Lesson Name: Structures and Elements of PoetryEstimated
timeframe: 1 Day/45-55 minutes
3rd 9 Weeks Unit3/ Arc 1 Grade level/Course: 2nd Grade/ELA
This lesson is appropriate for both Monolingual and Dual
Language teachers.
Monolingual Pacing: Day 1 Engage and SE Focus Lesson (Teacher
Model); Partners do Activity 1;
Teacher Models Activity 2; Partners do Activity and Share and
Compare Answers about poems.
Teacher Leads Closure Discussion; Students Write in their WTL
Journals
Day 2 Class creates a Criteria Chart for Good Poetry; Lesson
Summative Assessment
Dual Language Pacing: Day 1 Engage and Beginning of SE Focus
Lesson (Teacher Model);
Partners do Activity 1
Day 2 Review and Teacher Models Activity 2; Students Engage in
Activity 2;
Teacher Leads Closure Discussion; Students Write in their WTL
Journals;
Students Share Journal Entries
Day 3 Class creates a Criteria Chart for Good Poetry; Lesson
Summative Assessment
Lesson Components
Lesson Objectives: Students will be able to understand and make
inferences about the structure and elements of poetry using text
evidence and the authors sensory language.
Language Objectives:
Students will use academic language to explain their
understandings about the poetry, its structure, and its
elements.
Prior Learning:
Students make inferences about literary texts. They identify and
discuss rhythm, rhyme, and alliteration in poetry and other
literary texts.
Standards(Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills):
2.7 Reading/Comprehension of Literary Text/Poetry.
Students understand, make inferences and draw conclusions about
the structure and elements of poetry and provide evidence from text
to support their understanding.
2.7(A) describe how rhyme, rhythm, and repetition interact to
create images in poetry.2.11 Reading/Comprehension of Literary
Text/Sensory Language.
Students understand, make inferences and draw conclusions about
how an authors sensory language creates imagery in literary text
and provide evidence from text to support their understanding.
2.11(A) recognize that some words and phrases have literal and
non-literal meanings (e.g., take steps).
College and Career Readiness:
Reading: Analyze imagery in literary texts. Identify and analyze
how an authors use of language appeals to the senses, creates
imagery, and suggests mood.
Essential Questions: Choose 4 or 5 of these questions, based
upon your knowledge of your students understandings of poetry.
How can reading and writing poetry help us learn to communicate
better?
What does the poem say to you?
How did the poem make you feel?
What did the poem make you think about?
What did you think about the poem?
What did you notice?
Were there any words or phrases you especially liked?
Does the poem remind you of anything in your life?
What do you think the poet was thinking?
Whos talking in the poem?
What did you notice about the way the author wrote the poem?
Vocabulary
Essential:
poem, poetry, rhyme, rhythm, repetition, stanzas, lines, author,
infer, senses, image, text, sensory images, alliteration,
onomatopoeia
Supporting: Choose Tier 2 vocabulary from the poetry you use for
this lesson.
Lesson Preparation
The Primary Comprehension Toolkit- Strategy Book- 4 Infer &
Visualize Lesson 12(teacher resource)
http://www.comprehensiontoolkit.com/samples/StratBook4less14.pdf
Texas Treasures: Reading Genres A Study Guide
Collection of Poetry Texts: (Suggestions) Honey, I Love by
Eloise Greenfield , Poems to Learn by Heart by Caroline Kennedy,
Mirror, Mirror by Marilyn Singer, Amazing Faces by Lee Bonnett
Hopkins, Zoologico de Poemas Poetry Zoo by Margarita Montalvo,My
Mexico Mxico Mo by Tony Johnston, Colors! Colores! By Jorge Lujan,
Sol a Sol by Lori Marie Carlson, Confeti Poemas Para Nios by Pat
Mora.
Practice reading poems beforehand to be aware of the
rhythm/rhyme patterns to read effectively.
Poetry Anchor (list or web)
Poem Copied on Chart Paper (rhythm) and a copy for each
child
Anchors of Support
Anchor: What are the elements/structures of poetry? (web or
list)As the class learns about the structure and elements of
poetry, new learning will be added to the anchor in the form of a
list or web.
Differentiation strategies
Special Education: Possibilities includeStudents refer to
visualsTeacher may take photos of kids acting out a poem and post
the pictures to the poemStudents act out poemsThe use of rhyme and
rhythm are incorporatedStudents may illustrate understanding when
inferring. Refer to the students IEP for other routinely offered
accommodations.
English Language Learners:
Students listen to and follow along in reading repetitive,
rhyming, and rhythmic poems. (Choral reading of poems) Students
will listen to and buddy read poetry with peers.
Extension for Learning:
Student may use technology as a resource for locating or writing
poems of interest. An example is found on the Read Write Think
site: Writing An Acrostic Poem
21st Century Skills
Creativity and Innovation:
Think Creatively: Elaborate, refine, analyze and evaluate their
own ideas in order to improve and maximize creative efforts.
Communicate Clearly: Articulate thoughts and ideas effectively
using oral, written and nonverbal communication skills in a variety
of forms and contexts.
English Language Proficiency Standards:
ELPS: Mandated by Texas Administrative Code (19 TAC 74.4), click
on the link for English Language Proficiency Standards (ELPS) to
support English Language Learners.
Lesson Cycle
Engage
Whole Group Choose a poem students can easily
visualize/imagine.
Example: Lazy Lizard p. 21 or Get on the Bus! P. 23 (Reading
Genres A Study Guide)Poem used for this lesson: The Way I Play
Soccer
Read the poem aloud without first sharing the title. See if
students can infer what the poem is about.
Your guiding words/ questions might go something like this I
want everyone to close their eyes and get ready to imagine, or
visualize, the words I am about to read. (Read the poem slowly and
with lots of expression.) Then ask and discuss. What do you infer
the poem was about? How do you know? Did you hear any special words
or phrases that helped create that image in your mind? What did you
feel, smell, taste, see, or hear when I read? Teacher may want to
read again and stop each time a sensory image was triggered (think
aloud). What title would you give to this poem?
The Way I Play Soccer
Sweat streams down my face,
And my skin turns red under the watchful eye of the sun.
The sound of cleats pounding the earth is deafening
As my enemies charge down the field towards me.
I can sense the shooter is going to miss;
All at once, the ball collides into my chest.
Screams of victory roar across the field.
The grass stained, game ball rests.
Rests lovingly between my two hands.
Poem by Natasha Niemi
Lesson stages
Whole Group Model: Make this part your own, but use these ideas
to help you call students attention to the structure, elements, and
sensory language used by the poet.
The poem I just read to you is titled The Way I Play Soccer. It
was written by Natasha Niemi. Those of you who have played soccer
before made some great connections to the poem. I have never played
soccer but, as I read, it reminded me of when I used to play a game
called field hockey. I can just smell the grass on the field and
hear my teammates calling my name. I remember people on the other
team coming at me when I had the ball and feeling a little nervous.
This poem really got my heart pumping! When I read or listen to
poetry I get to use my imagination, I can make connections, and its
fun to figure out what the author is writing about. What do you
already know about poetry? Lets turn and talk to our buddy about
what we know. Discuss. Student response may include poetry rhymes,
its funny, can be sad, can make you imagine things, is hard to
understand sometimes, etc I would not write anything on the anchor
yet.
Teacher: I have another poem to share with you. Its titled
Things (or use another poem with obvious rhythm). This poem is a
little different from the first. Lets see if you can figure out
why. Read it aloud, emphasizing the rhythm. Are the students able
to hear the difference? Have them stand up and echo read the poem
with you.
Teacher: Could you hear and feel the rhythm when we read it?
Many poems are like Things, with a lot of rhythm. Lets read it
again and clap the rhythm. Start filing the anchor chart with the
elements discovered by students.
ACTIVITY 1
Partner Practice:
Group students (2-3 per group). Give each group a copy of a poem
(or let them choose from a variety you have prepared) to
buddy-read. Pairs answer 2 or 3 of the Essential Questions.
What does the poem say to you?
How did the poem make you feel?
What did the poem make you think about?
What elements did you find in the poem?
Students may also be given poetry books to read and look through
with a buddy. Monitor as students read and share. Listen to the
rhythm as they read.
Whole Group
Lead a discussion to review the elements found by the students;
add them to the anchor chart.
ACTIVITY 2
Partner/Independent Practice:
Pairs (bilingual in DL classes) then reread the poem together
and highlight (elements) and patterns of poetry to analyze how the
author used words to create the poems voice and to convey their
purpose such as to entertain, describe, persuade, or inform.
Students will analyze the same poem and explain what changes (2
or 3) they would make to the poem? Why? What would you add?
Why?
Students write a reflection in their journals.
Closure Activity
Whole Group
Teacher: Now we are going to become actors. We will be acting
out a poem. Think we can do it? Im a little shy so I will really
need your help. The poem is titled My Moves. The author is Betsy
Franco and I sure wish she could see us put her poem into action.
Dont you? I am going to read the poem slowly and, as I read it, I
want you to act it out. We need to spread out, be safe, and use our
manners. Read the poem aloud and model your actions. At the end
ask: So what is something else we can do with a poem? Act it out!
Add new learning to the anchor. My Moves
I can skip But when Im late
and I can hop I never skip
and I can jump a rope. I never jump or hop,
I can tiptoe, I never tiptoe, roll or climb.
I can climb I run as fast as my legs will go
and roll to try to be on time!
right down
a slope
Betsy Franco
Day 2: Use a different poem to practice with inferring.
Sometimes the author does not give us all the information; we must
use our background knowledge and clues from the text to infer
meaning. See page 6 of Comprehension Toolkit Strategy- Book 4
Lesson 12 for more information.
Continue adding to the anchor as students learn about the
structure and elements of poetry.
Poets use rhyme, rhythm, repetition, imagery and sensory
language to create detailed pictures in the readers mind. Poems
have familiar forms and characteristics.
Poetry brings together sounds and words in unique, intriguing
ways that may evoke intense imagery and profound meaning. Poems may
be fiction or nonfiction.
Poems often suggest a theme or message, and they typically adopt
a special style or tone.
Day 3: Create a Criteria Chart for Good Poems (and complete
Summative Assessment- below)
Check for understanding (evaluation)
Formative:
Close observation, questioning, and discussion.
Summative:
At the end of the unit; students will create their own poem (any
form), highlighting the elements they used and explain why they
used these elements.
Austin ISD Language Arts Updated 12/10/2014