Lesson Planning Form for Accessible Instruction Calvin College Education Program

Teacher Hannah Leong

Date November 19, 2015

Grade 1st

Subject/ Topic/ Theme Rhyming Poems

I. Objectives
How does this lesson connect to the unit plan?
Students will learn about rhyming poems and begin to compare them to acrostic poems that we have studied.
Learners will be able to:
Explain what a rhyming poem is and compare and contrast it to acrostic poems
Comprehend the meanings of and use new descriptive vocabulary when writing poetry
Write to create rhyming poems as a class and on their own

Use poetry to explain a topic or express their feelings about a topic

Recognize that poetry is cross-lingual
Identify words that rhyme
Clearly read their poem aloud to a peer
Give compliments for their peers poems

cognitiveR U Ap An E C*

physical
development

socioemotional

An
Ap
C

X
X

R/K
R
X
E

Common Core standards (or GLCEs if not available in Common Core) addressed:
-With prompting and support, read prose and poetry of appropriate complexity for grade 1 (CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.10).
-Demonstrate understanding of spoken words, syllables, and sounds (phonemes) (CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RF.1.2).
-Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension (CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RF.1.4).
-Describe people, places, things, and events with relevant details, expressing ideas and feelings clearly (CCSS.ELALITERACY.SL.1.4).
(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.

-What rhyme is same sounds at the ends of words

-Information from word web pre-assessment
-Knowledge of the characteristics of acrostics
Pre-assessment (for learning):

What is rhyme? Can you name some words that rhyme?

Formative (for learning):

-point out words that rhyme in poems

-rhyming game
Formative (as learning):

Outline assessment
activities
(applicable to this lesson)

-rhyming game are you answering correctly?

Summative (of learning):
-write fill-in-the-blank rhyme poems

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What barriers might this

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

Provide Multiple Means of

Representation

Provide Multiple Means of

Action and Expression

Provide Multiple Means of

Engagement

Provide options for perceptionmaking information perceptible

Provide options for physical actionincrease options for interaction

Provide options for recruiting

interest- choice, relevance, value,
authenticity, minimize threats

-An Elephant Asks poster for

identifying rhyming pairs
-Audio recording of poem read
in Spanish
-Spanish and English text
shown on ELMO
- One-on-one help for Bairon
with fill-in-the blank rhyming
poem
Provide options for language,
mathematical expressions, and
symbols- clarify & connect
language

-rhyming poem read in Spanish

and English

Provide options for comprehensionactivate, apply & highlight

-activate use of rhyming skills

in game
-pictures with poems to aid
comprehension
-apply rhyming practice when
they go to write their poems

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?

-Jumping rhyme game

-Come up to the board to
highlight/place stickers on
rhyming pairs.
-One-on-one help for Bairon
with fill-in-the blank rhyming
poem

Provide options for expression and

communication- increase medium
of expression

-choices with fill in the blank

poems
-relevance and value -Spanish
rhyming poem

Provide options for sustaining

effort and persistence- optimize
challenge, collaboration, masteryoriented feedback

-oral discussion time and

sharing time
-written individual writing
time
-students come up to board and
highlight rhyming words

-collaborate to write rhyming

poem together
-challenge to find rhyming
words in poems and to write
their own rhyming poems

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

-long term goal of writing

rhyming poem for their poem
books
-short term goal of identifying
rhyming words in game

-read poem at end to make sure

it rhymes and makes sense
-rhyming game lets students see
how well they can rhyme

- audio recording of La Ballena Viajera by Marisa Alonso Santamaria read in Spanish

-Spanish text of La Ballena Viajera to show on the ELMO
-ELMO document camera
-An Elephant Asks by Bobbi Katz from Poetry Big Book: Animals
- large poster paper with An Elephant Asks written on it
-Jack Prelutskys A Pizza the Size of the Sun from A Pizza the Size of the Sun
-different colored stickers or highlighters for identifying rhymes in poem
-colored paper cards/strips with simple words to rhyme on them (21 words, one for each student):
Run, sun, fun, bat, hat, cat, mat, sat, flop, plop, drop,
mop, stop, bet, pet, get, pack, back, tick, lick, kick
-pencils
-fill-in-the-blank poem rhyming worksheet
-Mrs. Andersons poetry poster
-computer and projector to work on and show Popplet concept map http://popplet.com/app/#/2793821

Large group on rug

3 long table groups

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III. The Plan

Time

Components

Describe teacher activities

AND
student activities
for each component of the lesson. Include important higher order thinking questions and/or
prompts.
Gather students on rug.
Say: Welcome to Poetry Palooza, poets! Palooza is
a funny name for party. Everyone say palooza!

Students sit on rug.

Palooooza!

Say: Lets review first.

Show poetry poster and have students repeat
definitions of poetry, poem, and poet.
Use hand motions:
-Poetry is the WHOLE type of writing (circle arms
to indicate whole)
-A poem is the words we write on paper (put hand
out, palm up like you are reading a poem)
-The poet is the person! (touch head, shoulders,
knees, and toes)

Students say definitions and do hand motions along

with teacher Poetry is the type of writing, poem is
the words we write, poet is the person who writes.

Say: Today Ill read you a poem called, An

Elephant Asks.

10
min.
Motivation
(opening/
introduction/
engagement)

Hold up the big book

Ask: Can you remind me what kind of poem we
were talking about yesterday? Does this poem look
different than the acrostic poems we were reading
and writing yesterday?
Read An Elephant Asks by Bobbi Katz.
Ask: What is this poem about? Do you see any
rhyming?
What is rhyming?
Discuss how words rhyme when their endings
sound the same. Poems rhyme when the last word
of each line sounds the same as the last word of
other lines.

Students respond: Acrostic. It has more words,

there are no big letters written down the side, it has
a big picture of an elephant etc.

Students respond: Its about an elephant and his

trunk, and it rhymes!

Students share background knowledge of rhyming.

Show written poster of An Elephant Asks. Ask

students to come up and place stickers on (or
highlight) the rhyming word pairs they hear and
see.
Read the poem again and invite students up to the
board. Use a different color sticker for each
rhyming word pair (e.g. nose and hose with a green
sticker, and well and smell with an orange sticker)

Students come up to the poster, identify rhyming

words, and place stickers.

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Say: Good job noticing that rhyming! Lets listen

to a poem in Spanish now by Marisa Alonso
Santamaria. Listen carefully and lets find out how
many rhyming words we can hear.
Play audio recording of La Ballena Viajera.
Show Spanish text on the ELMO.
Ask: What was this poem about? What rhyming
words did you hear?
And even if you dont speak Spanish, you can still
hear the same sounds at the end of some of the
words! This poem rhymes in Spanish, but do you
think it would rhyme if we read it in English?

5-8
min.

Students respond: A whale that travelled to an

island in the springtime.
viajera/primavera, pasaje/conduce etc.
No it wouldnt rhyme in English.

Right, because even though poetry can be written

in any language and be a part of every culture, the
words dont have the same sounds in other
languages. The Spanish words have different
ending sounds as the words that mean the same
thing in English.

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

5
min.

*If time pemits, read A Pizza the Size of the Sun

by Jack Prelutsky and have students raise two
fingers in the air whenever they hear a pair of
rhyming words.

Pull up concept map on Popplet and show on

projector.
Say: So what have we learned about poetry now?
What are some things we can add to our word web
now that we know about acrostic poems and
rhyming poems?

Students respond: There are different types of

poemsacrostic and rhyming. Poems dont always
rhyme in different languages.

Add students ideas to Popplet.

Say: Great job! We are learning more and more
about poetry and that shows in our word web!
Now who is ready to play a game?

Students rejoice.

Explain rules of jumping rhyme game (see rules

and materials attached):
Each student holds a card/strip with one word on it
and squats down on the rug. They should read their
cards and make sure they know the right sound it
makes. Teacher calls out different words that
rhyme with the words on their cards. Whoever has
a word that rhymes with the word called out, they
must jump up as fast as they can. After each round
the class should read the cards together and make
sure the words actually do rhyme.

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Play the game! Read off words as student jump.

10
min.

Students identify rhyming words by listening and

jumping!

Play two or three games. Have students trade word

cards with a neighbor in between games so they
have a different word to practice rhyming with.
Say: Way to go, first graders! Quick, take a seat on
the rug!
Collect word cards.
Now that we have practiced our rhyming, we can
write a rhyming poem together!
On the board, begin a rhyming poem by writing a
line about Thanksgiving and have students
complete it by giving rhyming suggestions.
e.g. Thanksgiving is
Its our favorite time of

5-8
min.

Continue until you have completed a rhyming

poem and read the finished poem together as a
class.

Students give suggestions:

Thanksgiving is almost here.
Its our favorite time of year! etc.

Students read along.

Say: Great job! Now its your turn to write

rhyming poems.

Explain worksheets:
Allow students to choose to write a fill-in-the blank
poem about a kite or a clown (see attachments).
Instruct students to draw a quick picture of their
clown or kite before they write, so they remember
what they are describing in their poem.
Say: Use the word bank on the worksheet to help
you fill in blanks when writing your rhyming
poem. Pick words you think will go well and sound
good with the rest of the poem. It will help you to
say the words aloud in order to make sure they
rhyme before you write them.
Encourage students to use other words they know
rhyme with the rest of their poem; they dont just
have to use the word bank.
Excuse students to return to seats and pass out
worksheets/templates.

Students return to their tables, choose a template

(kite or clown), and rhyme to write!

10
min.

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3
min.

Closure
(conclusion,
culmination,
wrap-up)

Say: Great job! When you finish filling in your

poem, read your poem aloud to yourself. Do the
lines rhyme? Do they make sense?
When youre done reading to yourself, turn to a
friend and read your poem to them. Check to see
that both of your poems rhyme. What is one thing
you like about your friends poem?

Students self-reflect by reading their poem aloud.

Students read to a friend and reflect.

Lesson Reflection
I felt that todays lesson was very well received and that the activities involved really helped Mrs. Andersons first graders
remain engaged. We began with movement and a review of the similar terms poetry, poet, and poem using hand motions.
Students seem to understand the word poet best because it directly applies to them. They themselves are poets, while
poetry and poem are more abstract concepts. I keep trying to help them make the connection that poetry is a type of
writing by comparing it to the personal narrative writing they have done.
The students seem to really like the big poetry book of animal poems that I have been reading from. Today I read An
Elephant Asks by Bobbi Katz, but they still remembered the crocodile poem we read two days ago. I also loved that
Annie C. raised her hand to make a comment and then came up to the book in order to point out to the class that the word
mice on the opposite page of An Elephant Asks has a c that sounds like s. Although unrelated to the poem we were
reading, it is great that she is making those kinds of connections and it shows higher order thinking. Students were
engaged as I called students up to the poster to place stickers on the rhyming words in An Elephant Asks. However, I
had meant to review by asking students, What is rhyming? before having them place stickers. I caught myself and
remembered to ask this before getting too far into the poem though. Aracely R. was able to explain that rhyming is when
the end sounds of words are the same.
Students were able to identify the rhyming words well, and although only some students could come up to place stickers, I
saw more than half of the students raising their hands enthusiastically with answers. Manny and Abby struggled a bit, and
both seemed so eager and happy to have been called on to put stickers on the poster that I dont think they thought threw
the answers thoroughly. Mannyloves to point out all the word wall words in small group reading time, so he wanted to
place stickers on the repeating word like. Although it wasnt the answer I was looking for, Mannys noticing of the
recurring word like shows again that students are making good connections to the other reading we have been doing in
class and are consistently practicing and using their reading skills. Abby is a slower processor and needed some more
scaffolding to find the matching rhyming word to Mannys. Rather than asking her to sit back down and try again another
time though, I remained persistent until she got it. In the future too, I need to slow down as I read poems aloud and take
time to discuss the meaning of the poem better with students. Along with asking What was this poem about? I should
have also asked, So what is the elephant asking us?
The reading of La ballena viajera went well! Students eyes light up each time I play a poem in Spanish. They raised
their hands and told me that the poem is about a whale swimming to an island. When I asked for rhyming words, Melanie
and Noel stood up and pointed them out on the screen. They noticed that the end letters are the same in viajera/primavera
and pasaje/paisaje. However, when I asked them to read and pronounce the words they did not know how to. I forgot to
take into consideration that the students who speak Spanish do not read in Spanish. If I encourage them to write some of
their poems using Spanish words, do they know how to write in Spanish?
The jumping rhyme game did not go as I planned, but the kids still loved it (Zach especially). They love games and every
time I bring a game to reading small group, they always ask to play again and again for three or four days straight. I have
never played a whole group game before with them, and I found that I need to explain the expectations more clearly
before we begin. Although I had hoped to have students jump up, stay standing, and read their words to the entire class
when a word that rhymes with their word was called, the students squatting on the floor talking were too distracting.
Rather than a whole group game that required all students to practice rhyming words even when a word that rhymed with
theirs was not called, it became more of an individual-to-teacher experience as the game went on. I tried to make sure all
students were involved by asking them to check their peers answers (e.g. Garret has the word mat. Do mat and bet

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rhyme?). A couple times, students tried to rhyme words that end in t but have different vowel sounds. Each time this
happened, I tried to comment on it and point out that although the words have the same last letter sound, they dont rhyme
because they dont have the same vowel sound too.
I have evidence that they are beginning to grasp the concept of rhyming better because many students were able to
accurately jump up with a corresponding rhyming word. Additionally, even with all the distracted talking that I should
have made a better point of correcting, I noticed students talking to their neighbors and pointing out that their words
rhyme with each other. What a great connection that they are not only thinking about how their own words rhyme with the
words I say aloud, but that they also rhyme with the words that their peers are holding! Next time, I will make sure to
explain expectations for playing the game more clearly, wait for students to be completely quiet before I read the next
word, and make sure that all students have traded word cards with a neighbor half way through the game so they can
practice rhyming other words. I noticed that after I instructed students to trade words, Carlie jumped up again but still had
the word bet. At one point, Abby came up to me and whispered in my ear, I didnt trade one, so I had her trade with
Manny.
Students participated well when we filled in the thanksgiving rhyming poem together. I am glad I added a word bank,
because I think it would be too hard for them to have come up with rhyming words off the top of their heads. I also
included their word wall words eat and here in the poem, so they had some familiar vocabulary along with less familiar
vocabulary like treat, deer, everything etc. Id like to hang up the finished poem in the classroom to help them remember
what rhyming poems look like.
It worked out very well to have students choose which rhyming poem topic they wanted to write abouta clown or a kite.
I placed the two piles of worksheets on the floor and called students who were sitting quietly to come choose a worksheet
and then go to their seats. They were so quiet and seemed to enjoy the opportunity to make a choice about what to write. I
walked around as they worked and many asked for help reading the words in the word bank (night, right, height, frown,
crown etc.) Once I helped them read these words though, students were able to identify which of those words rhymed. I
originally planned for students to read their finished poems to a neighbor, but there is also room on the worksheets to
draw a picture. I allowed them to do so, and I actually think that drawing pictures to match their words (one of my unit
objectives) was more meaningful for students at this time than reading their poems aloud. Being able to draw a picture
shows that they are able to comprehend the words they have written. I then went around and had some students read their
poems to me and their seat neighbor. In summation, I think it was a good day learning about rhyming poems. I hope to
review rhyming poems with students a bit before beginning sensory poems tomorrow.
Resourcres:
Katz, B. (1997). An elephant asks. In M. Fleming (Ed.), Poetry Big Book: Animals (p. 13). N.p.: Scholastic Inc.
Santamaria, M. A. (n.d.). Poesa corta para nios. La ballena viajera. In guiainfintil.com. Retrieved November 7, 2015, from
http://www.guiainfantil.com/articulos/ocio/poesias/poesia-corta-para-ninos-la-ballena-viajera/
Tice, J. (2013, March 27). Sensory poetry. In Rowdy in First Grade. Retrieved November 15, 2015, from
http://rowdyinfirstgrade.blogspot.com/2013/03/sensory-poetry.html

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