EDS 543 UDL Lesson

EDS 543
UDL Lesson Plan
Lesson Title: Writing Poetry Grade Level: 8; Class of 20 students; 4 with IEPs Subject: English Developed By: Ruth Merceron Standards: Reading Standards for Literature Grade 8 Production and Distribution of Writing 4. Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. (Grade-specific expectations for writing types are defined in standards 13 above.) a. Produce text (print or nonprint) that explores a variety of cultures and perspectives. Unit: Understanding Race Relations in the United States through Poetry Abstract:
In the last two lessons, students were able to explore serious issues through poetry. They looked at figurative language in poetry and ways to understand the main idea in poetry by paying close attention to things like the authors background information and the title of the poem. In todays lesson, students will be able to write their own poems. They will be asked to use at least two different forms of figurative language in their poem. They will also be asked to provide a bit of background information.

Length of lesson:
90 minutes

Pre Planning
Big Idea (s)
List the concepts or principles central to this lesson that anchor or connect the smaller ideas. Concepts Central to Lesson Understanding what a poem is Understanding what techniques are often found in poetry Understanding the different types of poems

Essential Questions:
To help students being to write their own poems, the following questions should be able to assist them: What do I care about? What do I care enough about to actually write about? How have the experiences in my life shaped who I am today? Are there any experiences I feel comfortable sharing? What is a poem?
Adapted from: Planning Effective Instruction (Price, Nelson 2007)

Universal Design for Learning Ruth Merceron Spring 2012 -1-

EDS 543 UDL Lesson What are a few techniques that I can use in my own poem? Is there only one way to write a poem?

Objectives: Students will be able to Write their own poems Understand that they are capable of creatively writing about things that are concerns/cares for them Brief Description of Summative Assessment
Describe the final assessment used to provide evidence that students have met the learning objective. Be sure to provide choice related to interest and multiple, flexible means for completion that support learning preferences. Include an explicit description of the criteria for quality work.

At the end of the class, students will be able to write their own poems. The criteria for the poem: It has to contain at least two forms of figurative language It must have a title (although all poems do not have titles, it is good practice for the students and it ties into the previous lessons.) It must have a main idea. The poem can be written or spoken, but it must meet the above criteria.

Lesson Opening:
(In the beginning of class, students and I will stretch and breathe peacefully for about five minutes.)

Learning Objectives: Students will be able to Write their own poems with main ideas Use figurative language in their poems After explicitly stating the learning objectives, students will be asked to tell each other and myself what the learning goals are for todays class. The first lesson will ask students to recall forms of figurative language that weve spoken about. Then students will be asked to identify what form of figurative language I have provided on the board and on objects around the room. This should help engage students in the activity, because they will be able to move around a bit in groups of 3, going up to different areas of the room, reading the sentences they find, and identifying what form of figurative language is used. Then students will have to define what a main idea is. Exploration: Figurative Language Activity Students will write their own sentences using a form of figurative language given to their group of two. Each student will write their own sentence. Then, they will share their sentences with each other. Students will then trade sentences with another group who had to write a different form of type of figurative language. They will analyze if the sentences are accurate for the figurative language given. Then, as a class we will go over the examples the students came wrote. Writing Poems Students will write a short poem in groups of two (different group from the previous) using topics provided. They will get to choose between: school, their neighborhood, their family, the weather, their favorite celebration, their favorite meal, and if students want to write about something else, they can tell me and if I approve of the new topic, they can do that.
Adapted from: Planning Effective Instruction (Price, Nelson 2007)

Universal Design for Learning Ruth Merceron Spring 2012 -2-

EDS 543 UDL Lesson

Check for Understanding: The poem that the students write on their own, will be used for their assessment. If the poem has a title, a main idea, and at least two forms of figurative language, they will have met the requirements. Students can also, choose whether or not they will like to discuss their poem (even if they dont read it) with the class and talk about the figurative language they used and what their main idea is. Closing After students have written their poems, they will be able to talk about how they chose their topic. Students will do this individually from their seats or in front of the class if they decide to do so. Students will talk about how reading and listening to the different forms of poetry helped them to understand how to write their own poem. Students will be given an optional homework assignment to write down their favorite poem from the unit and why. They will have to talk about the main idea of the poem as well as the use of figurative language in it too. They can do this in a few ways: writing, drawing pictures and using texts, making a poster board for this, and any other way they might imagineso long as all of the key points are addressed.

Adapted from: Planning Effective Instruction (Price, Nelson 2007)

Universal Design for Learning Ruth Merceron Spring 2012 -3-