Lesson Plan Format

Your Aame: Aick Olson

Length of lesson: 54 minutes

1itle of lesson: 1he White Man's Burden

ontext of Lesson: This is a unit on imperialism and WWI, and these poems that they analyze
will be used aIter learning about Ioreign policy and the knowledge that the Spanish American
War is at this time, and aIter they will learn about the territories, or more detail about the wars
that take place.

entral Problem/Question: How does 'The White Man`s Burden and poems like it portray the
debate between imperialist and anti-imperialist?

Objectives: Students will be able to interpret poetry to Iurther understand the argument taking
place between imperialist and anti-imperialist. (6.2.1 MHSCE)

Anticipated student conceptions or challenges to understanding: the students will have trouble
interpreting the poems because oI the language, and way the poem is supposed to be read is
diIIerent to them. Also it will be diIIicult to translate poems in context oI history.

Materials/Evidence/Sources: There is a brieI powerpoint, poem packet, and worksheet.

Assessment: The students will turn in the worksheet at the end oI the hour, or Iinish it at home
over the weekend and turn it in on Monday



Instructional Sequence:

1. They will start with a journal question oI 'Why would people oppose imperialism? Why
would people support imperialism?
2. AIter they have done this I will give a brieI lecture on anti-imperialist and imperialist.
3. Then a quick intro to who Rudyard Kipling was, and that he wrote this poem called 'The
White Man`s Burden. Then I will explain that although it is a poem, we can use this to
Iurther understand history, and the debate between imperialist and anti-imperialist.
4. BeIore the poem I will show on the board the Iirst stanza and show how they should write
in the margin.
5. Then I will read 'The White Man`s Burden, I will stop at the Iirst stanza, give the
students a minute to think about what they think Kipling was saying, they will then share
with a partner and then pull a popsicle stick asking that person to tell me what they think
the Iirst stanza is saying.
6. Then I will read the rest oI the Iirst halI oI the poem, and will give them a minute to think
about what they think Kipling is saying, then share with a partner and then pull a popsicle
stick and have one person tell me what they think.
7. Then will Iinish the poem, and have them partner up with who they have been to interpret
the rest oI the poem comparing what they have.
8. Then in their partners they will read and interpret the remaining poems, and while
reading the poems they will also write down the words that stick out to them in the poems
in a chart on their worksheet.
9. AIter this they will work in their partners to answer the questions that are provided on the
worksheet.
10.They will have the remainder oI the hour to work on the questions and poems in their
partners.