Mission Statement:

Poetry is a form of art, and learning how to appreciate it takes time and practice. The purpose of this unit is to assist the grade three students to expand their knowledge of the English language and its different forms of expression by reading, creating, and sharing poetry. Students at different levels of learning will gain a better understanding of the different forms of poetry, and be able to use simple poetic expressions to convey his or her ideas.

Goals and Objectives:

I.                    The students will be able to understand simple poems.

Students will be able:

1.      To read simple poems based on a selected theme/form [G3 ELA B1]

2.      To identify forms of poetry [G3 ELA B11]

3.      To understand key vocabularies

4.      To discuss the meanings of poems [G3 ELA A9]

5.      To give responses to questions about poems read

6.      To create artworks that represent poems read

7.      To use strategies during reading [G3 ELA B6]

8.      To use strategies after reading [G3 ELA B7]

9.      To recognize sound devices [G3 ELA A12]

II.                  The students will be able to create simple poems.

Students will be able:

1.      To discuss with others about creating a poem based on a selected theme/form [G3 ELA C4]

2.      To brainstorm ideas developed through sensory detail [G3 ELA C4]

3.      To experiment with word choice [G3 ELA C6]

4.      To write simple poems based on a selected theme/form [G3 ELA C5]

5.      To revise their own work [G3 ELA C6]

6.      To edit their own work [G3 ELA C6]

7.      To create visuals that supplement created poems [G3 Visual Arts: make 2-D images to illustrate]

8.      To create audios that supplement created poems [G3 Music: reproduce patterns using accented beats]

III.                The students will be able to make presentations.

Students will be able:

1.      To present their revised poems in front of an audience

2.      To provide feedbacks post presentations

IV.                The students will be able to understand more about social responsibility.

Students will be able:

1.      To actively listen to other people’s opinions, ideas, and presentations

2.      To talk with students whom they do not usually talk to

Gr. 3 Poetry - Visual Planner

(50 minute lessons)

Grade 3 Poetry - Needs Assessment Summary

Purpose:                                                                                                                                

The purpose of this assessment was to:

-          Examine the appropriate topics of learning for students at the grade 3 level.

-          Identify important teaching objectives and possible methods of teaching.

Collection of Information:

The collection of data was primarily through face-to-face interviews. Interviewees consisted of teachers who have had experience with teaching poetry to grade three students, student teachers with some experience of teaching grade three, as well as parents and their children who have completed third grade elementary.

Conclusion:

Raising student interest in poetry is one of the most important areas of concern that both the teachers and parents have. This key point will become the underlying goal for the poetry unit, which will be incorporated into the lessons through the usage of activities and teaching aids that supplement the various poems to be studied and shared. Grade three students seem to have a very general understanding of what poetry is. Thus, it will be also of importance to expand student knowledge of the meaning, usage, and reasons for studying poetry so that students become more familiar with this seemingly abstract form of expression.

Main areas of need:

1. Poetry needs to be interesting and enjoyed.

-          Use lots of visual and media support.

-          Be creative about the activities students do. Make the ‘abstract’ ‘concrete.’

-          Integrate music (such as singing songs and lullabies) and art into the lessons.

-          Use presentation techniques (voice, gestures, etc)

2. Use familiar themes so students can relate to their daily lives.

-          Use themes such as nature, animals, etc.

3. Teachers need to model and foster love for poetry.
4. Students need to know the meanings of poems first before analyzing them.

-          Start by teaching key vocabularies.

5. Students need to be able to write poems and understand why they are doing so.

-          To express feelings and ideas.

-          Know how to use different words to convey the exact meanings.

-          Know when poetry is used.

6. Suggested Poets:

-          Shel Silverstein, Jack Prelutsky

Grade 3 Poetry - Needs Assessment Questions

Questions for teachers:

1. What do you think are some of the most important topics in poetry for students at this level?
2. Do you think it would be better to start building student knowledge of poetry by learning about poetic devices first then reading poems, or the other way around?
3. Do you think incorporating music, media (movies, CD’s, computers), and art materials can raise student interest in poetry?
4. What are some other activities you would suggest to make poetry something fun and interesting?

Questions for parents:

1. What would you like your child to learn at the end of a poetry unit?
2. Which poets you would recommend for the class?

Questions for students:

1. What do you know about poetry?
2. What is your favourite poem/lullaby?
3. What do you like/not like about poetry?
4. Can you give an example of a rhyme?

Grade 3 Poetry – Formative Evaluation     

I. Questions for the Principal (at the end of the first week)

1. Do you think that the poems and activities planned for this unit are appropriate for students of this community?

-          To see if there are community sensitive topics (religious, ethnic diversity, etc) that need to be avoided or addressed.

2. What do you think about having the students present their poems at the assembly when the unit ends?

-          To see what the Principal thinks of this idea, and make the necessary arrangements.

3. Do you know if there are other activities or methods of teaching poetry that are effective for the grade three students?

-          To have a chance to learn what else might work for the students.

4. Do you have any concerns for the unit?

-          To see if the Principal notices anything that might be problematic for student learning.

5. Have I missed anything important in the unit?

-          To see if the Principal thinks the unit needs a major revision.

6. Do you have any suggestions for the unit?

-          To see if the Principal has any suggestions that will make the unit better.

Grade 3 Poetry – Formative Evaluation

II. Questions for Teachers (at the end of the second and fourth weeks)

1. Do you think students will understand the purpose of learning poetry from the unit I have planned?

-          To see if the unit will meet what it was set out to do.

2. Do you think the goals and objectives of the lessons are appropriate (realistic and achievable) for students at this age?

-          To identify goals & objectives that require revision.

3. Which activities do you think are effective? Why?

-          To see if I am on the right track of doing things.

4. Which activities do you think are ineffective? Why?

-          To see which activities might need revision.

5. Do you have any suggestions that will assist the students to apply what they learn into their daily lives?

-          To learn from other people's experiences and help students apply their learning.

6. Do you have any concerns about the unit?

-          To identify potential threats for student learning.

7. Have I missed anything important in the unit?

-          To see if the unit needs a major revision.

8. Do you have any other suggestions for the unit?

-          To see if there are other methods/activities for teaching poetry.

Bibliography

PoemHunter.Com. (2009). PoemHunter.com – Thousands of poems and poets. Retrieved July 1, 2009, from http://www.poemhunter.com

Prelutsky, J. (2009). Jack Prelutsky. Retrieved July 1, 2009, from http://www.jackprelutsky.com/

Silverstein, S. (n.d.). ShelSilverstein.com – The Official Site for Kids. Retrieved July 2, 2009, from http://www.shelsilverstein.com/indexSite.html

Lansky, B. (n.d.). Gigglepoetry.com – Funny poetry for children. Retrieved July 3, 2009, from http://www.gigglepoetry.com/index.aspx

Government of Saskatchewan.. (n.d.). English Language Arts – A Curriculum Guide for the Elementary Level (2002). Retrieved July 3, 2009, from http://www.sasked.gov.sk.ca/docs/ela/writing01.html

Famous-Poems.biz.. (n.d.). Famous Short Poems – Best Free Poetry Online. Retrieved July 4, 2009, from http://www.famous-poems.biz/Short_Poems/Famous-Short-Poems-best-free-poetry-online.html

Fleming, G. (n.d.). About.com – Brainstorming – How to Brainstorm. Retrieved July 4, 2009, from http://homeworktips.about.com/od/homeworkhelp/a/brainstorming.htm

Mahalo.com.. (n.d.). How to write an acrostic poem. Retrieved July 4, 2009, from http://www.mahalo.com/how-to-write-an-acrostic-poem

Hummon, D. M. (n.d.). Acrostics for Children. Retrieved July 5, 2009, from http://www.holycross.edu/departments/socant/dhummon/acrostics/what_is_acrostic.html

Nesbitt, K. (n.d.). Poetry for Kids – How to write Funny Poetry Chapter 2. Retrieved July 5, 2009, from http://www.poetry4kids.com/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=3