Classic/Contemporary Poetry Comparison: Bruno Mars vs. Shakespeare

Help students take another look at Shakespeare by comparing Sonnet 130 to a song they probably know (as of 2011, anyway). This lesson compares Bruno Mars' hit song "Just the Way You Are" with Shakespeare's Sonnet 130 (My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun). Show students two different types of love poems while also teaching them to identify poetic elements of imagery, rhyme, rhyme scheme, rhythm, and the form of the sonnet. This file is a 6-page document including teacher guide/lesson procedures, both poems, a student response handout, and answer key. Please leave feedback! I would especially like to know how this lesson worked for your students and what improvements could be made! --Krissy Malone