Lesson Planning Form for Accessible Instruction Calvin College Education Program

Teacher: Melissa Maiste

Date: Tuesday, April 21st

Subject/ Topic/ Theme: Emotion Poems and Rhyming Poetry

Grade: 6

I. Objectives
How does this lesson connect to the unit plan?
This lesson is our second day of writing poetry in the unit. So far students have only worked with Haikus, which are the most simple
and basic form I will be teaching them. Today they will work with two different types of poems, emotion simile poems and couplets.
These poems are still more formulaic than the poems we will be working with in the next lesson, narrative and free verse, but give
them a little bit more freedom for expression than the Haikus did.
Learners will be able to:

Explain what couplets, triplets, and quatrains are.

Write couplets, triplets, and quatrains that have a similar amount of syllables in each line,
correct rhyme scheme, and a unifying theme or topic.

Write similes comparing abstract nouns (ideas or emotions) to concrete colors, sounds, tastes,
smells, sights, feelings.

Talk about feelings and emotions they feel using figurative language.

cognitiveR U Ap An E C*

physical
development

socioemotional

RU
Ap C
An C
X

Common Core standards (or GLCEs if not available in Common Core) addressed:
ELA W.6.3 Use precise words and phrases, relevant descriptive details, and sensory language to convey experiences and events.
ELA W.6.10 Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a
day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.
ELA L.6.5. Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.
(Note: Write as many as needed. Indicate taxonomy levels and connections to applicable national or state standards. If an objective applies to particular learners
write the name(s) of the learner(s) to whom it applies.)
*remember, understand, apply, analyze, evaluate, create

II. Before you start

Identify prerequisite
knowledge and skills.

Students should already know what a simile is. I assume that they have experience with and basic
understanding of emotions such as anger, sadness, happiness, etc. They should already know what
rhyme is and know how to rhyme words.
Pre-assessment (for learning):
Formative (for learning):

Outline assessment
activities
(applicable to this lesson)

As students work on their emotion poems and their rhyming poetry, I will be walking around checking
on them and seeing how they are doing. This will give me a good idea of if they are understanding
how to write these types of poems, or if they are struggling with any aspects of it.
Formative (as learning):

I will tell students as I come around and read their poetry if they are doing a good job, and if they are
doing something wrong I will point it out and help them correct it.
Summative (of learning):

What barriers might this

lesson present?
What will it take
neurodevelopmentally,
experientially,
emotionally, etc., for your
students to do this lesson?

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Provide Multiple Means of

Representation
Provide options for perceptionmaking information perceptible

Provide Multiple Means of

Action and Expression
Provide options for physical actionincrease options for interaction

I will give directions verbally and I

will have handouts for the students.

Students will have the option to

pull an object out of a bag and write
their poems about that subject. This
will get them out of their seats and
give them something tangible to
write about, making the lesson
more interactive and interesting.
They may have the choice to work
in groups for part of the lesson.

Provide Multiple Means of

Engagement
Provide options for recruiting
interest- choice, relevance, value,
authenticity, minimize threats
Students will be able to choose
which emotion they write their
emotion poem about, so they can
choose one theyre interested in.
Students will be able to evaluate the
poems we read as examples and
express which ones they like and do
not like.

Provide options for language,

mathematical expressions, and
symbols- clarify & connect
language

Provide options for expression and

communication- increase medium
of expression

We will talk about the example

poems we read and the
directions for their own poetry
writing so that if students do not
understand just by reading on
their own, they will know what
they are supposed to be doing
after I explain it more clearly.

Provide options for comprehensionactivate, apply & highlight

I will give students examples of

each type of poem, which will
model how to write the poems.
Then they can apply what they
see in these examples to write
their own poetry.

Materials-what materials
(books, handouts, etc) do
you need for this lesson
and are they ready to
use?

How will your classroom

be set up for this lesson?

Provide options for sustaining

effort and persistence- optimize
challenge, collaboration, masteryoriented feedback

Because in my last lesson some

students struggled with thinking
of topics to write about, I am
going to provide more direction
for students that need it. Giving
them topics to write about will
sustain their effort. However,
students that have topics in
mind can choose to write about
other topics, providing more
challenge and appeal for those
students.
Provide options for executive
functions- coordinate short & long
term goals, monitor progress, and
modify strategies

Provide options for self-regulationexpectations, personal skills and

strategies, self-assessment &
reflection

Similes and Emotions poetry handout

Emotion Ideas handout
Couplets, triplets, and quatrains worksheet
Collection of objects students could write a poem about.
Opaque bag for these objects to be put in for students to pick objects out of

Students will be sitting at their desks, and can stay there for the whole lesson. The bag with the objects
will be in the front of the room, so when it is time students can come up and draw an object out if they
choose to. They sit in groups, so they will be in groups already when we share our poetry at the end of
the lesson.

III. The Plan

Time

Components

8:20
Motivation
(opening/
introduction/
engagement)

8:25
8:30

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Development
(the largest
component or
main body of
the lesson)

Describe teacher activities

AND
student activities
for each component of the lesson. Include important higher order thinking questions and/or
prompts.
Ask students to take out their journals for
journal time at the beginning of the class
period.
Write in their journals about the topic.
Tell students to write in their journals
about a time where they felt a strong
emotion (happy, sad, angry, calm,
disappointed, etc.). Tell them to talk about
why they felt that way, how they felt, and
how it was resolved.

Ask a couple of students to share what

they wrote.

Hand out the similes and emotions poetry

handout. Tell students they are going to
write poems about an emotion using
similes.

Volunteer to share their journals.

8:33

Read through the handout. Ask three

students to read the three examples.

Give students the Emotion Ideas handout,

which lists a bunch of emotions they can
choose from for their poem.
Instruct students to choose an emotion and
write a poem imitating the formula and
example poems on the handout.
Walk around to make sure students are on
task and dont have any questions.

8:40

8:55

Closure
(conclusion,
culmination,
wrap-up)

When it looks like a lot of students have

finished, tell them we are going to look at
three basic forms of rhyming poetry. Hand
out the worksheet.
Read the paragraph that explains what
couplets, triplets, and quatrains are aloud.
Read the example of each type aloud as
well.
Also talk about how you can combine
couplets, triplets, and quatrains as stanzas
to create longer poems.

Instruct students to write a couplet, triplet,

and quatrain in the space provided. Tell
them they can write about anything they
want, but if they would like an idea they
can come up and get a mystery object to
write about.

Walk around and make sure students are

writing their poems correctly. Help those
that are struggling with rhyme or ideas.

Have students choose one of their poems,

the emotion simile poem or their couplet,
triplet, or quatrain, and read their favorite
poem they wrote to the rest of their group.

Listen, read the examples if I ask them to.

Choose an emotion and begin working on

their own poem.

Listen and begin understanding couplets,

triplets, and quatrains.

Come up to the bag and pick a mystery

object if they want to. Write their three
types of rhyming poetry about their
mystery object or about another topic of
their choice.

Read a poem to their group, and listen to

the rest of their group members each read
a poem.

Your reflection about the lesson, including evidence(s) of student learning and engagement, as well as ideas for improvement
for next time. (Write this after teaching the lesson, if you had a chance to teach it. If you did not teach this lesson, focus on the
process of preparing the lesson.)

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This lesson was much shorter than I thought it was going to be. It only ended up taking about thirty minutes instead of the whole
forty-five to fifty minutes, but luckily Mrs. Deja had some homework to go over with them anyway so that worked out pretty well. I
think I underestimated the amount of time they would need to write poetry. I think I also thought that they might continue on and
write more couplets/triplets/quatrains in their notebook, when really at this level they will probably only do what you directly
instruct them that they have to do. Tomorrow I would like to have another more interactive, hands-on activity incorporated
somewhere because today was a pretty basic sit at your desk and write sort of day. However, having them each share a poem at the
end was a good way to let them interact with each other in some way and I think they seemed to enjoy that part of the lesson.

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