Original Literacy Lesson Plan

7/30/2019 Original Literacy Lesson Plan

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Renata McAdamsMaddie SilberJake Frumkin

November 18, 2012Profs. Barrow and Levitt

Term III Lesson Plan Literacy

Lesson DesignWhat

We will be teaching a poetry lesson on the theme of rice. This is connected toour classroom curriculum because it will form part of a larger unit on the social,historical, and cultural contexts and connections of rice, which will culminate in a grade-wide rice celebration on December 13. We will each be teaching lessons connected torice in multiple subjects over the next few weeks. There will be a core literacy andsocial studies focus throughout the unit; every student will bring in the recipe for the ricedish their family contributes, and these recipes will be published in book form and

copies given to each student.

In past years, the book has been strictly a collection of recipes, but we wantedthere to be a creative writing component that would increase and demonstrate studentspersonal connections to this theme. Poetry is a writing form which has been onlyslightly explored in our classrooms thus far this year and that in a highly structuredand limited form and our classroom mentors suggested that we use a poetry focus forthe expressive writing section of this unit.

In the larger writing project, the poetry we do with our students will begin with afree-verse (free-association) form, which will serve as a pre-write for more structuredpoems as well as a poetic product in itself. We will then progress to having the studentswrite quatrains, which have strict rhyme and meter requirements. We will thereby be

providing them with structure and creative freedom (in regards to the content)simultaneously. Students will be free (and encouraged) to write more than one poem ofeach type.

This particular lesson will take place after the free-association poems are done,and will use those poems as a jumping-off point for focused work on the skills neededfor writing quatrains.How

For this lesson, we will each choose the 6-8 children in our class who we feelneed extra support in literacy concepts such as rhyme, meter, and similes, asdemonstrated by their previous writing and in consultation with our classroom mentors.

Similes are a literacy unit just beginning in our classrooms at this time; rhyme, weexpect, may be more of a review subject, but one which will be beneficial for this groupof students. We will teach a focused exercise on each of these three topics, and brieflyexplain the purpose of the lesson with regard to preparing for quatrains.

We hope that this preliminary exercise will help the students focus on meaningwhen the time comes to write their quatrains, rather than becoming hung up on rhymingand other mechanical challenges, because they will already have a store of possiblewords and ideas. (See Calkins, chapter27, p. 302.) It is meant to scaffold the use of


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figurative language, in order to help them feel better able to engage with the creativepart of the poetry assignment.

Assessment of this small group lesson will be guided by a rubric (see attached).Why

Broadly, we have chosen to teach a poetry lesson because it provides a naturalcontext for the use of similes and other figurative language, which the students arestudying in literacy at present. Our choice was further informed by the fact that thechildren have recently devoted a good deal of time to the writing of personal narratives,and we wished to introduce them to a different venue for personal expression throughwriting. Additionally, poetry being described as the other way of using language, wethink it is important to make sure to introduce students to many forms of writing.

Our specific choice of quatrains rests on the belief that working within a highlystructured form is beneficial for students in that it requires attention to precision in termsof mechanics, and that that very precision can be an appealing intellectual puzzle forchildren to solve. The content is, crucially, left up to the child after a beginning prompt

(rice, or family eating culture), leaving this a creative as well as a mechanical exercise.The free-verse free-association poems provide a way into this subject without placingparticular demands on the childs mechanical skills, but we wish to push them furtherinto the realm of metered and rhymed poetry. For this, the quatrain, being of strict formbut eminently manageable length, seems to us ideal.

Maddies Inquiry Question Connection: I am looking at how to incorporatestudents interests into my lesson planning to make my teaching more relevant to theirlives. This lesson prepares students to write the poems the entire class will eventuallycreate about their families eating rice. This lesson will better enable children who mightstruggle with this assignment to be better equipped to express themselves once webegin the individual quatrains.

Jakes Inquiry Question Connection: I am focusing on how to assess studentunderstanding in the moment and differentiate and redirect my lessons and instructionbased on these observations. This is present in strategies like the contingency plan forthe rhyming game and having additional work on rhyming skills working with words fromfree form poems as an extension activity for those who are finished with any activityahead of schedule.

Renatas Inquiry Question Connection: I am focusing on how to incorporateauthentic but formal assessment into my lessons, because I know its lack is a weaknessof mine. The inclusion of our rubric is therefore at my instigation; none of us, I think,would ordinarily have formal assessment for a small group scaffolding lesson like this.However, I wouldnt ordinarily include formal assessment in this context is a phrase I

find myself uttering too often, so I am not permitting myself to use informal assessmentfor my Term III lessons.Lesson PlanObjectives/Goals

Students will be able to identify rhyming words, count syllables, create similes(using both like and as), and identify simple rhyme scheme. Students will have been


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exposed to examples of quatrains, in preparation for a whole-class lesson on thesubject to follow.Alignment with Standards and Assessment AnchorsCommon Core Language Standards:3. Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, reading, speaking, orlistening- 3.a. Choose words and phrases for effect2. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English, includingcapitalization, punctuation, and spelling, when writing- 2.f. Use spelling patterns and generalizations (e.g. word families, position-basedspellings, syllable patterns, ending rules, meaningful word parts) in writing words Common Core Writing Standards:3. Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effectivetechnique, descriptive details, and clear event sequencesCommon Core Reading Standards:5. Refer to parts of stories, dramas, and poems when writing or speaking about a text,using terms such as chapter, scene, and stanza; describe how each successive partbuilds on earlier sectionsMaterials- whiteboard- whiteboard markers and eraser- free-association poems from previous day (each student has his/her own)- small stack of lined paper- 2 pencils per student-

example work (pre-written quatrains, including different versions of rhyme scheme)- simile worksheetsClassroom arrangement and management issues

We would normally take small groups into the 3rd grade pod, directly outside the3rd grade classrooms. However, because we will be teaching this lesson on a Thursdaywe recognized that music lessons take place in this public space as well, which isgenerally loud and distracting. Consequently, we decided to teach this lesson in adifferent 3rd grade classroom, other than our own, when that different class will be outof the room for a prep period. We do not feel we can remain inside the classroom with

our groups without causing distraction, since this will be a small-group exercise whilethe rest of the class continues with a different lesson.

We will have the whiteboard easel, dry erase markers, and lined paper, alongwith worksheets, already in the pod. Students will only be responsible for bringingpencils and their own free-association poems with them to the pod.

We will call students by name to line up at the classroom door with their poemsand pencils, and when the entire group is assembled, we will proceed with them to theother classroom. In Renatas and Maddies classes, children will be permitted to


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choose their own seats at one of two tables, as we do not anticipate personality conflictsor distraction; Jake will have their seats pre-assigned, by placing worksheets with theirnames already written in at specific places around the tables.

We will distribute materials as needed throughout the lesson, since it is small-group work wherein the children are within easy reach of the teacher at all times.

We will begin by making our expectations for participation explicit, telling thechildren what successful participation in these activities would look and sound like. Potential distractions could include initial interest in examining the new

classroom environment and sitting at someone elses desk. We anticipate dealing withthis by reminding children that all familiar classroom behavior norms and incentives stillapply at the beginning of the lesson, and throughout as necessary. We will make itclear that students who persist in unconstructive behavior will be sent back to theirclassroom and will not get to participate in this useful special activity. We also intend toalways give students a related task to complete should they finish before their peers, soas not to become a distraction to others who may need more time.

At the end of the lesson, we will gather our supplies, with students responsible

for their own pencils and free-association poems. We will collect all worksheets andword lists produced by the children during this session for assessment, with theintention of handing them back before the quatrain lesson the following day, so that thechildren will have this work for reference.Plan [45 minutes total]

[5 minutes for entering and leaving the classroom]

Rhyming [ 30 minutes total]Direct Instruction: [3 minutes] We will begin by offering one example of a rhyme and

explain that the final syllable sounds the same.Guided Practice: [5 minutes] We will introduce a rhyming game where a word will bepresented and everyone will think of an example of a word that rhymes with it, movingaround the room one by one. We will provide the first word, rice, and if students seemto be struggling with this then we will continue to provide the starting words (Go, Bat,Flop are all options). If not, we will have students volunteer to start with a word theygenerated in their poem, giving each student a chance to begin with their word once,time permitting. We will be recording all the words on the whiteboard easel in a listunder the beginning rhyming word, underlining the sound in each word that is the same.We will allow students to pass if they cannot think of a rhyming word in the currentround.Independent Practice: [5 minutes] Students will generate a list of words that rhyme withthe words from their free-verse poems. We will ask students to pick three words fromtheir poem and come up with as many rhymes for each one as they can. Students canmove onto a different word or continue to generate more rhymes for one of their threewords, should they get through all three of their words before their peers. Teacher willcirculate, observing student progress, answering questions and encouraging next stepsfor starting words and rhymes.Direct Instruction:[2 minutes] We will pass out a sheet with multiple quatrains. Students


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will be instructed to circle all the rhyming words in each poem, and underline the part ofeach word that rhymes (as per the words on the whiteboard, which will still be visible).Independent Practice: [5 minutes] Students will circle rhymes. We will encourage themto look for patterns. Where do the rhymes occur most often in the poem? Should astudent finish circling rhyming words early, they can continue to work on their rhyming

words from their free-verse poem.

Guided Practice:[10 minutes] We will discuss the rhymes discovered in each poem anddecide together which lines rhyme with each other. We will then introduce the idea of arhyme scheme (such as labeling lines A and B) and incorporate the word stanza intoour discussion, explaining that a stanza is a term in poetry used to describe one sectionof the poem centered around one idea. We will relate this to verses in a song orparagraphs in a story. As we figure out each poems rhyme scheme, we will instructstudents to label the rhyming lines AABA or AABB (or other, as appropriate).

Similes [10 minutes total]Direct Instruction: [2 minutes] We will ask students to recall what the two phrases used

to make a simile are. We will call on students to answer and write each phrase (as____ as a _____ and ___ like a ____) on the whiteboard easel.Independent Practice: [8 minutes] Students will fill out a worksheet to practice their useof similes. (Worksheet attached.) The worksheet will provide examples of similes to befilled in. As students move through the worksheet, they will need to provide anincreasing number of words for each simile phrase. Should a student finish thisworksheet early, they can continue to work on their rhyming words from their free-versepoem, perhaps with an emphasis of coming up with multi-syllabic words.Students will be instructed to leave all work on the table to be collected and reviewed bythe teacher. As we wrap up, we will explain that the entire class will be writing their own

quatrains in the coming weeks. When we begin this project, students can use therhymes and similes they have come up (which will be returned to them in time) with intheir future poem.

Assessment of the goals/objectives listed aboveOur assessment of students will be largely informal and will be based on

discussion and observation during the lesson. Formal assessment will be done throughthe attached rubric to quantify students understanding of the lesson.Anticipating students responses and your possible responsesa. Management issues: We will continue to reinforce our standards and expectations

consistent with those that exist in the classroom. We will remind students that their goodbehavior will continue to be rewarded by star cards and could possibly result in earningmarbles in the marble jar for their entire class.b. Response to content of the lesson: We imagine that students will be able toretain the lesson content because some of the material should be review, and we willhave engaged with the new content in multiple ways. We hope that students will feelexcited to use this material as building blocks for their future poems.


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Accommodationsa. Accommodations for students who may find the material too challenging:Embedded throughout lesson plan individual support will be available while circulatingduring independent practice.b. Accommodations for students who may need greater challenge and/or finish

early? Embedded throughout lesson plan individual support will be available whilecirculating during independent practice.

Documents

Original Literacy Lesson Plan