When teaching poetry, it is often helpful to refresh or introduce students with technical words. Terms like “metaphor", "stanza", "alliteration", "personification", "imagery", "rhyme scheme", "apostrophe", and "assonance" are a few important terms.
After you have read the poem, ask your students to do a scavenger hunt using the Storyboard Creator. Give them the list again and have them create a storyboard that depicts and explains the use of each literary element in the poem! They will have an absolute blast and gain mastery of the words.
| DESCRIPTION | EXAMPLE | |
|---|---|---|
| Alliteration | Repetition of consonant sounds at the beginnings of words in a sentence or line | "Death’s second self, that seals up all in rest..." |
| Metaphor | An implied comparison between two things | "That on the ashes of his youth doth lie..." |
| Personification | Giving human-like characteristics to non-human objects or abstract ideas | "Bare ruined choirs, where late the sweet birds sang..." |
| Assonance | The repetition of a vowel sound | "When yellow leaves, or none, or few do hang..." |
| Apostrophe | A direct address to an absent person, concept, or inanimate object | “This thou perceiv’st, which makes thy love more strong…” |
| Imagery | The use of descriptive or figurative language to create vivid mental imagery that appeals to the senses | “In me, thou seest the twilight of such day/ As after sunset fadeth in the west…” |
(These instructions are completely customizable. After clicking "Copy Activity", update the instructions on the Edit Tab of the assignment.)
Student Instructions
Create a storyboard that shows five examples of literary elements in Sonnet 73.
Boost student engagement by dividing your class into small groups and assigning each group a different set of literary elements to find in Sonnet 73. Collaboration encourages discussion and deeper understanding as students share and compare their discoveries before presenting to the class.
Designate roles such as Discussion Leader, Note Taker, Illustrator, and Presenter to ensure everyone contributes. Clear roles help students stay engaged and accountable during the scavenger hunt activity.
Ask students to highlight or color-code examples of alliteration, metaphor, and other elements on their storyboards. Visual cues make it easier to track and discuss findings during presentations and review.
Encourage students to give constructive feedback on each group’s storyboard, focusing on accuracy and creativity. Peer review reinforces learning and helps students practice respectful communication.
Shakespeare's Sonnet 73 uses several important literary elements, including metaphor, alliteration, personification, imagery, rhyme scheme, apostrophe, and assonance. These devices help convey the poem's themes of aging, love, and mortality.
To create a literary element scavenger hunt for Sonnet 73, give students a list of terms like metaphor, alliteration, and imagery. After reading the poem, have them find and illustrate examples of each element using a storyboard, explaining how each is used in the text.
An example of metaphor in Sonnet 73 is: "That on the ashes of his youth doth lie..." Here, the speaker compares his old age to the ashes left after a fire, symbolizing the end of youth.
Using a storyboard helps students visually organize and explain literary elements. It makes abstract concepts like alliteration or personification more engaging and memorable, supporting deeper understanding and mastery.
When teaching figurative language in high school poetry, provide clear definitions, use examples from familiar poems, encourage students to find and illustrate their own examples, and create interactive activities like scavenger hunts to boost engagement.