Detailed Lesson Plan for Practice teaching

Writing a Sonnet (English/Literature)

SE4A
Content Standards
The learners demonstrate an understanding of Sonnets and classify them according to
their structure.
Performance standards
The learners shall be able to create a Sonnet following all the rules that govern in creating
such literary piece
I. OBJECTIVES: At the end of a 40-minute period, the students will be able to:
a. Analyze what are the key elements to consider in writing a sonnet
b. Provide evidence to support understanding;
c. Create a 14-line iambic pentameter Shakespearian sonnet
d. Appreciate why sonnet is an important literary form in English Literature
II. SUBJECT MATTER
Topic: Writing a sonnet (English literature)
Materials: Laptop, Manila paper, Marker, mini speaker
Source: http://homepage.smc.edu/meeks_sonnet/line%20devices%20used%20in%20poetry.htm
III. PROCEDURE
Teacher’s Activity Students’ Activity

A. PREPARATORY ACTIVITY
Prayer
Classroom management
Checking of attendance
Greetings
B. REVIEW
C. MOTIVATION
Class, I want you to mimic what I am doing
(Clapping, trying to imitate a heartbeat), and (Students will do the activity that the teacher asks
try to analyze the difference of two sound clap them to do)
which is kind a sound like a heartbeat.

Let us assume that the onomatopoeic sound of

it is the word “Dhak-Dhak”. Now as you George: Sir I think the second clap is louder than the
observed, what do you think is the difference second one.
between these two intervals of sounds?

Exactly George! The second clap is

comparatively louder than the first one, now try
to remember that, because that will be very
important part of our today’s lesson
D. UNLOCKING OF DIFFICULTIES
Class, what do we mean when say, syllables of 1. Syllable - a unit of pronunciation having
a word or the syllabication of the word? one vowel sound, with or without
surrounding consonants, forming the
whole or a part of a word

How about when we mean stressed and non-
stressed syllables?
2. Stressed syllables are often perceived as
being more forceful than non-stressed
syllables. unstressed syllable is
a syllable that is not emphasized when the
word is spoken.
 Very good. Now do this following activity.

Direction: Divide and segment each syllables

of the following words, then upon dividing it
mark “/” in the top of syllable if is stressed and
“u” if it is non-stressed.

1. Frustrating
2. Authoritarian
3. Amended
4. Although
5. Abbreviated

Showing lesson objectives Students:

Class this is our lesson objectives for today and I want a. Analyze what are the key elements to consider
you to focus on it, so you do know what should be in writing a sonnet
learned and accomplished for today. Read it together. b. Provide evidence to support understanding;

c. Create a 14-line iambic pentameter

Shakespearian sonnet
d. Appreciate why sonnet is an important literary
form in English Literature

Guided Questions

1. How can you differentiate the three types of

sonnets according to their rhyme scheme and
structure?
2. What are the key elements to consider to be
able to know that such a literary piece is a
sonnet?
3. What is the main purpose in writing a sonnet?

E. PRESENTATION OF THE LESSON Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? (Sonnet 18)
William Shakespeare, 1564 – 1616

Class, look at the literary piece on the blackboard, that
is the most famous sonnet of William Shakespeare
entitled “Shall I compare thee to a summers day?”
Which is also known as Sonnet 18.
The word sonnet is derived from the Italian word
“sonetto,” which means a “little song” or sound. In
poetry, a sonnet has 14 lines, and is written in iambic
pentameter. Sonnets adhere to a tightly structured
thematic organization.
The sonnet has become popular among different poets
because it can be adapted for different purposes,
though rhythms are strictly followed by all.
Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate.
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer’s lease hath all too short a date.
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimmed;
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance, or nature’s changing course, untrimmed;
But thy eternal summer shall not fade,
Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow’st,
Nor shall death brag thou wand’rest in his shade,
When in eternal lines to Time thou grow’st.
So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see,
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.

It is the perfect poetic style for expressing a feeling or

thought. With its short length a poet can use a sonnet
to focus on just a single idea. Sonnets typically explore
strong emotions but in a manageable 14 lines, making Sonnet Characteristics
it easier for both the poet and the reader. A sonnet is simply a poem written in a certain format,
but they are easily identified. Sonnets generally have
the following characteristics:

– 14 lines. All sonnets have 14 lines which can be

broken down into four sections called quatrains.

– A strict rhyme scheme. The rhyme scheme of a

Shakespearean sonnet is ABAB / CDCD / EFEF / GG
(note the four distinct sections in the rhyme scheme).

– Iambic Pentameter. Sonnets are written in iambic

pentameter, a poetic meter with 10 beats per line
made up of alternating unstressed and stressed
syllables.

A sonnet can be broken down into four sections called

quatrains. The first three quatrains contain four lines
each and use an alternating rhyme scheme. The final
quatrain consists of just two lines which both rhyme
called couplet.

F. LESSON PROPER/DISCUSSION

Petrarchan Sonnet
The first sonnet is the Petrarchan, or Italian. Named
after one of its greatest practitioners, the Italian poet
Petrarch, the Petrarchan sonnet is divided into two
stanzas, the octave (the first eight lines) followed by
the answering sestet (the final six lines).

The rhyme scheme, abba, abba, cdecde or cdcdcd, is

more suited for the Italian language which contains
more rhyming words. But there are still many great
examples of this type of sonnet in English.

In the first 8 lines (the octave) the Petrarchan sonnet

presents an argument or a question. After this there is
what we call a “volta” between the 8th and 9th lines.
This volta, or turn, signifies a shift in the direction of
the poem taking it from the octave to the sestet. It is in
the sestet, in the final six lines, that the argument or
question that was presented in the octave is answered.

After the Petrarchan sonnet was first brought to

England by Sir Thomas Wyatt, Henry Howard began
translating and writing his own versions of Petrarch.
His works were considered more faithful to the
original than the work of his English counterparts. He
made modifications the Petrarchan sonnet which then
became the structure of what we know as the
Shakespearean sonnet.

This structure was established to better suit the English

language which was somewhat lacking in the rhyming
words that Italian boasts.
 Shakespearean Sonnet

The Shakespearean, or English sonnet, follows a

different set of poetry rules. Here, three quatrains and a
couplet follow this rhyme scheme: abab, cdcd, efef,
gg.

Much like the sestet in the Petrarchan sonnet, in the

Shakespearean sonnet the couplet marks a change in
the poem. It is used to signal a conclusion, explanation
or counterargument to the previous 3 stanzas.

In Shakespeare’s Sonnet 130 the first twelve lines

focus on the speaker’s mistress, comparing her
unfavourably to nature. But the final couplet changes
the tone completely, that despite all of her flaws he
does love her:

My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun;

Coral is far more red, than her lips red:
If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun;
If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head.
I have seen roses damasked, red and white,
But no such roses see I in her cheeks;
And in some perfumes is there more delight
Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks.
I love to hear her speak, yet well I know
That music hath a far more pleasing sound:
I grant I never saw a goddess go,
My mistress, when she walks, treads on the ground:
And yet by heaven, I think my love as rare,
As any she belied with false compare.

Shakespeare uses Sonnet 130 as a satire of other poets

who compare their loves to nature’s beauty. In fact he
takes it to the extreme nearly leaving the mistress
completely unlovable!

Spenserian sonnet

Like other sonnets, Spenser's contain fourteen lines of

iambic pentameter, meaning there are five iambic feet,
or iambs, per line. However, his rhyme scheme and the
manner in which he decided to divide these lines
distinguish his form from the others.

The scheme Spenser chose was adapted from the

rhyme model he used in his famous epic poem The
Faerie Queen and follows the pattern 'abab bcbc cdcd
ee.' Here we have the sonnet divided into three
quatrains, or segments of four lines, followed by a
rhyming couplet. Spenser's form is also commonly
referred to as a linking sonnet because the 'b' and 'c'
rhyme elements weave the quatrains together.
 G. GROUP ACTIVITY

Now I will group you into 4 groups, and what I want

you to do is to create a Shakespearian sonnet. All
members will cooperate to each group and each group
will cooperate to one another.

Now count 1-4.

Each group, choose your leader.

Now, group leaders, this is what I want you to do,

think of a particular topic, group or person you want to
praise. And that will be the sense of your sonnet.
Group 1 will do the 1st quatrains, group 2 for the 2nd,
group 3 is for the 3rd and group 4 will do the couplet or
the last 2 line of a Shakespearian sonnet.
(Each group will do their tasks and the teacher will
guide them in doing so. There is 15 minutes for the
whole process and 5 minutes for the presentation of
the sonnet.) a total of 20 minutes for this activity

Keep in mind that Shakespearian sonnet has the rhyme

verse, abab-cdcd-efef-gg. And all the first three
quatrains represent their own idea and still
interconnected with each quatrain, and finally we
usually put the Volta or turn in the couplet that do start
with the word but, yet, or and. This represent a
contrasting idea or answers the dilemma that the first
3-quatraints had introduced.

It is important that you cooperate all members of the

group, and group leaders, cooperate to each other, to
create a unity of though that a Shakespearian sonnet
mush have, also do not forget to follow the iambic
pentameter meter. I will guide you as you proceed in
the process of this activity.

Rubrics

Unity of thought 50%

Correct form of a sonnet 25%
Cooperation 25%

A total of 100%

H. GENERALIZATION

Class, who would be able to summarize our lesson for
today regarding about sonnet?
Lady Lian: Sir our lesson is all about sonnet, and
sonnet is a 14-line iambic pentameter that can be
either of the following structure, Shakespearian,
Spenserian, and Petrarchan. Each of which despite
being qualified as a sonnet has a specific structure on
their own, especially when we are talking about
rhyme scheme. One of the important concepts in
writing a sonnet, is also what we call metrical meter,
which is called, iambic pentameter. Which is a
combination of stressed and non-stresses syllables
which is an IAMB, and if 5-Iamb is completed in a
line, this is what we call Iambic pentameter.
 I. VALUING
Do you think, nowadays we should still use sonnets
despite that there are a lot of instant messaging apps
and widely develop technology?
Can we still use sonnets and give it to someone?
Mellissa: Yes sir of course! The good part of writing a
sonnet is the difficult process itself. And it has a
specific pattern which create a unity of thought which
make it very special, occasionally we could still use
this form to send love letters or just praise a particular
individual or group we admire.

III. EVALUATION:
1. It is also known as the English sonnet. The rhyme scheme is typically abab-cdcd-efef-gg.
2. What types of sonnet that has three quatrains and a couplet, but it follows the rhyme
scheme abab-bcbc-cdcd-ee
3. It is also known as the Italian sonnet; the rhyme scheme is typically abba-abba-cdecde-
4. How many lines does a sonnet have?
5. What do you call the turn of thought or argument: in Petrarchan or Italian sonnets it
occurs between the octave and the sestet, and in Shakespearean or English before the
final couplet.
6. It is a metrical unit made up of one unstressed syllable followed by one stressed syllable.
An example of it would be “good BYE”
7. This literary form is from the Italian word sonetto, which means “a little sound or song,"
the sonnet is a popular classical form that has compelled poets for centuries
8. In the Petrarchan sonnet the first 8-line presents an argument, observation, question, or
some other answerable charge. What do you call this 8-line or this first two quatrains?
9. Also, in the Petrarchan sonnet, what do you call the last 6-line that do answer the problem
of the first 8-line had given?
10. If a Shakespearean sonnet is composed of 3 quatrains and 2 last line, what is the exact
term for this last two line in a sonnet?
Answers:
1. Shakespearean sonnet 6. Iamb
2. Spenserian sonnet 7. Sonnet
3. Petrarchan sonnet 8. Octave
4. 14-line 9. Sestet
5. Volta 10. Couplet
IV. ASSIGNMENT:
On a 1 whole sheet of paper write a Spenserian sonnet with 14-line iambic pentameter. And pass
it next meeting
Let’s call it a day class, I hope that you really learn something today. Don’t forget your
assignment next meeting, you can go home
Class dismissed!

Prepared by: Submitted to:

Archie Ibay Agnes Barrera