This is the first lesson in my poetry unit and I'm introducing what makes a poem unique. My goal in this unit is to talk about different kinds of poetry and to introduce some of the vocabulary that goes with poetry. I'll be reading a variety of books and we'll be using reading strategies to better comprehend what the author is trying to convey.
I used the 'poetry tree' in all of my lessons in this unit to create a tool that pulled together all of the ideas and kinds of poetry. The kinds of poem are listed down the trunk and the ways that poetry help us are listed on the leaves.Some of my later lessons that allow me to use this vocabulary and the poetry tree are: Dogs & Haikus-What's the Plot?, Reading Acrostics-Poetry of Letters, Poetry Takes Shape, Synonym, Adjective, Verb.. Put them in a Cinquain, Pieces of Meaning in Free Verse Poetry, Don't Worry-Alliteration and Onomatopoeia Help Us, and Long Vowels & Limericks-Looking at Poetry.
Many of the poems in this lesson are in the upper lexile level of 2nd grade. I want students to try to read and comprehend literature, including stores and poetry in the grades 2-3 complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding and support at the upper range. (RL.2.10) I like to challenge the students with this more difficult text to gain familiarity with various kinds of texts and higher level vocabulary.
Underlined words below are lesson vocabulary words that are emphasized and written on sentence strips for my Reading & Writing word wall. I pull off the words off the wall for each lesson, helping students understand this key 'reading and writing' vocabulary can be generalized across texts and topics. The focus on acquiring and using these words is part of a shift in the Common Core Standards towards building students’ academic vocabulary. My words are color coded ‘pink’ for literature/’blue’ for reading strategies/’orange’ for informational text/'yellow' for writing/’green’ for all other words.
Common starting point
Give the purpose of the lesson
Introduce ideas by using the powerpoint
Model for the kids
We are looking at poems for rhythm, rhyme and repetition because they add so much meaning to the text. I love teaching poetry because you can really highlight those features and get into some great discussions about how words and phrases supply rhythm and meaning to a story. (RL.2.4) Take the time to focus on these during these poetry lessons and the kids will notice the occasional use of them in other kinds of literature. Often, 2nd graders don't truly appreciate the subtleties the author adds to text. As you read, model the rhythm and rhyme and encourage the kids to read aloud with expression as well. This makes the kids more aware of them and ultimately improves their fluency as well.
Explain the task
Kids work
Scaffolding and Special Education: This lesson could be easily scaffolded up or down, depending on student ability.
This is great lesson for kids of all ability levels because so much of it is discussion and examples. When the kids pick a favorite poem, students with language challenges may need help identifying rhyming or repetition, so a partner might be helpful. For those with great language, challenge those students to more fully explain why they like the poem and how it makes them feel.