Y7: The Sonnet Form (Week 11)

Hello again Year 7,

Well, if I was impressed with your writing last week, you should have seen my little face reading some of your sonnets this week! You are getting better and better at this!

At the bottom of this post, you’ll find an updated poetry anthology with some of the sonnets from last week. Check them out!

Here’s this week’s work:

1) Watch this video to recap the structure of a Petrarchan sonnet. It focuses on a famous sonnet by the American poet Emma Lazarus, written during the construction of the Statue of Liberty. You can read about the poem here and there’s a video version of it here:

2) Read the three sonnets on the document below. This week, they’re all Petrarchan sonnets written by great English female poets (if you are viewing on an Apple device and cannot see a full-screen or download button, click here for a WORD | PDF):

 3) Choose your favourite of these three sonnets and answer the questions that follow it. You can do the questions on the others too, if you want!

4) Metrical challenge 5: Writing your second sonnet

Write a Petrarchan sonnet.

Have a look at the powerpoint below for guidance and advice. You might need a rhyming dictionary too!

When you’ve finished, send your sonnet to Mr Muralee in an email. Let me know if you are happy for me to share it in next week’s blog. Make sure you put the name of your English teacher in your email too. 

Good luck! I’ll be asking your teachers to pick their favourite sonnets so that we can award prizes when we’re back in September!

That’s it for this week. I’ve just had an idea for one final writing task in our last week of the year.

Don’t forget to check out your sonnets on the doc below!

Please get in touch if you need any help.

THE ENGLISH DEPARTMENT

P.S. Here is a selection of the fantastic sonnets I was sent last week. Enjoy!