| John Milton Lesson Plan |
Overview This is a two-day plan dedicated to studying John Milton, his work, and the historically significant events in 17th century England that influenced him. Objectives Students will be able to: ? Distinguish an Italian sonnet from a Shakespearean/English sonnet. ? Recognize blank verse. ? Name the basic qualities of an epic. ? Complete an essay or poem relating to John Milton. ? Draw artwork that illustrates a scene from Paradise Lost. Materials Milton�s �On His Having Arrived at the Age of Twenty-Three� and Book I of Paradise Lost. Tasks & Procedures Day One � Monday Assignment: Read �On His Having Arrived at the Age of Twenty-Three� and Paradise Lost lines 1-127 Start by asking students their general thoughts after having read PL. Have them turn to the person next to them to talk about the text and any difficulties they might have had. Ask them to share their impressions with the class. (10 minutes) Segue into a brief presentation of Milton�s biography, particularly the early years in which the sonnet (�On His Having Arrived��) was written, and the historical context. Examine the sonnet closer, having students re-read and discuss between themselves their interpretations of the sonnet, and then talk about it as a class. Indicate the differences between a Shakespearean sonnet and an Italian sonnet, and between iambic pentameter and blank verse. Next, touch upon the rest of Milton�s work and his life, including his political beliefs and pamphlets and the circumstances surrounding the publishing of PL Read sections of PL aloud and examine specific passages. Before the end of class, pass out the writing assignment (due Wednesday). Remind them to finish reading PL for Tuesday, that we will be dividing into groups for an art session on Tuesday, and that there will be a brief quiz at the beginning of class on Wednesday covering some of the conventions we have and will be talking about. Day Two � Tuesday Assignment: Read Paradise Lost lines 125-270 Divide class into groups of 3 or 4. Ask students to talk about what they have read in the rest of PL, and then discuss it as a class, reading sections aloud when appropriate. (30 minutes) Then, ask students to stay in their groups and draw a pictoral representation of any part of PL that we have covered, paying close attention to Milton�s written descriptions. It could either be the physical description of Hell and Pandemonium, of Satan, or of anything else that strikes the students. Give students time to present their drawings to the rest of class, explaining how or why they came up with the drawing. If there�s time left in class, allow students to work on the written assignment that�s due Wednesday. Day Three � Wednesday Administer the quiz. Ask students to share their writing assignments with the rest of the class. Collect the assignments Assessment Quiz: 10 points Artwork: 10 points Written Assignment: 30 points Total: 50 points Assessment for Written Assignment (Ask Tisha about this) |