Daily Lessons for Teaching Walden

Daily Lessons

This section contains 30 daily lessons. Each one has a specific objective and offers at least three (often more) ways to teach that objective. Lessons include classroom discussions, group and partner activities, in-class handouts, individual writing assignments, at least one homework assignment, class participation exercises and other ways to teach students about the text in a classroom setting. Use some or all of the suggestions provided to work with your students in the classroom and help them understand the text.

Lesson 1

Objective: Thoreau explains his interest in living a simplified life in an isolated spot located outside of Concord, Massachusetts. He describes in detail his reasons for choosing to do this experiment, stating that not everyone will agree with him, but he hopes that they may take some understanding away with them.

1) 1 - Class Discussion: Do you admire Thoreau's experiment or do you think...
(read more)