Lesson Plans
These original lesson plans have been submitted by teachers and include home activities for children and families.
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Poetry - Cheaper by the Dozen
Brief Overview:
Twelve different types of poetry are introduced to the students in this 2 weeks project which can be a precursor to Young Authors competition.
Curriculum:
Language Arts
Standards:
3-5
English/Language Arts - Reading Vocabulary
English/Language Arts - Writing Applications
English/Language Arts - Writing Conventions
English/Language Arts - Writing Process
Lesson Plan
Lesson:
This poetry unit can be taught in one or two weeks or longer if so desired.
- Begin by asking the students to define poetry. Discuss with them what poetry is and what it can be. Using any of Shel Silverstein's books and/or David Greenburg's books, illustrate that poetry can be fun and does not necessarily have to rhyme.
- I like to do 2 or 3 types of poetry a day. First, I introduce the type of poetry, giving its guidelines and then an example (which I have included). Next, the class does a group poem before trying to do their own individual poems. The following is a list of the 12 different types, guidelines, and examples:
- Tongue twisters...a series of words which begin with similar consonant blends
Example:
"Theophilus Thistle"
Theophilus Thistle, the successful thistle sifter
in sifting a sieve of unsifted thistles,
thrust three thousand thistles
through the thick of his thumb.
- Booklet of Couplets...Couplets are made up of two lines. At the end of the lines are words that rhyme, and the two lines together make a complete thought.
Example:
I asked my father for 15 cents
to see the elephant jump over the fence.
- Limerick...a light, whimsical or humorous verse of 5 lines with a rhyme scheme of a-a-b-b-a
Example:
There was a young lady of Niger (a)
who went for a ride on a tiger. (a)
They returned from the ride (b)
with the lady inside (b)
and a smile on the face of the tiger! (a)
- A Book of ABC Poems...a poem or series of lines. The first word of line 1 begins with an A, the first word of line 2 begins with a B, etc. An ABC poem can be as long or as short as the author wishes.
Example:
"January"
Arriving
Blowing
Cold
Dreary
Enchanting
- Haiku...has three lines, each beginning with a capital letter. Lines 1 and 3 have 5 syllables (not words!), line 2 has 7 syllables. A Haiku is always about nature, does not rhyme, or ever use the word "I."
Example:
"Winter"
A Winter's day is
Bleak, blustery, and barren.
The earth awaits Spring
- Shape poems...To write a poem of particular shapes, place the words into the shape of the subject of the poem. Tell about the idea behind the shape. The poem may be rhymed or unrhymed. A suggestion would be to lightly trace the figure before arranging the words around it.
Example: Not available
- Acrostics...A poem or series of lines in which certain letters, usually the first in each lines, form a name, motto, or message. Read up and down.
Example:
"Snow"
Soft, silent,
Nice, noiseless
Ornamentation on the
Winter Wonderland.
Diamante...a diamond shaped poem with the following format:
Example: "Desert" | Desert | 1 word: subject noun |
| Hot, Sandy | 2 words: adj. (des. nouns) |
| Blowing, Burning, Blustering | 3 words: "ing" action verbs |
| Mirages, Oasis, Vines, Humidity | 4 words: 1st 2 about subject.
2nd 2 about opp. subj. |
| Raining, Sweltering, Unnerving | 3 words: "ing" verbs--opp. subj. |
| Damp, Sultry | 2 words: adj. (des. opp. subj.) |
| Jungle | 1 word: opp of subject noun |
- Cinquain...5 lined poem with the following format:
Example: | Camels | line 1: 1 word, can be the title |
| Humped creatures | line 2: 2 words which describe the title |
| rudging through sand | line 3: 3 words describing action |
| Watchful, wary, and desert-wise | line 4: 4 words indicating a feeling |
| Dromedaries | line 5: synonym for the title |
| |
- Triangle Triplet...has 3 lines, rhymes, and may be read from any of the three points and has a triangular shape.
Example: not available
- Sound poems...The words of the poem indicate the sounds made by the object. Sound poems are as long or as short as the author wishes.
Example:
Pump
Thumpety
Bumpety
Clumpety, Clump.
The old rusty pump goes
Thumpety
Bumpety
Clumpety, Clump.
- Descriptive Block poem...Block poems may be as long as the author wishes. Descriptive adjectives may or may not begin with the same letter as the subject noun. (Good to use center justification.)
Example:
Bug
Black Bug
Blundering Black Bug
Bold Blundering Black Bug
Big Bold Blundering Black Bug
Beautiful Big Bold Blundering Black Bug
Workshop Offerings
Visit our BTLC Partner Web Site!
The Buddy Teaching and Learning Center site, www.btlc.org, is the place to find and register for quality professional development and technology training opportunities offered by the team of Buddy facilitators who are all experienced Indiana teachers and administrators.
