1. Scanning a Poem Drill: Copy down the definition…
A system of representing by visual symbols more or less conventional poetic rhythms for purposes of metrical analysis and criticism.
Objective: Students will be able to take notes on the characteristics of a sonnet in order to analyze Shakespeare’s “Sonnet 18”.

2. Scanning a poem
The process of scanning a poem involves locating the stressed and unstressed symbols of a poem.
Stressed syllables are marked with a ‘/’
while unstressed syllables are marked with a ‘u’.
Example:
Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? u / u / u / u / u /
Objective: Students will be able to take notes on the characteristics of a sonnet in order to analyze Shakespeare’s “Sonnet 18”.

3. Poetic Feet
A poetic foot is a measurable, patterned, conventional unit of poetic rhythm.
The poetic foot consists of one stressed syllable and one or two unstressed syllable.
Objective: Students will be able to take notes on the characteristics of a sonnet in order to analyze Shakespeare’s “Sonnet 18”.

4. Poetic Feet The following are the most common “base” feet in English:
iamb; iambic, as in destroy
anapest; anapestic, as in intervene
trochee; trochaic, as in topsy
dactyl; dactylic, as in merrily u / / u u / u / / u
Objective: Students will be able to take notes on the characteristics of a sonnet in order to analyze Shakespeare’s “Sonnet 18”.

5. Recurrent Patterns
Certain poems are based on a recurrent pattern of poetic feet in each line.
Objective: Students will be able to take notes on the characteristics of a sonnet in order to analyze Shakespeare’s “Sonnet 18”.

6. Terms for line lengths one foot monometer two feet dimeter
three feet trimeter
four feet tetrameter
five feet pentameter
six feet hexameter
seven feet heptameter
eight feet octameter
Objective: Students will be able to take notes on the characteristics of a sonnet in order to analyze Shakespeare’s “Sonnet 18”.

7. Identifying Poetic Rhythm
Certain styles of poetry have the same number of poetic feet in each line, giving the poem a consistent rhythm.
An example would be the sonnet. Every sonnet is written in iambic pentameter, or there are five iambs per line.
Objective: Students will be able to take notes on the characteristics of a sonnet in order to analyze Shakespeare’s “Sonnet 18”.

8. The Sonnet There are three major styles of sonnets:
Shakespearean: originated by the English poet, William Shakespeare.
Petrarchean: originated by the Italian poet, Petrarch.
Spencerean, adapted from the Shakespearean sonnets by Edmund Spencer.
Objective: Students will be able to take notes on the characteristics of a sonnet in order to analyze Shakespeare’s “Sonnet 18”.

9. The Sonnet The sonnet is always written in iambic pentameter.
The sonnet is typically 14 lines long.
The rhyme scheme depends on the style of sonnet that the poem is written.
Objective: Students will be able to take notes on the characteristics of a sonnet in order to analyze Shakespeare’s “Sonnet 18”.

10. The Sonnet Petrachean: Divided into two parts:
An eight line section called the octave, with rhyme scheme: abbaabba
Followed by a six line section called the sestet, with rhyme scheme: cdecde or cdcdcd.
The octave establishes the speaker’s situation and the sestet resolves, draws conclusions about, or expresses a reaction to the situation.
Example: PAGE 400
Objective: Students will be able to take notes on the characteristics of a sonnet in order to analyze Shakespeare’s “Sonnet 18”.

11. The Sonnet Shakespearean
Contains three quatrains, or set of four lines, followed by a final couplet, or set of two rhyming lines.
The rhyme scheme is:
Quatrain #1: abab
Quatrain #2: cdcd
Quatrain #3: efef
Couplet: gg
Objective: Students will be able to take notes on the characteristics of a sonnet in order to analyze Shakespeare’s “Sonnet 18”.

12. The Sonnet Shakespearean cont.
The logical organization varies, but often, the turn or shift in focus or thought begins in the beginning of the third quatrain at line 9.
Objective: Students will be able to take notes on the characteristics of a sonnet in order to analyze Shakespeare’s “Sonnet 18”.

13. Analyzing Shakespeare’s Sonnets
Class work:
Read Shakespeare’s 18th sonnet as a class. (page 391 of the green textbook)
Individually, paraphrase the three quatrains and the final couplet.
Example:
Quatrain one:
Quatrain two:
Quatrain three:
Couplet:
Objective: Students will be able to take notes on the characteristics of a sonnet in order to analyze Shakespeare’s “Sonnet 18”.

14. Analyzing Shakespeare’s Sonnets
Answer the following questions:
Where does the turn or shift in the speaker’s thought or focus occur in this poem?
What inferences can you make about the speaker based on the turn?
What is Shakespeare implying about the tradition of love poetry?
How does the rhythm of the sonnet add to its theme?
Objective: Students will be able to take notes on the characteristics of a sonnet in order to analyze Shakespeare’s “Sonnet 18”.