Today’s Walking Classroom discusses the poetry of Carl Sandburg and his life as “America’s People’s Poet”. He used intense imagery in his poems and a much “freer” form of poetry writing than other poets of his day, and was sometimes criticized for it. Sandburg’s poems, “Chicago” and “Fog,” show his unusual style, and the moods of these two poems are quite different. His works illustrate how poetry can be structured or unstructured.
Character Value: Individuality
Click for Standards Alignment
Common Core
L–Language | SL–Speaking and Listening | RI–Reading: Informational | RL–Reading: Literature | W–Writing | RH–6-8 Literacy in History/Social Studies | RST–6-8 Literacy in Science & Technical Subjects Elementary School:RL.3.1, RL.3.4, RL.3.5, L.3.5, SL.3.1, SL.3.4
RL.4.1, RL.4.2, RL.4.4, RL.4.5, L.4.5, SL.4.1, SL.4.4
RL.5.1, RL.5.2, RL.5.4, RL.5.5, L.5.5, SL.5.1, SL.5.4
Middle School:
RL.6.1, RL.6.2, RL.6.4, RL.6.5, L.6.5, SL.6.1, SL.6.4
RL.7.1, RL.7.2, RL.7.4, RL.7.5, L.7.5, SL.7.1, SL.7.4
RL.8.1, RL.8.2, RL.8.4, RL.8.5, L.8.5, SL.8.1, SL.8.4
Supplemental Resource Links and Downloads
Quiz: (Make sure you're already logged into your Gmail account, then click to copy this Google form to your Google Drive. Quiz keys are here.)
Carl Sandburg Google Quiz
Slide Deck:
Carl Sandburg Slide Deck
Explore the Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site in this virtual tour from the National Park Service.
Test knowledge of the poem “Fog” in this multiple choice quiz.
Learn about and write autobiographical poems in this project from the National Park Service.
Compare prose and poetry in this K12reader.com reading and writing exercise.
Create a timeline of Carl Sandburg’s life in this interactive class activity from the National Park Service.
See More Podcasts in Subject Area: Language Arts
See More Themed Groupings that Contain this Podcast: 20th Century, Biographies, Literary Figures, Poets and Poetry