ED200

Technology Integrated Lesson Plan Template

Lesson Title: / Using Poetry to Understand and Create Similes / Grade Level: / 6- 8
Subject Area: / Literature/ Language Arts/Reading/Writing / Time Frame: / (5) 60- min sessions
Teacher Name: / Kimberlee Kile
Summary: / In this lesson, students will identify similes in poetry and then develop their own similes in order to become comfortable in using them in their own writing.
Lesson Plan adapted from: /

Thinkfinity Lesson Plan- Lonely As a Cloud: Using Similes to Understand Similes

Connection to PA Core Curriculum Standards: / Subject: English
Grade(s): 6 - 8
Standard: 1.3 Reading, Analyzing and Interpreting Literature: C. Analyze the effect of various literary devices.: Figurative language (e.g., personification, simile, metaphor, hyperbole, allusion).
Subject: English
Grade(s): 6 - 8
Standard: 1.3.8.F. 1.3 Reading, Analyzing and Interpreting Literature: F. Read and respond to nonfiction and fiction including poetry and drama.
Technology
Standards: / 1. Creativity and Innovation
a. apply existing knowledge to generate new ideas, products, or processes.
b. create original works as a means of personal or group expression.
2. Communication and Collaboration
a. interact, collaborate, and publish with peers, experts, or others employing a variety of digital environments and media.
6. Technology Operations and Concepts
a. understand and use technology systems.
b. select and use applications effectively and productively.
c. troubleshoot systems and applications.
d. transfer current knowledge to learning of new technologies.
Essential Questions: (Objectives) / What can we learn about creative writing through the use of similes?
Students will
- gain knowledge by defining the term simile
-Apply this knowledge by identifying examples of similes in literature and poetry
-Practice analysis by examining the purpose and effect of similes in poetry
-Synthesize their knowledge by using a graphic organizer to create their own similes and then incorporating these similes into their own writing
-Create a Glogster to share their similes with the world
Assessment: / Rubistar Link to Assignment Assessment
Prerequisite
Knowledge: / Students should be able to read, write, use the smart board, use the computer, have basic computer skills to create a Glogster, and be able to work effectively alone, and in groups.
Materials and
Resources: / Hardware / Computers, Smart Board
Software / Word, Internet
Internet Websites / Flickr, Glogster, Said What Similes, Giggle Poetry, Poetry4kids.com
Other Materials / Willow and Gingko- handout
Simile Poem Brainstorm- handout
Self- Assessment Task Sheet- handout
A Red, Red Rose Poem
Procedures: / Session 1
1) Have students take out their notebooks and explain to them that willows and ginkgos are two different types of trees. Have them make two drawings. The first, of what they think a gingko tree might look like and the second, what they think a willow tree might look like. Make sure you tell them they will not be graded on this activity. It is just to get an idea of what they think the different trees might look like.
2) Read the poem Willow and Gingko by Eve Merriam aloud to students and display the poem on a smart board if possible.
3) Remind students that poets use a variety of word techniques when writing poems. In this lesson, they will be studying similes. According to Dictionary.com, a simile is "a figure of speech in which two essentially dissimilar things are compared, often in a phrase introduced by like or as, as in 'How like the winter hath my absence been' or 'So are you to my thoughts as food to life' (Shakespeare)."
4) Reread the poem aloud, asking students to focus on the similes the author uses. You may ask students to put their heads down on their desks and close their eyes while they listen, which may help them to focus on listening for the similes. Each time they hear a simile, they could indicate with a raised hand.
5) At this point, if you have been conducting this lesson orally, display the poem on the smart board and have students come up and underline the similes.
6) Once five or six of the similes have been underlined, distribute copies of the poem and have students underline all of the willow similes in one color and all of the ginkgo similes in another color.
7) Remind students that one of the reasons authors use similes is to paint a picture with words.
8) Have students read aloud the willow similes and then ask them to draw a picture of a willow tree in the top right section of their papers, using the author's words to help them add detail to their picture.
9) Then have students read aloud all of the ginkgo similes and draw a picture of a ginkgo tree in the bottom right section of their paper, again using the author's words to help them add detail to their picture.
10) When students are finished, they can share their completed work in a small group or with the whole class. Display also the actual branches from a ginkgo and willow tree or use the online images of these trees
11) Have students discuss, with a partner or as a whole group, if or how their drawings changed after listening to the poem. Post the reflection question: Did the similes help you to "see" the gingko and willow more clearly? Why or why not?
12) In a reflection journal or learning log, have each student record the dictionary definition of simile, and then his or her own definition of simile. Have them copy one example of a simile from "Willow and Gingko" and write their own thoughts on the reflection questions from step 11 (for homework if you have run out of time).
Session 2
1) Review the definition of simile.
2) Tell students that in this session they will be writing similes of their own. Have students open their writing notebooks or rough draft books to the next blank page or distribute the Simile Poem Brainstorm sheet.
3) Ask each student to think of a topic for his or her simile poem. The poems can be about themselves or about another topic, such as a pet, favorite season, or sport. In each of the seven boxes, ask students to write one physical or character trait describing the topic (e.g., long legs, curly hair, brown eyes).
4) Ask students to develop each trait into a simple simile (e.g., eyes as brown as chocolate).
5) Have students look at the listed websites for ideas about similes and to look at how other authors have used similes.
6) When students are finished, ask them to submit their Simile Poem Brainstorm sheets to you. Check that they have included at least seven simple similes that are appropriate. Make sure that all students have completed the assignment before you begin Session 3.
Session 3
1) Return to students their completed Simile Poem Brainstorm sheets from Session 2.
2) Put a copy of "A Red, Red Rose" on the overhead. You may read it aloud or choose a student to do so.
3) Underline the simile in line 1: "O my luve's like a red, red rose." The author could have stopped there, but instead he adds, "That's newly sprung in June." Discuss with students why they think the author added to his description.
4) Ask students to identify another example of this technique of adding on to the simile to make it more descriptive (lines 3 and 4).
5) Ask a student to share one of his or her similes with the class. Use it as an example to develop further. For example, if the simile is "My eyes are as blue as the sky," you may develop it into "My eyes are as blue as the sky on a cloudless summer day."
6) Have students develop their similes into a rough draft of a poem
Session 4
1) Have students read their completed drafts to a partner. The partner can offer suggestions for revision.
2) Have students revise and edit their poems. Make sure they have access to dictionaries and thesauri.
3) Have students submit their final poems to you. You may wish to have personal conferences with each student.
Session 5
1) Schedule computer lab time and have students create and publish a Glogster of his/her poem.
2) Make sure the student understands that he/she should effectively upload pictures as a part of his/her grade.
Modifications for Differentiated Instruction: / For students that are struggling, allow them to come up with 4 or 5 similes instead of 7.
For gifted students, have them come up with 2 different similes for the same trait.
Other: