Magna Carta Was Sealed by King John, on this day, in 1215

Magna Carta, is an English legal charter, originally issued in the year 1215 by King John of England. It was written in Latin and is known by its Latin name. The usual English translation of Magna Carta is Great Charter.

Magna Carta required King John of England to proclaim certain rights (pertaining to freemen), respect certain legal procedures, and accept that his will could be bound by the law. It explicitly protected certain rights of the King's subjects, whether free or fettered — and implicitly supported what became the writ of habeas corpus, allowing appeal against unlawful imprisonment.

Magna Carta was the first document forced onto an English King by a group of his subjects (the barons) in an attempt to limit his powers by law and protect their privileges.

Magna Carta was arguably the most significant early influence on the extensive historical process that led to the rule of constitutional law today in the English speaking world. Magna Carta influenced the development of the common law and many constitutional documents, including the United States Constitution.

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Lesson Plan Information
Title: Magna Carta: Cornerstone of the U.S. Constitution
Objectives: By the end of this lesson, students will understand:
- why the rule of law is necessary in a free and democratic society.
- the relationship between Magna Carta and the evolution of constitutional government.
- how the Magna Carta was used to justify independence from Great Britain.

Watch a concert performance and analyze song lyrics.

Draft a personal narrative that relates a childhood experience.

Finalize a personal narrative and share it with the class.
Grade Level: 9-12
Subject: U.S. History / Civics
Handouts: Worksheets, activities and background information.
Time Needed: Three class periods
Provided by: EDSITEment (Author: Christine L. Compston, Bellingham, WA)
Year: 2007
Link: http://edsitement.neh.gov/view_lesson_plan.asp?id=737

The Purchase of Alaska - This Day, in 1867

The Alaska Purchase was the acquisition of the Alaska territory by the United States from Russia in 1867 by a treaty ratified by the Senate. The purchase, made at the initiative of United States Secretary of State William H. Seward (treaty signed on March 30, 1867), gained 586,412 square miles (1,518,800 km2) of new United States territory. Originally organized as the Department of Alaska, the area was successively the District of Alaska and the Alaska Territory before becoming the modern state of Alaska upon being admitted to the Union as a state in 1959.

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Lesson Plan Information
Title: The Purchase of Alaska
Subject: U.S. History
Grade Level: 6-8
Objectives: By the end of this lesson, students will understand that:
- there was disagreement among the American public regarding the purchase of Alaska
- Alaska has presented both benefits and challenges to the United States.
Materials: Documents, books, articles concerning the United States' purchase of Alaska from the Russians; computers with access to the Internet.
Time Needed: Three 50-minute class periods
Provided by: Discovery Education (Credit: Summer Productions, Inc.)
Link: http://www.discoveryeducation.com/teachers/free-lesson-plans/alaska.cfm

Hollywood Legend Elizabeth Taylor Dies

Elizabeth Taylor (1932 – 2011) was considered one of the great screen actresses of Hollywood's Golden Age and a two-time winner of the Academy Award (Oscar) for Best Actress. The American Film Institute named Taylor seventh on its Female Legends list.

Best known for her films: National Velvet (1944), A Place in the Sun (1951), Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958), Cleopatra (1963), Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf (1966), Reflections in a Golden Eye (1967).

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Lesson Plan Information
Title: Cleopatra
Subject: Ancient Civilizations
Objectives: By the end of this lesson, students will understand that:
- Comparing people and ranking them is a difficult challenge.
- People are important to society in many different ways.
Concepts / Vocabulary: Consort, femme fatale, linguist, dysfunctional, inflation, prenuptial, disembarked
Grade Level: 6-8
Materials:Access to a photocopier, biographical reference materials, computers with access to the Internet.
Time Needed: Two 50-minute class periods
Provided by: Discovery Education (Credit: Jay Lamb, world history and religion teacher, Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, Alexandria, Virginia; Sandy Lamb, social studies teacher, Thomas Jefferson High School.)
Link: http://www.discoveryeducation.com/teachers/free-lesson-plans/cleopatra.cfm

 

Mikhail Gorbachev, best known for Perestroika and Glasnost, was born this day in 1931

Perestroika (reconstruction) was a political movement within the Communist Party of the Soviet Union during 1980s, widely associated with the Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev referring to the restructuring of the Soviet political and economic system.

Glasnost (openness) was the policy of maximal publicity, openness, and transparency in the activities of all government institutions in the Soviet Union, together with freedom of information, introduced by Mikhail Gorbachev in the second half of the 1980s.

Gorbachev's attempts at reform as well as summit conferences with United States President Ronald Reagan and his reorientation of Soviet strategic aims contributed to the end of the Cold War, ended the political supremacy of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU), and led to the dissolution of the Soviet Union. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1990.

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Lesson Plan Information
Title: “The Sinews of Peace” and the Cold War
Subject: World History / US History/ European History
Objectives: Students will identify the key ideas and themes in several important speeches of the Cold War era by Winston Churchill, Joseph Stalin, Harry Truman, the Berlin Airlift, John F. Kennedy, Mikhail Gorbachev, Ronald Reagan
Grade Level: 9-12
Materials: Computers with access to the Internet.
Time Needed: Five 50-minute class periods
Provided by: TeachingAmericanHistory.org (Author: Amanda S. Rowcliffe, Webb School of Knoxville)
Link: http://teachingamericanhistory.org/churchill/lessonplans/rowcliffe.doc

 

George Washington, the first president of the United States, was born this day in 1732

George Washington (1732 – 1799) was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander in chief of the Continental Army in 1775–1783, and he presided over the writing of the Constitution in 1787. As the unanimous choice to serve as the first President of the United States (1789–1797), he developed the forms and rituals of government that have been used ever since, such as using a cabinet system and delivering an inaugural address. As President, he built a strong, well-financed national government that avoided war, suppressed rebellion and won acceptance among Americans of all types, and Washington is now known as the "Father of his country".

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Lesson Plan Information
Title: The Making Of Our First President
Subject: U.S. History
Objectives: By the end of this lesson, students will understand how General Washington's early military career influenced the making of George Washington the president.
Concepts / Vocabulary: edict, skirmish, squire, terrain, ultimatum
Grade Level: 9-12
Materials: Reference materials of Washington's early military experience; computers with access to the Internet.
Time Needed: Two 50-minute class periods
Provided by: Discovery Education (Credit: Summer Productions, Inc.)
Link: http://www.discoveryeducation.com/teachers/free-lesson-plans/the-making-of-our-first-president.cfm

 

James Joyce was born this day in 1882

James Joyce (1882 – 1941) was an Irish novelist and poet, considered to be one of the most influential writers in the modernist avant-garde of the early 20th century. Joyce is best known for Ulysses (1922), a landmark novel which perfected his stream of consciousness technique and combined nearly every literary device available in a modern re-telling of The Odyssey. Other major works are the short-story collection Dubliners (1914), and the novels A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (1916) and Finnegans Wake (1939), and his complete oeuvre includes three books of poetry, a play, occasional journalism, and his published letters.

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Lesson Plan Information
Title: Writing Lyric Poetry
Subject: English / Language Arts
Objectives: By the end of this lesson, students will:
- Read and discuss the poem
- Recall and interpret facts and extend meanings
- Respond to critical opinion about the poem
- Analyze lyric poetry and the use of stylistic devices in a poem
Grade Level: 9-12
Materials: The poems: "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud" by William Wordworth , "I Hear an Army" by James Joyce, "The Sky is Low" by Emily Dickinson, "I Hear America Singing" by Walt Whitman, "Women" by Alice Walker, "maggie and milly and molly and may" by E.E. Cumming, "Dream Deferred"& "Dreams" by Langston Hughes.
Time Needed: Two 50-minute class periods
Provided by: SchoolLink (Author: B. Wu, Murry Bergtraum HS, New York, NY)
Link: http://www.schoollink.org/csd/pages/engl/lyricpoe.html

 

Winston Churchill, known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the World War II, died this day in 1965

Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill (1874 – 1965) was a British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War (WWII) and is widely regarded as one of the great wartime leaders.

Following the resignation of Neville Chamberlain on 10 May 1940, Churchill became Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. His steadfast refusal to consider defeat, surrender or a compromise peace helped inspire British resistance, especially during the difficult early days of the War when Britain stood alone in its active opposition to Hitler. Churchill was particularly noted for his speeches and radio broadcasts, which helped inspire the British people and the embattled Allied forces. He led Britain as Prime Minister until victory had been secured over Nazi Germany.

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Lesson Plan Information
Title: Churchill's Wartime Speeches: 1940-1941
Subject: History / World War II
Objectives: By the end of this lesson, students will understand:
- how did Winston Churchill, through his speeches, contribute to the formation of a collective British resolve to continue fighting during the critical time period when Britain was alone in fighting Germany?
Grade Level: 9-12
Materials: Computers with access to the Internet.
Handouts: Winston Churchill's speeches
Time Needed: Three class periods
Provided by: WinstonChurchill.org (Author: Jannette R. Milligan, Thomas Worthington High School, Worthington, OH)
Link: http://www.winstonchurchill.org/images/pdfs/for_educators/milligan-churchills%20wartime%20speeches%20.pdf

 

Charlie Chaplin, one of the most important figures in motion-picture history, died on this day in 1977.

Charlie Chaplin (1889 – 1977) was an English comic actor and film director of the silent film era. He became one of the best-known film stars in the world before the end of the First World War. Chaplin used mime, slapstick and other visual comedy routines, and continued well into the era of the talkies, though his films decreased in frequency from the end of the 1920s. His most famous role was that of The Tramp, Charlie Chaplin's most memorable on-screen character, a recognized icon of world cinema.

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Lesson Plan Information
Title: The Kid (Produced and Directed by Charlie Chaplin)
Subject: Language Arts / English films
Objectives: By the end of this lesson, students will:
Acquire cultural awareness and linguistic skills (possible English-Spanish coordinated activity).
Concepts / Vocabulary: Abandoned child, orphane, limousine, a tramp, silent movie, comedy, drama, poverty.
Grade Level: 4-8
Time Needed: One 50-minute class period
Provided by: Teaching English Net
Link: http://www.ten.edu.uy/IMG/pdf/Chaplin-The_Kid.pdf

 

Slavery was abolished in the United States, on this day, in 1865

Slavery in the United States was a form of unfree labor which existed as a legal institution in North America for more than a century before the founding of the United States in 1776, and continued mostly in the South until the passage of the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution on December 18 1865.

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Lesson Plan Information
Title: Abolishing Slavery in America
Subject: US History
Objectives: Students will:
- Learn what happened aboard the slave vessels Zong and Amistad.
- Consider what each incident reveals about views of slavery in Great Britain and the United States.
Concepts / Vocabulary: John Quincy Adams, Amistad, Cinque, Luke Collingwood, slavery
Grade Level: 9-12
Materials: Abolishing Slavery in America program, computers with access to the Internet.
Time Needed: Three 50-minute class periods
Provided by: Discovery Education
Link: http://school.discoveryeducation.com/lessonplans/programs/abolishingSlavery/

 

The United States Bill of Rights came into effect, on this day, 219 years ago

The Bill of Rights is the collective name for the first ten amendments to the United States Constitution. They were introduced by James Madison to the First United States Congress in 1789 as a series of legislative articles, and came into effect as Constitutional Amendments on December 15, 1791, through the process of ratification by three-fourths of the States.

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Lesson Plan Information
Title: Bill of Rights
Subject: Government / US History
Objectives: Students will:
- identify freedoms afforded by the Bill of Rights.
- explain how the government protects individual rights.
- analyze the importance of freedom of the press.
Concepts / Vocabulary: Bill of Rights, amendments, freedom, civics, government
Grade Level: 9-12
Materials: computers with access to the Internet.
Handouts: Worksheet
Time Needed: Two 50-minute class periods
Provided by: Education World (Author: Adam Burkett, a student at the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown in Johnstown, Pennsylvania.)
Year: 2004
Link: http://www.educationworld.com/a_tsl/archives/04-1/lesson012.shtml

 

John Lennon, best known as one of the founding members of The Beatles, was fatally shot 30 years ago

John Lennon (1940 – 1980) was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Along with fellow Beatle Paul McCartney, he formed one of the most successful songwriting partnerships of the 20th century.

Born and raised in Liverpool, Lennon became involved as a teenager in the skiffle craze; his first band, The Quarrymen, evolved into The Beatles in 1960. As the group disintegrated towards the end of the decade, Lennon embarked on a solo career that produced the critically acclaimed albums John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band and Imagine, and iconic songs such as Give Peace a Chance and Imagine. He moved to New York City in 1971, where his criticism of the Vietnam War resulted in a lengthy attempt by Richard Nixon's administration to deport him, while his songs were adopted as anthems by the anti-war movement.

Lennon disengaged himself from the music business in 1975 to devote time to his family, but re-emerged in 1980 with a new album, Double Fantasy. He was murdered three weeks after its release, on 8 December 1980.

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Lesson Plan Information
Title: John Lennon’s Imagine and the Vietnam War
Objectives: By the end of this lesson, students will:
- understand to what extent the song Imagine is about the Vietnam War and how strongly John Lennon was opposed to it.
- communicate about Imagine in English.
- enrich English language vocabulary.
Concepts / Vocabulary: Vietnam War
Grade Level: 10-12
Subject: ESL / English / Language Arts
Materials: John Lennon's - Imagine, computers with access to the Internet.
Time Needed: Two 50-minute class periods
Provided by: Nelly Thomas
Link: http://nellythomas.files.wordpress.com/2009/12/an-example-of-a-lesson-plan.pdf

 

Mark Twain, best known for The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, was born 175 years ago

Samuel Langhorne Clemens (1835 – 1910) known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American author and humorist. He is noted for his novels Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1885), called "the Great American Novel", and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876). Twain was a friend to presidents, artists, industrialists, and European royalty.

Twain was popular, and his wit and satire earned praise from critics and peers. Upon his death he was lauded as the "greatest American humorist of his age", and William Faulkner called Twain "the father of American literature".

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Lesson Plan Information
Title: Mark Twain and the American West
Objectives: By the end of this lesson, students will:
- understand the distinctively American voice of Mark Twain;
- see how Twain's writing was molded by his adventures in the American West and how his work has since shaped our perceptions of the West;
- understand the rapid Westward expansion of America in the 19th century.
Grade Level: 8-12
Subject: Language Arts / History
Materials: Copies of Mark Twain's Roughing It, computers with access to the Internet.
Time Needed: Up to three class periods
Provided by: PBS (Author: Joan Brodsky Schur, Village Community School in New York City)
Link: http://www.pbs.org/weta/thewest/lesson_plans/lesson02.htm

 

Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species Was Published 151 Years Ago

Charles Darwin (1809 – 1882) was an English naturalist who established that all species of life have descended over time from common ancestry, and proposed the scientific theory that this branching pattern of evolution resulted from a process that he called natural selection. He published his theory with compelling evidence for evolution in his 1859 book On the Origin of Species. The scientific community and much of the general public came to accept evolution as a fact in his lifetime, but it was not until the emergence of the modern evolutionary synthesis from the 1930s to the 1950s that a broad consensus developed that natural selection was the basic mechanism of evolution. In modified form, Darwin's scientific discovery is the unifying theory of the life sciences, explaining the diversity of life.

Darwin's theory is simply stated in the introduction of his book: "As many more individuals of each species are born than can possibly survive; and as, consequently, there is a frequently recurring struggle for existence, it follows that any being, if it vary however slightly in any manner profitable to itself, under the complex and sometimes varying conditions of life, will have a better chance of surviving, and thus be naturally selected. From the strong principle of inheritance, any selected variety will tend to propagate its new and modified form."

- Wikipedia

Lesson Plan Information
Title: Evolution
Objectives: By the end of this lesson, students will understand that:
- Darwin's theory of evolution (1859) has been accepted but also debated.
- Many scientists—botanist, zoologists, geologists, geneticists—have contributed to the study of evolution.
Concepts / Vocabulary: naturalist, evolution, natural selection, heredity, artificial selection, mutate, sociobiology, genetic code, eugenics.
Grade Level: 9-12
Subject: Biology / Animals
Materials: Reference materials about the history of evolution, computers with access to the Internet; roll paper, rulers, index cards.
Time Needed: Two class periods
Provided by: Discovery Education (Author: Lisa Lyle Wu, science teacher, Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, Alexandria, Virginia.)
Link: http://school.discoveryeducation.com/lessonplans/programs/greatbooks-originofspecies/

 

Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species Was Published 151 Years Ago

Charles Darwin (1809 – 1882) was an English naturalist who established that all species of life have descended over time from common ancestry, and proposed the scientific theory that this branching pattern of evolution resulted from a process that he called natural selection. He published his theory with compelling evidence for evolution in his 1859 book On the Origin of Species. The scientific community and much of the general public came to accept evolution as a fact in his lifetime, but it was not until the emergence of the modern evolutionary synthesis from the 1930s to the 1950s that a broad consensus developed that natural selection was the basic mechanism of evolution. In modified form, Darwin's scientific discovery is the unifying theory of the life sciences, explaining the diversity of life.

Darwin's theory is simply stated in the introduction of his book: "As many more individuals of each species are born than can possibly survive; and as, consequently, there is a frequently recurring struggle for existence, it follows that any being, if it vary however slightly in any manner profitable to itself, under the complex and sometimes varying conditions of life, will have a better chance of surviving, and thus be naturally selected. From the strong principle of inheritance, any selected variety will tend to propagate its new and modified form."

- Wikipedia

Lesson Plan Information
Title: Evolution
Objectives: By the end of this lesson, students will understand that:
- Darwin's theory of evolution (1859) has been accepted but also debated.
- Many scientists—botanist, zoologists, geologists, geneticists—have contributed to the study of evolution.
Concepts / Vocabulary: naturalist, evolution, natural selection, heredity, artificial selection, mutate, sociobiology, genetic code, eugenics.
Grade Level: 9-12
Subject: Biology / Animals
Materials: Reference materials about the history of evolution, computers with access to the Internet; roll paper, rulers, index cards.
Time Needed: Two class periods
Provided by: Discovery Education (Author: Lisa Lyle Wu, science teacher, Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, Alexandria, Virginia.)
Link: http://school.discoveryeducation.com/lessonplans/programs/greatbooks-originofspecies/

 

The U.S. Congress Held Its First Session in Washington, D.C., 210 Years Ago

A few milestones:

First Continental Congress - September 5, 1774
Second Continental Congress - May 10, 1775
Articles of Confederation - March, 1781
Constitutional Convention - May 25 to September 17, 1787, in Philadelphia
U.S. Congress held its first session in Washington, D.C. - November 17, 1800

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Lesson Plan Information
Title: Congressional Committees and the Legislative Process
Objectives: By the end of this lesson, students will:
- understand the legislative process of the United States Congress;
- examine the role that Congressional committees play in legislative process.
Concepts / Vocabulary: Standing Committee, Select Committee, Joint Committee, Conference Committee, written comment, hearing, markup, report.
Grade Level: 10-12
Subject: U.S. History - Civics and U.S. Government
Time Needed: Two to three class periods
Provided by: EDSITEment
Year: 2002
Link: http://edsitement.neh.gov/view_lesson_plan.asp?id=284

The tomb of the Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamen is discovered by British archaeologist Howard Carter

Howard Carter (1874 – 1939) was an English archaeologist and Egyptologist, noted as a primary discoverer of the tomb of Tutankhamun. He was financially backed by Lord Carnarvon.

On 4 November 1922, Carter's water carrier found the steps leading to Tutankhamun's tomb, by far the best preserved and most intact pharaonic tomb ever found in the Valley of the Kings. Carter made the famous "tiny breach in the top left hand corner" of the doorway, and was able to peer in by the light of a candle and see that many of the gold and ebony treasures were still in place. He did not yet know at that point whether it was "a tomb or merely a cache", but he did see a promising sealed doorway between two sentinel statues.

On 16 February 1923, Carter opened the sealed doorway, and found that it did indeed lead to a burial chamber, and he got his first glimpse of the sarcophagus of Tutankhamun.

- Wikipedia

Lesson Plan Information
Title: King Tut's Treasures
Objectives:
- explore how artifacts found in an ancient Egyptian tombs can be used to paint a picture of daily life in ancient Egypt;
- compare modern "artifacts" to those of ancient Egypt.
Grade Level: K-2
Subject: Geography, world history, anthropology
Materials: Globe or world map or Africa map, computers with Internet access, overhead projector
Handouts: Worksheet
Time Needed: Three to four hours
Provided by: National Geographic Society
Link: http://www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/lessons/06/gk2/kingtut.html

 

Pablo Picasso, the Creator of Guernica, was born in 1881

Pablo Ruiz Picasso (1881 – 1973) was a Spanish painter, draftsman, and sculptor who lived most of his adult life in France. He is best known for co-founding the Cubist movement and for the wide variety of styles embodied in his work. Among his most famous works are the proto-Cubist Les Demoiselles d'Avignon (1907) and Guernica (1937), his portrayal of the German bombing of Guernica during the Spanish Civil War.

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Lesson Plan Information
Title:Pablo Picasso and Henri Matisse: Art and Life.
Objectives: By the end of this lesson, students will:
- understand how the artwork of Henri Matisse and Pablo Picasso evolved throughout their lives.
- compare and contrast the works of the two artists at different periods in their lives.
Concepts / Vocabulary: Abstract Expressionism, Cubism, Impressionist, medium, palette.
Grade Level: 10-12
Subject: Fine Arts
Materials: Masters of Colorvideo, computers with Internet access, color printer.
Time Needed: 2 class periods
Provided by: Discovery Education
Link: http://school.discoveryeducation.com/lessonplans/programs/da_mastersofcolor/

The Saturday Night Massacre, 1973

The Saturday Night Massacre was the term given by political commentators to U.S. President Richard Nixon's executive dismissal of independent special prosecutor Archibald Cox, and the resignations of Attorney General Elliot Richardson and Deputy Attorney General William Ruckelshaus on October 20, 1973 during the Watergate scandal.

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Lesson Plan Information
Title: The Watergate Crisis
Objectives: Students will:
- discuss the events of the Watergate crisis;
- conduct an interview with a Watergate-era adult and present a summary of the interview.
Concepts / Vocabulary: Watergate, Deep Throat, resign, scandal
Grade Level: 8-12
Subject: Contemporary U.S. History
Materials: Computers with Internet access, print resources about Watergate, audio or video recorder.
Time Needed: Two 50-minute class periods
Provided by: Discovery Education (Author: Joy Brewster, curriculum writer, editor, and consultant)
Link: http://school.discoveryeducation.com/lessonplans/programs/watergate/

The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2010 was awarded to Robert G. Edwards "for the development of in vitro fertilization".

Robert Geoffrey Edwards (born 1925) is a British biologist and pioneer in reproductive biology and medicine, and in-vitro fertilization (IVF) in particular. Along with surgeon Patrick Steptoe (1913 – 1988), Edwards successfully pioneered conception through IVF, which led to the birth of the first test-tube baby, Louise Brown, on 25 July 1978.

- Wikipedia

Lesson Plan Information
Title: In Vitro Fertilization
Objectives: By the end of this lesson, students will:
- understand the in vitro fertilization science
- understand the in vitro fertilization physiological, ethical, and legal implication.
Concepts / Vocabulary: egg, fertility drug, fertilization, hormone, implantation, menstrual cycle, ovary, ovulation, sperm, zygote.
Grade Level: 9-12
Subject: Life Sciences / Contemporary Studies
Materials: Science textbooks on the menstrual cycle, reproduction, infertility, and fertility treatments; computers with Internet access
Time Needed: Two 50-minute class periods
Provided by: Discovery Education (Author: Donna Clem, biology teacher, Aberdeen High School, Aberdeen, Maryland.)
Link: http://school.discoveryeducation.com/lessonplans/programs/invitro/

Alfred, Lord Tennyson, The great English poet of the Victorian Age, died 118 years ago

Alfred, Lord Tennyson (1809 – 1892) was Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom during much of Queen Victoria's reign and remains one of the most popular poets in the English language.

Best known for his short poems In the valley of Cauteretz, Break, Break, Break, The Charge of the Light Brigade, Tears, Idle Tears and Crossing the Bar.

- Wikipedia

Lesson Plan Information
Title: The Charge of the Light Brigade by Alfred, Lord Tennyson
Objectives::
- Critical opinion about the poem
- The use of repetition and metaphor in the poem
- Themes: courage and honor; leaders and followers
Grade Level: 9-12
Subject: English Literature
Materials: The poem: The Charge of the Light Brigade by Alfred, Lord Tennyson
Time Needed: Two 50-minute class periods
Provided by: SchoolLink (Author: B. Wu, Murry Bergtraum HS, New York, NY)
Link: http://www.schoollink.org/csd/pages/engl/narrativ.html