Diamante poetry using environments: Day two

This lesson will introduce and reinforce learners' understanding of habitat components within an environment. This lesson was designed to be used after the lesson "Animal environments: Day one."

A lesson plan for grade 4 English Language Arts and Science

By Cheri Cole

Learn more

• Animal environments: Day one Students will group animals using common characteristics. Students will develop an understanding of animal adaptations. This lesson was designed to be used with the lesson "Diamante Poetry Using Environments: Day two."

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Related topics

• Learn more about adjectives, ecosystems, environmental science, language arts, nouns, participles, parts of speech, poetry, and science.

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Learning outcomes

Students will:

• identify components in a way that will allow visual and tactile kinesthetic learners to gain an understanding of habitats and ecosystems.
• create works from this knowledge using written and creative arts skills.

Teacher planning

Time required for lesson

1 day

Materials/resources

• notebook paper
• pencils
• white art paper
• markers
• paints
• paint brushes
• newspaper to cover the desks while the students are painting

Pre-activities

This lesson is the second in a series of two. Refer to the first lesson, “Animal environments: Day one,” before beginning. The students should be offered an opportunity to research and answer any questions they may have had during the first lesson. During the process of this lesson the students should have an understanding of an environment, and the adaptations animals need to survive in the various environments. Students should be knowledgeable regarding cooperative learning skills (for example, group roles, and group participation limitations and possibilities).

Activities

1. The teacher will introduce the activity by using a finished product about a habitat (see attached model poems: Example 1, Example 2). The teacher will explain the process using the model as a guide. Pass out one paper to each student. Break the students into groups of three or four (only if necessary). Assign each group an environment.
2. Tell the students they will be creating a poem from their information. If they need to they can research further or use all the information already researched.
3. This type of a poem is called a diamante. It is in the shape of a diamond. The poem is made using certain types of words.
4. The structure for the diamante poem is:
   
   • Noun
   • Adjective adjective
   • Participle participle participle
   • Noun noun noun noun
   • Participle participle participle
   • Adjective adjective
   • Noun
5. At this point in the lesson I remind the students that the words they choose need to be the correct part of speech. Give students examples of each part of speech. I also remind the students that I will be checking their poetry and the the parts of speech they chose.
6. Now within the groups students will make up one poem per person based upon the environment . The teacher should monitor groups repeatedly and help as needed.
7. Students will then design a mural for the environment assigned to them. Each student will cut out their poems and glue them onto their newly created murals. Students will be instructed to put the name of the ecosystem at the top and in the bottom right hand corner write their names. Assign group leaders if not already chosen. Tell group leaders to get newspapers and cover work area. Make sure all items are put away under the table and ask students to stand for this mural painting. Have group leaders get mural paper, scissors and glue. Have the groups glue their poems on, put on title and names. Then as they are finishing, pass out paints. (You may want students to bring in old shirts to protect clothing). Students will be told they have 15 minutes to paint.
8. Clean up. The teacher will call “Time is up.” Have group managers bring up paint, paint brushes, glue and scissors. Have students sit by murals drying. Have each student stand up and read their poems and explain how their painting represents that environment.

Assessment

• The teacher will monitor comprehension environment by poem content and painting of findings are posted in the classroom (art paper and poems)
• Students and teacher have reached consensus of how structural characteristics are related to the environment in which the animals are typically found.
• Student use of information will be monitored in future lessons.
• Questions to be researched are also recorded and monitored for answers that are found through continuing study. (Possibly during a media special, technology time, or during some free time in the classroom).
• I do not place a numerical grade on students’ artwork. I typically let students revise their writing until they are pleased with the end product. I would not place a numerical grade on the students’ writing, but I will be looking over the students’ poetry to verify the words the students chose are the proper forms of speech.