Teaching sonnets

1. Writing Sonnets
By Lindsey Ingram
Ideas and Resources for simple ways
to teach a middle school level
classroom

2. Rationale for Technology Integration
• As we experience poetry
throughout our lives, we do not
immediately think of how it is
structured or set up, but rather
focus on how it sounds and flows.
By incorporating technology into
a lesson about the structure of
certain forms of poetry, students
can learn to recognize different
forms of poetry through sound.

3. Rationale for Technology Integration
• By incorporating technology into a lesson,
students can learn to pick up on important
rules of poetry, such as structure and form,
specifically in sonnets.
• Throughout this presentation viewers will see
various resources and organizations that
recognize the work that goes into writing
sonnets.

4. Websites
• The following websites used in this
presentation have proven to be reliable
sources and provide accurate information
regarding the structure of proper sonnet
construction and poetic structure
• Links to each website will be provided within
its designated slide as well as the footnote
section

5. YouTube
Click the image for a fun video on how to write a sonnet!

6. Podcast
• Along with being able to learn
how to interpret sonnets, it is
also important for students to
hear how sonnets are
performed or read aloud. This
podcast is simply a reading of all
154 of Shakespeare’s sonnets
broken up into different sections
so listeners can focus on a small
group of sonnets at a time.
Click the image to listen!

7. Blog
• It can be a little confusing for students to
grasp the concept of sonnets. This blog
translates common pop songs into
Shakespearean sonnets, making it a bit easier
for students to learn how to interpret
Shakespearean styled sonnets!

8. Agencies/Organizations
• Academic Entertainment – This organization travels
around presenting at school assemblies, camps and
various other programs encouraging student creativity!
• Academy of American Poets – This organization of
poets thrives on presenting poetry and encouraging
young minds to pursue their creativity and poetic
goals!
• Modern Language Association – This association is
responsible for setting specific standards on format
and structure for the English language and all kinds of
literature. This is an important source for students to
be familiar with!

9. Inspiration
This diagram shows the layout and structure of a sonnet, along
with a brief explanation of iambic pentameter. You can find
more helpful tips on writing a sonnet here!

10. There’s an app for that!
This app allows users to
browse through
Shakespeare’s abundance
amount of sonnets and
listen to a reading of each
performed by various
stars, including Sir Patrick
Stewart, David Tennant,
Kim Cattrall, Stephen Fry
and several others!
Click the image to get the app!

11. Interactive Chart
ReadWriteThink.org
provides an
interactive chart
that helps students
break down a
sonnet and keep
track of the details
in each line. You can
even print out your
notes directly from
the page!Click the image above to interact with the chart yourself!

12. Write your own Sonnet!
• Amundsen High School in Chicago, Illinois
provides several resources that can be used in
teaching sonnets to a high school level
classroom. The next slide gives an example of
a very simple and detailed worksheet that
students can use to learn how to write a
sonnet! Click on the worksheet on the left to
be directed to the school’s resources!

13. Amundsen High School Worksheet

14. Trivia
• Once you have worked with Shakespeare’s
work for some time, try your hand at a little
trivia and interpret some lines from
Shakespeare’s sonnets! Click the picture to
check out the website!

15. Subject Specific Internet Based Resources
• Edsitement is a humanities based resource
that includes educational tools for both
teachers and students.
• This website includes
sources such as lesson
plans, articles and
blogs that students can
easily access

16. Websites
• It is important to understand
exactly how a sonnet works
before reading and studying
them. A sonnet has a very
specific structure and layout.
Click the notebook to see the
tools you need to write your
very own sonnet!

17. Websites
• William Shakespeare is one
of the most well known
authors of poetry,
specifically focusing on
sonnets. Click on the picture
to go to a website that not
only has great tips on sonnet
writing, but links to all of
Shakespeare’s own sonnets!

18. Web 2.0
• Google Drive is a great app that
was created by Google that can
be used to share documents
and other materials!
• Students can interact with
teachers by uploading their
work and have the teacher
make comments and edit.
Students can also communicate
via a chat app to talk to the
teacher about the material!

19. Web 2.0
• Edublogs is an
interactive website that
teachers can use to
create blogs that
students can post on
and work with other
students as well as the
teacher.
• Teachers can also utilize this website to post
podcasts and other useful resources for
students to use and interact with.