Ralph Waldo Emerson Lesson Plans
"Self-Reliance," more

"American Civilization"
This essay was first published in The Atlantic in 1862.

Concord: The Heart of Transcendentalism
A virtual tour of Concord, Massachusetts.

Examining Transcendentalism through Popular Culture
Using excerpts from the works of Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau, comics, and songs from different musical genres, students examine the characteristics of transcendentalism.

Marching to the Beat of a Different Drum
By studying "Self-Reliance" and other works, students explore the advantages and disadvantages of conforming to society's expectations.

Masters of Chiasmus: Ralph Waldo Emerson
A collection of chiasmus drawn from Emerson's works.

Ralph Waldo Emerson (1830-1882): A Guide to Resources
Biography, links to e-texts, famous quotes, and an explanation of Transcendentalism.

Ralph Waldo Emerson
Biography and links to e-texts of essays and poetry.

Ralph Waldo Emerson
On this page, a brief biography. Follow links to activities, discussion questions, and archived support graphics.

Ralph Waldo Emerson
This page from the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy offers excellent background information.

Ralph Waldo Emerson
Biography and selected quotations.

Ralph Waldo Emerson, Transcendalist Philosopher
The activities on this page focus on "Self Reliance."

Repeat After Us
Audio files of some Emerson poems. A good site for LD students, ELL students, and for those who read well and might like to record and contribute. Files are in alphabetical order by poet; scroll down.

The Sage and the Magazine
Follow links on this page to articles originally published in The Atlantic Monthly. Includes links to four poems he published in the magazine's first issue.

"Self Reliance"
Text of the essay.

Suggestions for Pairing Contemporary Music and Canonical Literature
A list of songs that were inspired by reading literature. Organized by the last name of the author (e.g. Chinua Achebe, William Butler Yeats), the list includes song title, performer, year of release, and more. The list includes 7 titles inspired by "Self-Reliance" and 3 inspired by Nature.

Transcendentalism: Emerson and Thoreau Projects
Four post-reading activities.

Vocabulary from "Self-Reliance"
A list of 175 words. On the "definitions" tab, find a definition, audio pronunication, synonym, and examples of the word in current use. On the "Notes & Examples" tab, find a definition and the word in context of the essay. On the "Words Only" tab, the list of all of the words in that section.