Class sonnet rules:
Rule #1: The sonnet must be completed in one class period. In my school, this is about 45 - 50 minutes.
Rule #2: Everyone must try to make a contribution to the sonnet we will write.
Rule #3: The sonnet must be 14 lines long.
Rule #4: The sonnet must have no more and no less than 10 syllables per line. (This is an offshoot of the Petrarchan sonnet form.)
Rule #5: The sonnet must be of either the English or Italian forms. Since much of our town population is Italian and there is a strong sense of loyalty, we often end up with this form.
Rule #6: The sonnet must deal with the subject of love. Over the years I have found this can mean many things to novice poets.
Rule #7: If the sonnet is going to be in the English form, the logical progression of thought should be as follows: the first 12 lines develop the main idea, and the last 2 lines (a rhymed couplet) give the conclusion. If the students select the Italian form, the pattern should be thus: The first 8 lines develop the main idea, and the last 6 lines give the conclusion. Rule #8: Once something has been written on the board, it cannot be changed (except for spelling). It becomes engraved in stone.
