Carl Sandburg
Lesson plans and teaching resources

Carl Sandburg
Biography at Wikipedia.

Sandburg, Carl. 1918. Cornhuskers
Selected poems at Bartleby.com.

Carl Sandburg's "Chicago": Bringing a Great City Alive
By first examining primary photographs, maps, and other documents that depict Chicago at the turn of the century, students will anticipate Sandburg's description of and attitudes towards the city. They will then read a short biography of the poet to make further predictions about the poem. Finally students will read the poem and identify the ways in which Sandburg uses literary techniques such as personification and apostrophe to make vivid the Chicago he knew. At the end of the lesson, students will bring all these strands together by using "Chicago" as a model for writing original pieces about places that are important to them.

"Chicago" vocabulary
18 words presented in context and with definitions. Click on a word for pronunciation, examples of recent use, more.

Personification with "Grass" by Carl Sandburg
Students will read the poem "Grass" and identify the main idea and supporting details with a partner. Students will then write a poem using personification.

"I am the People, the Mob"
In this video, Poetry Out Loud state finalist Jermara Maxwell recites the poem.