“O Captain! My Captain!”
A Study into Whitman’s Text and
the History Surrounding It
Program: Undergraduate English Course
Subject: American Literature and its Major Authors
Lecturer: Edward Fudacz
Topic: Context and text of Whitman’s “O Captain! My Captain!”, Interpretation through student insight and discussion and a study of history
Profile: Professional Preparation
Duration:5 weeks
Purpose: To develop an awareness and understanding of the Civil War era through history and literature, with emphasis on above poem. To illuminate Whitman as poet and voice of the people, and his place in our history and literary past.
Student Learning Outcomes:
1. Analyze “O Captain! My Captain!” Web site and become familiar with era and work under study.
2. Develop a further understanding of the Civil War era through lecture with accompanying PowerPoint presentation and student discussion.
3. Develop a further understanding of “O Captain! My Captain!” through in-class group work.
4. Use library resources to research an individual approach to analyzing poem or related topic.
5. Synthesize work with short final paper, PowerPoint presentation, or simple Web site
based on research.
Standards:
National Educational Technology (NETS) Standard for Teachers
I. TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS AND CONCEPTS
Teachers demonstrate a sound understanding of technology operations and concepts.
Teachers:
A. demonstrate introductory knowledge, skills, and understanding of concepts related to technology.
II. PLANNING AND DESIGNING LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS AND EXPERIENCES
Teachers plan and design effective learning environments and experiences supported by technology. Teachers:
A. design developmentally appropriate learning opportunities that apply technology-enhanced instructional strategies to support the diverse needs of learners.
D. plan for the management of technology resources within the context of learning activities.
E. plan strategies to manage student learning in a technology-enhanced environment.
III. TEACHING, LEARNING, AND THE CURRICULUM
Teachers implement curriculum plans that include methods and strategies for applying technology to maximize student learning. Teachers:
B. use technology to support learner-centered strategies that address the diverse needs of students.
C. apply technology to develop students’ higher order skills and creativity.
NETS English Language Standards
1. Students read a wide range of print and nonprint texts to build an understanding of texts, of themselves, and of the cultures of the United States and the world; to acquire new information; to respond to the needs and demands of society and the workplace; and for personal fulfillment. Among these texts are fiction and nonfiction; classic and contemporary works.
2. Students read a wide range of literature from many periods in many genres to build an understanding of the many dimensions (e.g., philosophical, ethical,and aesthetic) of human experience.
3. Students apply a wide range of strategies to comprehend, interpret, evaluate, and appreciate texts. They draw on their prior experience, their interactions with other readers and writers, their knowledge of word meaning and of other texts, their word identification strategies, and their understanding of textual features (e.g., sound-letter correspondence, sentence structure, context, and graphics).
7. Students conduct research on issues and interests by generating ideas and questions, and by posing problems. They gather, evaluate, and synthesize data from a variety of sources (e.g., print and nonprint texts, artifacts, and people) to communicate their discoveries in ways that suit their purpose and audience.
8. Students use a variety of technological and information resources (e.g., libraries, databases, computer networks, and video) to gather and synthesize information and to create and communicate knowledge.
Activities:
Students will:
1. Analyze “O Captain! My Captain!” Web site, following links and synthesizing meaning. They will then write a one-page response to the Web site, displaying what they have learned.
2. Then prepare for a Civil War discussion period, in which they will take part utilizing their own knowledge and outside research, if necessary.
3. Devote a full class time will be devoted to the above discussion, with lecturer as speaker and discussion leader. Lecture will be accompanied by a PowerPoint presentation.
4. Break off into groups and discuss the poem itself. Each will then give a short presentation on what they have developed.
5. Utilize library resources, developing and researching a topic related to class context. Topic may involve anything discussed or on Web site, subject to professor discretion.
6. Develop a final project based on research. This project should reflect not only research but synthesize class experience as related to research. This project may take the form of a short paper (3-5 pages), a PowerPoint presentation of at least 8 minutes, or a simple Web site of appropriate content (similar in length to other options).
Evaluation:
Student grades will be determined as follows:
One-page response 10%
Group presentation 20%
Final Project 50%
Class participation 20%
1. One-page response will be graded on thought and content, how much the student engaged the subject.
2. Group presentation will be graded on insight and articulation of ideas, diversity of concepts developed in a group setting.
3. Final project will be graded considering usefulness of resources, MLA style, utilization of format (paper, PowerPoint, Web site) for subject studied, content, presentation, and other evaluation pertinent to individual format (at teacher’s discretion).
4. Class participation is important to the learning mechanism of this class, and students are expected to be involved with every class discussion and project.