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Walden: A Case Study in Virtue and Environmental Ethics Frank Casale, Ph.D. Development Team Click Here for Lesson Plans
	Introduction Henry David Thoreau’s Walden is a classic of American Literature and is widely taught in U.S. high schools and colleges. The text has been hailed as a seminal piece of nature writing, a foundational document for the environmental movement, an inquiry into American ideology, and as a perceptive exploration of the nature of the individual and the self. This module will treat Walden as a presentation of the ethics of excellence (virtue ethics) and of our ethical relationship to the environment. View More
	Key Concepts and Vocabulary Virtue Ethics Environmental Ethics The Good Life View More
	Background for for Teachers Walden can be a very tough read for anyone, but especially for high school students. In this module, students will read only four sections of the text: “Economy”, “What I lived for”, “Higher Laws”, and “Conclusion”. It will help students to comprehend their reading before classroom discussion/work by giving them an overall ‘ethical theme’ for each chapter, and for them to treat each chapter as Thoreau’s investigation/case study of that theme. Thoreau will also challenge the reader to improve their understanding of that theme in their own lives, and to use that understanding to live their life as excellently as possible. Having students identify the rhetorical passages where Thoreau is challenging them will also be productive.   View More

	Core Subject Areas and Grade Level		Description of Classroom Activities
	Local, State, and National Standards		Assessment for Activities
	Core Values Emphasized in this Learning Module		Extension Activity
	Suggested Time for Instruction		Bibliography and Web Resources

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