Kevin Brintnell

Edu 530-01 The Pleasure of Words: Poetry, Play and Learning

Jeff Gundy

 

8th Grade Project: Week Long Language Arts Lesson Plan- 24 students

 

Skills

Individual creativity and discovery

Group collaboration

Knowledge

Use of the Writing Process (pre-writing, rough draft, revision, final copy)

Use of locator words (prepositions) (8th grade language arts content objective) e.g.- above, around, beyond, from, on, through, with

Addressing a specific audience (performance)

 

Monday

·         Don’t Borrow, Steal! Exercise

·         I will pass around a few copies or excerpts with interesting language or imagery. The students glance at them, and they write down the first phrase or word that catches their eye.  After a minute, we swap the copies until the students have gathered enough information from the various excerpts to create a storehouse of information (pre-writing exercise).  The students must then weave their attained knowledge into a poem that has some form of coherence and structure.  The students will then have ten minutes to create their poem (rough draft).

·         The students will then have three minutes to make any necessary revisions (revision).

·         The students then have five minutes to re-write their poem for presentation (final copy).

·         We will then have the students share their poems with the rest of the class (performance).

Tuesday

·         A Poem with Complications Exercise

·         The students will write the title of a poem of their choice and a phrase from a movie or song that pops into their head (pre-writing exercise).

·         I will collect the two pieces of paper, shuffle them, and pass them out to the students.  They cannot have their initial title or phrase.  The students will then be responsible for incorporating those two pieces of information into a poem that they must create (rough draft).  The students must also include a sentence in their poem that has a locator word at the beginning and in the middle of the sentence (language arts content skill).

·         The students will then have three minutes to make any necessary revisions on their poem (revision).

·         The students then have five minutes to re-write their poem for presentation (final copy).

·         We will then have the students share their poems with the rest of the class (performance).

Wednesday

·         I will read my three poems {see appendix A} to the students, and we will discuss possible themes for each poem.  Upon analysis, we will have the students break into three groups.  I will assign each of the groups a theme based on the three poems I read. 

·         The students will then brainstorm anything that comes to their mind concerning their theme, and they will compile a list of terms or ideas associated with their theme (pre-writing).

Thursday

·         The students will then write their own poem using the terms and ideas that their group created (rough draft).  The poem must also have a locator word at the beginning and in the middle of the sentence (language arts content skill).

·         They will exchange their poems with one of their group members, and they will have three minutes to make any types of revisions that they feel are necessary.  When the student receives their paper back, they will have three minutes to make any necessary revisions (revision).

·         The students will have ten minutes to re-write their poem (final copy).

Friday

·         The students will be handed a piece of poster board, and they will be instructed to make a collage of their compiled poems (3 groups, 8 poems in each group).

·         The students will then present their collage (performance).

·         The students will then hand-in their daily product list and rubric {see appendix B}.

 

 

Appendix A- Mr. Brintnell’s List of Thematic Poems

 

Confusion

imagination or real,

a true memory or dream,

contemplation and meditation seem to sharpen my mind,

knowledge and virtue lend power to my soul,

control, collision, correct it I must,

intellectual or irrational,

an illusion I presume

 

Seize the Day

clear water around,

it’s out of a dream,

tropical wind on my face,

a moment so still, yet so serene.

Anguish!

bills await on that monthly timer,

voice mail jammed full, a daily reminder.

focus on the palm that grows from the land,

lay on the beach,

the sun’s warmth and the sand,

the future holds dear, my personal routine,

I choose this day, and this road that drives me

 

Parents

they try to help, it seems like they push,

I like it my way, they have a different view-

I can’t help but wonder, if they truly understand,

what I’m trying to say, it’s written on their hand.

their words are harsh, I’m so torn,

I try to move on, and I need some help.

I’m too scared to ask, their expectations are too high,

it’s too difficult a task.

I don’t know it all, but I know a lot

I wish you’d listen to the words I say-

it’s like you don’t hear them, but you always respond,

I don’t like your answer, but I have too accept it-

it’s not fair, and I need your help,

I know you’re the parent, you don’t have to tell me,

I know I’m the child, I just wish you’d see.

 

 

Appendix B & C- Daily Product List & Rubric

 

1.       Don’t Borrow, Steal! Exercise

·         Pre-writing        _____

·         Rough draft       _____

·         Revisions          _____

·         Final copy         _____ 

2.       A Poem with Complications Exercise

·         Pre-writing        _____

·         Rough draft       _____

·         Revisions          _____

·         Final copy         _____

·         Use of locator word       _____

3.       Chosen theme         _____

4.       Compiled list of group terms and ideas (pre-writing)   _____

·         Rough draft       _____

·         Peer revision     _____

·         Self revision      _____

·         Final copy         _____

·         Use of locator word       _____

5.    Collage                  _____

·         Coherence        _____

·         Structure          _____

·         Aesthetic appealing       _____

·         Cooperation      _____

 

Compile and Hand-in Due Date: __________   

Grade: __________