Basic Unit Lesson Plan
Shawn Bally
3/19/09
ENG 484
Poetry Analysis and Response
Instructor: Shawn Bally
Class Period: 4 (50 minutes)
Grade Level/Course Title: Sixth Grade English
Materials/Texts: Locomotion by Jacqueline Woodson
Time/Date of Lesson: Week 8 of Classes (November)
Background of Text: As a class, we will spend the first 3 days of class reading the novel Locomotion by Woodson (100 pages). This book tells the story of an 11 year old boy who is faced with living life in a foster home after his parents are killed in an accident. He is split apart from his little sister Lili between two different foster pairs of foster parents. As a result to his jumbled emotions and feelings, his teacher suggests he express himself through the art of poetry. The entire book is told in a series of different poems ranging from Sonnet to Haiku. These poems are all written in a first person point of view that seek to describe the main character’s (Lonnie) feelings.
Activity: Upon finishing the book in class, students will break into groups. Each group will be assigned a type of poem from the book. They will then work together to research the rules and fundamentals of the poem, as well as the background history of its creation. Each group will then choose a theme from a provided list of topics for which they will compose their style of poem about. Finally, each group will create a presentation to inform the class of their research, followed by the poem that they have worked collaboratively to create.
Objectives/Purpose: This lesson will teach students about the various forms of poetry. However rather than be lectured by their teachers, they will be taught by their peers. Furthermore, this lesson will encourage students to work in groups towards a common goal. They will have the opportunity to divide work up amongst the members to create a final project. Finally, the lesson will ignite students into thinking creatively by having them produce their own poem. While poetry is a shorter version of writing, it will facilitate students into the idea of creative writing that will reflect their experience with the theme.
Challenges: There are always challenges and issues that come with group work. This may be the biggest challenge as the educator because I must be sure no to intervene too much into the group work while assuring that everyone is holding their weight. Another challenge may be getting students to write one creative piece that represents them all. Some members may push their ideas while others contribute very little, causing a poor representation of the entire group’s creativity.
1:11 pm - 3-23-2009
The unit lesson plan sounds good, but a bit confusing on what you are actually having the students do. Are they doing the activity and also a final project or they both the same thing. I think once you break it down into your 5 days it will be more clearer. However it looks good so far.
5:23 pm - 3-23-2009
Shawn,
Good start. I like your idea of the peer teaching as I think this would be alot of fun and different for students at this age. You also picked a good book to work with, as Locomotion is an appropriate book for this age level as it deals with student issues. Just piece if together and you should be fine.
6:21 pm - 3-23-2009
Shawn,
Thanks to reading your plan, I now have on my to do list “finding a copy of Locomotion.” Sounds like a powerful read.
Your ideas for the unit put an interesting spin on composing, revising, and presenting texts. Would each group collaboratively write one poem? (Just want to make sure I understand.) And would part of their presentation include allowing or asking their peers to play with the conventions of the poem they are assigned? Sounds like a lot of fun *if* you can support full cooperation and participation from everybody.
How do you imagine the project evaluation? What would be evaluated? How? And when? Why? I ask because I wonder how the presentation and group work, for example, might be represented (or not) in an evaluation.
You might find Neman’s chapter on teaching poetry a helpful read, too, as you develop the plan.
Happy drafting!
8:47 pm - 3-23-2009
Prompt for peer feedback: Imagining you will be the sub to take your peer’s class, what questions would you have about the unit? What information would you want to have available? In other words, what might your peer consider as s/he continues to develop the draft?
Another thing I would like to add and ask some questions.
– You said that the first three days of class will be strictly reading the book Locomotion. Do you think that your students might get bored with just reading for that long of a period? A suggestion would be after you go over a certain type of poem, stop and maybe do a indivigual activity relating to that type of poem? Possibly, even break them up into groups throughout the week and have them talk amongst themselves about their thoughts and feelings about the different types of poems.
Just a thought. I like your idea and really like the idea of the group work, that would be fun and different.
9:08 pm - 3-23-2009
Shawn,
Great start on your lesson plan! I like the idea of having the students read a book that is told all in poetry. I think the students would be more interested in reading a story told using poems rather than a book full of separate poems. I do have a few questions about the lesson. What kind of presentation are the students going to be doing? Are they going to be reading the poem out loud? Using powerpoint? How long is the presentation going to be? Also, I have to agree with your concerns about the challenges of group work. It might be hard for students to work together to create a poem. Maybe the students should only work in pairs instead of groups. This way they will feel more comfortable talking to only one other person than a whole group.
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