Sonnet Notes
1. Sonnet - fourteen-line lyric poem, traditionally
written in iambic pentameter.
2. Lyric poem - brief poem in which an emotion is
expressed and the poet speaks in first person.
3. Iambic pentameter - a line that is 10 syllables
long.
Example:
A Long, Long Day!
My day starts with a noisy alarm clock
I open my eyes and see the dark room
I want to go back to sleep like a rock
I jump out of bed cause I’ll be late soon
I’m dressed and ready and I’m off to school
Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?
4. Rhyme scheme - A pattern of rhymes in a
poem.
AABB
ABAB
ABBA
5. Stanza - division of a poem, like a paragraph.
6. Line - division of a stanza, like a sentence.
7. Quatrain - four lines in a sonnet.
8. Couplet - the last two lines in a sonnet.
Recipe for Writing a Sonnet
1. 14 lines
2. Iambic pentameter
3. Rhyme scheme
I stop at Starbucks for my daily fix
If I don’t get coffee, I’ll be a fool
Coffee is magic for my teaching tricks
My students run in and yell out my name
I try to get them to sit down and learn
“Grab a book! Make sure the page is the same!”
“Don’t yell out!” I say. “Please just wait your turn!”
The day is over and I’m out the door
A long nap’s needed to be ready for more