Unit 1: Reading & Analyzing Poetry: Love That Dog & Famous Poems
Unit 2: Writing to Inform: What inspires writers to write poetry?
Unit 3: Writing Poetry to Entertain
Guiding Questions and Big Ideas:
🎯What makes a poem a poem?
— Poetry has characteristics that are unique and distinct from prose.
🎯What inspires writers to write poetry?
— Writers draw inspiration from many places, including the work of other writers and their own lives.
🎯What makes a poem a poem?
— Poetry has characteristics that are unique and distinct from prose.
🎯What inspires writers to write poetry?
— Writers draw inspiration from many places, including the work of other writers and their own lives.
What will your student be doing at school?
In Unit 1, students are introduced to poetry through Love That Dog, a novel written in verse by Sharon Creech. As Jack, the main character in the novel, reads famous poems, students analyze what is happening in the novel and how Jack feels about it, and they also read and analyze those famous poems to identify characteristics of poetry and to determine their theme. They then use the characteristics of poetry they have identified to summarize the poems, and to compare poetry to prose. Throughout the unit, students are introduced to routines and anchor charts that will be used throughout the rest of the module, as well as the rest of the year. Students generate discussion norms and receive their independent reading journals and vocabulary logs. At the end of the unit, students participate in a text-based discussion about how Jack’s feelings about poetry have changed from the beginning of the book.
In the first half of Unit 2, students finish reading Love That Dog. They think about what inspired the main character, Jack, to write and they collect evidence from his poetry supporting their thinking. In the second half of the unit, students continue thinking about what inspires people to write poetry, first focusing on poet William Carlos Williams as a class and then studying a poet of their choice in more depth. The poets they choose from are poets Jack learned about in Love That Dog: Robert Frost, Valerie Worth, and Walter Dean Myers. Students work in expert groups to learn about their selected poet and to read and analyze his or her poems. They then use the Painted Essay® structure to write an informative, four-paragraph essay about what inspired their selected poet to write poetry.
In Unit 3, students prepare for the performance task by writing original poems about something meaningful to them, and writing a presentation explaining what they were inspired by and why, and where you can see evidence of this in their poems. They use visuals in their presentations (e.g., images, videos, or objects) to support the content of their presentation. For the performance task, they present their poem and presentation to an audience.
Working to become ethical people is the habit of character emphasized in this unit. These are the specific skills students will focus on:
🎯I show empathy.
This means I understand and I share or take into account the feelings, situation, or attitude of others.
🎯I behave with integrity.
This means I am honest and do the right thing, even when it’s difficult, because it is the right thing to do.
🎯I show respect.
This means I appreciate the abilities, qualities, and achievements of others, and treat myself, others, and the environment with care.
🎯I show compassion.
This means I notice when others are sad or upset and try to help them.
Working to become an effective learner is the habit of character emphasized in this unit. These are the specific effective learning skills students will focus on:
🎯I take initiative.
This means I see what needs to be done and take the lead on making responsible decisions.
🎯I take responsibility.
This means I take ownership of my ideas, my work, my goals, and my actions.
🎯I persevere.
This means I challenge myself. When something is difficult or demanding, I keep trying and ask for help if I need it.
🎯I collaborate.
This means I work effectively with others.
In Unit 1, students are introduced to poetry through Love That Dog, a novel written in verse by Sharon Creech. As Jack, the main character in the novel, reads famous poems, students analyze what is happening in the novel and how Jack feels about it, and they also read and analyze those famous poems to identify characteristics of poetry and to determine their theme. They then use the characteristics of poetry they have identified to summarize the poems, and to compare poetry to prose. Throughout the unit, students are introduced to routines and anchor charts that will be used throughout the rest of the module, as well as the rest of the year. Students generate discussion norms and receive their independent reading journals and vocabulary logs. At the end of the unit, students participate in a text-based discussion about how Jack’s feelings about poetry have changed from the beginning of the book.
In the first half of Unit 2, students finish reading Love That Dog. They think about what inspired the main character, Jack, to write and they collect evidence from his poetry supporting their thinking. In the second half of the unit, students continue thinking about what inspires people to write poetry, first focusing on poet William Carlos Williams as a class and then studying a poet of their choice in more depth. The poets they choose from are poets Jack learned about in Love That Dog: Robert Frost, Valerie Worth, and Walter Dean Myers. Students work in expert groups to learn about their selected poet and to read and analyze his or her poems. They then use the Painted Essay® structure to write an informative, four-paragraph essay about what inspired their selected poet to write poetry.
In Unit 3, students prepare for the performance task by writing original poems about something meaningful to them, and writing a presentation explaining what they were inspired by and why, and where you can see evidence of this in their poems. They use visuals in their presentations (e.g., images, videos, or objects) to support the content of their presentation. For the performance task, they present their poem and presentation to an audience.
Working to become ethical people is the habit of character emphasized in this unit. These are the specific skills students will focus on:
🎯I show empathy.
This means I understand and I share or take into account the feelings, situation, or attitude of others.
🎯I behave with integrity.
This means I am honest and do the right thing, even when it’s difficult, because it is the right thing to do.
🎯I show respect.
This means I appreciate the abilities, qualities, and achievements of others, and treat myself, others, and the environment with care.
🎯I show compassion.
This means I notice when others are sad or upset and try to help them.
Working to become an effective learner is the habit of character emphasized in this unit. These are the specific effective learning skills students will focus on:
🎯I take initiative.
This means I see what needs to be done and take the lead on making responsible decisions.
🎯I take responsibility.
This means I take ownership of my ideas, my work, my goals, and my actions.
🎯I persevere.
This means I challenge myself. When something is difficult or demanding, I keep trying and ask for help if I need it.
🎯I collaborate.
This means I work effectively with others.
Reading Standards
RL1 and RI1. Drawing Conclusions & Making Inferences
RL2. Identifying Themes & Summarizing Texts
RI2. Main Idea & Summarizing Texts
RL3. Analyzing Character/Setting/Events by Using Evidence
Character, Setting, & Plot Rap Song!
Analyze characters from any book with this online Character Scrapbook!
Character Lesson Setting Lesson
Analyze characters from any book with this online Character Scrapbook!
Character Lesson Setting Lesson
RL4. and RI4. Using Context Clues to Determine the Meaning of Unknown Words and Phrases.
Context Clues and Glossary Lesson
Using Context Clues Literary Devices More Practice
Synonyms/Antonyms/Homographs
Using Context Clues Literary Devices More Practice
Synonyms/Antonyms/Homographs
RL5. Differences Between Poetry, Prose, & Drama
RI6. Firsthand and Secondhand Accounts
RI7. Interpret Information
RF3. Reading Fluency
Visit this website to download reading passages to practice reading fluently...all you have to do is time yourself for 1 minute! The end of the year goal is 140 words per minute!