William Stafford
Lesson plans and teaching resources

| Biography and Background | | Collections of Poems | | Lesson Plans for Specific Poems |

Biography and Background

Biography and links to a few poems,including an audio file of Stafford reading "With Kit, Age 7, at the Beach."

Biography and bibliography at Wikipedia.

Collections of Poems

Links to 39 poems.

Browse 118 poems; see first drafts in Stafford's handwriting, revisions, and published versions.

Follow links to biography, critical commentary, and text and/or audiofile of more than 100 poems, including "At the Un-national Monument along the Canadian Border" (read by Stafford).

Lesson Plans for Specific Poems

"Fifteen"

Text of the poem. Click on "Listen" at the top to hear Garrison Keillor's Writer's Almanac, which ends with a reading of the poem.

Examples of how students should quote from a poem using Stafford's "Fifteen." Students practice using Sylvia Plath's "Mirror."

"Traveling Through the Dark"

This lesson uses "Travling Through the Dark" to explore connotation.

Critical commentary.

A copy of Stafford's first draft, revisions, final copy with Stafford's commentary, and a video of Stafford discussing the poem.

Other Poems

Students explore multiple concepts, including reading poetry aloud, sound techniques like alliteration and rhyme, metaphor, and description. The lessons use "At the Salt Marsh," "Fish Counter at Bonneville," "In the Deep Channel," and "Ceremony." Copies of the poems are not included in the lesson plan. These cross-curricular lessons are designed for grades 3-5.

Downloadable audio file of Stafford reading (1:34); click on the link for the text of the poem.

Text of the poem.

Text of the poem. Click on "Listen" to hear it read.

and
This lesson uses "Vocation" and includes a copy of the poem. Students explore point of view, imagery, endings, and what it means to be part of a family. It is designed for elementary students.

A teacher reflects on selections that have worked well with first- and second-graders, including "At the Playground," "Coyote," and "Roll Call." Copies of the poems are not available at this site.

Students explore the environmental aspects of these poems: "The Well Rising," "The Fish Counter at Bonneville," "The Tillamook Burn," "At the Bomb Testing Site," and "Ceremony." Copies of the poems are included. This lesson is designed for high school.

This unit plan incorporates the following poems: "Parentage," "Some Shadows, " "Listening, " "A Memorial: Son Bret, " "Remembering Brother Bob, " "Elegy," and "Troubleshooting." Designed for high school, this plan does not include copies of the poems.