Poetry Activities for the Sonnet w/ William Shakespeare

This comprehensive poetry analysis resource harnesses the timeless brilliance of William Shakespeare's "Sonnet 104" to delve into the captivating poetry form of the sonnet. Through expertly guided annotation, literary analysis (via short answer and essay assignments), and a stimulating creative poem-writing activity, this versatile resource offers a profound exploration of the sonnet.

This resource can be effortlessly segmented into individual components, making it perfect for implementation as bell ringers, short writing assignments, and substitute plans. Alternatively, educators have the flexibility to seamlessly combine all three included activities, crafting a scaffolded lesson spanning 1-2 weeks, dedicated to the artistry of the sonnet form in poetry.

Teaching this resource is simple!
- Begin by introducing and discussing the poem using the poem analysis activity; this is perfect as a bell ringer.

• - Allocate time for students to engage with the guided annotation activity.

• - Ensure students answer the analysis question that comes with the lesson (note: an answer key is provided).

• - Provide students the opportunity to compose their own poem, inspired by the poetic concept previously analyzed.

• - Finally, evaluate students' understanding of the poem and its underlying poetic concepts through a literary analysis essay.

  • - The essay assignment includes a prompt, writing tips, a procedure for peer review, and a Common Core-aligned rubric.

Your TeachSimple download includes:

• A POEM ANALYSIS ACTIVITY: Give students the opportunity to read William Shakespeare's "Sonnet 104” (text included) and analyze the poem via an annotation activity and accompanying analysis questions (answer key included). Ideal for a bell ringer!

• A CREATIVE WRITING ASSIGNMENT: Provide students the opportunity to further develop their understanding of the sonnet with a creative poem writing assignment (tied to one Common Core Writing Standard). Ideal for sub plans!

• A LITERARY ANALYSIS ESSAY: This essay assignment builds on students' understanding of sonnets and Shakespeare's "Sonnet 104.” The assignment handout includes essay guidelines, analysis prompt, literary analysis writing tips, and a peer review checklist. The included rubric is tied to 4 Common Core ELA Standards and includes a link to an editable rubric that allows for grading customization and seamless integration into Google Classroom and many other Learning Management Systems (LMS's)

Although this resource can be fitted for any secondary Language Arts classroom, it has been carefully designed to work best in grades 9 through 12. The included rubric is subtly but specifically tied to Common Core ELA Standards for Language (1 and 2) and Writing (2 and 4). This resource is provided in print-ready, bookmarked, and adjustable PDF files and PowerPoint Show files.

This resource contains 5 pages and 1 Google Sheet.