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Unit 5: Lesson 11Students Revise Free-Verse Poems

Unit 5

Words in Motion!

               

 

Purpose

To develop an appreciation of and interest in the power of words to convey particular ideas, feelings, and images (word consciousness) through an exploration of free-verse poetry, dance, and prosody.

 

Unit Description

In this unit, students compose free-verse poems and choreograph them into Word in Motion! Dances. To prepare, students become "word explorers" as they read a series of free-verse poems. Students explore the poet's word choices and how particular words and phrases evoke images, feelings, ideas, and responses from readers. Then, they consider words and phrases that might be used in place of the poet's choices. By studying words in relationship to one another, students will come to know them more deeply. Throughout the process, students engage in movement and prosody to deepen their understandings. In the next part of the unit, students brainstorm and compose their own free-verse poems and choreograph them into dances. As a culminating event, students showcase their poetry and dances for an audience and reflect on their experience.

 

                

 

Common Core State Standards

Arts for Learning is aligned with the Common Core State Standards for Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening, and Language. This Overview describes the scope of the standards and this Quick Reference Guide provides each of the standards fully or partially met within this A4L Unit, followed by the charts that specifically identify the standards addressed in each lesson and step in the Unit. The standards are also coded and listed at the beginning of each lesson in the unit. Arts for Learning also provides a comprehensive student assessment program in each unit. This A4L Assessment Toolkit Quick Reference Chart indicates an overview of the locations of the tasks to be scored in the unit.
 
Each A4L unit is developed on a common framework and contains a 3-part sequence of instruction that educational research suggests will help students become more self-directed, independent learners. There is a gradual hand-off of responsibility--from teacher to students-- that is supported by assessment and teacher help as needed. Throughout A4L units the arts serve as motive and means to advance reading for meaning and writing thoughtfully.

 

 

 

 

 

Part 2

Exploring

Unit 5: Lesson 11

Students Revise Free-Verse Poems

Unit 5: Lesson 11

Students Revise Free-Verse Poems

 
 

LITERACY OBJECTIVE

By the end of this lesson students will be able to revise poems to better convey feelings and help the reader imagine what something looked, sounded, smelled, tasted or felt like.
 
 

LITERACY "I CAN" STATEMENT

“I can revise my poem to better convey feelings and help the reader imagine what something looked, sounded, smelled, tasted or felt like.”
 
 

 

LESSON OVERVIEW

 

 

Standards Alignment

 

Targeted Standards

 

Secondary Standards

 

Teaching Resources

 

Student Notebook

 

Classroom Charts

 

Arts Materials

 

Life & Learning Skills

 

  Differentiation Options  

 

  Leveraging Moments

 

 

 

STEP 1: INTRODUCE LESSON 11

 
 
Process: Give an overview of the lesson objective: Revise poems. Then put students into poetry writing groups and guide them through sharing and reflecting. See menu below Group Dynamics for grouping suggestions. Students revise using the class rubric and feedback from poetry writing groups and the teacher.
 
Teaching Tip: Group Dynamics
 
Suggested Dialogue

 

Introducing the Lesson

 

 

 

 

STEP 2: WARM UP WITH THE BRAINDANCE

 
 
Process: Lead the students in one of the four BrainDances of Words (Unit 5, Tracks 1, 2, 3, or 4). Below are the cues for BrainDance #4, but feel free to select one of the other BrainDances. Students stand at the sides of their desks. Use the audio track with verbal cues and musical accompaniment for the BrainDance. If desired, instead of using the audio track, use the verbal cues below to guide students through the BrainDance. This can be facilitated as a generic BrainDance without descriptive words, with descriptive words, with or without music.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Suggested Dialogue

 

Warming Up with BrainDance

 

 

 

STEP 3: REVIEW FREE-VERSE POEM RUBRIC

 
 
Process: Hand back A4L Student Notebooks. Review the class Free-Verse Poem Rubric with the students. Add examples to the rubric so that students can better understand how they might revise their own writing. The rubric reflects the focus of the unit: using words & phrases to communicate details about the topic, feelings, and images. Feel free to expand the rubric and your instruction on revision to include other criteria.

 

 

 

STEP 4: POETRY WRITING GROUPS SHARE POEMS AND RECEIVE FEEDBACK THROUGH DISCUSSION & MOVEMENT

 
 
Process: Organize students into poetry writing groups. These will also be their final performance groups. Guide students to share their poems with their groups and to elicit feedback on one or two selected words or phrases using movement. Poets can record feedback from group members on sticky notes or write directly on their drafts. Model giving feedback if appropriate. Post the menu Poetry Writing Group Reflection Process on the board as a reference.
 
Process Quick View: Poetry Writing Group Reflection Process

 

Suggested Dialogue

 

Explaining the Reflection Process

 

Guiding Reading and Selection of Words or Phrases for Feedback and Movement

 

Assigning Groups and Facilitate Student Sharing and Feedback

 

 

 

STEP 5: STUDENTS REVISE POEMS USING FEEDBACK & FREE-VERSE POEM RUBRIC

 
 
Process: Students use the poetry criteria, rubric, and feedback from the teacher and writing groups to revise their poems. Remind students to visit the Words in Motion Wall for ideas. If desired, give students a copy of the rubric. Demonstrate how to mark up their poem as they revise to show that you don't need to start fresh. Revising can entail: circling words, crossing out words, adding new words to the side or above those with marks, or crossing out whole lines and rewriting them to the side.
 
Circulate to support students while they revise. Feel free to build in another round of revision as appropriate.
 
Suggested Dialogue

 

Finishing Up

 

 

 

STEP 6: STUDENTS WRITE FINAL DRAFTS OF POEMS

 
 
Process: Students write their revised poem on the Free-Verse Poem Final Draft on pages 24-25 in their A4L Student Notebooks.
 
 
 

STEP 7: CLOSE LESSON 11

 
 
Process: Close the lesson with a look forward describing the next lesson.
 
Suggested Dialogue
 
Looking Forward

 

Performing The Closing Ritual (Optional)

 

 

 

 

CONGRATULATIONS ON COMPLETING LESSON 11! YOU ARE NOW READY TO MOVE ONTO LESSON 12 OF UNIT 5.

 

 

 

 

You've now reached the end of our ArtsforLearning Curriculum preview.