StudySync Lesson Plan
Sonnet 73
Objectives
1.
Students will read and listen to Shakespeare’s Sonnet 73 for poetic style, rhyme, rhythm,
meter, imagery, and meaning.
2. Students will respond to the sonnet through writing and discussion.
3. Practice and reinforce the following Grade 9-10 ELA Common Core Standards for reading
literature, writing, and speaking and listening:
READING: LITERATURE – RL.9-10.1-6,10
WRITING – W.9-10.1-10
SPEAKING AND LISTENING – SL.9-10.1-5
Time
130 minutes (with up to an additional 105 minutes of extension possibilities)
Materials
SyncTV Premium Lesson on William Shakespeare’s Sonnet 73. All of Shakespeare’s sonnets,
additionally, are available freely online.
Overview
This SyncTV lesson presents William Shakespeare’s Sonnet 73. This poem is an exemplar of
Shakespeare’s sonnet style, replete with vivid imagery and strong thematic elements of the
waning of youth by comparison with autumn, twilight, and a dying fire. Close examination of this
excerpt will prepare students to read additional sonnets by Shakespeare if desired, and to write
thoughtful, informed, and textually-rooted responses, consistent with the ELA Common Core
Standards for the grades nine and ten.
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Lesson Plan: Sonnet 73
Background (10 minutes)
1.
Watch the Preview (SL.9-10.1-2). As a group, watch the video preview of the premium
lesson. Use the following questions to spur discussion following the preview:
a. What feelings do you associate with images of autumn? A sunset?
b. Does love depend on youthfulness? Why or why not?
c. Why does a writer use metaphoric language?
d. What have you read by Shakespeare?
Extension (additional 5-10 minutes)
e. Describe (ELL). Ask English Language Learners to brainstorm a list of words that
come to mind when they watch the preview. The autumn, the dying fire, and the
day should be brought up again.
f.
Discuss and Write (SL.9-10.1–2; W.9–10.1–3). Have students discuss in small
groups different metaphors for the passage of time, or periods of a person’s life.
Using Shakespeare’s metaphors, childhood might be represented as dawn or
spring. Other comparisons might include a changing river, the weathering of a
house, erosion of a canyon, acorns growing into oaks, cubs to bears, etc.
Encourage students to explore one of their metaphors in a short poem or essay.
Engaging the Text (90 minutes)
2. Read the Text (15 minutes)
a. Read and Annotate (RL.9-10.1-5, 10). Have students read the introduction and text
of Sonnet 73. Then have them annotate the sonnet, using the annotation tool. If
your classroom has a projector, model good note-taking skills by reading and
annotating the first few lies of the sonnet. You may wish to direct them to the
prompt they will be reading to guide their notes. If students are completing as a
homework assignment, ask them to write any questions they have into the
annotation tool–these questions are visible to you after the students submit their
writing assignments or beforehand if you use the “Mimic” function to access the
students’ accounts.
Extension (additional 15 minutes)
b. Listen and Discuss (SL9-10.1-2). As a class, listen to the audio reading of the text.
Ask students to share how their understanding of the text changed after listening.
What additional images came to mind? What words did the author use to develop
the setting for each metaphor? Was there anything that stood out more when
listening than if they had read silently? Why or why not? How does a poem
transform when read aloud? Encourage students to write down unfamiliar words
or questions they have as they follow along.
c. Comprehend (RL.9-10.1-4). Have students complete the multiple-choice questions
(in the lesson extension) individually. Collect papers or discuss answers as a
class.
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Lesson Plan: Sonnet 73
3. Watch SyncTV (25 minutes)
a. Watch. Either watch the SyncTV discussion associated with Sonnet 73 as a class
or ask students to watch it on their individual computers.
b. Focus (RL.9-10.1-4). Use the portion of the SyncTV discussion from 0:42 to 1:45 to
highlight how to closely examine Shakespeare’s metaphors—they unpeel layer by
layer, metaphorically like an onion.
c. Focus (RL.9-10.1-4). Use the segment of the SyncTV episode from 4:12 to 4:41 to
point students to the idea that Shakespeare’s metaphors can have many possible
meanings.
d. Discuss (SL.9-10.1-5). After watching the model discussion, have a conversation
with the class about the ideas discussed in the SyncTV episode that stood out the
most. What new thoughts do they have after hearing the students' discussion?
Next, divide students into small groups (3-4 students). Move around the room
monitoring the groups as students follow the SyncTV episode as a model to
discuss some of the following questions:
i. What is the real core message of Shakespeare’s poem?
ii. Is Shakespeare talking to his lover or to the reader at the end?
iii. Do you think Shakespeare is the speaker in the poem?
iv. Is the speaker setting an ultimatum—use me or lose me—or restating his
love as he approaches old age?
v. Are there any metaphors that you interpret differently? Are there any
deeper layers you can find?
Extension (additional 60 minutes)
e. Research (W.9-10.2, 4, 7-8, 10). Have students work individually or in pairs to
complete the following assignment:
i. Have students research what critics consider to be Shakespeare’s best or
most popular sonnet. Is it Sonnet 73? If they find other answers, have them
read those, too. Make sure they cite their sources. They should write an
essay that takes a stand on their opinion—and analysis—of the consensus.
When they are finished, have them share what they learned.
4. Think (10 minutes)
a. Respond (W.9-10.1, 4, 9). Ask students to read the “Think” questions, watch the
corresponding video clips, and respond to the questions, either in class or for
homework.
5. Write (50 minutes)
a. Discuss (SL.9-10.1). Read the prompt you have chosen for students, and then
solicit questions regarding the prompt or the assignment expectations. Whichever
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Lesson Plan: Sonnet 73
prompt you have chosen, make sure students are clear about the assignment’s
expectations and the rubric by which they will be evaluated.
b. Organize (RL.9-10.1-5, 10 and W.9-10.1-2, 5). Ask students to go back and annotate
the text with the prompt in mind. They should be organizing their thoughts and the
points they’ll address in their writing as they make annotations. If you’ve worked
on outlining or other organizational tools for writing, this is a good place to apply
them.
c. Write (W.9-10.1-2, 4-6, 9-10). Have students follow the writing process by planning,
revising, editing, and publishing their written responses.
d. Review (W.9-10.4-6). Use the StudySync “Review” feature to have students
complete one to two evaluations of their peers’ work based on your chosen
review rubric. Have the students look at and reflect upon the peer evaluations of
their own writing. What might you do differently in a revision? How might you
strengthen the writing and the ideas?
6. Review (20 minutes)
a. Peer Review (W.9-10.4–6). Use the Study Sync “Review” feature to have students
complete evaluations of three of their peers’ work based on the review rubric you
chose. Have the students look at their peers’ evaluations of their own writing. In
pairs, ask the students to discuss briefly the peer evaluations. Suggested
questions: What might you do differently in a revision? How might you strengthen
the writing and the ideas?
Extension (additional 20 minutes)
b. Self-Assess (W.9-10.4–6). Use the StudySync assignment creation tool to create a
“Writing” assignment that asks students to address the following prompt:
Reread your essay and the reviews of your essay on Sonnet 73. After
reading these reviews, what do you believe were the greatest strengths of
your essay? What were the greatest weaknesses? If you were to go back
and revise this essay again, what would you change?
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Lesson Plan: Sonnet 73
SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIALS
Key Vocabulary
1.
thou (pron.) – you
2. mayst (v.) – may
3. behold (v.) – see
4. ere (prep.) – before
5. by and by (adv.) – over time
6. doth (v.) – does, do
7. expire (v.) – die
8. consumed (v.) – used up
9. nourish’d (v.) – fed
10. whereon (adv.) – on which
Reading Comprehension Questions
1.
What time of year does the speaker use as a metaphor?
a. Spring
b. Summer
c. Fall
d. Winter
2. Which image represents the speaker’s aging?
a. boughs
b. leaves
c. birds
d. choirs
3. What are the bare ruin’d choirs?
a. tree branches
b. poor children
c. winter birds
d. church singers
4. Why does the speaker compare himself to twilight?
a. He is losing his sight.
b. He has an illness.
c. He is growing old.
d. He prefers the evening.
5. What does the fire represent?
a. love
b. rage
c. warmth
d. youth
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Lesson Plan: Sonnet 73
6. What is happening to the speaker’s youth?
a. It has been used up.
b. It is gaining new strength.
c. He can’t remember it.
d. He can’t forget it.
7. What does the poet say makes love stronger?
a. The fact that it won’t end
b. The fact that it will end
c. Youthfulness
d. Knowledge
8. What is the likely message of the poem?
a. Youth is wasted on the young.
b. Aging poets deserve respect.
c. Truth is beauty.
d. Love should not fade with time.
9. What is “Death’s second self” in the sonnet?
a. birth
b. love
c. sleep
d. night
10. Who is the speaker most likely addressing in the poem?
a. himself
b. a lover
c. Death
d. Nature
Answer Key
1. C
2. B
3. A
4. C
5. D
6. A
7. B
8. D
9. D
10. B
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Lesson Plan: Sonnet 73
Further Assignments
1.
Send students to Shakespeare’s Sonnets online. All are available with line-by-line text
notes. Have students read at least three additional sonnets and compare the metaphors
used in them to Sonnet 73. Is there a common thread to Shakespeare’s metaphors?
Have students share what they learned. (RL.9-10.5, W.9-10.4-7)
2. Have students write their own sonnet, mimicking the style of Shakespeare as best they
can. Encourage students to share their sonnets. (W.9-10.3-5)
3. Assign students a StudySync “Writing” assignment, which asks students to create a
response as if they were the person receiving this poem from the speaker. Or have
students write a dialogue between the speaker and the person he addresses. What sort
of things might they talk about? What might their relationship be like? How would you be
able to tell from the poem? Students should also do peer review of one another and
comment on how believable the response or dialogue is. (W.9-10.1–5, 7; SL.9-10.5)
4. Assign students to read sonnets by other authors—such as John Donne or John Keats—
and compare them to Shakespeare in an essay. Who is the better sonnet writer? Why?
Have them give examples. (RL.9-10.1-6, 9; W.9-10.1-7)
5. Assign students to write or discuss the structure of the sonnet. Why did Shakespeare
choose this order of metaphors—time of year; time of day; smoldering fire? How does the
idea in the couplet compare with the ideas in the rest of the sonnet? (RL.9-10.1–5; W.910.1–2; SL.9-10.1, 5)
6. Ask students to transform Shakespeare’s poem to a monologue—where the poet says
what he feels directly instead of using metaphors. This can be quite challenging, so put
students in groups. When they are done, have students share their versions with one
another and use this to re-examine the meaning of the poem. (ELL)
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Lesson Plan: Sonnet 73