Lesson Title: ​Intro to Poetry 

Grade Level: ​4th 

Approximate length of time:​ 45-55 minutes 
Curriculum area:​ Language Arts 
Objectives: 
Writing Standard 5​: With guidance and support from peers and adults, develop 
and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, and editing. 
Personal Objectives: 
Students will be able to write a “I used to be… Now I Am” Poem. 
Students will understand what poetry is and how to write a specific poem. 
Essential Question/s: 
What is poetry? 
How can we write poetry? 
Materials: ​Whiteboards and markers, smartboard, ​"Is This Poetry?" Game​, “I used to be… 
Now I Am” template ​worksheets  
Accommodations:  
Using visuals on smartboard. 
Model how to write an “I used to be… Now I Am” Poem. 
Give students who struggle with writing more time on the assessment at the end or  
require them to write only 2 lines. 
__________________________________________________________________________________________________ 
Phase I: Engage, Explore (and Explain) (15-20 min) 
1. Ask students if they know what poetry is or if they have ever read poetry. 
2. Ask students what they think poetry is. 
3. Write their answers on the board. 
4. Play “is this poetry?” game with students. 
a. HOW TO PLAY: 
b. I will read something to the class and you are going to tell me if you think it is 
poetry or not. 
c. On your whiteboard write “yes” if you think what I read is poetry, write “no” 
if you think what I read is not poetry. 
d. When you have your answer, hold it up so I can see. 
5. After discussing their answers, tell students what poetry is. 
a. Poetry is created by putting words together in an interesting way to express 
a feeling, create a mental picture, tell a story, or make a sound. 
 
Phase II: Explore, Explain, & Extend (Guided Practice) (15-20 min) 
1. Ask students if they have ever heard of a “I used to be… Now I am” poem 
2. Think-pair-share 
 3. Have students share some of their ideas 
4. Read a few examples of “I used to be… Now I am” poems. 
5. Model how to write a “I used to be...Now I am” poem on the projector/smartboard. 
6. Tell students they will be writing a poem using this format. 
7. Give instructions 
a. Tell students they are going to write a rough draft for a “I used to be… Now I 
am” poem using the graphic organizer I will hand out 
b. They need to write down at least 6 ideas 
c. They can be literal or use metaphors and/or similes 
i. Review what metaphors and similes are (if needed) 
1. Metaphors: a figure of speech ​that is used to make a 
comparison between two things that aren't alike but do 
have something in common​. 
a. Example: The snow is a white blanket.  
2. Similes: A comparison between two things that are not alike 
and replaces the word with another word ​AND ​used the word 
“like” or “as”. 
a. Example: The snow is ​like​ a white blanket. 
d. This is a rough draft - they will be writing a final draft later 
e. They have 10 minutes to get your ideas down 
8. Pass out worksheets 
9. Give students 5-10 minutes to write their ideas down. 
10. Walk around the room as students write and offer help as needed.  
11. Bring students back together, have them share with a partner what they wrote.  
a. They can share the whole thing, one line, or a sentence 
 
Phase III: Extend/Explain/Evaluate (Independent Practice/Assessment) (15 min) 
1. Have students write a final draft of their poem.  
2. Explain instructions: 
a. Use their rough draft to write a final draft of their poem. 
b. Students can add or change anything from their rough draft. 
c. Use the “I used to be… Now I am” format.  
d. Write ​at least 6​ lines. 
3. Pass out worksheets. 
4. Success criteria: students write at least 6 lines that follow the “I used to be… now I 
am” format.  
5. Give students 10 minutes to write their final draft. 
6. Bring students back together, have them volunteer to share what they wrote to the 
whole class.