Reading, Writing, Reciting Exciting Poetry!

Grade level: 5 Presenters: Maggie Crocker and Carolyn Bradley, Serna Elementary School, San Antonio, TX

Length: This ten-lesson unit can range from one month to six weeks.

I. ABSTRACT: This unit focuses on reading and analyzing poetry with fifth grade students. Students read, recite, and analyze the poems and become familiar with the poets in the Core Knowledge Sequence. Students study imagery, alliteration, similes, metaphors, onomatopoeia, symbols, and personification, and come to recognize these devices in poetry. Students will also use these poetic devices in their own poetry and participate in many hands-on activities and activities with other classes.

II. OVERVIEW: The Fifth Grade Core Knowledge Sequence seeks to broaden and extend students' understanding and appreciation of poetry. Each lesson in this unit focuses on a specific poem or poems and its poet. The lessons provide students an opportunity to study poetic devices and write poetry. Lessons 1 through 3 also connect with the American History section of the Sequence. Fifth graders should study the Civil War prior to or in conjunction with these lessons. Four general concepts guide the entire unit:

A. While reading poetry, students will develop an understanding of and historical empathy for the characters in the poems.

B. While reading poetry, students will appreciate the use of humor.

C. While reading poetry, students will recognize human emotions and choices and apply these to their own lives.

D. Students will recognize and appreciate the use of nature and animals in poetry to represent ideas.

III. BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE: The poems and most of the background on poetic devices in this unit are drawn from What Your Fifth Grader Needs to Know. Sources for other poems can be found in the bibliography. For more background information on poetic devices, teachers may refer to the following informative sources:

Poem Making: Ways to Begin Writing Poetry by Myra Cohn Livingston

Teaching Poetry: Yes You Can! by Jacqueline Sweeney

Helping Students Learn to Write Poetry by Joyce Bumgardner

IV. RESOURCES

Teachers will need the following materials for this unit:

  1. the poems from the Core Knowledge Sequence found in What Your 5th Grader Needs to Know
  2. poster or photograph of Abraham Lincoln (Lesson 2)
  3. the original soundtrack to Ken Burns Civil War, $15.99 C.D., $10.99 for cassette tape (Lesson 2)
  4. a copy of A Light In the Attic by Shel Silverstein (Lesson 4)
  5. photo or picture of Gwendolyn Brooks (See source in Bibliography I Dream A World.) (Lesson 4)
  6. video of "Casey At The Bat" (Lesson 5)
  7. an illustrated copy of "Casey At the Bat" (Several editions are listed in the bibliography.) (Lesson 5)
  8. an edition of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (Available through various publishers, including William Morrow and Co. and G. T. Putnam and Sons.) (Lesson 6)
  9. a copy of Falling Up by Shel Silverstein (The poem "The Voice" is found in this book.) (Lesson 8)
  10. a copy of a modern rap song appropriate for 5th graders The song should have a rhyme scheme appropriate for the couplet study. (Lesson 9)
  11. a good source of information on each poet. This background is critical in student understanding of the poems. Teachers will need to integrate biographical information into each lesson provided. (We used Microsoft Encarta.)

V. LESSONS

A. Lesson 1: "Barbara Frietchie" and "The Battle Hymn of The Republic"

1.Objective

a. While reading poetry, students will develop an understanding of and a historical empathy for the characters in the poems.

b. While reading poetry, students recognize human emotions and choices and apply these to their own lives.

2. Materials

  1. a copy of each poem for each student and copies on chart paper for the class
  2. one clean piece of chart paper per group
  3. markers of different colors
  4. What Your 5th Grader Needs to Know
  5. sentence strips
  6. tape/compact disc of "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" and a tape/cd player
  7. assembled copies of Poetic Device Booklet to be used throughout the unit (Appendix C)

3. Key Vocabulary

  1. poetic devices
  2. "Barbara Frietchie"
  3. "The Battle Hymn of the Republic"
  4. events and figures prominent in the 5th grade study of the Civil War (see What Your 5th Grader Needs to Know, pp. 163-185)
  5. rhyme scheme, couplet

4. Procedures

The main focus of this lesson is on "Barbara Frietchie," but the teacher will need a copy of "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" to play for the class. This is the first lesson where teachers will use the Poetic Device Booklet as an on-going activity in this unit. See Appendix C for information and booklet.

  1. Read the poem "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" with the class, and review the events of the Civil War. Refer to the Civil War section of What Your 5th Grader Needs to Know. Explain the background of "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" from What Your 5th Grader Needs to Know. Play a tape of "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" during the independent work later.
  2. Discuss the rhyme scheme with students. Define a couplet. Have the students add this definition to their Poetic Device Booklet. Have students highlight the rhyming words at the end of each line. Ask volunteers to underline rhyming parts with different colors on the chart paper. Then, have students devise their own definition of the couplet.
  3. Read "Barbara Frietchie" aloud with the class.
  4. Discuss the following questions: Why do you think this woman stood up to Stonewall Jackson? Why do you think Stonewall Jackson took pity on Barbara Frietchie?
  5. Discuss with students what it means to stand up for something that is unpopular. What was Barbara Frietchie standing up for?
  6. Using chart paper, have students brainstorm possible problems they will face in Middle School next year and what it means to stand up for yourself. (This can relate to any problems that your students may face.) Compile a class list on chart paper.
  7. Explain to students that they are going to write a class poem about standing up for what you believe using the couplet rhyme scheme. Have students refer to the list the class made about possible problems. Working in pairs, each group writes one couplet about being brave, standing up for what they believe, or facing their enemies. Each pair will write their couplet on a sentence strip. The following is a formula for couplet writing is adapted from Writing Poetry With Children: Students
    • Reflect on the theme
    • Brainstorm what they want to say about this theme
    • Write their first sentence relating to the theme
    • Compose the second sentence of the couplet, using a rhyming word to finish to.
  8. Play the "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" for the class, while editing couplets to check for spelling, punctuation, and rhyming words.
  9. Students bring their sentence strips to the floor and put in random order. Working as a class, they manipulate the strips and decide which ones need revision. After revision is completed, put class poem on chart paper with the students' names under their couplet.
  10. To close, read the poem aloud with each pair reading their couplet. Discuss the meaning of the class poem.
  11. Second graders also study the Civil War. We will meet with our second grade book buddies, present "Barbara Frietchie," the poem's background, and our class poem. Fifth graders will share what they have learned about standing up for what is right.

5. Evaluation

  1. Review the students' understanding of couplet. Evaluate students' couplets for understanding.
  2. Have students add the poem "Barbara Frietchie," the author, and some original lines to their Poetic Device Booklet. Check Booklet for understanding.

B. LESSON 2: "O CAPTAIN, MY CAPTAIN"

1. Objective: While reading poetry, students will develop an understanding and historical empathy for the characters in the poems.

2. Materials

  1. chart tablet
  2. picture of Abraham Lincoln
  3. a copy of the poem for each student and a copy on chart paper for the class
  4. What Your 5th Grader Needs to Know
  5. large piece of construction paper for each student to make a display book for their poem in this lesson
  6. Appendix A- cover for display book
  7. Poetic Device Booklet: Appendix C

3. Key Vocabulary

  1. "O Captain, My Captain" c. imagery
  2. Abraham Lincoln d. hero

4. Procedure

  1. Display a picture of Abraham Lincoln. Refer to Civil War history and Lincoln's role in the war. Discuss: was Lincoln was a hero? Why or why not?
  2. Brainstorm adjectives to describe Lincoln and list on chart paper.
  3. Read the poem aloud. Discuss how the author feels. How do you know how he is feeling?
  4. Using background from What Your 5th Grader Needs to Know, discuss the term "imagery" with students. Add this term to the Poetic Devices Booklet. On chart paper, display the example of clouds as white sheep from p.70 of What Your 5th Grader Needs To Know. What image is Walt Whitman using in his poem? Who is Whitman comparing Lincoln to?
  5. Have students look at the shape of the poem on the page. Why do you think it looks that way? Show sample poems with various visual styles.
  6. Students write a poem using an image. Have students think about someone who is important to them. Write that person's name on a piece of paper. Under that name, students write reasons that person is important, using phrases or adjectives. Have students think of an image that could represent that person. Whitman used the captain of a ship. What could each student use? A flower? Something from nature? Explain that when a person reads their poem, the reader should be able to see an image and imagine how the author feels about that person.
  7. Using "O Captain, My Captain," as a model, have students start their poem with "O , my ." Each poem should have at least two stanzas.
  8. Students proofread each other's poems.
  9. Students make a poem display book to display each poem. To make a cover, they fold a piece of construction paper in the middle and create a title using the following model:

"O , my ," an adaptation from "O Captain! My Captain" by Walt Whitman. A poem studying imagery by (see Appendix A for cover).

5. Evaluation

  1. Have students add Whitman's poem, the poet, and some original lines to their Poetic Device Booklet to illustrate imagery.
  2. Check original poems for understanding.
  3. During class discussion, check for students' understanding of Whitman's feeling for Abraham Lincoln.

C. LESSON 3: "I HEAR AMERICA SINGING" AND "I, TOO"

1. Objective: While reading poetry, students will develop an understanding of historical empathy for the characters in the poems.

2. Materials

  1. a copy of the poem for each student and a copy on chart paper for the class
  2. one large piece of manila paper for each student
  3. pencils, crayons, markers, or other art tools
  4. venn diagram to compare and contrast the two poems (provided in Appendix B)

3. Key Vocabulary

  1. racial tension
  2. "I Hear America Singing"
  3. "I, Too"

4. Procedures

  1. Discuss what racial tension is.
  2. Have students read "I Hear America Singing" by Walt Whitman. In class discussion, compare and contrast this poem with "O Captain, My Captain." Is the mood different?
  3. Give each student one piece of manila paper. Divide the paper in half with a line. At the top of one half of the paper, write "I Hear America Singing" and the poet, Walt Whitman. Have students draw or cut out pictures of as many of the jobs from the poem as they can, filling as much space on the paper as possible. Have students try to capture the mood of the poem with their pictures.
  4. After students have finished with the first side of the paper, students fold the manilla paper so that the Whitman collage is facing down, revealing the blank adjacent half of the paper. Read and discuss "I, Too," as a class. Is the mood different? How do you think the author feels? (This activity might be done on the next day for a fresh look at the poem.)
  5. Have the students follow the same procedure described in "c." using "I, Too."
  6. When students are finished, they open the page and observe both pictures. The pictures should reveal a lack of job opportunities and types of jobs available to African Americans in America's past.
  7. Using the Venn diagram provided, students compare and contrast what they see on their pictures. Attach the Venn diagram to the back of the pictures.
  8. Discuss and debrief after this process. Have students share some of the similarities and differences between the two poems. Talk about how this makes everyone feel.

5. Evaluation: Evaluate student discussion. Do they understand the mood of the two poems and the intent of the author to evoke feelings from the reader?

D. LESSON 4: "NARCISSA"

1. Objective: While reading poetry, students will develop an understanding of historical empathy for the characters in the poems.

2. Materials

a. a picture and background information on Gwendolyn Brooks to share with the class (See Resources.)

b. a copy of the poem for each student and a copy on chart paper for the class

c. A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein for examples of alliteration

d. blank pieces of chart paper

e. highlighters

f. Poetic Device Booklet (Appendix C)

3. Key Vocabulary

a. "Narcissa" b. alliteration

4. Procedures

a. Review information on "I, Too" and how the poet Langston Hughes must have felt when writing the poem. Re-read "I, Too" aloud as a class.

b. Read "Narcissa" aloud as a class.

c. Discuss dreams and goals. What is this little girl, Narcissa, thinking about, and what is she dreaming about? Why do you think that she is day-dreaming while the other girls are playing?

d. Discuss the meaning of the term "alliteration." Have students turn to a page in their Poetic Devices Booklet and write the definition. Have students identify the use of alliteration in "Narcissa." Remind students that alliteration relates to the sound of words in poetry. Give students examples of this technique. Emphasize that as many words as possible should start with the same letter sound, but not every word in their line has to begin with the same sound. Some examples include "The Eagle," by William Blake. This example appears in What Your 5th Grader Needs to Know, p. 51 and later in this unit. Students might enjoy hearing and identifying alliteration in Shel Silverstein's book, The Light in the Attic. "The Sword Swallower" and "Standing is Stupid" are great examples. On chart paper, have these poems or others ready for students to read and highlight the words that begin with similar sounds.

e. Working as pairs, have students identify the rhyming words and the rhyme scheme in this poem. Have the pairs share with the class. Highlight the rhyming words in the poem on the large chart paper. (Identify rhyme scheme as A-B-A-B.)

f. Students write poems with alliteration and rhyme scheme of A-B-A-B.

g. Working as table groups of four, each student picks an alphabet letter with which to write lines for a poem. Have students brainstorm words that begin with their letter. Remind students that as many words as possible should start with the same letter sound, but not every word in their line has to begin with the same sound. Students write individual lines. The group manipulates the lines to rhyme and makes a group poem using alliteration.

h. Student groups write finished poems on chart paper. If possible, have students capitalize the first letter of each line to show which letter is emphasized in their line. Share with the class.

i. Students add their own poems to their Poetic Device Booklets.

5. EVALUATION

a. Read student's individual lines to check for understanding of alliteration.

b. Check the students' Poetic Device Booklets for definitions and examples. Add "Narcissa," the poet, and their original poem to show understanding of alliteration.

E. LESSON 5: "CASEY AT THE BAT"

1. Objective: While reading poetry, students will appreciate the use of humor and poetic devices to entertain the reader.

2. Materials

a. a copy of the poem for each student and a copy on chart paper for the class

b. blank pieces of chart paper

c. 8 1/2" by 11" pieces of white paper

d. a video of the poem

e. Poetic Device Booklet: Appendix C

3. Key Vocabulary

a. "Casey At The Bat" c. adjectives

b. character development d. personification

4. Procedures

a. Review previous poems. Students work with a partner. Students reads their favorite poem to their partners and tells why this poem is their favorite. When the class comes back together, students volunteer to tell what their partner's favorite poem was and why it was their favorite.

b. Explain the concept of this group of poems. We have been talking about poems that show how people feel about their country and themselves. Now we are going to read some poems that have more humor in them.

c. Read "Casey At Bat." Have class follow on chart paper as we read aloud as a class.

d. Students identify rhyme scheme (couplet: A-A, B-B, C-C, etc).

f. Using the background information from What Your 5th Grader Needs to Know pp.74-75, introduce personification as a poetic device. Students add the definition to their Poetic Device Booklet. Students read "Casey At The Bat" and identify uses of personification. Students highlight these examples and add "Casey At The Bat" to their Poetic Device Booklet.

g. Describe Casey as a character and discuss what he did at the plate when he saw the pitches fly by. What kind of person was Casey? How do you know? Review the definition of an adjective. Brainstorm examples of adjectives to describe Casey.

h. Students write Casey's name at the top of a white piece of paper. Include the name of the poem and the poet. Working individually, students brainstorm five adjectives to describe Casey, writing the adjectives on paper, and identifying lines from the poem to support the adjectives. Model for the class before students start. Example: confident- "There was ease in Casey's manner as he stepped into his place."

i. When finished, students share with the group and see if they have any of the same adjectives. Students add this activity to their Poetic Device Booklet.

j. Teachers might find the poem on video. There are several versions in the market. See Resource section for one listing. Students view the video, compare the video to the written poem and write a review of the video version.

5. EVALUATION

Check for understanding an adjective in Poetic Device Booklets. Check students' line identification to ensure that the line supports the adjective.

F. LESSON 6: "JABBERWOCKY"

1. Objective: While reading poetry, students will appreciate the use of humor and poetic devices to entertain.

2. Materials

a. a copy of the poem for each student and a copy on chart paper for the class

b. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll (See Resource section)

c. What Your 5th Grader Needs to Know

d. one piece of 8 by 11 white paper for each pair of students

e. Poetic Device Booklet (Appendix C)

3. Key Vocabulary

a. onomatopoeia b. "Jabberwocky"

4. Procedure

a. Survey the class to see if anyone has read Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Discuss how old students were when they read the story, and what they remember of the story.

b. Read together the story of the Jabberwocky from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Have students explain what leads up to the telling of the poem, and what Alice's reaction is to the poem.

c. Students read the poem in chorus. Do they think that they can see what is happening in the poem, despite the strange words? Ask for volunteers to explain. (A man is telling his son to beware of the Jabberwock, as his son leaves to kill it. The son does kill the Jabberwock, and there is rejoicing by the father.)

d. Explain the meaning of "onomatopoeia." The teacher could slam a book down on a desk and ask students to give a word to describe a sound they just heard. Explain that writers use this device when they use words that sound like the sound that they describe. Ask students to look at the poem "Jabberwocky." Do they see any words that might be examples of onomatopoeia?

e. Students perform the next activity to clarify the meaning of this device. Have students work in pairs to explore the activity from What Your 5th Grader Needs to Know, p. 75. First, show the following list of words on chart paper for students : "buzz, boing, clack, gurgle, whoosh, and hiss." Working in pairs, have student think of what might produce the sounds. When they have finished, students develop a word to describe "bacon frying, thunder in the distance, windshield wipers going back and forth, a car door closing, and dry leaves being crushed in a pile."

f. Using what they have worked on, students write a sound poem. For a useful list of topics students might use, see pp. 93-94 in Teaching Poetry, Yes You Can!

g. Students add onomatopoeia to their Poetic Device Booklets. Students also add the poem. poet, and "sound" poems.

5. Evaluation: Evaluate students' understanding by reviewing their Poetic Device Booklet for the use of onomatopoeia.

G. LESSON 7: SOME OPPOSITES

1. Objective: Students will appreciate the use of humor and poetic devices to entertain.

2. Materials

a. a copy of the poem for each student and a copy on chart paper for the class

b. sheets of chart paper for groups

c. markers

3. Key Vocabulary

a. "Some Opposites"

b. Antonym

4. Procedure

a. Read the poem aloud as a class. Review the meaning of antonym. As a class, brainstorm some opposites. Ask students why some of the words are in italics.

b. Using the pattern of the poem, table groups compose a poem with opposites. They must have four stanzas with each stanza beginning as "Some Opposites" does. For example, the first stanza will begin, "What is the opposite of ?" Each student at a table group of four may work on a stanza, or the groups may work together.

c. When the students are finished, have each group copy their poem onto a large sheet of chart paper. Groups compile their poems into a Big Book of Opposites, adapted from Richard Wilbur's "Some Opposites." Students also illustrate their books.

d. After students have finished their poems, have them take the challenge from Wilbur. Can they find the opposite of "opposite," and can they make it rhyme in the context of the poem? Have students work in table groups and share with the class when they finish.

5. Evaluation

Evaluate students' original poetry, use of poetic devices, and understanding of antonyms.

H. LESSON 8: "THE ROAD NOT TAKEN"

1. Objective: While reading poetry, students recognize human emotions and choices and apply these to their own lives.

2. Materials

a. a copy of the poem for each student and a copy on chart paper for the class

b. Falling Up by Shel Silverstein and class copies of "The Voice," a poem from this book

c. colored pencils or markers.

d. One sheet of 8 by 11 white drawing paper per student

e. What Your 5th Grader Needs to Know p. 73-74

f. Poetic Device Booklet (Appendix C)

3. Key Vocabulary

a. "The Road Not Taken" c. symbol, symbolism, symbolic

b. illustration d. setting

4. Procedure

a. Read "The Road Not Taken" aloud as a class.

b. Have students individually label the rhyme scheme on their papers. Remind them to use a different letter each time the rhyme changes. Self-check by inviting students to come up and label the poem on the chart paper (A-B-A-A-B).

c. Analyze the poem stanza by stanza. Have the students write their interpretation next to the stanza on their paper. For example, students read the first stanza, and they write 2-3 sentences next to the stanza about what it means to them. If they do not understand the entire stanza, have them pick individual lines and tell what the lines mean.

d. Discuss the poem as a class. Do you think that the person was happy at the end of the poem? Why or why not?

e. Pass out copies of the poem, "The Voice." Have students read this poem aloud. Compare and contrast this poem with "The Road Not Taken." Do students see similarities between these poems? What is The Voice? Is there really a voice inside you?

f. Using the definition of symbol from What Your 5th Grader Needs to Know, p. 73, discuss the term "symbol" as a poetic device. Have students add the definition of a poetic symbol to their Poetic Device Booklet. Ask students if they know the symbol in Frost's poem. Students should add the poem "The Road Less Traveled" to their books as an example of use of a symbol. Have students add an example of a symbol. It could be an actual picture symbol and an explanation, or it could be an example of an original line of poetry that they wrote.

g. Students illustrate these two poems in one picture. Using the setting for "The Road Not Taken," students imagine the two roads depicted in the poem. How will they include "The Voice?" Will their person be thinking "out loud" about a problem that is troubling them?

h. Have students work on illustrations and share with small groups. To close, refer to Lesson Two and the discussion about standing up for what is not popular. How does that fit into taking "The Road Less Traveled?"

5. EVALUATION

a. Have students explain their illustrations to demonstrate understanding of the poem.

b. Check Poetic Devices Booklet for understanding of symbols.

I. LESSON 9: ARROW AND SONG

1. Objective

While reading poetry, students will recognize human emotions and choices and apply these to their own lives.

2. Materials

a. a copy of the poem for each student and a copy on chart paper for the class

b. different colors of highlighters

c. a copy of the rap track cassette tape

3. Key Vocabulary

a. "Arrow and Song"

b. couplet

4. PROCEDURE

a. Using Poetic Device Booklets and Lesson 1, review the use of couplets. Instruct students to pair up. Each student will use a different color highlighter to identify a couplet, which will later be read aloud.

b. Designate a reader to be number 1 and a reader to be number 2. Students read "Arrow and Song," with each student reading a couplet in turn and highlighting their couplet with a highlighter.

c. The class reads the poem chorally. Instruct number ones to read the first couplet of each stanza and number twos to read the second couplet of each stanza.

d. In order to understand couplets in a modern day concept, students will analyze modern rap music, identifying the use of couplets in the songs. Class listens to an appropriate modern rap song. Students work in their original pairs to write their rap, using couplets. Students compose a rap with a minimum of two stanzas, two couplets per stanza. (Refer to Lesson 1 for couplet writing procedure.)

e. Students compose raps and, when finished, sing their raps with pre- recorded rap tracks.

5. Evaluation

a. Evaluate the students' rap tracks for correct transfer of written poetry to music.

b. Evaluate students' correct use of couplets.

J. LESSON 10: "THE EAGLE" AND "THE WISE OLD OWL"

1. Objective

a. Students recognize and appreciate the use of nature and animals in poetry to represent ideas.

2. Materials

a. a copy of the poem for each student and a copy on chart paper for the class

b. two pieces sheer typing paper per student

c. fine tip Sharpie markers

d. pencils

e. paper clips

f. pieces of chart paper

g. Poetic Device Booklet (Appendix C)

3. Key Vocabulary

a. shape poem d. triplet

b. "The Eagle" e. simile

c. "The Wise Old Owl" f. metaphor

4. Procedure

a. Have students read "The Eagle" and "The Wise Old Owl" and identify the differences between these two poems (the use of triplet rhyme in one and the use of couplets in the other).

b. "The Eagle" has many descriptive words and phrases. Have students refer to their Poetic Device Booklet and see if they can find examples of imagery and alliteration. Have them also look at "The Wise Old Owl" to see if they can find familiar poetic devices used by the poet.

c. Introduce simile as a poetic device. Students include this device in their Poetic Device Booklets, along with the poem and a definition. Provide students with background information on similes from What Your 5th Grader Needs to Know, pp. 71-72. Students read "The Eagle" and identify the simile used by the author. Students add this poem to their Poetic Device Booklets. Students brainstorm similes in groups. Have students record their similes on chart paper to post for the class. After sharing the similes, introduce metaphor as another way to compare two objects. Using examples from What Your 5th Grader Needs to Know, guide students to see the difference between a simile and a metaphor. Using the same sheet of chart paper, students take the similes that they composed and change them into metaphors, removing the "like" or "as."

d. Students will use nature as a theme in an original poem. Have students read the poems from this lesson again and look for the adjectives that describe the different animals. Discuss how the author uses the language to bring a picture of the animal to the reader's mind.

e. Students write a "shape" poem, using imagery with an actual illustration of the natural subject of their poem. Students include similes and metaphors to make their images come alive. Students include a minimum of one simile and one metaphor.

f. Students pick an object from nature to write about and brainstorm words and phrases to describe their object.

g. Using the procedure from Writing Poetry with Children by Jo Ellen Moore and Joy Evans, students construct a "shape poem" about their theme from nature. Instruct students to work with their words and phrases so that they flow naturally.

Students draw an outline of the object that they are writing about on one sheet of white paper.

When they have drawn the shape, they place another piece of sheer typing paper on top of the drawing and secure the papers with paper clips.

Students write their nature poem on top of the shape to create the "shape" poem.

When students have completed their poem, remove the top paper; the poem should have assumed the shape of the object.

h. Have students glue the corners of their "shape" poems to construction paper for display.

5. EVALUATION

a. Evaluate students' poems. Students should use a poem with a natural theme. Students' shapes should relate to the content of the poem. The shape should be recognizable.

b. Check chart paper for understanding of similes and metaphors and the differences between these two devices. Check shape poems for similes and metaphors.

VI. ONGOING PROJECTS/FINAL PROJECT

A. Create a poetry friendly classroom by having many books and selections of poetry available for students to read.

B. Search for poets in the local area that will read and speak to students.

C. Refer to Appendix C for Poetic Device Booklets and mural.

VII. HANDOUTS/WORKSHEETS

A. Appendix A- cover for poem display book (Lesson 2)

B. Appendix B- Venn diagram (Lesson 3)

C. Appendix C- Poetic Device Booklet (Ongoing Activity)

VIII. BIBLIOGRAPHY

Bumgardner, Joyce C. (1996). Helping Students Learn to Write Poetry. Boston: Allyn and Bacon. ISBN 0-205-17571-6

Calkins, Lucy McCormick. (1994). The Art of Teaching Writing. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann. ISBN 0-7725-2116-6

Hirsch, E.D. Jr. (1993). What Your 5th Grader Needs to Know. New York: Doubleday.

ISBN 0-385-41119-7 Lathem, Edward Connery. (1969). The Poetry of Robert Frost. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston. ISBN 0-03-072535-6

Lanker, Brian. (1989). I Dream A World. New York: Stewart, Tabori and Chang.

Livingston, Myra Cohn. (1991). Poem Making: Ways to Begin Writing Poetry. New York: Harper Collins. ISBN 0-06-024019-9

Moore, Jo Ellen.,& Evans, Joy. (1988). Writing Poetry With Children. Monterey, CA: Evan-Moor. ISBN 1-55799-129-4

Scudder, Horace E. (1900). The Complete Poetical Works of John Greenleaf Whittier. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.

Silverstein, Shel. (1981). A Light in the Attic. New York: Harper and Row.

ISBN 0-06-025673-7

Silverstein, Shel. (1996). Falling Up. New York: Harper Collins. ISBN 0-06-024802-5

Spellman, Linda. (1981). Poetry Party. Santa Barbara, CA: The Learning Works.

ISBN 0-88160-038-5

Sweeney, Jacqueline. (1993). Teaching Poetry: Yes You Can! New York: Scholastic.

ISBN 49270-5

Thayer, Ernest Lawrence. (1988). Casey At the Bat. Boston: Godine. ISBN 0-87923-722-8

Thayer, Ernest Lawrence. (1988). Casey At the Bat. New York: Putnam's Sons.

ISBN 0-399-21585-9

Thayer, Ernest Lawrence. (1985). Casey At the Bat. Milwaukee: Raintree.

ISBN 0-8172-2121-2

Wainwright, James. (1989). Poetivities. Carthage, IL: Good Apple. ISBN 0-86653-484-9

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