For a specific period such as the Renaissance, start by giving the students background information. You can lecture the key points; however, students get more out of the learning process if they get to explore for themselves. Direct students to an interactive website and have them take notes on Renaissance specifics, such as religion, legends and theater. Alternatively, set up a Web Quest in which students research a famous Renaissance writer whom they then portray in a role play. The key is to guide students toward the type of information that gives them a feel for what Renaissance England was like.
Poets in the English Renaissance wrote sonnets, pastoral poems and allegories. Introduce students to the types of poems by giving them examples of each and asking them to identify key aspects. For instance, Shakespeare commonly wrote in a specific sonnet style: three quatrains concluding in a couplet that provides the "turn," or turning point of the sonnet. Have them complete a characteristics chart so they focus more on form than on the antiquated language. While they are reading, though, have them connect the ideas in the poem to what they researched about the Renaissance time period.
Though Shakespeare is one of the most famous writers of this time period, he's best-known for his plays. Edmund Spenser and John Donne, on the other hand, are renowned for being Renaissance poets. The son of a London weaver, Spenser set out to provide England with a great national literature; he also meant to glorify Queen Elizabeth in the epic tradition of Homer and Virgil. Donne spear-headed the metaphysical poetry movement with philosophical and spiritual poems. Have the students who researched Shakespeare, Spenser or Donne for the Web Quest personify the authors while their classmates ask them questions; remind them to attempt to think like a Renaissance man.
A complete poetry unit includes at least some poetry reading. Though truly epic in six books, Spenser's "The Faerie Queene" provides students with action-filled tales of knights, demons and dragons. Tell students the epic is based on Arthurian legends, and that Spenser meant for each of the Knights of the Round Table to serve as allegory for a desirable virtue. Have them read key lines of the original poem. For sonnets, Shakespeare's Sonnet 130 provides a fun turn. In groups, have students work through the sonnet, leading them to the realization that the narrator at best thinks his mistress is homely. Have them discuss Shakespeare's reasoning for pointing out how unlovely his mistress is: He proves the truth of his love by recognizing her limitations. Have students vote on how romantic or disrespectful the sonnet ends up being.