Sonnets and Syllables

Sonnets and Syllables

Intro to LitMs. Neill4/14/14

Entrance Ticket

Count the syllables in the following lines. (11) Write the number of syllables in your blue book.

(12)

1. How many syllables are in this question?

2. I like to eat pizza. It is cheesy.

3. My baby sister's name is Janell.

4. My fish are the best pets in the world.

EQ

How can we express emotion through poetic form?

Announcements

THURSDAY is our sonnet slam!

Also on Thursday, we'll have a BATTLE OF THE BOOKS—the whole school is participating. I'll ask you fact-based questions about the books you've read in English class this year.

The winner out of the freshman English classes will progress to the next round.

Agenda [in a minute, we will] circle up! (syllable game) Syllable presentation + quiz game Remodeling the pizza sonnet Remodeling your own sonnet Pair-checking syllable counts Sharing sonnets Self-assessing (grading yourself on how on-

task you were and how correct your sonnet's syllable counts are)

Snaps!

Circle up! → Syllable Game

One student says an appropriate word. The next student says how many syllables were

in that word and suggests a new word. The next students says how many syllables

were in that word and suggests a new word.

Eliminated people can get back in by saying the syllable count before the person whose turn it is.

Syllable Strategies

Presentation on how to count/add/remove syllables

You take notes in your blue book Quiz game afterwards

Definition of Syllable

A unit of letters you can say without changing your mouth position.

SYL – LA – BLE PI – ZZA SIS – TER TAY – LOR FAV – O – RITE

Counting Syllables

To count how many syllables there are... Say the sentence out loud. Every time your mouth position changes, count

another syllable on your fingers.

I count syll – a – bles like it's my job.

Try it!

How many syllables are in this question?

“I wish I could've seen her face.”

“Unbelievably, I meant what I said.”

“Chinese food is delicious.”

How many syllables in a line?

9, 10, or 11 syllables per line in a sonnet

A lot of famous people, including Shakespeare, wrote sonnets this way

You will change your sonnets to make sure there are 9, 10, or 11 syllables in each line

Fun Fact

“iambic pentameter” 10 syllables per line 5 syllables emphasized per line

Most of Shakespeare's plays, including Romeo and Juliet, are written in iambic pentameter

Strategies for Getting to 9, 10, or 11 Syllables

To fix short lines: Add a sentence Add “really,” “oh yeah,” “very,” “and also”

To fix long lines: Take out a sentence Take out “really,” “very,” and descriptive words

Adding Syllables

Add a sentence If your line is “Video games are the best” (7) ADD: “I love games” (3) For: “I love games. Video games are the best” (10)

If your line is “I love combos” (4) ADD: “You know what I love?” (5) For: “You know what I love? I love combos.”

Adding Syllables

Add “really,” “very,” “oh yeah,” etc. Line with 8 syllables: Pizza is the best thing ever. I need 1, 2, or 3 more syllables. “Really” has 2 syllables. Line with 10 syllables: Pizza is really the best thing

ever.

Getting Rid of Syllables

Take out descriptive words Old line: “My sister is super great because she is

cool.” (12) New line: “My sister is great because she is cool.”

(10)

Getting Rid of Syllables

Take out a sentence Old line: “I like pizza. Pizza is really cheesy and

delicious.” (15) New line: “Pizza is cheesy and delicious.” (9)

Getting the Right Amount of Syllables

Adding or removing contractions (“can't” instead of “cannot”) Old line: “When I go to the store they are always

there.” (11) New line: “When I go to the store they're always there”

(10)

A contraction is squishing two words together and using an apostrophe to indicate that.

Quiz Game!

Each team has a whiteboard and a marker Switch who writes each time Whichever team gets the board up first with the

correct answer gets the point

Q1. How many syllables are in this question?

Q1. How many syllables are in this question?

A1. 11

Q2. Read the sentence below and tell me how many syllables are in it.

Harry went to the store and bought some awesome snacks.


Harry went to the store and bought some awesome snacks.

A2. 12


I live in Providence, Rhode Island.


I live in Providence, Rhode Island.

A3. 9


I am going to write a correct sonnet.


I am going to write a correct sonnet.

A4. 11

Q5. Read the sentences below and tell me how many syllables are in

them (total).

I love pizza. Pizza may be the best thing ever.

Q5. Read the sentences below and tell me how many syllables are in

them (total).

I love pizza. Pizza may be the best thing ever.

A5. 13

Q6. Name two strategies you can use to add syllables to a line.

Q6. Name two strategies you can use to add syllables to a line.

A6. Add a sentence AND add words like “really,” “very,” “oh yeah”

Q7. Name two strategies you can use to get rid of extra syllables

Q7. Name two strategies you can use to get rid of extra syllables

A7. Get rid of a sentence AND get rid of words like “really,” “very,” “oh yeah” AND use contractions like “can't” instead of “cannot”

Q8. How many syllables are in each line of a sonnet?

Q8. How many syllables are in each line of a sonnet?

A8. 9, 10, or 11

Q9. How many syllables will be in each line of your sonnet?

A9. 9, 10, or 11

Q10. What is it called when there are 10 syllables in each line and 5 of

them are emphasized?

Q10. What is it called when there are 10 syllables in each line and 5 of

them are emphasized?

A10. Iambic pentameter

Q11. BONUS: Read the sentence below and tell me how many

syllables are in it.

For two points for your team, figure out how many syllables could possibly be in this sentence.

Q11. BONUS: Read the sentence below and tell me how many

syllables are in it.

For two points for your team, figure out how many syllables could possibly be in this sentence.

Q11. 24

Modeling with the Pizza Sonnet

I'll show you how I change my first stanza.

Then, you'll help me change my second stanza.

Example of Adding+Removing Syllables

My old lines:

I really like pizza a lot. (7)

Most pizza has tomato sauce and cheese on it. (12)

Pizza is probably the best thing I've ever bought. (13)

Pizza is the reason I'm writing this sonnet. (12)

Example of Adding+Removing Syllables

Old line: I really like pizza a lot. (7)

New line: I really, really like pizza a lot. (9)

Old line: Most pizza has tomato sauce and cheese on it. (12)

New line: Pizza has tomato sauce and cheese on it. (11)

ExampleOld line: Pizza is probably the best thing I've ever

bought. (13)

New line: Pizza is the best thing I've ever bought. (10)

Old line: Pizza is the reason I'm writing this sonnet. (12)

New line: Pizza's the reason I'm writing this sonnet. (11)

Remodeling YOUR Sonnet

Change each line of your sonnet to make sure it has 9, 10, or 11 syllables

In order to be a sonnet it needs this amount of syllables

Help me with the second stanza!

Pizza comes in different flavors like vegetable and meat. (14)

I like to get pizza at Peter Piper's with my fiance, (16)

And pepperoni and meatball is what he likes to eat, (14)

But I go with veggie pizza every day. (11)

What can I take out of the first three lines?

Peer-Check

Swap papers with your partner

Check their paper to make sure each line has 9, 10, or 11 syllables

Give them a grade out of 14 depending on how many lines have 9, 10, or 11 syllables, still rhyme, and are on-topic

Sharing Sonnets

Volunteers may share sonnets with the class for points

Exit Ticket

What is one thing you did well while writing your sonnet?

What is one thing you wish you could improve? Give yourself a GRADE out of 10 based on

how much of your sonnet is done with the correct amount of syllables in each line

how on-task you were today how much you helped others

Write down a snap for another student (positive, specific, and class-related).

Snaps!

Circle up for snaps!

Sonnets and Syllables

Documents

Transcript of Sonnets and Syllables