Henry David Thoreau
Lesson plans for Walden & "Civil Disobedience"

  |Thoreau: Biography and Transcendentalism| |"Civil Disobedience"| |The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail| |Walden| |Other Writings|

Biography and Transcendentalism

Thoreau Reader
E-texts and related links to Walden, "Civil Disobedience," and others. An excellent resource.

Thoreau's Walden
Introduction, podcast, and related links; part of NPR's "Present at the Creation" series.

The Writings of Henry D. Thoreau
Biography, correspondence, an excellent FAQ section, "Reflections on Walden," and related links. Includes links to transcripts of his journals.

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"Civil Disobedience"

"Civil Disobedience" at the Thoreau Reader
E-texts and related links to Walden, "Civil Disobedience," and others. An excellent resource.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Study guide questions for "Letter from Birmingham Jail," a good companion piece to "Civil Disobedience."

"On the Duty of Civil Disobedience"
Prompts for writing/discussion.

"Resistance to Civil Government"
A condensed text of the essay and discussion/analysis questions designed for advanced students. Adobe Reader or compatible application required for access.

Seminar questions for "Civil Disobedience"
Excellent discussion points organized as "opening," "core," and "closing" questions.

Study Questions for "Civil Disobedience"
Ten questions for writing/discussion with model answers for the first 3.

Thoreau, Civil Disobedience, and the Underground Railroad
Information with emphasis on Thoreau's view of the role of conscience.

Webtext on "Resistance to Civil Government"
This text has been annotated with background information and guiding questions.

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The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail

The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail
This eight-page teaching guide requires Adobe Reader for access.

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Walden

Affluenza and Thoreau
Students use online resources to investigate Thoreau and a life of voluntary simplicty.

Introduction to the Nature Journal
"Students exercise the observation skills that are essential to writing, visual art, and science." This lesson from the Smithsonian Institute is designed for all grade levels.

Marching to the Beat of a Different Drum from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum
Students relate works by Thoreau, Emerson, and others to songs exploring nonconformity. Music/lyrics not available onsite. This lesson is excellent: thorough and adaptable.

A Study of Place in Thoreau's Walden, or Life in the Woods
Students observe nature, write, and present. Lesson includes rubric and related links.

Thoreau's Walden from the Thoreau Reader
E-text (the only annotated version on the Web), Thoreau's own survey map of Walden, student questions, and a valuable resource in "Walden Express."

Walden
Text of Walden, divided by essays, downloadable and printable.

Walden
Free audio files of the text. A great resource to support readers who will be challenged by Thoreau's writing.

Walden
Vocabulary, focus questions, links, and classroom activities.

Walden Seminars
A collection of outstanding lesson and unit plans for middle school and high school. Many of the plans are cross-curricular.

World Wide Waldens
A web-based service learning project offering young people an opportunity to apply their knowledge, creativity and energy in putting Henry David Thoreau's words into action. Sponsored by the Walden Woods Project.

Other Writings

"Chesuncook"
Text of the essay originally published in 1858.

Henry David Thoreau
Brief biography and text of 3 poems, "Great God, I Ask Thee for No Meaner Pelf," "Inspiration," and "Smoke."

Walden: The Ballad of Thoreau
The two act, four character play is a conversation between Thoreau and Emerson set during the final two days Thoreau spent in his cabin before leaving Walden Pond. The script is available free at the site. Registration required.

"Walking"
Text of Thoreau's essay.

"Wild Apples"
Text of Thoreau's essay, originally published in 1862.