Earlier this week, we invited you to share our sonnet-writing contest with your students. And we hope you do!
Why teach Shakespeare’s sonnets?
- Exploring Shakespeare’s sonnets can be a good way to introduce students to his language.
- Many ideas and themes in the sonnets also appear in Shakespeare’s plays and can be useful lead-ins. For instance, looking at individual sonnets in Romeo and Juliet can be a door into the play.
- The strictures of the sonnet form can inspire creativity in students.
You can find a unit plan for sonnets on our website that includes these lessons:
- Easing into Shakespeare with a modern sonnet
- Petrarch: Father of the sonnet
- Juliet vs. Laura
- Close reading
- Writing a group sonnet
- Sonnet performance festival
- And more…
