EDFN 443: Shape Poetry Lesson

Grade Level: 2

Subject: Language Arts

Lesson Goal: To write and reflect critically on descriptive shape poems with sensory vocabulary using an online interactive shape poem tool

Objectives: Second grade students will be able to use knowledge of sensory language, personal experience, and understanding of shape poetry to write creative shape poems and reflect on their use of sensory language. Students will also be able to provide thoughtful feedback on a peer’s poem using the Five Senses Checklist. Specific objectives are broken down in the rubric.

Assumptions: This lesson would be part of a larger poetry unit in language arts. It is assumed that the students have already been introduced to the concept of shape poetry in a previous lesson. In that lesson, the teacher read examples of shape poems to students and had the students create a class definition of a shape poem. The class definition includes two key elements: (1) a shape poem is written in the shape of its topic, and (2) a shape poem’s words describe its topic in detail based on the author’s experience

Technology Required: Chromebooks (one per student) or access to computer lab (one computer per student), internet access, projector hooked up to teacher’s computer

Additional Materials Required: Copies of the Five Senses Checklist (one per student), pencils

Introduce the lesson by asking the class to recall their group definition of shape poetry as constructed during the previous class. Next, preview the lesson by telling students that today they will be writing a shape poem together as a class before working on their own individual shape poems. Explain that the group poem and individual poems will be created using an online interactive shape poems tool.

Instructional Procedures:

1. After the lesson introduction, navigate to the interactive shape poem website and project it so that the whole class can easily see. Click through the shape category options (nature, sports, celebrations, shapes, and school) and allow the students to choose a category and then vote on a specific shape for the class poem (a few examples of available shapes include leaf, book, cake, and star).

2. After choosing a shape, ask students to think of words and phrases that describe the shape, using all five senses. You can remind the students that, as authors, they should try to think of words and phrases that will help the reader feel like he or she is experiencing what they experience. Ask students to volunteer examples, typing those words in the “Think of Words” screen. After eliciting several examples, place them inside the chosen shape.

3. Click to the next screen, which shows the words and phrases on the left and the blank shape on the right. Ask students to brainstorm ways to put the words and phrases together in the poem, and type the students’ responses into the shape screen.

4. After completing the poem, hand out printed copies of the Five Senses Checklist (see Resources section). Read the class poem aloud once, and then go through the checklist item by item. For example, if the class is writing about ice cream, you might check for taste words by asking, “When you listen to the poem, do you feel like you can taste the ice cream? If not, what could we change or add to describe it better?” Have students complete the full checklist, marking whether or not they feel they can access each sense when reading the poem. Have students add to the poem if they determine any senses are lacking.

5. When the class is happy with the shape poem, model how to publish and share the poem to your e-mail address on the interactive shape poem tool.

6. Explain that students are now going to work on individual poems. Ask students to get out their individual Chromebooks and navigate to the interactive shape poems tool (alternative: you could take students to the computer lab to work if no Chromebooks are available). Make sure to either write the URB for the shape poem website on the whiteboard, or have previously bookmarked the website on students' Chromebooks (assumption: students are familiar with using bookmarks). Allow students a few minutes to browse the shape options and choose one as their topic. Make sure students do not choose the same topic as your class example, and encourage students to choose a variety of different shapes to that not everyone is working on the same topic.

7. Instruct students to write words and phrases about their shape on the “Think of Words” screen. Next, have students navigate to the next screen and arrange their words and phrases into the shape as a first draft of a poem.

8. Instruct students to read through their draft carefully using the Five Senses Checklist, editing as necessary. Walk around the class monitoring and assisting students who need help.

9. When students have finished editing, have them turn and talk with a partner. Ask partners to swap Chromebooks. Each student reads their partner’s poem and fills out the Five Senses Checklist. The partners will then exchange feedback, explaining their checklist ratings. Finally, students can make a final round of edits based on their partner’s feedback.

10. When students have completed their final draft, have them click the “share final” button and share the poem with your e-mail address. After class, you can print out all of the poems to use in the next day’s lesson, which will involve putting the students in small groups to read their poems to each other. Final poems can be illustrated and displayed in the classroom or in an ongoing poetry book project.

Assessment #1: To complete the informal assessment, the teacher will move around the room while students write their individual poems, work with their partner to provide feedback, and complete final editing and publishing. This informal assessment will be a simple check that each student is on-task, completing their poetry work using the online tool, using the Five Senses Checklist appropriately, and working cooperatively and effectively with their partner.

Assessment #2: After students have published and shared their poem's to the teacher's e-mail, the teacher can conduct an assessment of their final work using the rubric below. Students will be given a total score out of 12 points.

The use of technology in this particular lesson allows students (1) to represent their shape poetry visually with ease; (2) to easily and flexible edit their poetry; and (3) to publish and share their poetry with the class and potentially the broader world. The interactive poetry tool guides students through the steps of writing a shape poem with prompts and examples. It also provides a workspace for brainstorming words and phrases before starting the poem itself.

There are many ways that this lesson can be extended. For example, if some students finish their individual poems while others are still working, the teacher may give them the option to (1) practice performing their poems, and then record them using an audio recording website like Vocaroo (assumption: students are already familiar with the audio recording site, having used it in previous language arts lessons); (2) work on a second shape poem together with their partner, as co-authors; (3) or quietly read more shape poems that the teacher has available from the previous lesson. Recorded audio poems will be added to an ongoing class collection of poems written and read by students. You may also assign students who finish early to help others needing assistance.

Suggestions for differentiated instruction: The teacher will purposefully pair students who have demonstrated a strong performance in language arts with students who may struggle more with skills like spelling and vocabulary. In this way, students of all levels will be appropriately supported and challenged. English language learners and students who struggle with spelling may be given access to an online dictionary and/or thesaurus tool.

This lesson plan is tied to the relevant Common Core Standards (2nd grade) below:

Writing: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.2.5

With guidance and support from adults and peers, focus on a topic and strengthen writing as needed by revising and editing.

Writing: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.2.6

With guidance and support from adults, use a variety of digital tools to produce and publish writing, including in collaboration with peers.

Literature Craft & Structure: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.4

Describe how words and phrases (e.g., regular beats, alliteration, rhymes, repeated lines) supply rhythm and meaning in a story, poem, or song.

Language: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.2.3

Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening.

Language: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.2.5

Demonstrate understanding of word relationships and nuances in word meanings.

Speaking & Listening: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.2.5

Create audio recordings of stories or poems; add drawings or other visual displays to stories or recounts of experiences when appropriate to clarify ideas, thoughts, and feelings.

Many thanks to ReadWriteThink for inspiring this lesson plan and providing many of its key resources, including the assessment rubric, the interactive poetry tool, and the Five Senses Checklist.

The audio recording website suggested for possible lesson extensions is Vocaroo.

Common Core standards listed on the "Conclusions" page can be found here.

This lesson was compiled by Kelly Walbert, a teacher-in-training and graduate student in the education department at Northeastern Illinois University. To read more of her thoughts on technology and media integration in the classroom, follow her on Twitter here.