1. Lesson Objectives Agenda
Students will use SmartPhones or their textbooks to find 3 facts about the British Renaissance in order to gain an understanding of the period.
Students will analyze Sonnet 130 and use it as a guide for writing their own sonnets
Agenda
Introduction to the Renaissance
Sonnet 130
Write your own sonnet!
Introduction to Paradise Lost
Close reading
Standards

2. Introduction to the Renaissance
Get out your SmartPhones! Look up British history from about 1620 to 1700 (Paradise Lost was first published in 1667.) I recommend wikipedia!
Good keywords- British colonization of the Americas, indentured servants, divine right of kings, Elizabeth I, James I, Charles I, King James Bible, John Milton, Paradise Lost, or just “English Renaissance!”
If you don’t have a SmartPhone, look through the textbook. Keep in mind, we’re focusing mostly on Paradise Lost for this unit. (p , or )
Keep in mind- our essential question for the unit is “why do people seek power

3. British Renaissance
Scientific revolution
Artistic movement
Began in Italy
Cultural movement
A type of imperialism
Colonization
Leonardo DaVinci painted during this time
Shakespeare wrote during this time
The “Renaissance man”- a person with many talents or
skills
Kings given power by god (“divine right of kings”)
Henry VIII creates the “church of England”
Queen Elizabeth
Slave trade begins

4. Keep these things in mind as we read
Keep these things in mind as we read! Milton is talking about freedom, rebellion, and pride…

5. Open your textbooks to p.322
We’re going to start with Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18 (p.318) and
Sonnet 130 (p.322)

6. Important elements of a Shakespearian sonnet:
14 lines long
Includes 3 quatrains (4 line verse)
…and 1 couplet (2 line verse)
Rhyme scheme is abab cdcd efef gg
Includes a shift in the last quatrain or the final couplet

7. Some terms…
Meter- the rhythm of a poem, determined by the number and length of feet in a line.
Foot- A unit of meter, usually 2 or 3 syllables.

8. This sonnet is written in Iambic Pentameter
This is a kind of measurement of meter, or rhythm, in the lines of a poem.
Iambic- a two-syllable metrical unit.
The syllables are unstressed, then stressed.
“my MIS-tress’ EYES are NO-thing LIKE the SUN”
Pentameter- 5 feet, or units of meter, in a line of poetry.
“My mis/tress’ eyes/ are no/thing like/ the sun”

9. Take out a piece of paper and something to write with.
Think of a person you want to describe in a sonnet.
Brainstorm some quick descriptions. Think of the descriptions you saw in Sonnet 130. They’re mostly descriptions of very specific single attributes, not a personality as a whole.

10. Turn what you brainstormed into a sonnet!
Try to use similes, metaphors, or personification.
Be mindful of word choice.
Your sonnet should rhyme.
Don’t worry about iambic pentameter, but challenge yourself if you want to!
Remember, 3 quatrains and 1 couplet.
There should be a shift in your sonnet toward the end.

11. Get in to small groups and share what you wrote (if you want to
Get in to small groups and share what you wrote (if you want to.) See if the other people in your group can help you with the tricky parts!
Remember, you should have:
Metaphors, similes, or personification
3 rhyming quatrains, 1 rhyming couplet
A shift toward the end of the poem

12. Intro to Milton and Paradise Lost…

13. HW: Study your vocabulary words!
The test will be on Friday
It will be on lists 1, 2, and 3