I. Introduction
II. Curricula
III. Film
IV. An Ideal Collaboration
V. Henry David Thoreau, a True American Classic

An Outline of the Film

I. Introduction

Henry David Thoreau, the American author whose writings have inspired and influenced countless numbers of people around the globe for 150 years, is coming back to school in new form. Thoreau has been an integral part of the curriculum of American literature courses in school districts for many years. Now his ideas will be brought to life through drama, dilemmas, and thought provoking discussions to connect with young people worldwide.

Life With Principle: Thoreau in Our Time will provide high school and university educators with six entirely new multi-media curriculum units ready to support what is already mandated in the curriculum frameworks for each state throughout America. The Curricula and Study Guide include both instructional materials for educators and projects for students, stored on the discs and ready to be printed out for classroom use.

Educators can use Thoreau’s writings as an effective tool for better understanding a deep current in American culture. Thoreau’s principled, independent thinking articulates underlying values so important in a society that is often portrayed as too rushed, too aggressive and materialistic, and too divorced from the natural world. The Thoreau Society has been instrumental in the preservation and scholarship of Thoreau's work and his global influence.

II. Curricula
The development of the Curricula for Life With Principle, the Thoreau Educational DVD, has been a collaborative effort of the Society and Producer Melvyn Hopper. Educator Focus Groups (including secondary Literature and History educators who participated in summer seminars led by the Thoreau Society’s Executive Director) have been involved in the project over the past three years. They were specifically asked to explore the following question: What messages do your students find in Thoreau’s writing that might help students in America and other countries to understand themselves and the American culture? The educators’ responses played a key role in the development of this valuable educational program.

Educators throughout America were contacted through a mass online mailing to help identify the strongest connections between Thoreau’s writings and the dilemmas and decisions facing young people today. Their responses overwhelmingly validate the need and value for new modern teaching materials that are designed to engage students, providing them with key ideas about Cultural History, Literature, Social Studies, Science, Government and Environmental Studies; ideas that are perhaps even more relevant today than they were when written 150 years ago.

Melvyn Hopper, working with the Thoreau Society, content specialists, and educators with extensive experience in program development and training, has produced a powerful product for use in high school and university classrooms.

III. Film

The Film will introduce high school and university students to Henry David Thoreau, his ideas, and his literary works. The Film delivers visual introductions and thought provoking content to the thematic chapters presented in the Curricula, inviting classroom discussion about life choices and conscious decisions available to young people today in our increasingly complex world. The Film is comprised of a mixture of interviews and visuals of the issues raised within the Curricula. Ultimately the Film introduces the profound relevance of Thoreau’s writings and philosophy in our modern day context.

The Film interviewees represent individuals of different backgrounds and age groups; high school students, young professionals, armed services personnel, political activists, ecologists, and artists, to name a few. These interviewees provide direct relevance to the issues raised in our world today and provide distinct views on how the teachings of Thoreau relate to their lives and the world around them. Visually, the Film footage will both complement the interviewees’ discussions and provide thematically relevant images, such as work and leisure, nature and urbanization, ecology and pollution, activism and democracy, consumerism and media, war and peace. The Film vividly exemplifies Thoreau’s feisty independence and thoughtful examination of how we choose to lead our lives; that we might further recognize the need for obtaining and preserving a balance between life with society and life with nature.

The DVD includes six full Curricula, interactive menu driven content, live Internet links, and valuable special features that complement the Film.

There are six areas of focus presented in the Curricula and Film. The Film aligns with curriculum guidelines for Literature, History, Social Studies, Science, Government and Environmental Studies.

Film: Six Complementary Areas of Focus

1. Hearing That Different Drummer
2. Being Awake, Aware and Alive
3. Examining Desperate and Deliberate Lives
4. Living In Society
5. Living in Nature
6. Confronting The Mean and The Sublime

The DVD contains valuable links to Thoreau’s works and related readings recommended by our
Educator Focus Groups, as well as special features.

Curricula: Corresponding Components to Each Area of Focus

1. General Concepts
2. Overall Goals
3. Audience Considerations
4. Framing Questions
5. Dilemmas and Decisions

The Curricula contain: discussion prompts, writing assignments, research topics, activities in
other media, relevant reading lists, and group projects.

IV. An Ideal Collaboration

Melvyn Hopper has partnered with the Thoreau Society to produce this educational program to help young people understand the significance of Thoreau’s writings and philosophy. The Thoreau Society offers a combination of scholarship and meaningful experience working with educators and students, as well as a widespread membership with contacts in communities and universities worldwide. It focuses on outreach and advocacy in the preservation of Thoreau’s great writings to provoke inquiry and critical thinking in our time.

V. Henry David Thoreau, a True American Classic

America today is under examination by people of other cultures trying to understand what we are as a nation, what we stand for, what principles form the underpinnings of our society. Americans themselves are seeking a better understanding of what their country stands for, how they relate to their country and the world.

• What does it means to be an American?
• How can we articulate our ideals in a way that makes sense to us, and the societies that we live within?
• Where can we find that clear and compelling voice to articulate our ideals?

The Thoreau Society has worked to promote and preserve the works of Thoreau so that their value may continue to be recognized and utilized for generations to come, in America and throughout the world. Thoreau is a true American Classic: a prominent character in American literature and landscape; a living legacy: Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862).

One might ask:

• Why is Thoreau considered one of our greatest American writers?
• How did the man who went to live in the woods at Walden Pond become an American institution?
• Why do Americans find Thoreau’s philosophy so appealing even if they find it often impractical to live out?
• Why is it that so many Americans feel so strongly about Thoreau’s ideas even as he questions their lifestyles?

A goal of this project is to investigate these questions in order to explore what Americans believe about themselves, collectively and individually.

Thoreau was one of America’s greatest original thinkers. He exemplifies American values that need to be communicated to young people in our world today, especially at this time when American culture is too often portrayed in an unfavorable light. Thoreau was an individual: unconventional, honest, and free. His life was the epitome of independence, and he articulated the combination of self-reliance and responsibility that are keys to understanding the development of the unique American character and vision.