Focus Lesson Planning Sheet
Focus Lesson Planning Sheet
|Focus Lesson Topic |Listening for Line Breaks |
| |(Adapted from Calkins and Parsons, 2003) |
|Materials |Poem written on chart paper with and without line breaks (See Poetry: Powerful Thoughts in Tiny |
| |Packages by Calkins and Parsons, 2003, p. 13 for example. Similar poems can be found in All the |
| |Small Poems and Fourteen More by Valerie Worth.) |
| | |
| |Short poem (student or teacher created) for guided practice. (See Poetry: Powerful Thoughts in Tiny |
| |Packages by Calkins and Parsons, 2003, pp. 15-16 for example.) Teacher may wish to write each word |
| |of the poem on individual cards. |
|Connection |Yesterday we learned how to see the world with poets’ eyes. You know that to write a good poem you |
| |need to use your poet’s eyes to see ordinary things in a new way. Today I will teach you another |
| |ingredient that you need for a good poem. |
|Explicit Instruction |To write a good poem, you need to have music. I don’t mean singing or playing musical instruments. |
| |The music of a poem comes from the words and how those words are put onto the paper. Good poets try |
| |to write the words of their poems so that the reader will read the poems with music. |
| | |
| |One way to give your poem music is to divide the words into lines that go down the paper. Let me |
| |show you what I mean with the poem called “Aquarium” by Valerie Worth. I’ve written it in two |
| |different ways. One way does not give the poem music, but the other does. |
| | |
| |[Read aloud the poem without line breaks. Read the poem in a flat tone with little expression to |
| |show how this way lacks music.] |
| | |
| |When I see the poem written this way, the way the words are arranged on the page tell me to read it |
| |just like I am talking. There really isn’t much music in the poem when it is written like this. Now|
| |listen to the same poem when I read it the way Valerie Worth really wrote it. |
| | |
| |[Read aloud the poem with line breaks.] |
| | |
| |When I read the poem with line breaks, it really sounds like music! When Valerie Worth divided the |
| |poem into short lines, she told me to read the poem in a certain way. Since this poem is called |
| |“Aquarium” I think she wants me to read the first four lines almost like a fish is swimming down the |
| |page, flicking and slipping back and forth like fish do. Did you hear my voice change when I got to |
| |the second part of the poem? When Valerie Worth wrote about the snail, I think she wants the music |
| |of her poem to become slow like a snail that sticks at the bottom of an aquarium. |
|Guided Practice |Let’s try writing a poem with line breaks together. Let me read the poem to you without any line |
| |breaks. [Display poem written without line breaks. To do this, use individual word cards to “write”|
| |the poem like prose by placing word cards in a pocket chart or taped to chart paper.] |
| | |
| |Turn and talk to a partner. How could we arrange the words in this poem to bring some music to the |
| |words? |
| | |
| |[Invite one student to move word cards to show one way to bring music to the poem.] |
|Send Off [for Independent |I want you to always remember that poets use line breaks to turn the words of the poem into music. |
|Practice] |Today as you are writing remember to use your poets’ eyes to see the world. When you have an idea, |
| |start writing a poem with line breaks. I can wait to hear the music that you bring to you poetry! |
|Group Share |Allow a few students to share their poems and explain how they used line breaks to bring music to |
| |their poetry. |
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