UNIT: Walt Whitman

LESSON 2: When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloomd

DATE: 15 April 2013

APPROXIMATE TIME LENGTH: 40 Minutes

PA ACADEMIC STANDARDS:
1.1.11.C: Reading Independently
1.1.11.D: Reading Independently
1.3.11.A: Reading, Analyzing, and Interpreting Literature
1.3.11.B: Reading, Analyzing, and Interpreting Literature
1.3.11.C: Reading, Analyzing, and Interpreting Literature

PA ASSESSMENT ANCHOR DESCRIPTORS:

R11.A.1.3: Make inferences, draw conclusions, and make generalizations based on text
R11.A.1.4: Identify and explain main ideas and relevant details
R11.A.1.6: Identify, describe, and analyze genre of text
R11.B.1.2: Make connections between texts

MOTIVATIONAL DEVICE: Evaluative Set: Before beginning the lesson, students will have
the opportunity to give examples of any other poetic elegies they have previously read. Also,
students will have the opportunity to discuss anything they noticed while reading When Lilacs
Last in the Dooryard Bloomd that separates it from many traditional poetic elegies.

INSTRUCTONAL OBJECTIVES:
1. Using the text of the poem, students will be able to identify (write) at least two ways in
which When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloomd fits in with the traditional form and
content of the English pastoral elegy.
2. Using the text of the poem, students will be able to identify (write) at least two ways in

which When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloomd is different from the form and
content of traditional English pastoral elegies.
3. Using specific examples from the poem, students will be able to recognize and evaluate
(write) whether or not the speaker of When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloomd
undergoes any transformation or change in attitude.
MATERIALS NEEDED: Copy of When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloomd, writing
utensil, worksheet

TECHNOLOGY NEEDED: None

RESOURCES USED:
Whitman, Walt. "When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom'd." Poetry Foundation. Poetry
Foundation, n.d. Web. 7 Apr. 2013.

LESSON TYPE (PEDAGOGY): Discussion

LESSON OUTLINE (PROCEDURE):

I. Introduction (3 minutes)
a. What poetic elegies have you read in other classes?
1. Share student responses
b. What did you notice while reading When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloomd?
1. Share student responses
II. Group discussion (15 minutes)
a. Split students into groups of five
b. Distribute discussion question worksheet
c. Initiate discussion amongst groups
d. Observe and monitor group discussions providing input when necessary
III. Class discussion (15 minutes)
a. Have class form desks in circle around the room
b. Initiate class discussion regarding questions

c. Provoke discussion of key points

d. Allow student ample time to respond to each question
e. Allow each student to speak at least once
IV. Summary and closure (7 minutes)
a. Summarize any consensus class has come to regarding key points in the poem
b. Ask students any final thoughts or opinions regarding key points
c. Key questions
d. Closure

KEY QUESTIONS:
1. In what ways does When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloomd embrace the form and
content of traditional pastoral elegies?
2. In what ways does When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloomd reject or change the
form and content of traditional pastoral elegies?
3. Does the speaker of When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloomd undergo a
transformation or change of attitude over the course of the poem? Why or why not? How
can you tell?
CLOSURE: Allow students to give their opinions regarding When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard
Bloomd and allow students to discuss whether or not they feel the poem is successful.

DIFFERENTIATED LEARNING ACTIVITIES:

Tier One: Basic level students will be placed in a group with advanced students during group
discussion portion of the lesson and will be paired with an advanced student during class
discussion.
Tier Two: On level students will partake in discussions without assistance.
Tier Three: Advanced students will be expected to act as discussion leaders within their groups
and will be expected to play an active role in class discussion while supporting basic level
students throughout lesson.

FORMATIVE ASSESSMENTS:
1. Observe student group discussions in order to determine whether or not students have an
adequate understanding of the poem. Intervene in discussions only when necessary in
order to answer questions or provide needed support or feedback.
2. Listen carefully to student responses and opinions during class discussion. If students
appear confused by certain aspects of the poem, provide support or interpretation based
on the text of the poem.

HOMEWORK: Have students type a paragraph giving their opinion as to whether or not they
feel Whitman was successful in his writing of When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloomd.

REFLECTION:
1. Was the poem an appropriate reading choice for the class?
2. Do students appear overwhelmed by the amount of information presented to them?
3. Do students appear engaged throughout the course of the lesson?

When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloomd Discussion

Questions
The following questions are to be used to guide your group discussion of
the poem. After 15 minutes, we will come together in order to discuss
the questions as a class. Feel free to take notes on this worksheet
throughout the discussion.
How is the poem similar to Whitmans other poems we have read in class? How is it different?

How is the poem similar to other pastoral elegies? How is it different?

What role does nature play in the poem? What symbolic function does it play?

Is When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloomd merely a poem of mourning? Is there more to be
found in the poem?

How does the speaker mourn the slain President Lincoln? Is there any evidence to suggest that
the speaker is mourning for more than just President Lincoln?

Does the speaker undergo a transformation over the course of the poem? Why or why not? How
can you tell?