Paul Laurence Dunbar
Lesson plans and teaching ideas
Paul Laurence Dunbar
Links to critical essays.
Paul Laurence Dunbar Digital Collection
Selected poetry, photos, more.
Paul Laurence Dunbar: Online Resources
This collection from the Library of Congress includes images, information about culture, lesson plans, and links to other collections.
Paul Laurence
Dunbar: Selected Poems
Students read, interpret, and write poems in both standard English and dialect. They will interpret and explore their connection to poems through essays and letters. At the end of the lesson, they will work individually to interpret Dunbar’s 1899 poem "Sympathy" and (through research) place the poem both in its historical context and in its relation to their own lives. This unit plan contains 7 lessons and is designed for grades 7 and 8. The 14-page document requires Adobe Reader for access.
Questions on Paul Laurence Dunbar
Questions for "Sympathy," "The Haunted Oak," "An Ante-Bellum Sermon," "Not They Who Soar," and "We Wear the Mask."
We, Too, Sing America
A unit plan for poems by Dunbar, Langston Hughes, and Gwendolyn Brooks.
"We Wear the Mask"
This study guide explores background, theme, meter, figures of speech, and more.
Write a Letter
This lesson uses 3 letters by Dunbar as models. It is designed for third grade and up. Access requires Adobe Reader or compatible application.
Writing Poetry like Pros
This extensive set of lessons includes an activity using Paul Laurence Dunbar's "To J. Q." in Lesson 1, Group 1.
