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K–12 teaching and learning · from the UNC School of Education

Pattern writing using nouns and adjectives

In this lesson plan, students will think and write creatively using nouns and adjectives. They will experience all phases of the writing process.

A lesson plan for grade 6 English Language Arts

By Susan S. Craver

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Learning outcomes

Students will:

  • demonstrate a well-developed knowledge of adjectives and nouns.
  • use adjectives and nouns in the development of poetry.
  • think and write creatively.

Teacher planning

Time required for lesson

1 hour

Materials/resources

  • The poem “Beans, Beans, Beans” from Hooray for Chocolate by Lucia and James Hymes
  • The outlined pattern:
    noun,noun,noun,_______________ noun,_______________ noun,____________ _____________ _____________ ____________ noun,____________ _____________ _____________ ____________ noun- Those are just a few.____________ noun,____________ noun,____________ _____________ _____________ ____________ noun,____________ _____________ _____________ ____________ noun,____________ noun too.____________ noun,____________ noun,Don’t forget _____________ ____________ noun.Last of all, best of all.I like _____________ ____________ noun.

Technology resources

word processing software

Pre-activities

This lesson needs to be presented to students who have an understanding of nouns and adjectives. The poem “Beans, Beans, Beans,” by Lucia and James Hymes in Hooray for Chocolate is read orally to the students:

Beans, Beans, Beans. Baked beans, Butter beans, Big fat lima beans, Long thin string beans- Those are just a few. Green beans, Black beans, Big fat kidney beans, Red hot chili beans, Jumping beans too.

Activities

  1. The outlined pattern for writing the poem should be done through oral composition with whole class participation or the following poems completed by students of Eileen Hoernlein may be shared with the students:
    • “Pickles, Pickles, Pickles. Fat pickles, Skinny pickles, Little, sour, juicy pickles- Those are just a few. Dill pickles, Hamburger pickles, Sandwich and lunch pickles, All-by-themselves pickles Whopper pickles too. Salad pickles, Tuna fish pickles, Don’t forget spiced pickles. Last of all, best of all, I like sliced pickles.” by Rodney Keys
    • “Bugs, Bugs, Bugs. Bad bugs, Spider bugs, Daddy long legs bugs, Dead, smushed up bugs- Those are just a few. Cockroach bugs, Green bugs, Brown, yellow, black bugs, Lightening bugs too. Don’t forget ant bugs. Last of all, best of all, I like ladybugs!” by Michael Robinson.
  2. The students will pick one noun and describe it using the outlined pattern provided.
  3. The students should be allowed to use words other than adjectives if the words communicate a clearer message.
  4. The students will use the phases of the writing process from pre-writing to publishing using a word processor.

Assessment

The completed poems will be the verification of the students’ progress. The poems will be assessed using the outlined pattern given for the poem. The phases of the writing process from pre-writing to publishing will be assessed.

Supplemental information

The lesson was adapted from Communication in Action: Teaching the Language Arts (Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1986), 347-349.

North Carolina Curriculum Alignment

English Language Arts (2004)

Grade 6

  • Goal 1: The learner will use language to express individual perspectives drawn from personal or related experience.
    • Objective 1.02: Explore expressive materials that are read, heard, and viewed by:
      • monitoring comprehension for understanding of what is read, heard, and/or viewed.
      • analyzing the characteristics of expressive works.
      • determining the effect of literary devices and/or strategies on the reader/viewer/listener.
      • making connections between works, self and related topics.
      • comparing and/or contrasting information.
      • drawing inferences and/or conclusions.
      • determining the main idea and/or significance of events.
      • generating a learning log or journal.
      • creating an artistic interpretation that connects self to the work.
      • discussing books/media formally and informally.
  • Goal 6: The learner will apply conventions of grammar and language usage.
    • Objective 6.01: Demonstrate an understanding of conventional written and spoken expression by:
      • using a variety of sentence types correctly, punctuating them properly, and avoiding fragments and run-ons.
      • using appropriate subject-verb agreement and verb tense that are appropriate for the meaning of the sentence.
      • demonstrating the different roles of the different parts of speech in sentence construction.
      • using pronouns correctly, including clear antecedents and correct case.
      • using phrases and clauses correctly (e.g., prepositional phrases, appositives, dependent and independent clauses).
      • determining the meaning of unfamiliar vocabulary words by using context clues, a dictionary, a glossary, a thesaurus, and/or structural analysis (roots, prefixes, suffices) of words.
      • extending vocabulary knowledge by learning and using new words.
      • exploring the role and use of dialects and of standard English to appreciate appropriate usage in different contexts.
      • developing an awareness of language conventions and usage during oral presentations.