O Captain! My Captain! Walt Whitman Poetry Analysis, PDF & Google Drive, CCSS

Make a study of poetry compelling and relevant to your students’ lives.

In the film Dead Poets Society, Robin Williams famously delivers portions of Walt Whitman’s beloved “O Captain! My Captain!” poem. This funeral dirge serves as a compelling extended metaphor for the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln just days after the end of the Civil War. Use this 30-minute lesson to pull your students into this classic Walt Whitman text.

This product includes:

• A suggested lesson procedure page (1-page)

• A single-sheet featuring the full-text public domain poem (1-page)

• A five-question worksheet that will require students to dig into the text (1-page)

• A detailed answer key to allow ease of grading and provide discussion starters (1-page)

This 30-minute lesson will add rigor to your students’ enjoyment of Dead Poets Society, but also works as a standalone assignment for any poetry or American literature unit if, like me, you aren’t able to use the full-length film with your classes. Either way, your students will be challenged and entertained as they work through the words of Walt Whitman.

Download includes: 4-page PDF + Google Drive version of student handouts (uneditable)

Want this item plus lesson materials for other poems featured in Dead Poets Society? Instead of purchasing this item, click here to get these poetry lessons plus two other poetry lesson sets at a 20% discount. Also, please note that this item is included in my budget-priced 4-week High School Poetry Unit that’ll save you more than 20% on this item and a slew of other poetry teaching materials. To avoid a double-purchase, please do not buy the item on this page if you also intend to buy the poetry bundle or Dead Poets Society pack.

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$2.00