Percy Shelley: Poems Lesson Plan

The Year of Our Lord 1819

Kind of Activity:

Research

Objective:

Students will be able to make connections between historical events and Shelley’s poems. Students will learn how Shelley is responding to the sociopolitical issues of his time.

Common Core Standards:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.9-10.1, CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.7, CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.9-10.4

Structure:

While Shelley lived in Italy, an event known as the Peterloo Massacre occurred in Manchester, England, resulting in the death of 15 civilians. Enraged by the tragedy, Shelley wrote 3 poems in reaction to the Peterloo Massacre; “The Mask of Anarchy,” “England in 1819,” and “Song to the Men of England.”...