Assessment:
Interdisciplinary Unit of Instruction Rational
Context:
This interdisciplinary unit of instruction was created and developed as a requirement for CI 4000, Elementary School Curriculum and Instruction, under the advisement of Dr. Diane Marks. This English Language Arts unit was taught in Mrs. Croon’s class to Mrs. Duncan’s students (due to class shifts) at Gamewell Elementary School in Lenoir, NC (Caldwell County). Students will develop an understanding of I-Poetry / Persona Poems and this genre of poetry can be used to recognize and identify characteristics of an inanimate (non-living) object. Students will investigate and build their knowledge of this poetic genre through the use of children’s literature and descriptive language activities to help students identify the importance of word choice in written and spoken language. I will also be integrating the discipline of Science into my unit of instruction. This integration will be done through a demonstration to express to students’ how landforms are continuously changing. Throughout this demonstration, students will have practice making observations and identifying characteristics of an inanimate object, specifically a stream. Throughout this unit, students will be exposed to various children’s literature that focuses on personifying an inanimate object. Students will be read several poetic books to familiarize and model proper uses of descriptive language and figurative language in writing.
Impact:
This artifact allowed me to gain valuable insight and practice into the creation of a unit of instruction. Integrating language arts and science through this unit also gave me a better understanding of subject integration. With this unit, students will gain a better understanding of landforms through the poetic device of I-Poetry/Persona Poems. The activities assembled in this unit will help students to tap into their own creating thinking and learn how writing can be used to express attributes, emotions, and descriptions of inanimate objects. This unit is in alignment with the North Carolina Standard Course of Study, the objects are as follows:
English Language Arts: Grade 5
Objective 1.04: Use word reference materials (e.g., glossary, dictionary, thesaurus, online
reference tools) to identify and comprehend unknown words.
• Dictionary- a reference source in print or electronic form giving information about the meanings, forms, pronunciations, uses, and origins of words listed in alphabetical order.
• Thesaurus- a reference source in print or electronic form giving synonyms for a particular word listed in alphabetical order.
• Glossary- a reference source (usually found in the back of a book) giving definitions to word specific to a particular content.
Objective 2.03: Read a variety of texts, such as:
• Nonfiction: A story in which all of the information presented in the text is factual information.
• Fiction: A story in which the story, plot, and characters are all false.
• Poetry: I-Poetry / Persona Poems, Personifying (represent, embody) characteristics specific to the chosen topic. In this unit students will produce an I-Poem about a specific landform. In this case, students will associate human like characteristics with an inanimate (non-living) object.
Objective 4.09: Produce work that follows the conventions of particular genres. (I-Poetry)
Objective 5.04: Determine the impact of word choice on written and spoken language.
Science: Grade 5
Objective 2.05: Discuss how the flow of water and the slope of the land affect erosion.
(Specifically stream erosion)
Alignment:
Standard 2 – Teachers Establish a Respectful Environment for a Diverse Population of Students
2a. Teachers provide an environment in which each child has a positive, nurturing relationship with caring adults
I met this standard by considering each child’s individual needs in relation to the content and teaching strategies chosen.
2c. Teachers treat students as individuals
I met this standard by creating modifications in my lesson plans based on individual children’s needs.
2d. Teachers adapt their teaching for the benefit of students with special needs
I met this standard by adapting lessons in instruction and assessments contained in this unit.
Standard 3 – Teachers Know the Content They Teach
3c. Teachers recognize the interconnectedness of content areas/disciplines
I met this standard by integrating language arts and science into my lessons for this unit which relied on prior planning and the creation of original content appropriate activities.
Standard 4: Teachers Facilitate Learning for Their Students
4a: Teachers know the ways in which learning takes place, and they know the appropriate levels of intellectual, physical, social, and emotional development of their students.
I met this standard by meeting with my cooperating teacher in order to create a unit that aligns both with the NC pacing guide and the curriculum they are to study. This unit is developmentally appropriate for fifth graders. Also, this unit appropriately aligns with the North Carolina Standard Course of Study goals for fifth grade language arts and science.
4b: Teachers plan instruction appropriate for their students.
This standard was met through cooperative learning in a small group setting. Students who lacked an understanding of the concept was presented assignments in their group that were developmentally appropriate, the same was true for students who demonstrated proficiency of the concept.
4c: Teachers use a variety of instructional methods.
This standard was met by using a variety of instructional methods that are conducive to various learning styles. Students were taught through minimal whole group instruction and spent most of the class time in a small group setting. Students developed an understanding of the concept through inquiry based instruction and while concurrently working hands on with various poetic devices.
4e: Teachers help students develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
This standard was met through questions asked during instruction and the lessons developed that challenged and moved students to higher levels of thinking.
4h: Teachers use a variety of methods to assess what each student has learned.
This standard was met by having a formative assessment of certain in class assignments and handouts, while the summative assessment was created to include the main points taught to the students in alignment with the North Carolina Standard Course of Study.
Standard 5 – Teachers Reflect on their Practice
5a. Teachers analyze student learning
I met this standard by completing a written analysis at the end of this artifact, based on the constant formative assessments I created and conducted throughout this unit.
5b. Teachers link professional growth to their professional goals
I met this standard by using my in depth reflection of this unit to guide me in the right directions for future professional development.
I-Poetry / Persona Poems:
[pic]
Meredith Huffman / Fall 2009
Gamewell Elementary School
5th Grade
Mrs. Duncan
Purpose:
The purpose for this interdisciplinary unit is to teach students about I-Poetry and how it is used to personify an inanimate object. Throughout this unit students will also gain a better understanding of the importance of word choice in written and spoken language. Students will be exposed to a variety of poetic books which focus on giving a voice to an inanimate object. The integration of the poetic children’s books’ will allow students to identify proper ways in which descriptive and figurative language are used. Students will learn how to appropriately use a thesaurus as a reference guide in identifying synonyms to a specific word. Students will also learn the conventions of an I-Poem. Most importantly, students will be exposed to a variety of poetic devises to increase his/her vocabulary and exposure to descriptive language in order to increase retention. This interdisciplinary unit will be taught over a weeks span in collaboration with my cooperating classroom teacher who will be introducing Landforms in alignment with the North Carolina Standard Course of Study pacing guide for fifth grade.
This unit has been created to meet the needs of all students’ developmental levels. This unit will be taught in a fifth grade classroom, where I will be building their understanding of poetic language (the use of descriptive and figurative language to creatively articulate an object). This unit will necessitate multiple instructional strategies to benefit the various learning needs of students. The class will begin with whole group instruction in order to introduce the concept. Students will then divide into small groups for cooperative group instruction. Each group will obtain students of similar developmental levels and will be presented with assignments that are developmentally appropriate to keep everyone engaged and learning. While in these small groups, the students will also take time to work independently and write on a detached sheet of notebook paper or the appropriate handout. Students’ will be formally assessed throughout the unit with a summative unit assessment to determine his/her rate of progression and comprehension of the unit content.
Content Outline:
English Language Arts: Grade 5
Objective 1.04: Use word reference materials (e.g., glossary, dictionary, thesaurus, online
reference tools) to identify and comprehend unknown words.
• Dictionary- a reference source in print or electronic form giving information about the meanings, forms, pronunciations, uses, and origins of words listed in alphabetical order.
• Thesaurus- a reference source in print or electronic form giving synonyms for a particular word listed in alphabetical order.
• Glossary- a reference source (usually found in the back of a book) giving definitions to word specific to a particular content.
Reference – a book, document, or portion of a written work to which a reader is referred to for information
Materials – equipment or supplies
Objective 2.03: Read a variety of texts, such as:
• Nonfiction: A story in which all of the information presented in the text is factual information.
• Fiction: A story in which the story, plot, and characters are all false.
• Poetry: I-Poetry / Persona Poems, Personifying (represent, embody) characteristics specific to the chosen topic. In this unit students will produce an I-Poem about a specific landform. In this case, students will associate human like characteristics with an inanimate (non-living) object.
Read to increase exposure to an assortment of books.
Objective 4.09: Produce work that follows the conventions of particular genres. (I-Poetry)
Produce Work – Create thoughtful, original work.
Conventions – Guidelines and criteria specific to the genre.
Genre – A particular type of a specified category. I-Poetry is the particular type (genre), Poetry would be the specified category.
An I-Poem has the following conventions:
• Title
• Three Stanza’s
• Six lines in each stanza
• Each line begins with an “I” and is followed by a verb.
Objective 5.04: Determine the impact of word choice on written and spoken language.
Determine – To find out or come to a decision.
Impact – Influence
Word choice is imperative to written and spoken language as words are used to describe a specific action, emotion, and/or object. Without knowledge of words, we would have limited ways to communicate our thought; therefore increased word knowledge (through exposure to literature) will help us to become more descriptive and concise in our written (writing) and spoken (verbalized) language.
Science: Grade 5
Objective 2.05: Discuss how the flow of water and the slope of the land affect erosion.
(Specifically stream erosion)
Discuss – Allowing students to take turns sharing observations relevant to the content being studied and/or individually express their connections to the information being shared by other students.
Affect – To influence something vs. to cause something – effect.
Stream – A narrow flowing body of water confined by stream banks (the upward sloping ground along the edge of a stream that the sides confine the water).
Slop – The angle of the land
Erosion – The carrying away of rock, debris, and sediment.
Running water, the flow of water, is the leading cause of erosion, specifically stream erosion. A heavy flow of water will drastically increase stream erosion because a greater force of water will pick up heavier substances whereas a lighter flow will slightly affect stream erosion because there is a lower force of water subsequently eroding away only light substances. Another contributing factor of stream erosion is determined by the steepness of slope. A gradual slope will contain a slower flowing stream because the pull of gravity will not be as intense therefore the force of water will be minimal and less stream erosion will occur. A steep slope will contain a heavier flowing stream because the pull of gravity will direct the water down at a higher rate therefore the force of water will be higher and more stream erosion will occur.
Unit Assessment:
Pre-Assessment:
Students will be given a pre-assessment to determine his/her level of prior knowledge in relation to the content of the unit. The pre-assessment will be administered through a informal classroom discussion where students individually take turns articulating his/her understanding, posing questions, or responding to comments. Unit content being covered in the pre-assessment class discussion: Discuss with students their prior knowledge of descriptive language (using descriptive adjectives to creatively and cleverly describe something). Discuss with students why it is important to assimilate descriptive language into your written and spoken language. Discuss students’ prior knowledge of figurative language, such as: personification, alliteration, onomatopoeia, metaphor, and, simile. Discuss with students their prior knowledge of I-Poetry / Persona poems, personifying an inanimate object. Discuss with students tools that can be used to learn, reference, and analyze vocabulary including: reading various genres of literature, auditory observations, a dictionary, a thesaurus, and a glossary.
• Based on information gathered from students in relation to the topics listed above, I will have a better understanding of the students’ familiarity and comprehension of descriptive language and word choice and its impact on written and spoken language.
Formative Assessment:
Throughout this unit students will be assessed through an informal formative observation and discussion where I will walk around observing, monitoring, and discussing content specific to the daily lesson. Students will be required to complete specific in class written assignments or handouts to be used as a tool to assess student learning. Informal formative assessment: Students’ writing will be observed to check for understanding and knowledge comprehension. Students learning will be assessed through detailed observations of students’ writing. The observations will be used to see where students stand as far as understanding of the appropriate structure of an I-Poem, use of descriptive adjectives and figurative language, and understanding of how to appropriately use a thesaurus to enrich his/her work.
Summative Assessment:
Students will turn in completed I-Poetry to be graded as a summative assessment. Students work will be graded based on the following rubric:
(Final Unit Assessment)
I-Poetry / Persona Poem Rubric:
|Criteria |Possible Points |Points Earned |
|Is written from the perspective of the topic; |30 | |
|includes I-Poem format | | |
|Reveals factual information about the topic in |20 | |
|an interesting way | | |
|Provides readers with a sense of wonder about |20 | |
|the topic through the use of poetic language, | | |
|descriptive adjectives and figurative language.| | |
|Has appropriately used a thesaurus throughout |15 | |
|the unit to replace two word with a more | | |
|descriptive synonym. | | |
|Participates in class and demonstrates |15 | |
|considerable effort throughout the assignment | | |
|and in the final product | | |
|Total: |100 | |
Unit Focus: I-Poetry / Persona Poems
Lesson 1: Word Graveyard
(This unit references content currently being taught by the classroom teacher
in science; specifically regarding erosion, and landforms.)
Subject: English Language Arts
Grade: 5th
Time: 45 minutes
Materials:
• Book: Mohave, by Diane Siebert
• Book: Immersed in Verse, by Allan Wolf
• Thesaurus
• Dictionary
• Detached notebook paper
• Pencil(s)
Alignment: (NCSCOS – English Language Arts)
Objective 1.04: Use word reference materials (e.g., glossary, dictionary, thesaurus, online
reference tools) to identify and comprehend unknown words.
• Dictionary- a reference source in print or electronic form giving information about the meanings, forms, pronunciations, uses, and origins of words listed in alphabetical order.
• Thesaurus- a reference source in print or electronic form giving synonyms for a particular word listed in alphabetical order.
• Glossary- a reference source (usually found in the back of a book) giving definitions to word specific to a particular content.
Objective 2.03: Read a variety of texts, such as:
• Nonfiction: A story in which all of the information presented in the text is factual information.
• Fiction: A story in which the story, plot, and characters are all false.
• Poetry: I-Poetry / Persona Poems, Personifying (represent, embody) characteristics specific to the chosen topic. In this unit students will produce an I-Poem about a specific landform. In this case, students will associate human like characteristics with an inanimate (non-living) object.
Objective 5.04: Determine the impact of word choice on written and spoken language.
Classroom Management Strategies:
• Frontload rules and procedures to promote successful, cooperative group work for students.
• Clearly state that students are to…:
o Go quietly to his/her designated meeting station to complete work.
o Work collaboratively with the group. (Things to remember: take turns sharing thoughts/comments/ideas, direct your full attention to the speaker, contribute constructively to the group work.)
o Leave designated meeting station the way he/she found it by arranging all desks and placing all materials back in its original spot.
Accommodations:
Directions will be written clear and concise on the whiteboard for students to reference throughout the lesson.
Activity:
Pre-assessment - Discuss with students their prior knowledge of descriptive language (using descriptive adjectives to creatively and cleverly describe something). Discuss with students why it is important to assimilate descriptive language into your written and spoken language. Discuss students’ prior knowledge of figurative language, such as: personification, alliteration, onomatopoeia, metaphor, and, simile. Discuss with students their prior knowledge of I-Poetry / Persona poems, personifying an inanimate object. Discuss with students tools that can be used to learn, reference, and analyze vocabulary including: reading various genres of literature, auditory observations, a dictionary, a thesaurus, and a glossary.
• Based on information gathered from students in relation to the topics listed above, I will have a better understanding of the students’ familiarity and comprehension of descriptive language and word choice and its impact on written and spoken language.
Vocabulary:
• Personification – When something that is not human is given human like characteristics.
• Alliteration – Repetition of sound.
• Onomatopoeia – When you name an action by imitating the sound it makes.
• Metaphor – A comparison of two things that in reality do not share similar characteristics.
• Simile – A comparison of two things using like or as.
• Inanimate – Non-living
Read Aloud – Mohave, by Diane Siebert
• Reiterate the impact of word choice throughout the book by orally noting the author’s use of figurative language, such as: personification, alliteration, onomatopoeia, metaphor, and, simile.
• Show and discuss ways in which the author uses descriptive language to personify and give an inanimate (non-living) object a voice.
Word Graveyard activity:
• Upon reading and discussing the book, students will be divided into groups of 4 and directed to their designated meeting station to wait for instruction. (Students should bring along a detached sheet of notebook paper and a pencil.)
• Students will brainstorm as a group and come up with a list of commonly used adjectives that we (as a class) can metaphorically “bury” and replace with cleverly descriptive adjectives.
• Once students have generated a list of commonly used adjectives, the group will then collectively decide on one word they will use to create a list of synonyms. Students will use a thesaurus as a reference tool to generate a list of synonyms that can be used in place of the commonly used word.
• Once students have created their list of words as a group they will then translate those words onto a piece of poster paper in the following format to create a word tombstone.
[pic]
Wrap-up:
Each group will collectively decide on one student to stand and read their word tombstone to the class. The tombstones will be posted on the walls of the classroom to create a word graveyard for students to reference throughout the year. A class discussion will be used to assess student learning.
Lesson Assessment:
Students will be formally assessed throughout the lesson to check for understanding and comprehension of the appropriate way in which to use a thesaurus. A classroom discussion will take place at the end of class to assess student learning. Students should realize that a thesaurus is a useful resource tool when looking for synonyms. Students should also realize that a thesaurus can be used to identify words that may be more specific to an emotion or subject, however students should also realize that some synonyms may not clearly express the identified emotion or subject; therefore the reader should be wary when choosing a synonym.
Unit Focus: I-Poetry / Persona Poems
Lesson 2: Science Demonstration
(This unit references content currently being taught by the classroom teacher
in science; specifically regarding erosion, and landforms.)
Subject: Science
Grade: 5th
Time: 30 minutes
Materials:
• Long cake pan
• Top-soil
• Pebbles
• Water bottle
• Large bowl
• Access to running water
• Books (used to manipulate the steepness of slope)
Alignment: (NCSCOS – Science and English Language Arts)
Objective 2.05: Discuss how the flow of water and the slope of the land affect erosion.
Objective 5.04: Determine the impact of word choice on written and spoken language.
Classroom Management Strategies:
• Frontload rules and procedures to promote successful student learning in a whole group demonstration session.
• Clearly state that students are to…:
o Go safely and quietly to the designated meeting area.
o Students are to keep the volume level to a minimum and keep hands away from the demonstration materials.
• Frequently disruptive and/or defiant students will be given a helpful “job” to do pertaining to the demonstration.
Accommodations:
• Students who have a hard time seeing and/or focusing on the task at hand will be placed in the front row in order to decrease distraction.
• As a class, we will have a guided discussion to ensure that each student’s visual observation aligns with specific vocabulary.
Vocabulary:
• Stream – A body of running water flowing on the earth.
• Meander – A turn or winding of a stream. (associated with an S shape)
• Watershed – The area of land that catches the water.
• Stream bank – The upward slopping ground (which flanks the stream) that confines the water flow.
• Runoff – Water that runs off Earth’s solid surface
• Riprap – Rocks that line a stream bank in order do decrease stream erosion.
Activity:
• Before beginning the demonstration, explain to students that his/her observations from today’s science lesson will be used to inspire our poetry on the subsequent day. Therefore, students should pay close attention to what they observe – specifically what they observe about the river rock.
• Ask students to create a hypothesis regarding steepness of slope and its affect on stream erosion.
• Discuss with students the proper way to articulate his/her hypothesis. (If…., then…..)
• Discuss with students how the flow of water is affected by the slope. A steep slope will result in a heavy flow of water whereas a more gradual slop will result in a slower water flow, therefore a steep slope with a heavy flow will erode (pick up and carry) sediment much more than a gradual slope with a slower water flow.
• Demonstration. (Prior to the demonstration, mold a riverbed into the soil, and then place the rocks above the soil in various places around the cake pan, making certain to place one rock in at the top of the river bed). Be sure to place one or two in the riverbed.) Demonstrate for students a gradual slope with slow flowing water by placing two small books under the cake pan to slightly raise the slope, then with water bottle, poor the water from the top. Next, demonstrate for students a gradual slope with a heavy flow by keeping the level of the slope the same as the first demonstration, but this time use the large bowl to quickly poor in water. Then, (at this point the river may need to be molded back to its original state) demonstrate for students a steep slope with a slow flow by adding a few more books to increase the slope of the cake pan and poor water from the water bottle. Lastly, demonstrate for students a steep slope with a heavy flow by using the large bowl.
• Throughout the demonstration, students should be associating the appropriate vocabulary words with portions of the demonstration.
Wrap-up:
Direct students to return to his/her desk to document their observations. Students will write 2-3 sentences concluding, identifying, and determining that a more gradual the slope, will have less erosion as well as a greater volume of water increases stream erosion. In relation to the I-Poetry unit and the pervious lesson, students will be asked to make a list of (at least 5) descriptive phrases (using descriptive adjectives mentioned in the previous lesson) that would express the students’ observations. This exercise is to help students use descriptive and figurative language to give an inanimate (non-living) object a voice. Students should mentally reference examples of descriptive and figurative language used in the book Mohave.
Lesson Assessment:
Informal formative assessment: Students’ writing will be observed to check for understanding and knowledge comprehension of both the outcome of the demonstration (conclusion) and descriptive and figurative language exercise. (The demonstration aligns with what is being taught in science while it also helps students directly reference specific inanimate objects related to and used during the demonstration and their characteristics.)
Unit Focus: I-Poetry / Persona Poems
Lesson 3: Introduction to I-Poetry
(This unit references content currently being taught by the classroom teacher
in science; specifically regarding erosion, and landforms.)
Subject: English Language Arts
Grade: 5th
Time: 1 hour
Materials:
• Two different colored thick tipped markers.
• Large lined chart paper.
• Students will be given handouts to reference. (Attached at the end of this lesson)
• Book: I Am The Mummy Heb Nefert, by Eve Bunting
• Book: Mohave, Immersed in Verse)
• Thesaurus
Alignment:
Objective 1.04: Use word reference materials (e.g., glossary, dictionary, thesaurus, online
reference tools) to identify and comprehend unknown words.
• Dictionary- a reference source in print or electronic form giving information about the meanings, forms, pronunciations, uses, and origins of words listed in alphabetical order.
• Thesaurus- a reference source in print or electronic form giving synonyms for a particular word listed in alphabetical order.
• Glossary- a reference source (usually found in the back of a book) giving definitions to word specific to a particular content.
Objective 2.03: Read a variety of texts, such as:
• Nonfiction: A story in which all of the information presented in the text is factual information.
• Fiction: A story in which the story, plot, and characters are all false.
• Poetry: I-Poetry / Persona Poems, Personifying (represent, embody) characteristics specific to the chosen topic. In this unit students will produce an I-Poem about a specific landform. In this case, students will associate human like characteristics with an inanimate (non-living) object.
Objective 5.04: Determine the impact of word choice on written and spoken language.
Classroom Management Strategies:
• Incentive: “Basketballs” (A slip of paper with an image of a basketball, used by the school to acknowledge good behavior. At the end of every 9 weeks the slips are place into a basket with other “basketballs” from the grade. Those who are selected will be allowed to choose a prize from the prize box.)
• Model good behavior and expected task.
• Proximity Control.
Accommodations:
• Students will be given handouts with examples of descriptive adjectives.
• The book will be passed around for students to examine in order to make connections with the illustrations and the text.
• Certain students will be allowed to move to be closer to the whiteboard.
Activity:
• Read aloud I Am The Mummy Heb-Nefert, by Eve Bunting. (Discuss the author’s use of descriptive and figurative language throughout the text.)
• Post the chart paper in the center of the whiteboard.
• Brainstorm, using a web-map, words or phrases that can be associated with the object and descriptive adjectives that can be used to describe the object. (river rock).
• As a class, discuss the components of an I-Poem (reference the handout attached to this lesson.)
• As a class, create an I-Poem following the appropriate guidelines. (As shown on an attached handout below)
• Students should copy down the I-Poem as it is written (pre and post revisions)
• As a class, go through the I-Poem and determine areas that could be improved and would benefit from the use of descriptive adjectives and figurative language. Substitute the new words in for the old. (Then, use a thesaurus to substitute at least two words from the poem, model the process for the class.)
Wrap-up:
Students will be invited to try out their own I-Poem as a wrap-up activity. Students will choose from the following topics: tree, flower, grass, gravel, or dirt. Once they have individually selected their topic, students will be asked to brainstorm ideas for the poem, using the web-map modeled earlier in class. Students will complete the first stanza independently for practice. Students will be asked to integrate (include) descriptive adjectives and figurative language in the first stanza of his/her I-Poem.)
Stanza One:
I am (_____ and _____, 2 special characteristics you have)
I wonder (something you are curious about)
I hear (an imaginary sound)
I see (an imaginary sight)
I want (something you desire)
I am (repeat the first line of the poem)
Lesson Assessment:
Informal formative assessment: Students’ writing will be observed to check for understanding and knowledge comprehension. Students learning will be assessed through detailed observations of students’ writing. The observations will be used to see where students stand as far as understanding of the appropriate structure of an I-Poem, use of descriptive adjectives and figurative language, and understanding of how to appropriately use a thesaurus to enrich his/her work.
The following are the class handouts for lesson 3:
Handout # 1: (Print front and back)
Vocabulary-Sounds
|Babble |Crackle |Murmur |Tinkle |
|Bark |Crash |Mutter |Toll |
|Bash |Creak |Neigh |Toot |
|Bawl |Croak |Patter |Tootle |
|Bay |Crow |Peal |Trill |
|Beat |Drone |Peep |Twang |
|Bellow |Drumming |Pop |Twitter |
|Blast |Fanfare |Purr |Wail |
|Bleat |Fizz |Quack |Warble |
|Boom |Gibber |Roar |Wheeze |
|Bray |Grating |Rumble |Whine |
|Bubble |Groan |Screech |Whir |
|Buzz |Growl |Scream |Whisper |
|Cackle |Grumble |Shriek |Whistle |
|Caw |Grunt |Sizzle |Yap |
|Chant |Hiss |Snap |Yell |
|Chatter |Hoot |Snarl |Yelp |
|Chime |Howl |Snore |Zap |
|Chirp |Hullabaloo |Splash |Zip |
|Clangor |Hum |Squall | |
|Clank |Jingle |Squeak | |
|Clash |Meow |Thrum | |
|Clatter |Mew |Thud | |
|Click |Moan |Thump | |
|Crack |Mumble |Tick | |
Vocabulary-Movement
|Amble |Hike |Roam |Stride |
|Canter |Hustle |Roll |Stroll |
|Charge |Limp |Rove |Strut |
|Clatter |Loaf |Sail |Swerve |
|Clump |Lumber |Sashay |Toddle |
|Coast |March |Saunter |Traipse |
|Cruise |Meander |Scamper |Tramp |
|Dance |Navigate |Scurry |Tread |
|Drift |Pace |Shuffle |Trek |
|file |Parade |Slide |Trot |
|Flit |Plod |Slink |Trudge |
|Float |Ply |Slither |Tumble |
|Flow |Prance |Sneak |Undulate |
|Fly |Prowl |Sprint |Walk |
|Gallop |Race |Stalk |Wallow |
|Glide |Ramble |Stampede |Waltz |
|Hasten |Range |Straggle |Wander |
| | | |Wend |
| | | |Writhe |
Handout # 2: (Print front and back)
Character Trait Descriptive Adjectives
• Able
• Accepting
• Adventurous
• Aggressive
• Ambitious
• Annoying
• Arrogant
• Articulate
• Athletic
• Awkward
• Boastful
• Bold
• Bossy
• Brave
• Bright
• Busy
• Calm
• Careful
• Careless
• Caring
• Cautious
• Cheerful
• Clever
• Clumsy
• Compassionate
• Complex
• Conceited
• Confident
• Considerate
• Cooperative
• Courageous
• Creative
• Curious
• Dainty
• Daring
• Dark
• Defiant
• Demanding
• Determined
• Devout
• Disagreeable
• Disgruntled
• Dreamer
• Eager
• Efficient
• Embarrassed
• Energetic
• Excited
• Expert
• Fair
• Faithful
• Fancy
• Fighter
• Forgiving
• Free
• Friendly
• Friendly
• Frustrated
• Fun-loving
• Funny
• Generous
• Gentle
• Giving
• Gorgeous
• Gracious
• Grouchy
• Handsome
• Happy
• Hard-working
• Helpful
• Honest
• Hopeful
• Humble
• Humorous
• Imaginative
• Impulsive
• Independent
• Intelligent
• Inventive
• Jealous
• Joyful
• Judgmental
• Keen
• Kind
• Knowledgeable
• Lazy
• Leader
• Light
• Light-hearted
• Likeable
• Lively
• Lovable
• Loving
• Loyal
• Manipulative
• Materialistic
• Mature
• Melancholy
• Merry
• Messy
• Mischievous
• Naïve
• Neat
• Nervous
• Noisy
• Obnoxious
• Opinionated
• Organized
• Outgoing
• Passive
• Patient
• Patriotic
• Perfectionist
• Personable
• Pitiful
• Plain
• Pleasant
• Pleasing
• Poor
• Popular
• Pretty
• Prim
• Proper
• Proud
• Questioning
• Quiet
• Radical
• Realistic
• Rebellious
• Reflective
• Relaxed
• Reliable
• Religious
• Reserved
• Respectful
• Responsible
• Reverent
• Rich
• Rigid
• Rude
• Sad
• Sarcastic
• Self-confident
• Self-conscious
• Selfish
• Sensible
• Sensitive
• Serious
• Short
• Shy
• Silly
• Simple
• Simple-minded
• Smart
• Stable
• Strong
• Stubborn
• Studious
• Successful
• Tall
• Tantalizing
• Tender
• Tense
• Thoughtful
• Thrilling
• Timid
• Tireless
• Tolerant
• Tough
• Tricky
• Trusting
• Ugly
• Understanding
• Unhappy
• Unique
• Unlucky
• Unselfish
• Vain
• Warm
• Wild
• Willing
• Wise
• Witty
Unit Focus: I-Poetry / Persona Poems
Lesson 4: Introduction of I-Poetry continued
(This unit references content currently being taught by the classroom teacher
in science; specifically regarding erosion, and landforms.)
Subject: English Language Arts
Grade: 5th
Time: 1 hour
Materials:
• Book: Dirty Laundry Pile: Poems in Different Voices, by Paul Janeczko
• I-Poetry template handout
• All books used in previous lessons (Mohave, I Am The Mummy Heb Nefert, Immersed in Verse)
• Non-Fiction informational books. (3 or 4 books for each I-Poetry topic. I-Poetry topics include: volcano, earthquake, mountain (mountain range), ocean, or river/stream.)
Alignment:
Objective 1.04: Use word reference materials (e.g., glossary, dictionary, thesaurus, online
reference tools) to identify and comprehend unknown words.
• Dictionary- a reference source in print or electronic form giving information about the meanings, forms, pronunciations, uses, and origins of words listed in alphabetical order.
• Thesaurus- a reference source in print or electronic form giving synonyms for a particular word listed in alphabetical order.
• Glossary- a reference source (usually found in the back of a book) giving definitions to word specific to a particular content.
Objective 2.03: Read a variety of texts, such as:
• Nonfiction: A story in which all of the information presented in the text is factual information.
• Fiction: A story in which the story, plot, and characters are all false.
• Poetry: I-Poetry / Persona Poems, Personifying (represent, embody) characteristics specific to the chosen topic. In this unit students will produce an I-Poem about a specific landform. In this case, students will associate human like characteristics with an inanimate (non-living) object.
Objective 5.04: Determine the impact of word choice on written and spoken language.
Classroom Management Strategies:
• Frontload rules and procedures to promote successful, cooperative group work for students.
• Monitor students’ work to ensure that they are on task.
• Proximity control.
Accommodations:
Directions will be written clear and concise on the whiteboard for students to reference throughout the lesson.
Activity:
• Read poems from the book to students and have them identify what type of inanimate object you are speaking of.
• Review (reference handouts distributed in prior lessons) descriptive adjectives, descriptive language, and figurative language.
• Pass out I-Poetry template handout (attached at the end of this lesson).
• Ask students to flip the handout over so that the blank, backside is face up and ready to write on.
• Explain to students: “Now that you have had practice writing your own I-Poetry and using descriptive and figurative language to personify an inanimate object, today we are all going to individually begin to create our own full I-Poem. Today I want you to focus on choosing a topic and brainstorming ideas. Tomorrow, we will focus on filling out our I-Poem template”
• Students will individually choose one of the following topics: volcano, earthquake, mountain (mountain range), ocean, river/stream to personify in his/her I-Poem.
• Once students have decided upon his/her topic, they will begin to brainstorm using a web-map. Students will be required include in their web-map: flora and fauna, local, characteristics of the landform, descriptive adjectives, and climate. (During this process, students will have access to books read in prior classes, non-fiction literature and informational text specifically related to his/her topic)
• Once students have identified in his/her web-map specific criteria, then he/she will be ready to begin filling in the I-Poetry template.
Wrap-up:
Students will return all materials to its original spot. During this time students will be able to express questions or concerns that they were unable to express during the lesson.
Lesson Assessment:
Informal formative assessment: Students’ writing will be observed to check for understanding and knowledge comprehension. Students learning will be assessed through detailed observations of students’ writing. The observations will be used to see where students stand as far as understanding of the appropriate structure of an I-Poem, use of descriptive adjectives and figurative language, and understanding of how to appropriately use a thesaurus to enrich his/her work. Students will turn in I-Poem template to the teacher for further review.
The I-Poetry template handout for lesson 4 is as follows:
I – Poetry / Persona Poem
Title:__________________________________ Name :__________________________________
First Stanza:
I am ___________________________________________________________________________________
( __________ and _________, 2 special characteristics you have)
I wonder ________________________________________________________________________________
(something you are curious about)
I hear __________________________________________________________________________________
(an imaginary sound)
I see ___________________________________________________________________________________
(an imaginary sight)
I want __________________________________________________________________________________
(something you desire)
I am____________________________________________________________________________________
(repeat the first line of the poem)
Second Stanza:
I pretend ________________________________________________________________________________
(something you pretend to do)
I feel ___________________________________________________________________________________
(a feeling / emotion about something)
I touch __________________________________________________________________________________
(something you touch)
I worry __________________________________________________________________________________
(something that bothers you)
I cry ____________________________________________________________________________________
(something that makes you sad)
I am ____________________________________________________________________________________
(repeat the first line of the poem)
Third Stanza:
I know __________________________________________________________________________________
(something true)
I provide _________________________________________________________________________________
(something you offer)
I dream __________________________________________________________________________________
(something you dream about)
I try _____________________________________________________________________________________
(something you make an effort to do)
I hope ____________________________________________________________________________________
(something you actually hope for)
I am _____________________________________________________________________________________
(repeat the first line of the poem)
Unit Focus: I-Poetry / Persona Poems
Lesson 5: Continuation of I-Poetry
(This unit references content currently being taught by the classroom teacher
in science; specifically regarding erosion, and landforms.)
Subject: English Language Arts
Grade: 5th
Time: 1 hour
Materials:
• Book: Atlantic, by G. Brian Karas
• I-Poetry template handout
• All books used in previous lessons (Mohave, I Am The Mummy Heb Nefert, Dirty Laundry Pile, Immersed in Verse)
• Non-Fiction informational books. (3 or 4 books for each I-Poetry topic. I-Poetry topics include: volcano, earthquake, mountain (mountain range), ocean, or river/stream.)
Alignment:
Objective 1.04: Use word reference materials (e.g., glossary, dictionary, thesaurus, online
reference tools) to identify and comprehend unknown words.
• Dictionary- a reference source in print or electronic form giving information about the meanings, forms, pronunciations, uses, and origins of words listed in alphabetical order.
• Thesaurus- a reference source in print or electronic form giving synonyms for a particular word listed in alphabetical order.
• Glossary- a reference source (usually found in the back of a book) giving definitions to word specific to a particular content.
Objective 2.03: Read a variety of texts, such as:
• Nonfiction: A story in which all of the information presented in the text is factual information.
• Fiction: A story in which the story, plot, and characters are all false.
• Poetry: I-Poetry / Persona Poems, Personifying (represent, embody) characteristics specific to the chosen topic. In this unit students will produce an I-Poem about a specific landform. In this case, students will associate human like characteristics with an inanimate (non-living) object.
Objective 5.04: Determine the impact of word choice on written and spoken language.
Classroom Management Strategies:
• Frontload rules and procedures to promote successful, cooperative group work for students.
• Monitor students’ work to ensure that they are on task.
• Proximity control.
Accommodations:
Directions will be written clear and concise on the whiteboard for students to reference throughout the lesson. Students who complete his/her work early will be instructed to help a peer, read an AR book, or work on an incomplete assignment.
Activity:
• Students will spend the hour concluding his/her web-map. Students will reference material (poetic books, non-fiction informational text, textbook, and handouts) as inspiration for filling in his/her I-Poem template.
• Students who complete his/her work early will be instructed to help a peer, read an AR book, or work on an incomplete assignment.
Wrap-up:
Students will return all materials to its original spot. During this time students will be able to express questions or concerns that they were unable to express during the lesson.
Lesson Assessment:
Informal formative assessment: Students’ writing will be observed to check for understanding and knowledge comprehension. Students learning will be assessed through detailed observations of students’ writing. The observations will be used to see where students stand as far as understanding of the appropriate structure of an I-Poem, use of descriptive adjectives and figurative language, and understanding of how to appropriately use a thesaurus to enrich his/her work. Students will turn in I-Poem template to teacher for further review.
Unit Focus: I-Poetry / Persona Poems
Lesson 6: Conclusion of I-Poetry
(This unit references content currently being taught by the classroom teacher
in science; specifically regarding erosion, and landforms.)
Subject: English Language Arts
Grade: 5th
Time: 1 hour
Materials:
• I-Poetry template handout
• All books used in previous lessons (Mohave, The Mummy, Dirty Laundry Pile, Atlantic, Immersed in Verse)
• Leveled Non-Fiction informational books. (3 or 4 books for each I-Poetry topic from the school library. I-Poetry topics include: volcano, earthquake, mountain (mountain range), ocean, or river/stream.)
• Various colors of construction paper
• Markers
Alignment:
Objective 1.04: Use word reference materials (e.g., glossary, dictionary, thesaurus, online
reference tools) to identify and comprehend unknown words.
• Dictionary- a reference source in print or electronic form giving information about the meanings, forms, pronunciations, uses, and origins of words listed in alphabetical order.
• Thesaurus- a reference source in print or electronic form giving synonyms for a particular word listed in alphabetical order.
• Glossary- a reference source (usually found in the back of a book) giving definitions to word specific to a particular content.
Objective 2.03: Read a variety of texts, such as:
• Nonfiction: A story in which all of the information presented in the text is factual information.
• Fiction: A story in which the story, plot, and characters are all false.
• Poetry: I-Poetry / Persona Poems, Personifying (represent, embody) characteristics specific to the chosen topic. In this unit students will produce an I-Poem about a specific landform. In this case, students will associate human like characteristics with an inanimate (non-living) object.
Objective 5.04: Determine the impact of word choice on written and spoken language.
Classroom Management Strategies:
• Frontload rules and procedures to promote successful, cooperative group work for students.
1. Finish writing ( use your resources! (Explain to students that their resources are anything around them that can constructively be used to enrich his/her project, such as: dictionary, thesaurus, classroom teacher, peers, handouts, poetic books, and non-fiction informational text.)
2. Edit and revise
3. Use a thesaurus to replace at least two words from your poem.
4. Pair and share ( collaborate with your neighbor (the person beside you) review each others work and share your constructive criticism that will enrich his/her project.
5. Work on final copy.
• Proximity control.
• Monitor students’ work to ensure that they are on task.
Accommodations:
Directions will be written clear and concise on the whiteboard for students to reference throughout the lesson. Students who complete his/her work early will be instructed to help a peer, read an AR book, or work on an incomplete assignment.
Activity:
• Students will spend the hour concluding his/her I-Poem. Students will reference material (poetic books, non-fiction informational text, textbook, and handouts) as inspiration for filling in his/her I-Poem template.
• Students who complete his/her work early will be instructed to help a peer, read an AR book, or work on an incomplete assignment.
Wrap-up:
Students will return all materials to its original spot. During this time students will be able to express questions or concerns that they were unable to express during the lesson. Students who have yet to complete the assignment will be allowed to take his/her work home to complete.
Lesson Assessment:
Formal summative assessment: Students will turn in completed I-Poetry to be graded. Students work will be graded based on the following rubric:
(Final Unit Assessment)
I-Poetry / Persona Poem Rubric:
|Criteria |Possible Points |Points Earned |
|Is written from the perspective of the topic; |30 | |
|includes I-Poem format | | |
|Reveals factual information about the topic in |20 | |
|an interesting way | | |
|Provides readers with a sense of wonder about |20 | |
|the topic through the use of poetic language, | | |
|descriptive adjectives and figurative language.| | |
|Has appropriately used a thesaurus throughout |15 | |
|the unit to replace two word with a more | | |
|descriptive synonym. | | |
|Participates in class and demonstrates |15 | |
|considerable effort throughout the assignment | | |
|and in the final product | | |
|Total: |100 | |
Unit Resources:
Literary Resources:
• Mohave, by Diane Siebert
• I Am The Mummy Heb-Nefert, by Eve Bunting
• Dirty Laundry Pile: Poems in Different Voices, by Paul Janeczko
• Atlantic, by G. Brian Karas
• Immersed in Verse, by Allan Wolf
• A compilation of leveled non-fiction informational books from the Gamewell Elementary School Library specific to I-Poem topics (volcano, earthquake, mountain (mountain range), ocean, river/stream). At least three books related to each topic.
[pic]
Web Resources:
•
•
•
•
Handouts:
• Dr. Elizabeth Frye, ASU – RE 4030 – Descriptive Adjectives Handout, Vocabulary Movement / Vocabulary Sound Handout.
Analysis of Student Learning:
Part 1
|Name |Pre-test |Lesson 1 |Lesson 2 |Lesson 3 |Lesson 4 |Lesson 5 |Post-test |
| |(NCSCOS – ELA, Obj.|(NCSCOS – ELA, Obj.|(NCSCOS – Sci., |(NCSCOS – ELA, Obj.|(NCSCOS – ELA, Obj.|(NCSCOS – ELA, Obj.|(NCSCOS – ELA, Obj.|
| |1.04, 5.04) |1.04) |Obj. 2.05 & ELA |5.04) |5.04) |1.04, 5.04) |1.05, 4.09, 5.04) |
| | | |Obj. 5.04) | | | | |
| | | | | | | | |
|Faith |S- |S |S- |S |S |S |S |
| | | | | | | | |
|Haleigh |S |S+ |S+ |S+ |S+ |S+ |S+ |
| | | | | | | | |
|Mikayla |S |S |S |S+ |S+ |S+ |S+ |
| | | | | | | | |
|Cory T. |S |S |S |S+ |S+ |S+ |S+ |
| | | | | | | | |
|Kyle |S |S+ |S+ |S+ |S+ |S+ |S+ |
| | | | | | | | |
|Karly |S |S+ |S+ |S |S+ |S+ |S+ |
| | | | | | | | |
|Clifford |S- |S |S |S- |S- |S |S |
| | | | | | | | |
|Dawson |S- |S |S |S+ |S |S |S |
| | | | | | | | |
|Mackenzie |(Absent) |(Absent) |(Absent) |S |S |S+ |S+ |
| | | | | | | | |
|Aleah |S+ |S+ |S+ |S+ |S+ |S+ |S+ |
| | | | | | | | |
|Kayleigh |S- |S |S |S |S- |S- |S |
| | | | | | | | |
|Mathew D. |S+ |S+ |S+ |S+ |S+ |S+ |S+ |
| | | | | | | | |
|Tara |S |S |S+ |S |S |S |S |
| | | | | | | | |
|Nathan |S- |S- |S- |S- |S |S- |S- |
| | | | | | | | |
|Nick |S- |S- |S- |S- |S |S |S- |
| | | | | | | | |
|Ashley |S- |S+ |S |S |S |S |S |
| | | | | | | | |
|David |S |S |S |S |S+ |S+ |S+ |
| | | | | | | | |
|Camille |S- |S |S- |S |S |S |S+ |
| | | | | | | | |
|Cory M. |S- |S |S |S |S+ |S |S+ |
| | | | | | | | |
|Joseph |S- |S |S |S- |(Absent) |S- |S |
| | | | | | | | |
|Tyler |S- |S- |S- |S- |S- |(Absent) |S |
| | | | | | | | |
|Kendra |(Absent) |(Absent) |S |S- |S |S |S |
| | | | | | | | |
|Brandy |S |S+ |S |S |S+ |S+ |S+ |
| | | | | | | | |
|Taylor |S |S |S |S |S+ |S+ |S+ |
| | | | | | | | |
|Dillon |S |S |S |S+ |S- |S- |S |
| | | | | | | | |
|Shelby |(Absent |(Absent) |S |S |S+ |S+ |S+ |
S- = Unsatisfactory, student did not perform to his/her full ability.
S = Student did what was required
S+ = Students demonstrated considerable effort on assignments and in class participation.
Explanation of Matrix:
The assessment of student learning was an imperative part of my reflection process. I found it extremely beneficial to conduct the unit based on the outcome of the pre and formative assessments. Prior to this unit, I had not been required to administer a pre-assessment to students before teaching my lesson and now I wonder how could I have known the students’ growth? It makes so much since to construct your unit and/or individual lessons based on your students’ prior knowledge; this will be doing your students as well as yourself a favor. The above matrix chronicles the outcome of my unit assessments. Initially, I found it difficult to wrap my head around giving an assessment after every single lesson (especially with a class of 26 students), but now I have come to realize that there is no better way to track each student’s growth and pinpoint areas of confusion. Looking at the collective scores identified on the matrix, I feel that my students made significant progress from the pre-assessment to the post-assessment. In our initial classroom discussion it was clear that the students were not familiar with descriptive adjectives, and figurative language, nor did they understand the importance words have in relation to our written and spoken language. However, a few students did have a clear understanding of how to appropriately use a thesaurus, though it was not something they commonly referenced.
Moving through the subsequent lessons, the students seemed to progress daily in their understanding of the content. Although, there were a few students who digressed during some lessons, but I truly believe it was because of the student’s unwillingness to try. These particular students showed evidence of learning in a few lessons, but not others. However, these students I am speaking of are the type of students who are defiant and testy. They will continuously defy directions and do as they wish. Working with those students has really been a learning experience for me, I had to quickly learn how to handle their personality types, get them to produce work, learn the content, and manage the other students. I was able to provide these students with some individual assistance however, I believe they would have benefited from more one on one help to assist in focusing and staying on task or possibly a more detailed worksheet where the student could pick and choose from previously identified words. Nevertheless, the overall growth seemed positive and from my observations the majority of the students really enjoyed having a time to creatively express his/her artistic ability through poetry.
Analysis of Student Learning:
Part 2
Case Study 1: High score on pre-test
The student I chose for this case study did exceptionally well throughout the unit of instruction. For the most part, she expressed an understanding of the content to be covered throughout the unit. Initially, this made me very nervous because there were so many students who did not articulate an understanding of the content, which was what I had anticipated. However, Aleah is one of those students always pushes herself to produce her best work, and as I began to learn her personality, it came as no surprise to me that her final outcome was eloquently written using descriptive language. As I previously mentioned, I was very impressed with Aleah’s progress. Even though she knew the majority of information being discussed, she still challenged herself to do better.
One way in which I tried to enrich her learning was by offering her the book Immersed in Verse, by Allan Wolf to read. This children’s book takes the reader through a deeper level of understanding figurative language in sarcastic and witty way, showing the reader how to “live life like a poet”. I was grateful that I found this book because it was concurrently educational and entertaining. Another way in which I feel that Aleah deepened her understanding of the content being covered in the unit of instruction was though peer support. Aleah is in a class with a few low level learners and unfortunately the some students in particular are low level learners because they are defiant and disruptive. I found it beneficial to pair a low level learner with a high level learner because they both will experience growth. First and foremost, the low level learner will have a peer, speaking his/her “own language” as well as receive valuable one on one time. In addition, the repetition of the content will increase retention for the high level learner. Therefore, both students (if properly paired to avoid excessive talking) should experience growth.
Case Study 2: Medium score on pre-test
My second case study focuses on the growth of student who had a medium score on the pre-assessment. Taylor articulated a minimal understanding of descriptive adjectives, figurative language, and the importance of words in descriptive words in written and spoken language. In fact, he was more focused on what his buddies were doing during the lesson. Now this, more than anything irks me. I believe it is rude and disruptive to show minimal interest in the assignment at hand. However, I soon came to realize that Taylor is easily influence by others around him. Once I identified the problem, that is allowing Taylor to sit near friends that easily distract him, I came to realize that he is one of those students that seem to sincerely want to do well in school, but also want to look “cool”. I decided that my challenge with Taylor was to get him to put forth the effort in his work that I knew he obtained.
As the lessons progressed, his mediocre understanding of figurative language went from unidentifiable to recognizable, which I feel is a great success for a student who expressed a lack of interest in the content. I feel that the student’s proximity to his close friends tremendously affected the outcome of Taylor’s work and in turn the increased distance increased his score. Taylor’s final product demonstrated to me that he understood the importance of descriptive language both written and spoken. Among other areas of growth, Taylor also expressed an understanding of how to appropriately use a thesaurus, which was evident in his the final product of his I-Poem. In conclusion, this student demonstrated significant growth throughout the unit of instruction and I feel that it is directly related to his placement in the classroom. I have expressed to him that it is okay to sit near your friends, and that would not be an issue, but not at the expense of his work.
Case Study 3: Low score on pre-test
There were a few students who scored low on the pre-test. These students were not able to articulate any understanding of descriptive adjectives, figurative language, the importance of word choice on written or spoken language, nor the importance of a thesaurus for enrichment. In fact, this student is a lot like case study number 2, Taylor. Tyler (Case Study 3) and Taylor are two of the ones that needed separation at the beginning of the unit. These two together, and Tyler alone are very disruptive, defiant, and unruly.
It is unfortunate to see, but it seems as if this student is mad at the world. Tyler requires medication but as noted by the teacher he does not receive the medication on a regulated basis. Tyler is the type of student who likes to be center of attention, and does not care what the teacher or any other student thinks. Of course, we all know that is untrue, deep down inside, everyone cares in some way how others will perceive them, and that is how I was going to help him. As I mentioned, Tyler performed poor on his per-assessment, expressing a lack of interest in all things. At first, his behavior baffled me, mainly because in all of my educational experiences and interactions with students I had never met a student with his demeanor. I began to get quite frustrated with myself because I was unsure of how to handle his outbursts, disruptive behavior, and lack of effort in completing the assignment. Once I started to reflect on what it could be that was causing him disrupt and defy I began tuning into other children’s perceptions of him. It was clear that the other students in the class would laugh at his jokes, but also give him the cold shoulder because he was “stupid and mean”. Now, I don’t care how old you are, no one wants to be called stupid and mean by their peers, so I decided that what he needed was some constructive criticism. As the week progressed and we began to embark on lesson 4, my frustration seemed to subside and I started to realize what I needed to do. At this time, Tyler had yet to fully complete the assignments required so I began dedicating some time out of the lesson to work one on one with this student. The entire time he was (literally) messing with tape, chipping away at his pencil, tearing at his paper, tapping other students, and attempting to talk to other students. After five minutes of telling him to stop and focus I got so frustrated that I turned to him and told him to place both hands flat, palm down on the desk and look at me. I explained to him that I was there to help him, but he has to help himself. I told him that he was a smart kid and that he had the potential to go places, but he had to make an effort himself. This experience was very heartwarming for me because not only did he complete his assignment but he seemed to begin acting more responsibly in class throughout the remainder of the unit. As soon as I expressed to him that he was a smart kid, but he needed to put forth some effort, he seemed to instantaneously try harder. Now, I do not know the details of his home situation but it is evident that in class complements do not come his way often, so the remainder of the week I made certain to constructively comment on his work in order to help him identify the progress that he had made.
Teaching Reflection:
Lesson 1
Select:
The first lesson I chose to teach in my Unit of Instruction on I-Poetry was called “Word Graveyard”. I selected this lesson because I believe in order to use descriptive language you first have to recognize resources that can help you identify infrequent, descriptive vocabulary, such as a thesaurus.
Describe:
This lesson was taught in a 5th grade classroom at Gamewell Elementary School in Lenoir, North Carolina. There is very limited diversity in this classroom, out of 26 students in the classroom, only two are African American. However, the diversity among gender is evenly distributed. There are 13 girls and 13 boys in the classroom and they all work fairly well together. With an even number of boys and girls in the classroom, I really wanted to make certain that by the end of the unit both gender groups would begin to appreciate and recognize the importance of word choice in written and spoken language so I knew I needed to approach poetry in a different light as opposed to a Shakespearean type of poetic language. I decided the best thing to do would be to make everything as interesting as possible to both gender groups. As a result of this though process, I thought it would be interesting to “bury” commonly used adjectives and place the “buried” word with the “surviving synonyms” on a tombstone and create a word graveyard. During this time the students were able to work collectively as a group to generate a list of synonyms to replace the old, commonly used word.
I thought this lesson would be beneficial to students’ learning because it would aid in the understanding of how a thesaurus can be used for vocabulary enrichment. In this lesson, students were to identify commonly used adjectives and use the thesaurus to replace the commonly used adjectives with synonyms that are more descriptive. We also did a read aloud to expose students to a poetic piece of children’s literature that is rich in descriptive and figurative language. The addition of the read aloud component of this lesson was important so that students could see the implementation of descriptive words in written language and how it truly adds more depth and interest to the story.
Analyze:
For this lesson I frontloaded all of the rules and procedures for the students, however, I believe they would have benefited form having the directions on the board to reference throughout the lesson. The students stayed actively engaged throughout the lesson looking to for new words in replace of the buried word and, of course, they were even more excited when it came time to draw out the tombstone and write the words on poster paper. Overall, I felt that this activity ran fairly smooth. The students seemed engaged with the task at hand and at the conclusion of the unit I noticed that the students seemed to like having their own words displayed and used as a tool of reference for themselves as well as their peers. Throughout this lesson and the others I used much of my classroom times walking around, monitoring and observing each student’s academic progression. This unit was just an introductory unit, but it was clear to see that the majority of students really grasped an understanding of how to properly use a thesaurus. The read aloud that I shared for the class went over quite well. The book Mohave is rich in poetic language and I believe that it was a great jumping off point for students when starting I-Poetry.
Appraise:
I was very impressed with the outcome of this activity. I believe that the students connected well with the assignment and they seemed to express an understanding of how to properly use a thesaurus. The students also enjoyed the book Mohave a lot more than I had originally anticipated. The book was very useful in teaching the students new ways of expression, while making connections to students’ prior knowledge to keep them interested and engaged in the story. The students also worked well in their groups, which I believe was directly related to the classroom management strategy of frontloading the rules and procedures.
Transform:
There are many ways in which I would transform this lesson. I often find that when I am running through a lesson at home it seems to flow perfectly in my head, however when I get in front of the class I start thinking about how the lesson would be better like this or like that. However, I understand that it is all apart of the growth process. One way in which I would modify this lesson would be to display the daily directions on the board for students to reference throughout the lesson. I found that some students would say “What am I supposed to be doing”, well had I displayed the directions on the board I could have said “Take a look at direction number 3.” Another way in which this lesson could be modified would be by modeling an example of a completed tombstone. This would be beneficial so that students could use it as a reference guide throughout the creation of their own tombstone. Lastly, one way in which this lesson could be constructively modified is by physically allowing the students to “bury” the words outside and express to the students that those particular adjectives are “dead and buried” and we will no longer use those words in class, instead we will use the survived synonyms to express our thoughts and increase our vocabulary.
Teaching Reflection:
Lesson 2
Select:
The second lesson I chose to teach was a science demonstration on how the steepness of slope affects stream erosion. Now, originally I was apprehensive about the smooth alignment of this lesson to I-Poetry, since they are drastically different. However, the focus of our I-Poetry (the personification of an inanimate object) was for students to make a connection and identify characteristics of an inanimate object. Therefore, I decided that if students could observe a landform (stream) being changed and altered from its original state then it might help students to make connections to this specific inanimate object. Students were also prompted to observe special characteristics about the river rock placed at the top of the stream and how it was affected because we were going to be completed an I-Poem in relation to the river rock on the following day.
Analyze:
I am extremely pleased at how this lesson turned out because sincerely speaking, having a group of 26 students gathered in a huddle to watch a demonstration made me quite nervous, specifically in terms of classroom management. However, I did my best to frontload all of the directions before the demonstration began, I also made sure to have supplies ready in order to decrease wait time and classroom disruptions. One aspect of frontloading rules I found beneficial was telling students to “Freeze!” and then go on to discuss the directions and before the directions are concluded keep the fluidity by telling students to slowly and carefully walk to the designated demonstration table. This seemed to work well for me because students so often take words literal to be funny, so when I told then to freeze, it seemed that the students were so focused on freezing that they were all quite enough to hear the directions.
Appraise:
In terms of the demonstration, I was very surprised at how easy it was to keep students on track and engaged. Their eyes were so focused on the demonstration that the “partner in crime” standing right next to them was not even a distraction. This made me very happy because I was unsure in my ability to successfully complete a demonstration with a classroom of 26 students. From a student’s standpoint, I always benefited from demonstrations because I am a visual learner, yet in terms of classroom management, I was always unsure of how much learning would actually be taking place if students were up moving around and standing on chairs. However, it was such a great experience to see a successful demonstration completed in class because it is always something I have believed in and I directly associate to my philosophy of education, yet it is an area that I was afraid I would not be successful in. In addition to the demonstration, I was also impressed at the students feedback of descriptive language associated with the river rock.
Transform:
Next time I do this lesson, I would like to have a more detailed demonstration. Again, I was very apprehensive about how this lesson would play out, but the success of student learning in relation to this lesson lets me know that the majority of students benefit in some way from a visualization associated with a word or concept. In addition to the materials used for this lesson, I would like to use a larger, longer cake pan, more rocks to demonstrate riprap, and roots to show its impact on erosion. I believe that incorporating these new materials into the demonstration would deepen the students understanding of the content.
Teaching Reflection:
Lesson 3
Select:
For my third lesson, I chose to introduce I-Poetry. In lesson three, students listened to a read aloud of the book I Am The Mummy Heb-Nefert, a children’s book that uses descriptive language to personify the mummy Heb-Nefert. The children’s literature book was selected to provide students with examples of descriptive and figurative language used to describe and provide a voice to an inanimate object. Upon the conclusion of the book and the discussion, students were invited to learn about I-Poetry / Persona Poems. As a class, we came up with ideas, descriptive words, and phrases to create an I-Poem related to the river rock in the stream erosion demonstration from the previous day.
Describe:
This lesson is a key component to my Unit of Instruction. At this point in the unit, the students should be becoming more familiar with descriptive and figurative language and its appropriate uses, however in the subsequent lessons I will still provide students with poetic literature to reference throughout the creation of their I-Poetry. In this lesson, I did a read aloud with the students, followed by a discussion on the book I Am The Mummy Heb-Nefert. I found this book to be beneficial because it provided reinforced the concept of the importance of word choice in written and spoken language. Once we concluded and discussed the story, we focused our thoughts on the river rock from the science demonstration on the previous day. I anticipated that the read aloud and discussion would go fairly well, and they did, however, the class I-Poem did not go as planned. Some students just did not seem engaged and/or interested in creating a classroom poem. My expected outcome was that the students would have more interest creating an I-Poem as a class because they would be able to build off of each others ideas, however students seemed to enjoy working on the first stanza of their practice poem.
Analyze:
In this lesson, the level of engagement seemed to fluctuate. Initially, the students seemed to be interested in the book and the classroom discussion. However, emotions seemed to drop fairly rapid when we tried to create an I-Poem as a class. The students did not seem as engaged in this portion of the lesson as they were in the beginning. Not many people became actively involved in the conversation when creating the I-Poem, which seemed to baffle me. Most of the students had great suggestions but were the only ones providing input while the other students seemed to slowly become more and more unfocused. This is when I realized that modeling the I-Poetry activity for students was not doing them any good. These students were not interested in doing it together, they wanted to make an attempt at it themselves, and that is what they did. Once I transitioned from a whole class I-Poem to each student working on their own (key word own) I-Poem, they all seemed to refocus their attention back to the content of the lesson.
Appraise:
I believe the read aloud was a successful activity within my lesson because the students began to really connect with the story that we read. My goal with this project is to expose students to various types of poetic children’s literature in the hopes of having students understand the importance of word choice in written and spoken language. As I mentioned in the description, when modeling the I-Poem as a class, I truly thought more students would show a willingness to provide input to the group. I assumed students would build off of each others ideas to create a nice descriptive poem. However, the students seemed eager to begin writing their own poetry. In order to increase the level of participation, I knew I needed to get the students working individually. I believe that if students were given the chance to have more time to brainstorm ideas and phrases about the topic then they may have had more to contribute. We ended our river rock I-Poem early so that students could begin working independently on their own practice I-Poem. Students were directed to complete (at minimum) the first stanza of I-Poetry. The modification of this lesson seemed to work and help to refocus everyone’s attention to the task at hand. The students in the class did well learning the components of an I-Poem and where to integrate their descriptive word. I feel that the students did not have much trouble in this aspect because they had been exposed to such poetic language in previous lessons
Transform:
As far as things that I would do differently, I believe my lesson would have benefited from a detailed handout for students to complete in regards to his/her topic. The detailed handout would offer assistance in generating content specific characteristics. I have come to realize that some students just need a little guidance to get their mind flowing. For next time, I think it would be interesting and exciting for students to collaborate in small groups of 4 to complete their own I poem. I believe that it is still important to model the process of creating an I-Poem, however if each group had the detailed handout to complete and they were in a smaller group then more students may be willing to contribute because they are not “put on the spot” in front of the classroom.
Teaching Reflection:
Lesson 4
Select:
Lesson four is a continuation of lesson three, Introduction to I-Poetry. In this lesson, students were to begin working on web maps and then start generating thoughts to integrate into the I-Poetry template. This lesson was selected because it is an important part of building a basis of understanding I-Poetry.
Describe:
The students did well in this lesson; there were hardly any classroom management issues. The directions were frontloaded for students so that they knew what was expected of them. In this lesson I brought in a book called The Dirty Laundry Pile, which is a book of voices as articulated by inanimate objects. I approached the reading of this book reading the poem without the title so that students would have to guess what type of inanimate object I was. This lesson was beneficial to the unit because it really captures the essence of descriptive language in poetry and is cumulative to the previous lessons so that students are always building on know what he/she has learned.
Analyze:
I believe that the material was presented in an interesting and creative way; again, I wanted to approach this lesson as a game in order to liven up the classroom and wake students up. For this activity I decided to read the poem first and then have students guess what inanimate object I was before revealing the title. I went through the whole book reading the poems and it kept the students attention because the entire time they were focusing on the descriptive words to give them a clue as to what inanimate object they could be. The book (Dirty Laundry Pile) I found most beneficial in relation to the content of the UOI because it clearly made the point that descriptive language is a necessary component of I-Poetry. At this point in the lesson the students learning has been assessed through multiple informal formative observations which includes note checks, where students explain to the teacher their thought process of the information written as well as class discussions to see where everyone stands in content comprehension.
Appraise:
One thing I thought was effective about this lesson was the book Dirty Laundry Pile, because it was so rich in descriptive language that student were able to further their understanding of the implementation of descriptive and figurative words in written and spoken language. One aspect of this lesson that was ineffective was the use of the word map. Now, in my past experiences, I have always found a web map to be beneficial because it guides your thought process to help narrow down your idea. However, I believe that this situation could have been avoided if I would have held off on passing out the I-Poem template to students. Instead of asking students to take out a blank sheet of paper, or better yet, passed out a detailed handout of topics to consider in the web map, I passed out the I-Poem template and asked students to complete the web map on the back side. This became an issue when students did not want to brainstorm ideas related to their topic, they just wanted to immediately begin filling in the blank spaces of the template.
Transform:
Next time I teach this lesson I will be certain to include a detailed handout that lays out topics to consider in the web map so that it will help students get their minds flowing and thinking about different characteristics to write about. I would also spend more time focusing on the importance of brainstorming ideas and concepts related to the topic. I believe it is good for students to fully consider all characteristics before creating their I-Poem because without properly brainstorming some students seemed unable to fully articulate his/her thought.
Teaching Reflection:
Lesson 5
Select:
Lesson five was a continuation of I-Poetry. The importance of this lesson was to provide students with the necessary time to complete their work to the best of their ability.
Describe:
This lesson focused on completing web maps from the previous day and moving into creating a rough draft I-Poem (if not already started). This lesson is necessary because the unit is cumulative and each lesson builds with content and assignments for a summative test at the end of the unit to analyze student learning.
Analyze:
This lesson was implemented in order to provide students with more time to complete their work to the best of their ability and incorporate the specific requirements related to this project. While on the day of this lesson students mainly spent time working on and or completing their I-Poem. While students were working I thought it may be helpful to read another book that uses descriptive and figurative language, so that students could reference these ideas in the story Atlantic. Also, students had access to the books previously read in the unit and informational text that were landform specific. Lesson 5, although at the end of the unit, was a great time for me to assess student learning. During this time, students were either getting it or they were not and unfortunately there were a few kids that were not. However, once I identified the students who were having trouble comprehending content specific to the unit we formed a group and moved to a corner of the classroom where the distractions were limited. The students in the group had trouble paying attention during a few of the lessons, but on a positive note, once the students were placed further away from distraction they were able to refocus that energy on their assignments and began making progress in their workload.
Appraise:
Something that went well with this lesson was the read aloud for the book Atlantic. I have realized that no matter the age, students enjoy listening to interesting descriptive stories. The students seemed to make connections with the words and phrases used throughout the story and therefore the use of descriptive language translated into their work. The students’ reactions to the children’s literature that I decided on for this unit were very positive. The students enjoyed having a visual image (illustrations) to connect with while hearing the descriptive words from the text. I am glad that I was able to incorporate the poetic children’s literature to my unit because the increased exposure of descriptive and figurative language will increase the student’s retention rate of a concept.
Transform:
Next time I teach this lesson I would like to focus more time generating descriptive worksheets to practice writing on before moving into I-Poetry, this process will help to ensure that students are ready to move onto the step. A far as materials that I will continue to use, the books that I have reference throughout my unit have been extremely beneficial. The incorporation of children’s literature is one that I will continue to use. As I mentioned earlier, no matter the age, students enjoy having a story read that is rich in descriptive and figurative language. Children’s literature is also a helpful way for students to make a connection with the text through illustrations and ideas discussed in the book.
Teaching Reflection:
Lesson 6
Select:
Lesson six is the final lesson where students will transfer their work from their rough draft onto a piece of construction paper for their final copy. This lesson is imperative because student learning will be analyzed through a end of unit, summative assessment.
Describe:
This lesson is the last of my unit lessons. This lesson builds upon the assignments given to students throughout the unit. At this point, students should be completing his/her rough draft and getting prepared to write finished product. Students responded well to the assignment. For the most part, the majority of students needed this time to finish up their I-Poem so the duration of this lesson was dedicated to students who needed to complete their work.
Analyze:
Again, this lesson was the last lesson of my unit and the majority of the class time was dedicated to those students who needed to complete their I-Poem. I feel that this is one area where I was effective in meeting the needs of my students. Throughout the entirety of this unit I have tried to make certain that students have resources related to their topic available to reference, as well as poetic children’s literature that are all written from the perspective of an inanimate object to help students see how personification, descriptive and figurative language can help give a non-living object a voice. My overall feeling of this unit is positive progression. I feel that I have moved forward in my understanding of the necessary components of a unit of instruction and feel better prepared to teach students and track their progression. Based on the students’ scores I feel that they too have made a positive progression in their comprehension of the content. I was very impressed at the work the students produced, the majority of students demonstrated considerable throughout the unit and their work was evident in their poem.
Appraise:
For this lesson I feel that I could have been more effective in my classroom management techniques, there were several times where I let the students over power me because I was unsure of how to discipline the class, however after speaking with Dr. Marks about proactive ways to manage classroom behavior I have a better understanding of how to manage someone else’s classroom. Since reflecting upon my lessons, I believe that things would have been quite a bit easier (in terms of classroom management) had I used the incentive c u p c a k e technique.
One area of my unit that I felt went well was the continuous referencing of descriptive and figurative language and the importance of word choice in written and spoken language. I have seen a progression of student comprehension based on the content taught in my unit and it makes me proud to see that the repeated exposure to poetic children’s literature has positively influenced the students overall understanding of the concept.
Transform:
Next time I teach this unit I will focus on providing detailed worksheets for students. Initially I associated 5th grade with independent work, however with a classroom of 26 students all at various instructional levels, I could have used detailed handouts to better articulate exactly what level of work I expect out of students as well as to help students scale down their thoughts to produce work that is clear and concise.
I will always continue to reflect on my work. I know I am not perfect, and I do not claim to be. I believe it is important to be a life-long learner who is always willing to try new things. Which is why I believe it is important to listen and absorb feedback from others especially if it will benefit the students. After all, education is a career of service; we are here for the kids.
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R.I.P.
Here lies _(commonly used adjectives)_, dead and buried. Survived by: (list descriptive adjectives), _____, _____, _____, _____, _____, _____, _____, _____, _____, _____, _____.
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