Robert Hayden
Lesson plans for "Those Winter Sundays," more

Robert Hayden
Biography and links to the text of "Those Winter Sundays" and an audiofile of the author reading "Soledad."

Robert Hayden
Links to a dozen poems.

Analyzing Poetic Devices: Robert Hayden's "Those Winter Sundays" and Theodore Roethke's "My Papa's Waltz"
Students will study both the content and the form of these two poems, closely analyzing how each poem's use of poetic devices helps to convey and emphasize the poem's meaning.

"Poetry Out Loud" Winner Reads "Frederick Douglass"
Follow the link to an audiofile of high school student Shawntay Henry reciting Hayden's "Frederick Douglass."

In addition to developing background knowledge about allusions and the etymology of key words, students use an online tool to examine the relationship between the speaker and his father in Robert Hayden's "Those Winter Sundays." Then students explore how the poet uses consonance, assonance, and alliteration to illustrate this complex relationship. Finally students use the idea of a composed memory and their knowledge of sonic patterns to draft, revise, and share their own original text.

"Those Winter Sundays"
Students use the poem to explore imagery. Follow the link provided for thorough analysis.

"Those Winter Sundays"
Poetry Out Loud contestant Youssef Biaz recites the poem in this video.

"Those Winter Sundays"
In this YouTube video (9:25), a classroom teacher introduces the poem, then reads and analyzes it.