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TeachNet Grant: Writing Poetry in Middle School
Victoria Lowe
vlowe2@schools.nyc.gov

Michelangelo MS 144
2545 Gunther Avenue
Bronx, NY 10469


ELA Teacher at a Middle School
About the Grant:

This short unit teaches students to write various forms of poetry. The students learn to write poems using free verse and structured poems using rhyme scheme, quatrains, and repetition.

The students will write diamante, quatrains, I AM, and two voice poems. They will learn to use poetic devices used in poetry.

The final product is a poetry book and a class publication of a self selected poem on a class site.

How This Grant was Adapted:

The best feature of this project is the online publication  of student writing which is shared with others. This unit effectively uses the internet as a teaching tool using  an online graphic organizer and then publishing online. This unit contributes to student achievement as they learn various poetic devices including rhyme scheme, repetition and rhythm.
 
This is the writing component of a reading/writing unit on poetry. The students are writing forms of poetry that they have studied in the reading workshop. This unit can be adapted for many different grade levels by changing the forms of poetry for either older or younger students.

(NOTE: I have 4 computers in my classroom which is set up as a computer station. This can be done whole class with laptops, visit to a school computer lab, over an extended period of time with a limited number of computers, or at home if the students have access to computers.)

Objectives

Objective 1: Students will be able to (SWBAT) write ABAB rhyme scheme poems.
Objective 2: SWBAT differentiate between nouns, verbs, and adjectives.
Objective 3: SWBAT write poems with repetition.
Objective 4: SWBAT write diamante poems.
Objective 5: SWBAT write free verse poems.
Objective 6: SWBAT write I AM poems.
Objective 7: SWBAT write 2 voice poems.
Objective 8: SWBAT compile a poetry book.
Objective 9: SWBAT publish writing to the internet.

Websites Used

Link 1: http://pics4learning.com/
Description: This is an excellent resource for the classroom where you can obtain license free photos to create a movie to help students visualize images for writing projects.
            
Link 2: http://writingmatters.org/
Description: This is a wonderful resource especially for ELA classrooms, but can be used for other subject areas. This site allows you to create a class page for students to publish their writing. As the teacher you have authority to choose which pieces to post for public view. In addition, the site allows you and the students to read various genres written by students.
            
Link 3: http://ettcweb.lr.k12.nj.us/forms/iampoem.htm
Description: This is the I AM poetic form online. The students can type in their responses and print out their poem. It also has sample I AM poems.
            
Link 4: http://teachertube.com/viewVideo.php?video_id=85406&title=Immigration__Two_Voice_Poems
Description: Teacher tube in general is a great resource but this is a direct link to a video of a two voice poem about immigration.

Link 5:Also-  www.mywebspiration.com, http://teach-nology.com/web_tools/graphic_org/
Description: These teacher tools provide you with online graphic organizers .

Standards Addressed:

Standard 1: NYS ELA Students will write for literary response and expression to write original literary text and select a genre and use appropriate conventions, such as dialogue, rhythm, and rhyme    Grade: 8   Subject: ELA
 
Standard 2: NYS ELA Students will write for literary response and expression to maintain a consistent point of view that enhances the message and/or establishes the mood  Grade: 8   Subject: ELA
 
Standard 3: NYS ELA Students will write for literary response and expression to publish writing in a variety of presentation or display media   Grade: 8   Subject: ELA
 
Standard 4: NYS ELA Students will listen for literary response and expression to identify how the poet's use of repetition, rhythm, and rhyming patterns affects the listener's interpretation of poetry  Grade: 8   Subject: ELA
 
Standard 5: Students will listen for critical analysis and evaluation to evaluate the quality of the speaker's presentation style by using criteria such as voice quality, enunciation, and delivery  Grade: 8   Subject: ELA
 
Standard 6: Students will speak for literary response and expression to present original, literary texts, using language and text structures that are inventive; for example, use rhyme, rhythm, and repetition to create an emotional or aesthetic effect   Grade: 8   Subject: ELA
 

Lesson 1:

Lesson 1: Diamante Poetry Taking Shape

Objective 1: SWBAT identify nouns, verbs, and adjectives.
Objective 2: SWBAT write diamante poems.
 
Materials -
Materials 1: Diamante poetry handout
Materials 2: Computer (No internet required if slide show or movie is saved directly onto a computer.)
Materials 3: Projector
Materials 4: Handout Parts of Speech  (see http://bergen.edu/faculty/ljonaitis/partsofspeech.html

Procedure-
Procedure 1: Students write a list of words they associate with the word FAMILY.
Procedure 2: Teacher reviews parts of speech.
Procedure 3: Elicit responses to FAMILY and chart responses  on a chart under correct part of speech.
Procedure 4: Students will view movie of images and create word list charting their responses on a chart with parts of speech.
Procedure 5: Students will view form of diamante poetry.
Procedure 6: Teacher will model using words from chart created in class.
Procedure 7: Students will create their own diamante poem using words created from movie.
Procedure 8: Students will share out responses.
Procedure 9: Teacher will review chart previously created Things We Can Write About.
Procedure 10: Students will add to chart - Things We Can Write Poems About.

 Homework - Students will write a diamante poem on a self-selected topic.
 
Assessment -
The assessment will be the student responses on the part of speech handout and diamante poem created in class.

Lesson 2:

Lesson 2:  Riding on the ABAB Quatrain

Objective 1: SWBAT identify rhyme scheme.
Objective 2: SWBAT write a quatrain using ABAB rhyme scheme.
Objective 3: SWBAT understand the use of stanzas.
Materials 1: Paper
Materials 2: Mentor poetry text with quatrains and ABAB rhyme scheme.

Procedures -
Procedure 1: Students will write rhyming words for cold, school, and lunch.
Procedure 2: Introduce vocabulary repetition, rhyme scheme, quatrain, and stanza.
Procedure 3: Show mentor text and read aloud poem.
Procedure 4: Identify rhyme scheme and repetition in the poem.
Procedure 5: Teacher will model writing a 4 line poem (quatrain) using ABAB rhyme scheme.
Procedure 6: In teams, each group will write a quatrain using the topic of SCHOOL.
Procedure 7: Teams will share out responses and teacher will chart responses for a class model of a 6 stanza poem with quatrains.
 
Homework - Students will write their own quatrain using the topic of FRIENDSHIP.
 
Assessment -
The assessment of student learning will be responses in class and team quatrains.

Lesson 3:

Lesson 3: I AM WHO I AM Repetition in Action

Objective 1: SWBAT identify repetition
Objective 2: SWBAT write a biographical poem.
 
Materials -
Materials 1: Paper
Materials 2: Computer with internet access
Materials 3: Projector
Materials 4: Handout I AM (http://ettcweb.lr.k12.nj.us/forms/iampoem.htm)
 
Procedures -
Procedure 1: Students will write a quatrain about themselves. (WHO AM I?)            
Procedure 2: Teacher will share out quatrains and students will guess the writer.
Procedure 3: Discuss I AM poetry format.  Distribute handouts.
Procedure 4: Teacher will model I AM poetry using online graphic organizer.
Procedure 5: Students will use I AM handout to write their drafts.
Procedure 6: Students will share out responses.
 
Homework - Students will publish their I AM poems using online organizer at home or handwritten.
 
Assessment -
Students will be assessed by their WHO AM I poems and their drafts of I AM poems.

Lesson 4

Lesson 4:Two Voices are Better Than One

Objective 1: SWBAT write a 2 voice poem.
Objective 2: SWBAT identify antonyms and synonyms.

Materials-
Materials 1: PaperMaterials 2: Computer with access to TeacherTube
Materials 3: projector

Procedures-
Procedure 1: Students will write antonyms and synonyms for the following words friend and cold.
Procedure 2: Teacher will chart responses on chart paper.
Procedure 3: Students will view and listen to two voice poem using link to teachertube.
Procedure 4: Teacher will identify features of two voice poetry.
Procedure 5: Teacher will model two voice poetry.
Procedure 6: Students will work with a partner to create a two voice poem about FAMILY.
Procedure 7: Selected students will share out responses.

Homework- Students will write a two voice poem on a self-selected topic.

Assessment -
Students will be assessed based on responses in class and their two voice poems.

Lesson 5:

 Lesson 5: Putting It All Together

Objective 1: SWBAT create a poetry book.
Objective 2: SWBAT publish their writing to writingmatters.org/class344

Materials -
Materials 1: Paper, Construction Paper, Ribbon
Materials 2: Computer with internet access
Materials 3: Projector

Procedures -
Procedure 1: Students will create their poetry book covers.
Procedure 2: Students will self-select their best poem for publication to a selected website. (We used writingmatters.org/class344)
Procedure 3: Students will learn how to post their poem to the selected site. (This can be a class website, a Ning or a blog)
Procedure 4: Students will view organization of of the site and understand how to post selected poem.
Procedure 5: Students will organize their materials for poetry book.
Procedure 6: Students will publish their poems using selected website.
Procedure 7: Share out of student self-selected pieces.

Assessment - Completion of poetry books and publication the Internet.

Victoria Lowe is a Lead ELA Teacher at a Middle School in the Bronx. She has been an educator for 9 years, entering the profession through the NYC Teaching Fellows Program. She has worked in both elementary and middle schools and has consistently shown creativity and initiative in bringing academics to life for her students.


 

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