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A Plethora of Poems |
Credits:
Christine Cervera
Mountain View Elementary
Broomfield, CO
VITAL INFORMATION
Subject Matter:
Elementary, Language Arts (English), Technology
Grades:
2
Software Application:
StarOffice or any word processing program
LESSON DESCRIPTION
Summary:
Students will work on Six-Trait writing skills while creating various types of poems.
State & National Standards:
CO- Performance-Based Standards for Colorado Teachers
«Standard : Standard One: Knowledge of Literacy
The teacher shall be knowledgeable about student literacy development in reading, writing, speaking, viewing, and listening.
« Skill or Knowledge 1.4: Support reading through oral and written language development including:
Detail : Development of oral English proficiency in students.
Detail : Development of sound writing practices in students including language usage, punctuation, capitalization, sentence structure, and spelling.
Detail : The relationships among reading, writing, and oral language.
Detail : Vocabulary development.
Detail : The structure of standard English.
Standard : Standard Seven: Knowledge of Technology
The teacher is skilled in technology and is knowledgeable about using technology to support instruction and enhance student learning.
Skill or Knowledge 7.1 : Apply technology to the delivery of standards-based instruction.
Skill or Knowledge 7.3 : Utilize technology to manage and communicate information.
Local Standards:
INSTRUCTIONAL TECHNOLOGY SKILLS CONTINUUM
#2: Students use technology tools to enhance learning, increase productivity, and promote creativity.
- 2A.2.1 Edits text by using select /deselect, cut/copy/paste, delete, and undo.
- 2A.2.2 Places the cursor at a specific location.
- 2A.2.3 Begins using spell check and thesaurus
- 2A.3.1 Changes character formatting such as: font, font size, and font style (B, I, U).
- 2A.3.2 Begins to utilize different document layouts. (i.e. letter, sign, banner, etc.)
Lesson Outcomes:
Upon completion of four types of poetry drafts, students will be able to effectively construct a poem, and incorporate personal voice into their writing. They will also have an understanding of, and be able to use good word choice in their drafts. Students will be able to correctly format their poems using word processing skills. Students will use editing and thesaurus tools to help make their poems the best they can be.
Assessment/Rubrics:
Rubrics:
CLASSROOM & TIME MANAGEMENT
Student Prerequisites:
Students need to understand how writing poetry differs from writing a story or a personal narrative. Students need to know how to use a word processing program.
Lesson Preparation:
Teachers should gather various examples of poetry to read to the students and show the students during Shared reading time.
Time Frame:
4 class periods. 1 Hr per class.
Implementation Steps:
Day One- "I Can Poems"
1. Read various short poems to the students.
2. Ask them to write a poem using the following template. The point of this activity is to get each child to successfully produce a poem while they are introduced to the different format and look of a poem. This is a very easy poem to write and can be managed even in the first week of second grade.
I Can
by ___________
I can ________.
I can ________.
I can ________ ________ too.
I can ________.
I can ________
As well as you.
Example:
I Can
by Suzy Student
I can skate.
I can read.
I can eat pickles too.
I can run.
I can laugh
As well as you.
3. After students type this poem, show them how to use the spell-check feature to correct their spelling errors. Allow them to use the draw features to add an illustration if they have time.
4. Print their drafts and allow them to share them with the class.
Day Two "Repetitive Poetry"
1. Read and show several poems that use a certain word repeated more than once. This type of poetry is very successful with second graders. The repeated words give their poem a "beat" that makes their writing sound more like a poem.
Here are a couple of examples:
Crickets
by Christine Cervera
Pleasant music
That's what crickets make
Pleasant company
(Unless they keep me awake.)
Pleasant surprise
When I hear them start to sing
Pleasant crickets
For good luck is what they bring.
Messy Room
by Christine Cervera
Messy room, messy room.
Look at that messy room!
Clothes on the floor.
Books falling from the shelf,
Messy room,
I wish
You'd clean yourself!
Running, Flying, Jumping Horses
by Hannah Marie (second grade student)
Running fast across a field,
Trot, trot, trot, going fast.
Sailing, almost flying
Bold,beautiful
Run, run
Jump, jump
Stop
Eat
Crunch, crunch
Go!
Leap horses!
Horses,
Bold and beautiful.
Be sure to also read many examples of repetitive poetry that do not rhyme. It is difficult for children this age to write poems that rhyme and make sense.
2. Discuss how repeating a certain word places emphasis on that word. Some words are worth repeating and some are not. (For example, repeating the word "the" is a poor choice. Discuss using good word choice. Use vibrant words that leave a picture in your mind. Sound words (Boom! , Crackle!, etc.) can also be good choices for words to repeat.
3. Have students type their repetitive poems.
4. Ask them to go back and look for places where they used good word choice. Allow them to highlight certain words that they want to stand out by using different fonts, colors, and sizes. This is a good time to show them how to make words bold, underlined and italicized.
5. Edit, print, publish and share their poems.
Day Three- Free Verse Poems
1. Today the students will write free verse poems. It is important to show them that thoughts and feelings can be expressed through poetry without using repeated words or they may become "stuck" on repetitive poetry. Read many examples of free verse poems that do not rhyme. Focus on "voice" and good "word choice" as you read poems others have written. Here are some examples:
The Lion Storm
by Martha Scoby, age 7
(Published in Spider magazine, Aug. 1996)
The storm is like an angry lion.
The lion roars.
He spits and hisses.
Then he stretches his claws
up to the sky
and rain spills out.
After the storm I hear him
purr like distant thunder.
Camping
by Katie (second grade student)
Yay!
Camping at the lake
Vroom!
The boat takes us to a woodsy place
Relax.
The sun is setting
Yum!
Sticky roasted marshmallows
Yawn.
It's bedtime.
Just the big woods and me.
You may also choose to do some acrostic poems. Here is an example:
Stars
by Paul Paolilli and Dan Brewer
(From book, Silver Seeds)
Silver seeds
Tossed in the air
And planted in the sky,
Reaching out of the darkness
Sprouting wonder
2. Students draft and edit free verse poems. After they have written their drafts, have a revising session where they use thesauri to explore other possible words that they might have chosen in their poems. Students can be shown how to use the thesaurus tool that comes with the word processing program as well as use printed thesauri. Have students apply some of these revisions to their drafts.
3. Again, students may choose to emphasize certain parts of their poem by changing font, color, and size. They may also add illustrations to their poem. (Either their own computer drawings, clip art, downloaded images, etc.)
4. Print and publish their drafts so that they can be shared with others.
Day Four- "How to be a ____ Poems"
1. Now students will use their skills in adding voice and good word choice in their writing in a new kind of poem. Students will write poems titled "How to be a ___." This type of poem will give them lots of opportunities to use good word choice and voice as they look at something in a new way. They are essentially creating a poetic description. You will need to write some as a class so they can get the idea.
Here are some examples:
How to Be a Wild Horse
by Jamie (second grade student)
Be wild and free.
Stay away from strangers.
Run with the horse group.
If you get caught,
Run like the wind.
Practice running and jumping.
Feel the grass between your hooves.
Eat as many apples as you can.
Never lose your wild spirit.
How to Be a Tree
(Poem written as a class)
Gather sunlight with your leaves
Soak up water through your roots
Sway in the cool spring breeze
Greet the birds who come to nest
Dance in the windy rain
When fall comes,
Change from green to orange,
Orange to red,
Red to brown.
Carpet the ground with your leaves
Stand tall and bare
Through the cold winter
And wait for Spring to come back.
This type of poetry can also be used as a way to tell what you have learned. For example, the following student did a lot of independent research on wolves. Many of the facts he found out are presented in his poem.
How to Be a Wolf in Winter
by Craig (second grade student)
Listen hard to hear grunting
Grunt Grunt
Work as a team
Take down big animals
Make sure you eat enough
Go back to your burrows
Take a nap
Then play with the kits
Protect your pack's territory
How at the moon at night
Stay away from humans
Clean each other
Eat a lot
Chase foxes
2. Have students type, revise, edit and publish their drafts.
RESOURCES
Lesson Resources:
I highly recommend the book
Kids' Poems, Teaching Second Graders to Love Writing Poetry by Regie Routman. It has numerous examples of second grade poems and is inspiring to the students. The book show second grade work in both a handwritten (non-edited) draft and in correct typewritten form. It can be used to teach voice, word choice, organization, ideas and content, conventions and poem format.
The "I Can" Poem is adapted from Scholastic Literacy Place, Second Grade, Unit One, Week Three. It goes with the story Ruby the Copycat, by Peggy Rathmann and the poem "I Can" by Mari Evans.
Other recommended books:
Doodle Dandies, Poems that take Shape by J. Patrick Lewis
If you're Not here, Please Raise Your Hand by Kalli Dakos
Silver Seeds, by Paul Paolilli and Dan Brewer
Sometimes I Wonder if Poodles Like Noodles, by Laura Numeroff
It's Raining Pigs and Noodles, by Jack Prelutsky
STUDENT PRODUCT(S)
Product(s) Description:
Students will publish four different poems, an "I Can" poem, a repetitive poem, a free verse poem, and a "How to Be" poem. These can be collated into a poetry book or poetry folder if desired.
REFLECTION
Comments:
When assigning kids the repetitive poem, I would more carefully explain which words would be good to emphasize by repeating and why. I would also encourage students to only repeat a word twice, or three times at most. One student wrote a poem that went something like this:
"I, I, I, like, like,like, bears, bears, bears, etc.)
I think it is important to model each of these types of poetry, and let the class participate in writing some class poems before they create their individual poems.
Developed under a grant from Sun Microsystems, Inc. Open Gateways at Mountain View
Elementary School by Steve Gandy, Technology Coordinator - mountain.adams12.org/TISS © 2003