Shakespeare Lesson: Iambic Pentameter
Course: 11th Grade English
Understanding (s):
Shakespeare used iambic
pentameter and compelling
characters to capture his
audience’s attention
.
Unit: Perennial Archetypes in Merchant of Venice:
Finding Shakespeare in Popular Culture
Segment One
Intro to Iambic Pentameter
Teacher will…
1.) Introduce Iambic Pentameter with short video clip
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p226OX39OLs
) 2 minutes
2.) Write 3 words on board: meter, foot, iamb
3.) Begin discussion printed below
Essential Question (s):
As a creator, what attributes must
you possess to earn the title
“contemporary Shakespeare?”
What conventions or devices did
Shakespeare use to capture his
audiences’ imagination?
Content:
YouTube Video Clip:
http://www.youtube.com/watch
?v=p226OX39OLs
Lesson Content (segment 1)
Robert Frost’s Mending Wall poem
Students will…listen and respond
Ask students for a line from a favorite rap song and
write on board. Discuss meter as RHYTHM. All
music has rhythm, but in rap it's hard to miss.
-Poetry has rhythm as well. In fact, poetry has many
different sorts of rhythm, but what we're going to
discuss today is called iambic pentameter.
-What does this term mean? Well, first let's take
apart the word "pentameter". In poetry, "meter"
means the rhythm. Now what about pent? Any idea
what that means?
What's a pentagon? A shape with five sides.
So we know that pentameter is a rhythm that
involves five of... something.
Five iambs.
-What is an iamb? An iamb is the combination of
one unstressed syllable and one stressed syllable.
Words have naturally stressed and unstressed
syllables. A foot is one set of unstressed and
stressed.
-Sometimes it can be hard to figure out which
syllable is stressed and which is unstressed: One: you
can try to clap or tap it out (demonstrate)...
-Two: Say the word normally. Now put stress on the
first syllable. How does the word sound? Now put
stress on the second syllable. How does that sound?
By doing this, you can figure out where the natural
stress is.
Try these words: Paper. Crocodile. Triumph.
John Conti
Day 4 – 80 minutes
Segment Two
Iambic Pentameter in Robert
Frost’s Mending Wall
Teacher will…
1. Put Robert Frost poem on
overhead projector
2. Have students take turns reading
a line from the poem
3. Ask students to identify the lines
that conform to iambic pentameter.
4. Ask students what role the
rhythm plays in the poem (elicit 3
adjectives that describe the effect of
IP/write on board)
Students will…
Listen and respond
(15 minutes)
Standards: 1.3.11.B. 1.4.11.A. 1.6.11E
1.6.11F
Segment Three
Iambic Pentameter in Action
Teacher will…
1. Have students break into 6 groups
(count off 1-6); each group will write a
single line of Iambic Pentameter. Assign
a scribe for each group. 10 minutes
The theme for this single line will be
the students’ thoughts about
Shakespeare (right now, at this
moment).
2. Have each group write their line on
the board. Read the 6 lines together. 5
minutes
3. Describe homework assignment. 5
minutes
Students will…discuss in groups, listen,
respond, and collaborate on a line.
Scribe will write the line on the board.
Segment 4:
Group Discussion: Each group will be
assigned 4 lines from Merchant of
Venice. Students will rehearse reciting
the passage.
After 12 minutes, students will come
to front of class and perform their
passage (rap) to a hip-hop beat. (18
minutes)
Now let's try a sentence: I went to the store to buy
some milk.
Do we stress every single word in this sentence?
NO! Some words are stressed and some are
unstressed. We can even vary where the stress is--you might stress some words in the sentence that I
may not.
Who wants to come up and mark which words are
stressed?
Another sentence for the board: I ate some bread
with jam today for lunch.
Ok, so are these iambic pentameter? Number one is
not, but number two is.... One of the cool things
about iambic pentameter poetry is that it quite often
sounds like everyday speech.
-Ok. Let's do an example with a real poem.
Assessments:
F1: Understanding/comprehension
checks during discussions
F2 - Have students break into 6 groups
of 4 or 5 and write a single line in Iambic
Pentameter. The theme for the line will
be their thoughts about Shakespeare at
this time.
F3: Assess class understanding of iambic
pentameter through rap performance
activity
F4: Homework Assignment
S: (future) Students will write “Trash
Poem” in Iambic Pentameter as a part of
their Merchant of Venice Final Project
Week
13 minutes
Homework:
Write a 6 line poem describing any
features of the students’ day in Iambic
Pentameter.
Lesson Reflection/Comments: This lesson provides a foundation for reading Merchant of Venice and prepares the students for one part of their summative assessment
during the Final Project Week. The formative assessments will let me know if the students are understanding and able to demonstrate a working knowledge of iambic
pentameter. The iambic pentameter foundational knowledge will help them understand more complex features of poetry in subsequent poetry lessons.