Grade Level: 4th Grade Length of Instruction: 20 Minutes

Lesson Plan Day 1 Number of Students: 15

Instructional Location: Classroom

Standard(s) Addressed (Common Core) CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.2.D

Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain the topic.
Content Objectives Language Objectives Students will be able to follow a poems structure to compose Students will write answers that reflect a singular poem within the poems structural limits.

Mentor Texts: Book: Shel Silverstien (A Light in an Attic)

Strategy Focus: Brainstorm students background knowledge of poetry.

Materials: Vocabulary: Whiteboard, dry erase markers, erasers Rhythm, Rhyme, Repetition Pre assessment sheet Add any relevant information that is essential to understanding the context of your lesson: Students must know how to work in a group and use a concept web. Prerequisite Skills: Students know how to do group work. Students know how to create a concept map. Enduring Understandings (Big Idea): Explore creative writing of nonfiction and fiction texts through modes of poetry. Essential Questions:

What makes a poem? MINILESSON Setting the Purpose: Poetry is one of the pieces of literature that all writing stems from. Connect to prior learning: What is poetry? Where do you see types of poetry? Can we compare things with poetry? Is there a theme in a piece of poetry? Introduce and explain: Poetry is important in sparking your creativity. It is important to look at the world through different eyes. Strategy Teaching: What: What makes a poem? There are many aspects to poetry that can show the world through creative eyes and senses. Why: Poetry is important because it helps students express their feelings and thoughts on the world around them. It is the ultimate form of expression in writing. When: Poetry can be written at anytime and anywhere. Currently we are using poetry during writing time to express and promote the students creativity. How: I will model for the students how to write an expressive/descriptive poem. I will use different forms of literary elements such as onomatopoeia, similes, and metaphors. -Share Personal example and an example by Shel Silverstien Link to Independent Writing What makes a good writer? How can we use our skills of theme, characters, setting, and descriptive elements in our poetry writing? Poetry is a wonderful way to use our creativity to independently write about anything and use good literary elements to compliment the writing. INDEPENDENT WRITING -Students will be writing a poem of what they believe is poetry. They may use various mentor text as examples if they so choose. The writing will be looked over for literary elements such as similes, onomatopoeia, and metaphors.

-Teaching will be making individual conferences to assess student knowledge. SHARING TIME -No Sharing Time because of the hosting an individual conference with each student for assessment. TEACHER-STUDENT CONFERENCES I will hold conferences with every student to assess what and how comfortable students are with poetry. The conferences will be quick and ask similar and differentiated questions based on each individual student and their needs. Assessment(s): Pre Assessment: A formal questionnaire using basic questions about poetry literary elements. The pre assessment will also consist of a verbal assessment based on student response. How might you extend this lesson? Use student assessment responses to determine how to continue the poetry unit direction Discuss how you differentiated instruction for your learners during this lesson? The lesson was differentiated based on student response/ the amount of poetry each student was capable of writing. It takes extended perseverance and creativity to complete a piece of poetry.

Brief Reflection Notes: I believe this lesson went extremely well. I personally grew up hating poetry. However, I knew that I did not want my students to have similar views on poetry. So when I took on this task I was a little skeptical of being effective teaching it. The best way I could think of was to find an abundance of mentor texts to give students examples of the literature. My other strategy was to be enthusiastic about the topic. With my students, it is imperative to sell what you preach. I need to show my enthusiasm for learning and writing poetry. This is exactly how I introduced the unit. I began reading my favorite poetry book by Shel Silverstein A Light in the Attic. I think this mentor text was beneficial because it is more of a free verse text. One of the main goals for the students is to break down the stereotype that all poetry must rhyme. I was hoping that by having a mentor text without rhymes read to them would help break down that thought process. I want the students to be as exposed as possible to various types of poetry. Poetry is a creative field that gives individuality and a voice to writing. The students need that freedom to explore their own creative side. After reading aloud many different poems, we talked about what the students know about poetry. The conversation was lively and energetic. The students linked themselves to many different ways were they have seen poetry in their personal lives like song lyrics, card sayings, and books. I loved that the students used their background knowledge to relate to the writing topic. In order to assess what knowledge of poetry the students have, I gave a formal pre assessment. I had created a pre assessment that asked questions in order to benchmark where the students were in regards to poetry. I had two students who had a perfect pre assessment, however many students showed a significant

misunderstanding of poetry. I was glad to create a pre assessment because it has helped me to continue to plan lessons that build off of student knowledge and skills.