Lesson Plan
Lesson 1: Poetry Defined
A 60 minute lesson in which students will develop an understanding of what constitutes poetry.
Lesson Plan
Tuning In
- Display and discuss slide 4 of the Elements of Poetry PowerPoint. Encourage the students to share any thoughts or prior knowledge they have about what constitutes poetry.
- As a class, read the five texts displayed on slides 5-9. Discuss whether the students consider each text to be a poem and why.
- Once the five poems have been discussed, ask the students:
- What did the texts we considered to be poems have in common?
- What was different about the texts we did not consider to be poems?
- Is it possible to define poetry?
Teacher Instruction
- Place the students into pairs. Using the ideas from the tuning in activity, encourage each pair to write a one sentence definition of what constitutes poetry. Place a reasonable time limit on the task e.g. five minutes.
- Allow each pair to share their definitions with the class. Draw out the common elements from each definition and list these on the board. Once everyone has shared their ideas, use the common elements from the list to create a class definition of what constitutes poetry.
- Watch the What is Poetry? video on YouTube. After watching, ask the students:
- What were the common elements in the six dictionary definitions of poetry used in the video?
- What did the word ‘poetry’ originally mean?
- Why is poetry described in the video as ‘the almighty describer’?
Guided/Independent Learning
- Display and discuss slides 10-11. Compare the definition of poetry on the slide with the definition from the YouTube video and the definition created by the class.
- Introduce the concept of the poetry reflection journal (to be completed in a student exercise book or similar). Explain to the students that they will use the journal throughout the unit to record their thoughts and feelings about poems and poetry in general. In order to record the students’ initial understanding of what constitutes poetry, ask them to answer the following questions in their journals.
- Which of the three definitions of poetry (the PowerPoint definition, the YouTube video definition and the class definition) most appeals to you and why?
- Do you agree that artworks, music, dance performances and nature can be described as poetry? Why or why not?
- List five words which best sum up your own understanding of what constitutes poetry.
Wrapping Up
- Revisit the five texts from the tuning in activity. Using the various definitions of poetry examined in the lesson, ask the students if they have changed their minds about whether they consider each text to be a poem.
Differentiation
Extending Students
- Encourage fast finishers to do some research on the etymology of the word 'poetry'.
Supporting Students
- Encourage students with lower literacy levels to discuss their ideas about poetry with a teacher or teacher aide before recording them in their journal.
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.
NSW Curriculum alignment
- EN3-1A
Communicates effectively for a variety of audiences and purposes using increasingly challenging topics, ideas, issues and language forms and features
- EN3-2A
Composes, edits and presents well-structured and coherent texts
- EN3-5B
Discusses how language is used to achieve a widening range of purposes for a widening range of audiences and contexts
- EN3-8D
Identifies and considers how different viewpoints of their world, including aspects of culture, are represented in texts
- EN3-9E
Recognises, reflects on and assesses their strengths as a learner
Victorian Curriculum alignment
- VCELY337
Clarify understanding of content as it unfolds in formal and informal situations, connecting ideas to students’ own experiences, and present and justify a point of view or recount an experience...
- VCELY320
Analyse the text structures and language features used in imaginative, informative and persuasive texts to meet the purpose of the text
Australian Curriculum alignment
- ACELY1699
Clarify understanding of content as it unfolds in formal and informal situations, connecting ideas to studentsâ own experiences and present and justify a point of viewElaborationsasking specific ...
- ACELY1701
Identify and explain characteristic text structures and language features used in imaginative, informative and persuasive texts to meet the purpose of the textElaborationsexplaining how the features o...
- ACELY1709
Participate in and contribute to discussions, clarifying and interrogating ideas, developing and supporting arguments, sharing and evaluating information, experiences and opinionsElaborationsusing str...
- ACELY1711
Analyse how text structures and language features work together to meet the purpose of a textElaborationscomparing the structures and features of different texts, including print and digital sources o...
- ACELY1796
Use interaction skills, for example paraphrasing, questioning and interpreting non-verbal cues and choose vocabulary and vocal effects appropriate for different audiences and purposesElaborationsparti...
- ACELY1816
Use interaction skills, varying conventions of spoken interactions such as voice volume, tone, pitch and pace, according to group size, formality of interaction and needs and expertise of the audience...
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