Teacher: Alison Roberts Grade Level: 2nd

Subject: English Unit or Chapter: Poetry

Acquisition Stages of the ELs in my Class: 1 student at Level 1, 2 students at Level 3
1. What are the ELL or content area standards? English 2.1 a; 2.3 c; 2.8 j;
2.12 a, d
SOLs:
English 2.1 The student will demonstrate an understanding of oral language structure.
a) Create oral stories to share with others.

English 2.3 The student will use oral communication skills c) Participate as a
contributor and leader in a group.

English 2.8 The student will read and demonstrate comprehension of fictional texts. j)
Read and reread familiar stories, poems, and passages with fluency, accuracy, and
meaningful expression.

English 2.12 The student will write stories, letters, and simple explanations. a)
Generate ideas before writing. d) Revise writing for clarity.

Description of Unit:
In this unit, my class will study poetry. We will begin by exploring poetry as a class
(English 2.8 j). We will explore poetry from poets of different cultures. As a group,
they will also work to create poetry and create a display for their work (English 2.1 a;
2.12 a, d; 2.14). This is a good unit for multicultural education because the short nature
of poems will allow us to explore many different poems that come from different
cultures. When students create their own poems, they will be able to write about the
things that matter to them and that they want to share with their community. I know
poetry can be tricky for EL students because of the use of figurative language, but I
also think it can be a way for them to learn to express themselves. Poems do not need
long, drawn out sentences, and students do not need to worry as much over grammar.
They can just be a series of descriptive words or short phrases, which can make poetry
accessible to all students.

2. What key concepts will students learn, and what strategies will be used to teach
them?
 The student will be able to will read and discuss the meanings of poems.
o Strategy: Read-Aloud Plus
 I have selected this strategy because it will allow the whole class
to look at poems together, gain a deeper understanding of the
meaning, and learn how to read poems effectively. I will be able
to use visuals to support the meaning, students can illustrate,
they can act out the poem to help feel the emotions, and we can
paraphrase the poem. This will support the meaning and text
reading strategies (English 2.8 j).
 o Strategy: Read, Pair, Share
 After we have worked on poems as a class, I want students to
work with a partner to try read and discuss the meanings of
poems. I think this is a good strategy because it will allow
students to discuss the poems in a non-pressured environment. It
will allow the EL students to have more of a contribution. I will
have the list of questions in English and in their native language.
Because there is often an odd number, there is usually a group of
3. I will place my Level 1 EL student in the group of 3 so they
can hear what the discussion should sound like but still
participate when able. This will support comprehension for all of
my students (English 2.8 j).

 The student will be able to identify acrostic, rhyming, concrete, and free verse
poems.
o Strategy: Attribute charting
 I think this will help students see the similarities and differences
between the types of poems we will look at. It will also be able
to serve as a guide for when students are trying to identify
poems and write poems. I think it will serve as a support for
having the appropriate vocabulary for each type of poem, which
will support my Level 3 students. This will support my Level 1
student by allowing them to point to elements/types of poems,
which will be illustrated.
 The student will be able to write and illustrate poems.
o Strategy: Cooperative Learning
 I chose cooperative learning to help support this goal because I
believe it will allow all students to contribute, no matter what
their English proficiency is. I think this will be a successful
strategy to help EL students and struggling students. It will allow
students to work together and share their knowledge to create a
project that is meaningful and important. Everyone will be
assigned a job based on their strengths and will work together to
create and illustrate poems about topics that they feel are
important. This will support my students’ oral communication
skills (English 2.1 and 2.3 c), as well as their writing skills
(English 2.12 a, d)
3. What background knowledge will students need? How will it be activated?

Some primary text resources:

 Gathering the Sun: An Alphabet in Spanish and English by Alma Flor Ada:
This is a collection of 28 free verse poems about family and the harvest. It is
written is Spanish with an English translation next to each poem.
o Background knowledge: Students will need to understand what free
verse poems are. We will discuss how free verse poems do not have to
rhyme or follow a shape or pattern. To activate students’ background
 knowledge before reading this book, we will talk about gardening. We
will talk about what can grow in gardens and what we see and feel in
gardens.
 Confetti: Poems for Children by Pat Mora: This is a collection of free verse and
rhyming poems about the southwest. The poems are mostly English with some
words in Spanish.
o Background: Students need to know what free verse and rhyming poems
are. We will use our definitions and word walls to come up with a
definition for each type. To understand these poems, students will need
to think about animals and nature. I will ask students to think about
nature as I show them pictures of the southwest, like the ones described
in the book.
 Good Luck Gold and Other Poems by Janet Wong: This is a collection of free
verse and rhyming poems. They are about the life of an Asian American child.
o Background: Students will need to know what a free verse and rhyming
poem are. We will use our definitions and illustrations to give examples
of these poems’ forms. To understand these poems, students need to
think about diversity. We will do a think pair share to come up with a
definition of diversity and how it might affect kids’ lives.
 Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein: This is a collection of silly free
verse and rhyming poems.
o Background: For this collection, the background for each poem varies
from Holidays to boats. We will discuss each poem’s background before
we get to it by having a brain dump on the topic of the poem and
looking at illustrations. Students will need to know what a free verse
and rhyming poem are. We will use our definitions and illustrations to
help come up with a class definition before we read.
 Spring: An Alphabetic Acrostic by Steven Schnur. This is a collection of
acrostic poems about springtime.
o Background: Students need to have general knowledge about spring in
America (ex: weather, flowers). To activate this knowledge, we will
discuss when fall is and what are clues that spring is here. Students need
to know what an acrostic poem is. We will activate this knowledge by
brainstorming what words would be a good acrostic for springtime.
 Wet Cement: A Mix of Concrete Poems by Bob Raczka. This is a collection of
concrete poems. They are an eclectic mix, including ones about nature, sport,
and objects.
o Background: Students need to know what a concrete poem is. We will
begin by reviewing this term and thinking of examples. For this book,
background knowledge will be dependent on each poem. We will
discuss the topic of the poem before we start and predict what shape the
poem will be in.
4. List key terms, words, idioms, and phrases (TWIPs) to be pretaught. Include
simple, student-friendly definitions. Identify words that are likely to be used
outside class as well as academic words that are content specific.
 Poem: writing that expresses emotion and has words you pick carefully; it does
not need to be written in complete sentences
 Author: writer
 Poet: writer of poems
 Title: what a book or poem is called
 Rhyme: words that sound the same at the end of the word
 Pair: two things that go together, like two rhyming words
 Rhyming poem: a poem where the ends of the lines rhyme
 Acrostic poem: a poem about a thing or person where the first letter of each line
spells the name of what you are describing
 Concrete poem: a poem that is in the shape of what you are describing
 Free verse poem: a poem that does not have to rhyme or follow the rules for the
other types of poems
5. Design one or more of the following activates for TWIP instruction:
 Matching vocabulary with definitions
o In addition to a regular definition, students will match to key
phrases (ex: pair for rhyming poem) and illustrations. This will
create a guide for students to use for discussions. This will help
the Level 1 student recount what these terms are when we talk
about the poems. The L1 student can identify the key words,
which will help when explaining in partners and groups. This
will help the L3 students ask and answer questions in
collaborative groups. It will also help them describe the
categories for the poems.
 Drawing and labeling
 Labeling maps
 Filling out simple charts
 Sequencing activity
 Group vocabulary activities and games
 Student-generated word walls
o After we have discussed the TWIPs, we will create a word wall.
I will post each of the TWIPs on the wall. Students will generate
words to help understanding, ideas for poems, connections, and
key words that will be important when discussing poems in pairs
and creating poems in groups. This will be a support to the Level
1 student because they can point to key words to help
demonstrate their understanding and can illustrate their ideas to
add to the class display. During pair and group work, this can be
a useful tool for scaffolding oral language. During the writing,
they can express their ideas by using the word wall. This will
also support the Level 3 students in expressing their ideas by
providing key phrases so they can ask and can question in
collaborative groups.
6. Check which of the following strategies you will use in class:
o 1. Buddies
  My students will work in buddies to discuss the meaning of the
poetry they will read. For my L1 student, this will let them
identify the words they can and match them to pictures. They
will have the support of their buddy if they struggle. They will
be able to respond to simple questions about the poem verbally
with less pressure than with the whole class. They will also be
able to act out events or feelings from the poems to help
communicate their thoughts. This will let the L3 students
illustrate things they cannot say. They will be able to express the
relationship between ideas without as much pressure too.
o 2. Cooperative groups
 Cooperative groups will allow everyone to contribute while
working at a level they are comfortable with. The L1 student
could be the illustrator for the poem. The L3 students might be
the recorder as the group discusses ideas and their pros and cons.
As groups discuss what to write about and in what form, the L1
and L3 students will be able to express their thoughts through
drawing, gestures, and phrases. Having a small group will make
this communication possible and let everyone be heard.
o 3. Graphs, charts, photos, drawings
o 4. Graphic organizers
o 5. Hands on activities
o 6. Taping explanations and photocopying notes
o 7. Highlighting, sticky notes, Wikki Stix
o 8. Using body language, skits, storytelling, music, videos
o 9. Vocabulary box whenever possible
7. How will you modify text for beginning learners of English?
I will provide poems that are written in multiple languages. For poems that are not in
multiple languages, I will provide students with a personal copy that has visual
representations above key words. I will find poems from their cultures, which will let
them have more prior knowledge about the topic.