Literature Lesson Plans - Sykalo Eugen 2024
Ode on a Grecian Urn by John Keats
Grade Level: This lesson plan is intended for High School English, ideally 10th or 11th grade.
Subject: Literature
Time Allotment: One class period (approximately 50 minutes)
Learning Objectives:
- Students will be able to identify and analyze key symbols and figurative language in "Ode on a Grecian Urn."
- Students will be able to discuss the poem's themes of art, beauty, time, and mortality.
- Students will be able to consider the speaker's emotional response to the urn and the ideas it evokes.
- Students will be able to appreciate the poem's use of sound devices and imagery.
Materials:
- Copies of "Ode on a Grecian Urn" by John Keats
- Whiteboard or projector
- Markers or pens
- Figurative language analysis worksheet (optional)
- Images of ancient Greek urns (optional)
Lesson Procedure:
- Introduction (10 minutes):
- Briefly introduce John Keats and his association with the Romantic movement.
- Mention the importance of nature and beauty in Romantic poetry.
- Show an image of an ancient Greek urn (optional) and discuss its function and potential symbolism.
- Active Reading and Annotation (15 minutes):
- Distribute copies of "Ode on a Grecian Urn."
- Have students read the poem silently, annotating unfamiliar words, phrases that evoke strong emotions, and any figurative language they encounter.
- Figurative Language Analysis (20 minutes):
- Distribute a figurative language analysis worksheet (optional). Individually or in small groups, students analyze key examples of:
✵ Similes: How do similes help to create vivid imagery and comparisons?
✵ Personification: How does the speaker address the urn as if it were alive? What effect does this have?
✵ Metaphors: What is the urn a metaphor for? How does it represent art, beauty, and timelessness?
- Theme Discussion (15 minutes):
- Lead a class discussion based on the analysis of figurative language:
✵ What are the central themes of the poem? Consider art, beauty, the passage of time, and human mortality.
✵ How does the speaker react to the scenes depicted on the urn? Does he feel joy, frustration, or something else?
✵ How does the poem explore the relationship between art and reality?
Differentiation:
- Provide scaffolding for reading comprehension by offering a vocabulary list of unfamiliar words or paraphrasing complex lines.
- Offer different options for the figurative language analysis worksheet (e.g., creating a chart matching specific lines with their corresponding figures of speech, drawing connections between different metaphors).
- Allow students to choose a specific stanza or image from the poem for a deeper analysis of its meaning and emotional impact.
Extension Activities:
- Students can research the history and symbolism of ancient Greek art, particularly funerary urns.
- Have students write a descriptive poem inspired by a piece of art (painting, sculpture, etc.) they find particularly beautiful or thought-provoking.
- Explore other poems by John Keats or other Romantic poets that explore themes of nature, beauty, and the human condition.
Assessment:
- Participation in class discussions and group activities.
- Completed figurative language analysis worksheet (if used).
- Short essay analyzing the poem's use of figurative language and its effectiveness in conveying themes of art, beauty, time, and mortality.
- Optionally, a creative writing piece where students imagine themselves addressing the urn and expressing their own thoughts and feelings about its message.