Lesson Plan
Lesson 10: Humorous Poetry – Limericks
A 60 minute lesson in which students will plan and write a limerick.
Lesson Plan
Tuning In
- Watch The Limerick Song on YouTube. Ask the students:
- What is the structure of a limerick?
- What is the rhyming pattern of a limerick?
- What is particularly clever about this song?
Teacher Instruction
- Display the Limerick Poster on the board. Discuss the purpose, structure and rhyming pattern of limericks and read the example poem provided. Encourage the students to suggest which particular elements of poetry are the focus when writing a limerick e.g. structure, rhyme and rhythm are of great importance whereas sound devices and figurative language are of lesser importance. Reinforce the fact that limericks work best when they are simple and funny.
- Use the example of a teacher from France as a topic for a limerick. As a class, create a rhyming dictionary listing as many words as possible that rhyme with France e.g. dance, chance, stance. Once a description of the main character has been formed, brainstorm some possible humorous situations that the character might encounter.
- Using the rhyming dictionary and the list of potential scenarios from the class brainstorm, construct a limerick about a teacher from France as a class.
Guided/Independent Learning
- Provide the students with a copy of the Writing a Limerick Worksheet. Teachers may wish to set a topic for the limerick, or they may allow the students to choose their own topic.
- Monitor and support the students as they independently plan and write their limericks. Encourage the students to follow a similar planning process as the one used in the joint construction.
Wrapping Up
- Encourage volunteers to share their limericks. Allow the class to provide positive feedback, as well as helpful suggestions for improvement.
Differentiation
Extending Students
- Encourage more confident students to share their limericks with the class.
Supporting Students
- Support students with lower literacy levels through the planning process so they have a clear direction for writing.
Assessment Strategies
Suggested Assessment Strategies
- used strategic whole class or individual questioning
- observed student participation during learning activities
- recorded student progress on a checklist
- annotated student work samples
- collected and reviewed student work samples
- facilitated whole class or peer feedback sessions
- encouraged student self-reflection
- administered formal assessment tasks.
Resources
NSW Curriculum alignment
Victorian Curriculum alignment
- VCELY329
Plan, draft and publish imaginative, informative and persuasive print and multimodal texts, choosing text structures, language features, images and sound appropriate to purpose and audience
- VCELY358
Plan, draft and publish imaginative, informative and persuasive texts, choosing and experimenting with text structures, language features, images and digital resources appropriate to purpose and audie...
- VCELT344
Identify the relationship between words, sounds, imagery and language patterns in narratives and poetry such as ballads, limericks and free verse
Australian Curriculum alignment
- ACELY1704
Plan, draft and publish imaginative, informative and persuasive print and multimodal texts, choosing text structures, language features, images and sound appropriate to purpose and audience
- ACELY1714
Plan, draft and publish imaginative, informative and persuasive texts, choosing and experimenting with text structures, language features, images and digital resources appropriate to purpose and audie...
- ACELT1617
Identify the relationship between words, sounds, imagery and language patterns in narratives and poetry such as ballads, limericks and free verse
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