For the College Preparatory classes. Have them work together in pairs and discuss and
note on single tables the main contrasts and similarities for Thoreau and Emerson. Have
them present two findings for each pair to the class (complete with their justification for
why they chose those items).
For the Honors classes: Have the class do the above first. Then bring them back to
discussing the role of the women in the transcendental movement.
Homework: This will be the final assessment for this curriculum unit.
College Preparatory Classes:
Write a three page paper on transcendentalism - the movement and it’s importance to
society - in the 1800s and now; or
Write a three-page paper on an issue that you would be willing to engage in civil
disobedience about.
Honors Classes:
Write a six-page essay including the following:
-
an in-depth three page biography of one member of the Concord group;
a two page analysis of a poem, essay or other literary piece by that person; and
a two page essay in the style of that person about a current topic.
Teacher to decide due dates for assignments based on current workload of the class and
class capability.