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Tezak
Age/Grade Level: 1415 yr olds / 9th grade
Context: This lesson comes in the middle of a writing unit, focusing solely on
creative writing and personal narratives. The overall themes for the unit circulate
around family, relationships, community, and how one’s culture affects their
identity. The students have already covered minilessons on metaphor, simile,
and imagery.
Objective/Learning Goals: Students will be able to…
• Understand the importance of sensory detail in writing
• Utilize all five of their senses in their writing
• Link poetry and lyrics to other forms of writing
• Recall memories that will be of use when writing their narratives
Hook: Song lyrics of “Boondocks” by Little Big Town, personal examples of
“Where I’m From” poetry, and an audio reading by George Ella Lyons.
Skills Taught: Students will be able to…
• Brainstorm ideas for their narrative writing
• Use metaphors and similes in their descriptions
• Write a poem mimicking George Ella Lyons’ form
Lesson: Students will walk into class, hear the song being played, read the lyrics
on the board, and begin their freewrite. The freewrite for the day will be about
ways in which they relate to the lyrics. We will then jump into the sensory
activity. I will provide an example for the students, they will work in groups to
complete the handout, and we will reconvene as a large group to discuss. Talking
about the importance of word choice, specificity, and details, we will offer ideas
for how to make their previous examples more specific. We will then listen to the
audio recording of George Ella Lyons, with a textual form of her poem on the
overhead. We will talk about her form and the content of the poem. Finally, the
students will work individually to gather thoughts, memories, and examples for
their own poem on the second handout. I will walk around asking and
answering questions to guide students toward specific, sensory description.
Activity: In their table groups, students will use the handout to brainstorm lists
of specific words that describe a setting (cafeteria, gym class, library, Friday night
football game, etc). We will reconvene as a group to share our examples.
Materials: Sensory Handout (2 per student), overhead projection, and audio.
Assessment:
I will formatively assess students through their group work, examples, and as I
walk around during individual time. Summative assessment will come through
as students finish their “Where I’m From” poems for homework and turn them
in the next day.
MI Standards: 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.5, 4.1, and 4.2
Sources:
http://teacher.scholastic.com/writeit/poetry/brainstorm/lessonplan.htm
http://www.georgeellalyon.com/where.html