Name: Elizabeth Bussotti

Cohort: B1

Lesson Plan
Lesson Title: The Best Part of ME

Grade: 6

Subject/Strand: Language Arts-Oral Communication & Writing

Park
Time: 50 min

Date: December 2, 2015

Unit: Writing

Location: Orchard

Lesson Plan Description

(What are you teaching? How does it fit into the context of the unit? What are the big
ideas/essential/enduring understandings?)

This lesson will start by discussing poems. What is a poem? Where do we see or use poems?
Together as a class we will read the story The Best Part of Me. This book is made up of poems
created by students about a body part they are proud of. Students will talk with a partner and think
about a body part they are happy to have and why they are happy to have it. Students will then
create their own poem about this special body part. Once everyone has created and finished their
poems, the class will create their own The Best Part of Me book by putting together all of the
students Best Part of Me poems and a photograph taken by the teacher in a creative pose of their
choice, showcasing their special body part. Alternatively this could also include a students drawing
of their special body part. This lesson will encourage discussion about healthy body image, selfesteem and diversity.
CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS
Ontario Curricular Overall Expectations

(numbers from documents and details)

1. Generate, gather, and organize ideas and information to write for an intended purpose and
audience (writing)
2. Use speaking skills and strategies appropriately to communicate with different audiences for a
variety of purposes (oral)
Ontario Curricular Specific Expectations

(numbers from documents and details) selected & listed from the Ont.
Curriculum, refined when necessary, has verbs that are observable & measureable, has realistic number of expectations (1 to 3), have
expectations that match assessment

1.1 (writing)- identify the topic, purpose, and audience for a variety of writing forms (e.g., a poem
or a song on a social issue for performance by the class; a formal letter to the teacher outlining
their opinion on eliminating soft drinks from the school vending machine; an article explaining the
water cycle and including a flow chart, for an online student encyclopedia)
2.1 (oral) - identify a variety of purposes for speaking (e.g., to justify opinions and thinking in a
discussion and dialogue groups; to ask questions or explore solutions to problems in small groups;
to share information or ideas about about a topic with a small group; to share data; to entertain; to
interact in social situations; to contribute meaningfully and work constructively in groups)
Learning Goals

Discuss with students: What will I be learning today? (clearly identify what students are expected to know
and be able to do, in language that students can readily understand.)

Today I will learn

That everyone is different

To appreciate myself as an individual
To express my thoughts in written form (poem)
ASSESSMENT and EVALUATION
Success Criteria

Discuss with students: How will I know I have learned what I need to learn? (Clearly identify the criteria
to assess students learning, as well as what evidence of learning students will provide to demonstrate their knowledge, skills and
thinking, in language that students can readily understand).

I can: Understand diversity among my peers

I can: Appreciate my body and what makes me unique
I can: Use written form to express my thoughts and ideas
Assessment

How will I know students have learned what I intended?

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Achievement Chart Categories (highlight/circle the ones that apply):

Knowledge and Understanding;
Thinking;
Communication;
Application
Assessment For, As, Of Learning (Circle One) (Describe way(s) you and/or your students will assess.)
Assessment Mode
Written, Oral, Performance
(Write, Say, Do)

Oral; talking about

what a poem is and
after the book they
would verbally
share with a
partner what their
favourite body part
is.
Written poem in
journal.
Performance;
Students will orally
share their poem
with a friend/small
group.

Assessment Strategy and Task

for Students- What are the students

Assessment Tool - Instrument used to

assess task and record learning e.g.,

doing to show their learning? e.g. turn and

talk, role play/individual, cooperative, etc.

rubric, checklist, observation sheet, turn/talk, role play

etc.

Students will turn and talk to a

partner about their favourite
body part and explain why.

Students will be evaluated on their

learning skills, participation in
discussion and collaboration with
their partner. Students will then be
evaluated on their poem and
photo/picture that they create about
a special body part. The teacher will
use a checklist when evaluating for
accurate grading.

Students will show their

learning by creating their own
poem about a special body
part.
Students will show their
learning by posing in a picture
that will convey the visual
meaning behind their written
meaning. (Poem)

CONSIDERATIONS FOR PLANNING

Prior Learning: Prior to this lesson, students will have Discussed

Students have learned to gather and organize ideas to write for an intended purpose.
Students have learned to revise their writing using editing and proofreading.
Students will be able to use appropriate visual aids to support/enhance their writing.
Differentiation: Content, Process, Product, Environment, Assessment/Accommodations,
Modifications

Students who have difficulty with writing may have a scribe to convey their thoughts or they may
use a computer to type.
Students who struggle with oral language may have an EA or the teacher help them to come up
with the vocabulary they would like to use.
Students that experience anxiety posing in front of a camera may draw a picture of their favourite
body part instead.
Students that do not have permission from their parents to have their photographs taken by the
school may draw a picture of their favourite body part and attach that to their poem.
Learning Skills/Work Habits
collaboration,

Vocabulary

Highlight/circle ones that are assessed:

initiative,
self-regulation
(for word wall and/or to develop schema)

Diversity
Poem
Self-esteem
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responsibility,

organization,

independent work,

Resources and Materials /Technology Integration

List ALL items necessary for delivery of the lesson. Include any
attachments of student worksheets used and teacher support material that will support communication of instruction. Include the use of
Information Technology (ICT) in your lesson plan where appropriate.

The Best Part of Me book

Journals for poem writing
Pencils
Camera
Computer (scan pictures)
Printer (print pictures)
Pencil crayons and paper (for those who will draw a picture instead)
Learning Environment

(grouping; transitions; physical set up)

Classroom
Cross Curricular Links

Social Studies - learning about diversity within a community

Health and Physical Education - discussing and writing about positive body image
Three Part Lesson
Identify what the students are expected to think about or do. Write the lesson description with
enough detail that another teacher could replicate the lesson without a personal discussion.
What Teachers Do:
What Students do:
Minds on: Motivational Hook/engagement /Introduction (5-15 min)
Establish a positive learning environment, connect to prior learning, set the context for learning, pre-determine key questions to guide
lesson.
Time: ______-_______ (Indicate time breakdown of
Student says I know that a poem is like a story.
instructional elements)

Can anyone give me an example of a poem?

Have you ever written a poem before?
OK, we are going to read a book that is
made up of children poems. It is
calledThe Best Part of Me (Read book to
class)
What are some things the children in the
story are proud of?
What are some things you notice about the
childrens poems in the book?
Yes, we can tell just by all the different
poems that all the children are different and
love their body parts for different reasons.

Student says I wrote a poem for my mom on

Mothers Day!

Some kids were proud of their hands, hair, knees,

and elbows.
I noticed that all the kids chose a different body
part they are proud of.

Turn to a partner and discuss something you

love about yourself and explain why.
Students talk with a friend, and share their ideas
about which body part they are most proud of.

Action: During /Working on it (time given for each component, suggested 15-40 min)
Introduce new learning or extend/reinforce prior learning, provide opportunities for practice & application of learning.
Time: ______-_______ (Indicate time breakdown of instructional
elements)

Now, we are all going to have a chance to

write our own poem. Just like the children in
the story. You are going to choose one body
that you love. Then you will create a poem
about that special body part. You will explain
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which body part you chose and why you love

that body part.
Before you go to your desk, when I call your
name, I would like you to say one thing you
like about your body. It does not have to be
the one you will write about. Then you may
grab your journals, go to your desk and
begin to write your poem.

Tommy says, Arms!

Anna says, Eyes!
Andy says, my tummy!
Students get their journals, then return to their
seats to begin their poem writing.

Consolidation & Connection (Reflect and Connect) (5-15 min.)

Help students demonstrate what they have learned, provide opportunities for consolidation and reflection.
Time: ______-_______ (Indicate time breakdown of instructional
I think the book should start with
elements)

Once everyone is done with their poem,

students will share their poem with a friend.
Together we will determine which order they
fit best in, and then create our very own
The Best Part of Me book.

my poem
because eyes are a very important body part!
We should make our poem book go in order from
body parts that start at the top of our bodies, to
body parts that are at the bottom of our bodies.

Extension Activities/Next Steps (where will this lesson lead to next)

An activity that this could lead into would be to examine different types of poems and their
formats. Students can practice writing different
Personal Reflection (what went well, what would I change, what will I have to consider in my next lesson for this subject/topic)

The lesson went well and students were engaged. It may be helpful not to read the entire
book to as we ran out of time for the writing. Rather, just choose a few key poems to share and
have the book available should the students want to read it on their own.
The Teacher: Work on class management by handing out class points to the students staying on task
as opposed to addressing the students that are off task.
The Lesson:

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