Shape poems: Writing extraordinary poems about ordinary objects
http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=798
A lesson plan for grades 3–5 English Language Arts
Students write shape poems using their content knowledge and sensory awareness of a familiar object in this lesson. After modeling the poetry activity by having students explore the senses and images that the subject conjures, the teacher shows students how to use an online interactive shape poem tool. When students have learned about the characteristics and format of a shape poem, they brainstorm a list of words and phrases related to the object. Then, the class collaboratively writes a shape poem using the online interactive tool provided by Readwritethink. After the poem is written, the teacher engages students in a discussion connecting the poem to the words and phrases they listed in the brainstorming activity. In the second session, students write their own shape poems using the online poetry writing tool. As the teacher guides students through the activity again, they create their own individual poems. In pairs, students revise their poems and discuss the message of their poems and then publish their poems to be displayed in the classroom. Readwritethink provides several extension activities with helpful web resources.
North Carolina Curriculum Alignment
English Language Arts (2004)
Grade 3
- Goal 4: The learner will apply strategies and skills to create oral, written, and visual texts.
- Objective 4.02: Use oral and written language to:
- present information in a sequenced, logical manner.
- discuss.
- sustain conversation on a topic.
- share information and ideas.
- recount or narrate.
- answer open-ended questions.
- report information on a topic.
- explain own learning.
- Objective 4.04: Use planning strategies (with assistance) to generate topics and to organize ideas (e.g., drawing, mapping, discussing, listing).
- Objective 4.09: Produce work that follows the conventions of particular genres (e.g., personal narrative, short report, friendly letter, directions and instructions).
- Objective 4.02: Use oral and written language to:
Grade 4
- Goal 4: The learner will apply strategies and skills to create oral, written, and visual texts.
- Objective 4.05: Use planning strategies to generate topics and organize ideas (e.g., brainstorming, mapping, webbing, reading, discussion).
- Objective 4.07: Compose fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and drama using self-selected and assigned topics and forms (e.g., personal and imaginative narratives, research reports, diaries, journals, logs, rules, instructions).
- Objective 4.09: Produce work that follows the conventions of particular genres (e.g., personal and imaginative narrative, research reports, learning logs, letters of request, letters of complaint).
- Objective 4.09: Produce work that follows the conventions of particular genres (e.g., personal and imaginative narrative, research reports, learning logs, letters of request, letters of complaint).
Grade 5
- Goal 4: The learner will apply strategies and skills to create oral, written, and visual texts.
- Objective 4.05: Use a variety of preliminary strategies to plan and organize the writing and speaking task considering purpose, audience, and timeline.
