I teach in a high poverty, rural school and I am getting ready to teach Dickinson and Whitman to my 11th grade classes. Any ideas for making these two fabulous poets POP! I thought about focusing on Dickinson's obsession with death and Whitman's sexuality because these are always interesting to teens, but I fear homophobia would become a focus for my students.
Another area to talk about is ED's seasonal disorder affliction. There was an article in Time or Newsweek a couple of years ago that was short and would pique considerable interest. You might try and find the article.