Primary Type: Lesson Plan
Status: Published
This is a resource from CPALMS (www.cpalms.org) where all educators go for bright ideas!
Resource ID#: 74057
Views on Death: A Look at Two Holy Sonnets by John
Donne
In this lesson, students will read and analyze two poems by John Donne: "Holy Sonnet X" and "Holy Sonnet VI." Text-dependent questions, an
answer key, and teacher's help notes are included. As the summative assessment for the lesson, students will write a brief comparison/contrast
essay to examine how Death is portrayed across both poems. A rubric for the essay is included, along with a writing organizer to help struggling
writers draft a basic essay.
Subject(s): English Language Arts
Grade Level(s): 11, 12
Intended Audience: Educators
Suggested Technology: Document Camera,
Interactive Whiteboard
Instructional Time: 4 Hour(s)
Freely Available: Yes
Keywords: John Donne, Holy Sonnet X, Holy Sonnet VI, Metaphysical poet, text-dependent questions, poem,
poetry
Resource Collection: CPALMS Lesson Plan Development Initiative
ATTACHMENTS
Poem- Holy Sonnet X.docx
Text Dependent Questions Holy Sonnet X.docx
Key- Holy Sonnet X Questions.docx
Poem- Holy Sonnet VI.docx
Text Dependent Questions Holy Sonnet VI.docx
Poem- Holy Sonnet VI-NotesforTeacher.docx
Writing Organizer.docx
Rubric for Essay.docx
LESSON CONTENT
Lesson Plan Template: General Lesson Plan
Learning Objectives: What should students know and be able to do as a result of this lesson?
Students will be able to:
Determine the meaning of complex words and phrases used in two poems by John Donne
Analyze words and phrases in two poems by John Donne to determine how Death is viewed or portrayed
Cite appropriate textual evidence to support analysis of each poem by John Donne
Compare and contrast the portrayal of Death across two poems by John Donne
Write a short analysis essay that includes an introductory paragraph with a clear thesis statement, a body section with strong evidence to support the thesis,
transitions to create cohesion between ideas, and a concluding paragraph that effectively wraps up the paper
page 1 of 4 Prior Knowledge: What prior knowledge should students have for this lesson?
Students should know or be able to:
How to read a poem (stopping or pausing at punctuation only and not just stopping at the end of a line of poetry)
How to select evidence from a text when responding to short answer questions about a text
Write a short essay with a clear beginning, middle, and end in which they respond to a prompt about a piece of text or texts and utilize evidence from those texts to
support their response
What the term "paradox" means (to review this term teachers might wish to look at literary-devices.com or literarydevices.net)
Optional:
This is not required but teachers might want to share some background information about John Donne or about Metaphysical poetry. A few links that might be helpful:
Bio 1 John Donne
Bio 2 John Donne
Bio 3 John Donne
Metaphysical Poetry
Metaphysical Poets
Teachers may also want to briefly discuss John Donne's shift to religious sonnets and meditations in his later years versus his early love poems.
Guiding Questions: What are the guiding questions for this lesson?
Hook Questions:
1. What thoughts come to your mind when you think of death?
2. Is death something you fear? Why or why not?
3. Why do you think so many people fear death?
4. What are some religious views on death that you know of?
5. What does death mean to you?
6. What things throughout your life have influenced your thoughts on death?
Teaching Phase: How will the teacher present the concept or skill to students?
1. Begin by putting the hook questions on the board or Smart Board. Have students respond briefly in writing before sharing their thoughts with a partner, small group,
or whole class.
What thoughts come to your mind when you think of death?
Is death something you fear? Why or why not?
Why do you think so many people fear death?
What are some religious views on death that you know of?
What does death mean to you?
What things throughout your life have influenced your thoughts on death?
Some students may discuss the image of the Grim Reaper and how death is scary or something they fear. Tell students that poet John Donne takes a unique view of
death in the two poems we will be reading in this lesson, "Holy Sonnet X" and "Holy Sonnet VI."
2. Before distributing the first poem, "Holy Sonnet X" to students, begin with a brief overview on how to read poetry concentrating on explaining how punctuation
should be the guide to rhythm instead of line breaks.
3. Pass out "Holy Sonnet X" to the students. The teacher can have students quietly read the poem on their own and then the teacher can read the poem aloud in order
for struggling readers to hear the correct flow and rhythm of the poem.
4. Tell students they should go through and highlight or circle any confusing words or phrases in the poem.
5. Have students get in small groups; assigning groups is recommended. Explain that in their groups they are to share what words or phrases they thought were
confusing. As a group they should try to decipher word meaning and infer meaning of confusing phrases using evidence from the text. You might want to give them an
example of what you mean by writing down an example of a confusing word or phrase. For example, you might write the words poppy and charms on the board. You
could then read aloud the surrounding text that explains poppies and charms make us sleep as well. Based on that you can tell students you might infer that poppies
and charms are probably some type of opiate or drug that puts a person to sleep.
6. As a whole class, have students share what their groups have discussed and the meanings they came up with for confusing words or phrases. At this point, be sure
to provide corrective feedback and have students make corrections on their papers to avoid later confusion.
Second Reading of "Holy Sonnet X":
1. Now that students have a better understanding of some of the words or phases they had problems with, the teacher might wish to now have them use the blank
lines on the handout for "Holy Sonnet X" and write an interpretation of each line in the poem. In other words, have them read each line in the 14-line poem and put
each line in their own words. Students can then use these notes to help them with the text-dependent questions.
2. Explain to students they will be reading the poem again and answering the text-dependent questions in complete sentences. You may allow students to read and
complete the questions with a partner or in small groups or have them read and answer the questions independently and then share with a partner or small group.
3. When students' work is complete, if not collecting and grading the work, have students share out their responses to the questions and provide corrective feedback
as needed. A key has been provided but this should be used as a guide only. Students should make corrections to their work based on this feedback and they can use
these notes to help them with their essay later in the lesson.
Guided Practice: What activities or exercises will the students complete with teacher guidance?
page 2 of 4 1. Tell students that they will now be reading a second poem by John Donne, "Holy Sonnet VI". Remind students that later in the lesson they will be comparing and
contrasting this poem with "Holy Sonnet X" they just read.
2. Pass out a copy of the poem and a copy of the text-dependent questions. Students are encouraged to read through the poem once and then read through the poem
a second time and use the lines underneath the copy of the poem to translate each line, in other words, to put each line into their own words.
3. Students should then read the poem a third time and respond to the text-dependent questions. Students can work alone or with a partner as they work through the
questions.
4. The teacher can collect students' answers to the questions and provide a grade or have students share out their answers and provide corrective feedback at this
time. A "teacher note page" has been provided as a guide for "Holy Sonnet VI" and these notes provide some translations of the poem and through the notes, all the
answers to the text-dependent questions are addressed. This handout is a guide only. Students should make corrections to their work as they receive feedback so they
can use these notes to help them write their essay.
Independent Practice: What activities or exercises will students complete to reinforce the concepts and skills developed in the
lesson?
The independent practice is the summative assessment for the lesson. Students will respond to the following prompt through a short analysis essay:
After reading "Holy Sonnet X" and "Holy Sonnet VI" by John Donne, how is the subject of Death portrayed in these poems? Write a short essay in which you compare
and contrast the view or portrayal of Death across both poems. In your essay, make sure to use strong and appropriate textual evidence from both poems.
Teachers are welcome to use this rubric to assess students' essays or they can create one of their own. Whatever rubric the teacher uses, he or she should go over
the rubric before students begin writing so they know what is expected of their final product.
Closure: How will the teacher assist students in organizing the knowledge gained in the lesson?
To close the lesson, the teacher can revisit the hook questions from the beginning of the lesson. Have students revisit their initial answers to the hook questions. Ask
them to discuss (or respond in writing) whether or not their previous view on death has changed based on John Donne's poems or if they believe the views of others
could be swayed by the poems. This work could be done through use of an Exit Slip or through class discussion.
Summative Assessment
Students will respond to the following prompt through a short analysis essay:
After reading "Holy Sonnet X" and "Holy Sonnet VI" by John Donne, how is the subject of Death portrayed in these poems? Write a short essay in which you compare
and contrast the view or portrayal of Death across both poems. In your essay, make sure to use strong and appropriate textual evidence from both poems.
Teachers are welcome to use this rubric to assess students' essays.
Formative Assessment
1. Students will take notes on confusing words or phrases during the first reading of "Holy Sonnet X." Students will share with small groups and as a group they will
try to use context clues and make inferences to come up with the meanings for confusing words or phrases. As students share out, the teacher can provide corrective
feedback and this feedback can help increase students' comprehension of the poem during their second reading.
2. Students will answer text-dependent questions during the second reading of "Holy Sonnet X." As students share out their responses, the teacher will be able to see
how students are analyzing the poem and will be able to check their comprehension of the poem and if they understand how the speaker is treating the topic of Death.
3. Students will answer text-dependent questions for their reading of "Holy Sonnet VI." As students share out their responses, the teacher will be able to assess
students' comprehension of the poem and if they understand how the speaker is treating the topic of Death in this poem.
4. For struggling writers, the teacher could have students use the attached writing organizer and collect that as a formative assessment to assess students' readiness
to begin drafting the essay for the summative assessment.
Feedback to Students
1. The teacher should monitor small groups and offer feedback to students as they share confusing words or phrases and try to infer meaning during the first reading
of "Holy Sonnet X."
2. The text-based questions for each poem could be collected for a grade and then discussed whole class, or the teacher could just discuss whole class when the
students have completed them. The students can share out their responses, the teacher can provide corrective feedback as needed, and students can make
corrections to their work. Students can apply this feedback to help them write their summative assessment essay.
3. For struggling writers, the teacher could have students use the attached writing organizer and the teacher can provide written feedback on a student's plan before
they begin to draft their essay. If needed, the teacher could also go over the plan with students in person and help them make any necessary revisions to their plan
before they begin writing.
ACCOMMODATIONS & RECOMMENDATIONS
Accommodations:
For struggling learners or struggling readers, model the first text dependent question for "Holy Sonnet X" for the students. Use a document camera if available to
model for the class. Also, the teacher could group struggling students with stronger students to work through the rest of the text dependent questions for this poem.
For struggling readers, with the second poem, "Holy Sonnet VI," the teacher might wish to have students complete the first two readings independently and write
out their interpretations of each line and then stop. Students could share out and the teacher could provide feedback, allowing students to make corrections on their
papers. The teacher could also read aloud the poem at this time to help struggling readers hear the correct rhythm and flow of the poem. Then students could
move on to answering the text-dependent questions for this poem.
For struggling writers, the teacher might want to provide them this basic writing organizer to help them organize their thoughts to prepare for the summative
assessment essay. The teacher can provide written feedback to students based on their work or meet with them one-on-one to go over their plan.
For struggling writers, based on their areas of need, the teacher could also provide helpful resources to students from the Purdue Online Writing Lab (the OWL).
For struggling writers, the teacher could have students turn in a rough draft of their essay, provide written feedback, and allow students to make revisions and
page 3 of 4 resubmit their work.
Extensions:
Possible extensions or enrichment:
Have students read and analyze the story Godfather Death by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm. This story also personifies death into an actual being. Have students compare
and contrast the different portrayals of the character Death in this story and the two poems by Donne they have read and analyzed in this lesson.
Suggested Technology: Document Camera, Interactive Whiteboard
SOURCE AND ACCESS INFORMATION
Contributed by: Erica Foster
Name of Author/Source: Erica Foster
District/Organization of Contributor(s): Martin
Is this Resource freely Available? Yes
Access Privileges: Public
License: CPALMS License - no distribution - non commercial
Related Standards
Name
LAFS.1112.RL.1.1:
LAFS.1112.RL.2.4:
LAFS.1112.RL.4.10:
Description
Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences
drawn from the text, including determining where the text leaves matters uncertain.
Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative
meanings; analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone, including words with multiple meanings or
language that is particularly fresh, engaging, or beautiful. (Include Shakespeare as well as other authors.)
By the end of grade 11, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poems, in the grades 11–
CCR text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.
By the end of grade 12, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poems, at the high end of
the grades 11-CCR text complexity band independently and proficiently.
LAFS.1112.W.3.9:
Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
a. Apply grades 11–12 Reading standards to literature (e.g., “Demonstrate knowledge of eighteenth­, nineteenth­ and
early-twentieth-century foundational works of American literature, including how two or more texts from the same
period treat similar themes or topics”).
b. Apply grades 11–12 Reading standards to literary nonfiction (e.g., “Delineate and evaluate the reasoning in seminal
U.S. texts, including the application of constitutional principles and use of legal reasoning [e.g., in U.S. Supreme
Court Case majority opinions and dissents] and the premises, purposes, and arguments in works of public
advocacy [e.g., The Federalist, presidential addresses]”).
LAFS.1112.W.4.10:
Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a
single sitting or a day or two) for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences.
page 4 of 4