Title: “Thanatopsis”
By Name: Nancy Stidger, Grissom High School
Huntsville, AL
Objectives for the remodeled plan
The students will:
 Interpret the poem “Thanatopsis” by William Cullen Bryant
 Discuss personal views on death
 Discuss the use of created words for poems and figures of speech used in the
poem
Standard Approach
The teacher reads the poem aloud. Students listen. Students read the poem
silently. The main theme of the poem is death and the idea that one should not fear death.
Bryant continuously creates throughout the poem the comparison between sleep and
death.
Most of the questions under comprehension examine interpretive understanding
only.
Critique
Questions in the original lesson require students to understand the meaning of
“Thanatopsis.” Other questions are concerned with understanding and recognizing
figures of speech: “ The all-beholding sun shall see no more in all his course;” There are
no questions dealing with a discussion of how students feel about death. If students are
given a chance to discuss openly their views and feelings, then they will start to recognize
that poetry can be appreciated because of its universal themes.
Strategies used to remodel
S- 21 reading critically; clarifying or critiquing texts
S- 17 questioning deeply; raising and pursuing root or significant questions
S- 4 explaining thoughts underlying feelings and feelings underlying thoughts
Remodeled Lesson Plan
The definition of the title should be brainstormed on the board for extension.
From selected choices made by students, they should be able to understand and clarify
why the author chose this title and to determine how or why one would come to this
particular interpretation of death. S-4
For further exploration, ask questions like the following: Have you ever given
much thought to your own death? Have you ever had someone close to you (friend or
relative) die? How did you deal with your pain and frustration after the death? Did you
come to some kind of conclusion in order to soothe your loss? S-17 Have students
discuss the definition of Communion in a religious setting and Communion in nature’s
setting. What are “her” visible forms? How is nature related to human life? How is
nature related to death? S-21
During and after the discussion and note taking, questions should always be
encouraged. Afterwards, review and have students write a five-paragraph essay
discussing how nature gives birth to human life and how nature accepts humans back into
the earth after death.