Sonnets have become so popular, and are written in so many places, that over time many, many variations of the sonnet form have evolved.

For hundreds of years, the sonnet form was reserved for poems about unrequited love, but since the 17th century sonnets have been written about a wide variety of subjects.

Some additional key details about sonnets: The main difference between the Italian and English sonnet is in the rhyme schemes they use. The two most common sonnet variations are the Italian sonnet (also called a Petrarchan sonnet), and the English sonnet (also called a Shakespearean sonnet). Within these general guidelines for what makes a sonnet, there are a wide variety of variations. Sonnets generally use a meter of iambic pentameter, and follow a set rhyme scheme. Traditionally, the fourteen lines of a sonnet consist of an octave (or two quatrains making up a stanza of 8 lines) and a sestet (a stanza of six lines). Teaching poetic devices enhances poetic enjoyment, improves critical thinking ability, and makes you sound really smart.What is a sonnet? HereвЂ™s a quick and simple definition:ДЄ sonnet is a type of fourteen-line poem. This post is part of the series: Teaching Poetic Devices

Summarize the message of the poem in your own words.

Describe how the situation is rectified.

Describe the situation or problem in your own words.

Read a sonnetвЂ“more than once if necessary.

These procedures incorporate the strategies. Teaching sonnets requires teaching strategies.

Variations of Sonnets: As long as the sonnet is fourteen lines of iambic pentameter it can have any rhyme scheme (for an explanation of different poetic forms, check out the Bright Hub poetic forms study guide with examples).

It resembles the Italian SonnetвЂ™s rhyme scheme and the English SonnetвЂ™s 12-line problem, 2-line solution format.

Spenserian Sonnet: The rhyme scheme of a Spenserian Sonnet is ababbcbccdcdee.

Line 9 is called вЂњthe turn,вЂќ signifying a change in rhyme pattern and a change in subject matter. In a Petrarchan or Italian Sonnet, the first eight lines are related.

Petrarchan Sonnet: The rhyme scheme in a Petrarchan Sonnet is abbaabbacdcdcd.The ending couplet comments on the preceding three quatrains.

Each quatrain is one unit of thought in the poem, similar to a paragraph in prose. A Shakespearean Sonnet consists of three quatrains, four line stanzas, and a couplet.

English or Shakespearean Sonnet: The rhyme scheme of a Shakesperean Sonnet is ababcdcdefefgg.

Each line of a sonnet consists of 10 syllables following a pattern of unstressed syllable, stressed syllable.

The basic meter in sonnets is iambic pentameter.

If that sound is repeated later on in the poem, that line receives the same letter (youвЂ™ll probably want to give some examples). To identify rhyme scheme, assign a letter of the alphabet to each rhymed sound at the end of a line.

Sonnets have a specific rhyme scheme, the pattern of rhyme in a poem.

Mr.Sternman fired me on the spot and my sonnet lesson plan has remained dormant ever since. Instead, I choked on my spit, passed out, and peed my pants. I could have explained how analyzing and writing poetry helps to develop thinking skills. I could have said that writing poetry helps develop word skills and that writing sonnets forces us to use words in ways we never imagined. Deadmeat,вЂќ he said, вЂњThis is a great sonnet lesson plan and the poems are pretty good, but why are you even teaching sonnets? When will I ever use this?вЂќ Things were going well until Frankie Ruinlife in the fourth row asked a question.

Sternman sat in the back of the room writing my teacher evaluation.

Spenserian sonnet examples by students