This document provides the lesson plan for a 6th grade poetry unit. The objective is for students to broaden their understanding of poetry through exposure to different poem types and then writing their own "bio poems". Students will analyze poems, identifying literary devices. They will then create bio poems about themselves following a specific format. Assessment will be based on correctly applying the bio poem structure. The lesson involves defining poetry, discussing literary elements, reading sample poems, explaining the bio poem activity, and allowing time for creation and sharing.

1. Murphy (Keller) Young !
6th grade ELA!
Date turned in: 1/14/15!
Date taught: 1/15/15!
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Introduction to Poetry!
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Objective: The student will broaden and deepen their understanding of poetry through
immersion. After being exposed to different types of poems, the students will write their own “bio
poems” about themselves with creativity with no more than 3 structural errors. After the lesson,
the students should have developed a stronger respect for poetry and be prepared to both
create and understand poems in the future. !
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TEKS:!
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(4) Reading/Comprehension of Literary Text/Poetry. Students understand, make inferences and
draw conclusions about the structure and elements of poetry and provide evidence from text to
support their understanding. Students are expected to explain how figurative language (e.g.,
personification, metaphors, similes, hyperbole) contributes to the meaning of a poem.!
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(15) Writing/Literary Texts. Students write literary texts to express their ideas and feelings about
real or imagined people, events, and ideas. Students are expected to:!
(B) write poems using:!
(i) poetic techniques (e.g., alliteration, onomatopoeia);!
(ii) figurative language (e.g., similes, metaphors); and!
(iii) graphic elements (e.g., capital letters, line length).!
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Materials:!
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• Construction paper (one for each table)!
• Markers (one or to for each table)!
• Poems to read aloud to the class (3-4)!
• Bio Poem instructions (one for each student)!
• A Bio Poem example (to display on the SMART board)!
• Assorted markers, crayons, and/or colored pencils!
• blank copy paper (one for each student)!
• desks arranged into groups!
• SMART board or projection setup!
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Teaching Procedure: !
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1. Motivation: The students will find one piece of paper at each table as they enter the room
and will be asked to discuss and answer the following question with their group:!
! ! “What is poetry?” !
! The students should be informed that there are no right or wrong answers to the
question, and that any and all brainstorming is completely welcome. Some examples include
names of poets or poems, types of formats, what kind of people read poetry, etc. !
Cooperating Teacher’s initials!
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2. ! After the students have compiled a list with their group, they will then share what they
came up with with the rest of the class. Peers are welcome to discuss and disagree with one
another’s view of poetry. !
! Turn on the projector to display “5 Myths about Poetry” and read them aloud to the class:!
1. Poems have to rhyme!
2. Poems are for girls!
3. Poems have to be memorized!
4. Poems have hidden meanings!
5. poems are boring!
! Compare these myths to the list of things that the students created and discuss what is
similar and what is not. Explain to the students: !
“Poems can be incredibly diverse, entertaining, and interesting. They are not all the
rhyming, confusing writing that you have probably seen before. Poems are a way to tell
a story in a short way that still makes the reader feel something like a book does.”!
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2. Prior Learning: Remind the students of the different types of literary devices that they have
learned about previously and let them know that they will be encountering lots of these
devices while reading and creating poems. !
“We will be seeing a lot of literary devices while we are reading poetry. Literary devices
are things like similes and metaphors. Can anyone else name some more that we
learned earlier this year?” “Good! All of these will be good to analyze poems that we
read, but they will also be helpful tools for us to use when we write our own poems.” !
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3. Statement of Objective: Emphasize to the students to try to keep an open mind as they are
introduced to many different types of poems and pay attention to what kind of poems and
formats/features that they like so that they can start to get an idea of how they might write
their own poems. !
“Today we will be reading and seeing many different types of poems so that you can see
just how different poetry can be. You might not like every poem that we read, but I
believe that if you keep an open mind you can find at least one that you will enjoy. Try to
pay attention to all those different literary devices we talked about so that you can start
seeing how you might use them in your writing later today.”
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4. Purpose: Explain to the students that poetry has been used for many years as a way to
express emotions about personal lives and historical events. Make sure that the students
understand that poetry can be a creative way to bring emotions out of others. !
“It is important that we study poetry because it is a major part of literature that can be
fun and exciting to read. Additionally, poems are a creative and interesting way to say
something. Poems are also an important part of our history, because they were written a
lot in the past. Being able to analyze and understand poems can help us to get an idea
of what people were thinking long ago. By the end of this unit, we hope that you can
better respect and understand poetry, and maybe even use it as a way to express
yourself in the future.”
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5. Instructional Steps: First, read several poems aloud to the students. After you finish each
one, have the students discuss what they did and did not like about each poem, what they
thought the poem was about, and what sort of literary devices were used. Some questions
to ask could include:!
• “What do you think the author was trying to say through this poem?”!

3. • “Raise your hand if you heard any alliterations.”!
• “What about this poem did you like? What would you change?”!
• “Why do you think the author chose to make this poem not rhyme?”!
• “What kind of images does this poem create in you mind?”!
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(GP) Next, pass out the directions for the Bio Poem activity. Have the students take turns
reading the directions aloud and check that all students are following along with the reader.
Then, display the Bio Poem example on the SMART board, and show the students what kind of
work you are expecting from them. Be sure to point out how the poem is structured, what type of
decorations are used, and the use of third person pronouns. Ask for questions and give the
students some time to brainstorm aloud with teacher direction so that they can all get on the
same page. Inform the students that they will be graded on their ability to follow the format of
the poem. !
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(IP) Pass out the pieces of copy paper and place colored pencils/crayons/markers up at the
front of the room. Allow the students to move freely to get supplies as the work on their own bio
poems. Move throughout the room and take questions as necessary. Redirect any format issues
as they arise. Take up the poems with 5 minutes left in class and allow students to take them
home for homework if necessary. !
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Closure:!
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1. Review: Close out the lesson by having the students share with a neighbor one new thing
that they learned about poetry. Take a few volunteers to share their answers with the room.
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2. Future Learning: Next, pose a few questions to the class as a whole such as:!
• “How will what you learned today be helpful in the future?”!
• “What sort of things should we be looking for the next time we read poems?”
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! Inform the students that they will be getting to analyze and read poems on their own
tomorrow, so they will need to keep in mind all of the aspects of poetry that we discussed in this
lesson. !
“In tomorrow’s class, you will get a chance to read and analyze poems on your own. You
will need to remember all of those literary devices we discussed today so that you will be
able to identify them in the poems you find tomorrow.”!
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Extensions/Modifications: Students who have mastered this objective with time left in class
can explore poetry books that have been pulled from the library to begin analyzing poems on
their own. They may also share their poems with others who have finished and give feedback. !
! Students that have not mastered the objective will be able to work in partners on the
poetry activity tomorrow that will allow them to have more guided practice with analyzing poems. !
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Assessment of Learning: The Bio poems will be graded based on the students’ ability to
follow the predetermined format of the poem. Points for creativity will be taken into
consideration. Assessment will also be done through observations of the students while they are
working through the independent practice.

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Keller
Friendly, Creative, Loyal, Happy
Daughter of Kurt and Kellene
Who loves to read, laugh, and sing show tunes
Who feels happiest when eating ice cream and
watching Netflix (at the same time)
Who needs coffee to get through the day
Who gives corny jokes and big hugs
Who fears large crowds
Who would like to see the whole world
Resident of College Station, TX
Young