William Butler Yeats
Lesson plans and teaching ideas

| Biography and Background | | Specific Poems |

Biography and Background

Background, some interpretation, related links.

Biography and links to e-texts of several poems.

Background and related links.

Specific Poems

Using Hardy's "The Man he Killed," Yeats' "An Irish Airman Foresees his Death," and Brooke's "The Soldier," students explore character traits of the speakers.

Brief summary and suggestions for writing an analysis.

Text, discussion questions, writing prompts, analysis.

Poem paired with a biographical article about Yeats' desire to write plays. Includes 2 printable handouts.

Downloadable audio file (1:40). Click on the title for the text of the poem.

This study guide includes suggestions for writing an analysis.

From Yeats' autobiography, located at the Thoreau Reader.

Photos of the island, related information.

Scroll down to listen to Anthony Hopkins read "The Lake Isle of Innisfree."

Audio files of some Yeats poems. A good site for LD students, ELL students, and for those who read well and might like to record and contribute. Files are in alphabetical order by poet; scroll down.

Analysis and ideas for responding to the poem.

Among the resources here, don't miss the video. Pictures and audio will help students visualize the poem.

Scroll down to find the audio file of an introduction and poet Diane Thiel reading the poem.

Jazz musician Wynton Marsalis read the poem in this video. Scroll down for discussion questions and analysis. This video runs 2:17. It is captioned and downloadable.

Discussion questions for these poems: "The Lake Isle of Innisfree," "The Second Coming," "Sailing to Byzantium," "Leda and the Swan," "Among School Children," "Byzantium," and "Crazy Jane Talks with the Bishop."