This week we focused on poetry in fourth grade.
My goal was to introduce the students to various types of poetry: concrete, list, haiku, free verse, reverse/mirrored, two-voices, etc,. Also to show them that they can write about any and every thing. I wanted the students to look at the poetry they were reading and notice writing styles they could use in their own poetry.
Focus: Introduction- exposure, descriptive language (senses), figurative language (metaphor, simile, hyperbole, and personification), and editing/ revising with repetition, onomatopoeia and word placement.
Day One Reflection:
Going in, I was a little nervous as to how the students would feel about poetry. I had not worked with fourth grade much. I was not sure what they knew or did not know and I did not know or if they would be interested. Once, I began the actual lesson, my anxiety faded. I made a chart and listed various things the students knew about poetry. Next, I read a variety of poetry to the students so they could see all the different types. After each poem, we would discuss some things we noticed. Next, the students got into groups to read different poetry books I had brought. They were instructed to complete a notice/wonder chart as they read different books. We then discussed some of the things they noticed and wondered.
To conclude, I have the students a chance to begin writing their own poetry. They could write about anything they wanted or use the text to give them ideas. For the last ten minutes, students took turns sharing with the class the poems they had written along with the picture, if they had one.
I was so surprised by how engaged they were. I had a hard time getting the students to put down the books or to stop writing when the lesson was over. I was very concerned that the students were going to by shy and would not share their poetry, but they had no problem and were very proud of it. It showed me how important it is to leave time for students to share their work.