Elibrary Elementary Standards-Based Learning Activity

eLibrary Elementary Standards-Based Learning Activity

Writing Cinquain Poetry

Teacher Procedures

APPROPRIATE FOR: Language Arts, Grades 3-5

TIMELINE: Three class periods

English Language Arts Standards Addressed Through This Lesson

NCTE and IRA:

· Students employ a wide range of strategies as they write and use different writing process elements appropriately to communicate with different audiences for a variety of purposes.

· Students apply knowledge of language structure, language conventions (e.g., spelling and punctuation), media techniques, figurative language and genre to create, critique, and discuss print and non-print texts.

· Students conduct research on issues and interests by generating ideas and questions, and by posing problems. They gather, evaluate, and synthesize data from a variety of sources (e.g., print and non-print texts, artifacts, people) to communicate their discoveries in ways that suit their purpose and audience.

· Students use a variety of technological and information resources (e.g., libraries, databases, computer networks, video) to gather and synthesize information and to create and communicate knowledge.

(source: www.ncte.org/standards/standards.shtml)

McRel Standards – Writing Level II (Grades 3-5):

Uses the general skills and strategies of the writing process.

· Uses prewriting strategies to plan written work.

· Uses strategies to draft and revise work.

· Uses strategies to edit and publish written work.

· Writes narrative accounts, such as poems and stories.

Uses stylistic and rhetorical aspects of writing.

· Uses descriptive language that clarifies and enhances ideas.

Uses grammatical and mechanical conventions in written compositions.

· Uses nouns, verbs, adjectives in written compositions.

· Uses conventions in spelling, capitalization, punctuation in written compositions.

Gathers and uses information for research purposes

· Uses a variety of strategies to plan research.

· Uses electronic media to gather information.

· Uses strategies to gather and record information for research topics.

(source: http://mcrel.org/compendium/Standards.asp?SubjectID=7)

Learning Expectations/Objectives

· Students will learn about cinquain poetry.

· Students will use eLibrary to gather information about an animal.

· Students will learn how to use the animal information and develop a poem.

· Students will use the steps of the writing process to write a cinquain poem.

MATERIALS

· Computer with printer

· Printer paper

· Construction paper

· Scissors

· Glue or transparent tape

· Pens and paper for note-taking

· Cardboard for book cover

· Tape or string for binding book

ACTIVITY Process: Directions to the Teacher

Description of Activity

Students will research an animal on eLibrary and use the information they gather to write a cinquain poem. Students will use the pictures off of eLibrary Elementary and their own illustrations to accompany their poem. Poems will be compiled in a class bound book.

Background Information/Scenario

What’s a cinquain poem? It is a form of poetry, written like a recipe. A cinquain is a five-line poem. The words you choose and the form they take on paper are an important part of the writing. Some people say they appear like diamonds on paper.

Cinquain is a French word with a root of “cinq” which means “five” – the amount of lines in a cinquain poem. However, it is an American poetry form. Adelaide Crapsey, who was influenced by Japanese haiku poetry, developed this poetic system and used it to communicate brief thoughts and statements.

Example:

Lion

Golden, strong

Staring, creeping, pouncing

A hunter on the prowl

Predator

*Source: http://teams.lacoe.edu/documentation/classrooms/amy/algebra/5-6/activities/poetry/cinquain.html

Line 1:One word for the subject (noun)

/ lion

Line 2:Two words describing subject

/ golden, strong
Line 3:Three words showing action / staring, creeping, pouncing

Line 4:Four or five words expressing feeling or thought

a hunter on the prowl

Line 5:One word that means the same thing as the first word in line 1 (describing or renaming subject)

/ predator

Make available cinquain poems to students before the activity begins. For a selection of cinquain poems, go to the end of this activity plan. Explain how capitalization works in poems – that the first letter of the first line is usually capitalized.

Outline of Procedures – Day One

1. Students will gather pictures of an animal by doing a search on eLibrary. Try to have a different animal for each child. To search in eLibrary Elementary:

· Go to eLibrary Elementary.

· You will start at the main search screen; if you are not on the main search screen, click search at the top of the page.

· Type the name of animal into the search box and press start.

· Click the red picture icon at the top where the source types (maps, articles, etc) are displayed. Pictures will then be sorted first in the list of documents.

· In the search results, click on a picture document link to view a picture or click the red picture icon to the left of each document title.

After reviewing several pictures, students will write seven to 10 descriptions of their animal based on their pictures. They will print out their favorite picture of their animal and save it for later in the activity. (You may want to have students write their names on the back of the printed pictures and hold them until the third day of the lesson so none get lost.)

2. Next, students will gather information about their animal using the topic search. They will find five facts (for older children, seven to 10 facts). For topic search:

· Go to eLibrary Elementary.

· Click the Topics tab at the top of the page.

· Click Science

· Under Life Science, click Animals

· Click Animals by Familiar Names

· A large list of animals will appear.

· Click a specific animal to access articles, pictures and more for this animal.

After reviewing information about their animals, the students should write down their facts on the same sheet of paper on which they wrote down their animal descriptions.

3. In the final part of day one of this lesson, students will organize their findings (facts and descriptions) using a graphic organizer of their choice.

Outline of Procedures – Day Two

4. Using the graphic organizer, the children will plan out their cinquain poem. For a useful worksheet to help students plan out their poem, in the topics section of eLibrary Elementary do a search for "cinquain" and click on Cinquain Poem in the search results.

5. The students will write a rough draft of a cinquain poem, following the cinquain pattern.

6. Students will then pair up with a partner. The pair of students will help each other with the editing process.

· Each student reads his or her poem to the other.

· Based on conversation with their partners, the students should circle words that they might want to replace with more descriptive ones.

· Students will then go to the eLibrary Elementary Reference with their partner and will use the thesaurus and dictionary to find ideas for replacements for some words.

· Students will check each other’s spelling and punctuation and will help to determine if their partner followed the pattern of a cinquain poem.

7. Finally, the students will each write a final version of their cinquain poem with the changes.

Outline of Procedures – Day Three

8. Students will create a page for a class animal cinquain poetry book featuring their animal.

· Students will prepare the picture of their animal selected on the first day.

· Students will cut the picture out and glue down on colored construction paper.

· Students will either write the final version of their poem underneath the picture or type up the poem, print it, cut it out and glue it underneath the picture.

· Students will then give their finished piece of work to the teacher.

· Have two students volunteer to make the cover to the book.

Conclusion/Finished Work

The teacher compiles the poems in a bound class book. In addition, the teacher can make black and white copies of the book for students to take home. Laminate class book if possible or put clear contact paper over pieces of work to protect so class book stays sturdy throughout the year.

Assessment

Research

Students will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

· Did the student use eLibrary Elementary to collect information and pictures about animal?

· Did the student organize information and descriptions using graphic organizers?

Writing

Students will be assessed on whether they followed the steps of the writing process.

· Did the student use prewriting strategies to plan written poem. (e.g. graphic organizers, plan worksheet)?

· Did the student write a first draft using the prewriting information, and did the draft follow cinquain pattern?

· Did the student edit work based on work with partner?

· Did student use descriptive language in the poem?

· Did student use the conventions of spelling and punctuation appropriately?

Optional Extended Enrichment Activities

1. Share poems in a class poetry reading.

2. Post poems around the school in places where people would not expect poems to be displayed. For an example, read the following magazine article in eLibrary Elementary:

--Click the search tab

--Type in "poems written by kids"

--Click the yellow magazine tab

--Go to the magazine article entitled, "The Poetry Express Kid Poets Move Train Rides In Washington", Time for Kids: New York, New York, Feb. 14, 1997;7.

3. Have students read each of their poems on a tape recorder as it appears in the bound book. Use this at “listening center” for children to listen to and read along with their own voices.

4. Have children extend their research into Science. Study the habitat of the animal by using eLibrary Elementary as well.

5. Find maps on eLibrary to map where each specific animal lives around the world. Is its habitat only in one country, area or region? This is a good geography lesson.

6. Instead of writing cinquain poems of animals, use this lesson in Math and write cinquain poems on geometric shapes. See the following Editor’s Choice Website in eLibrary Elementary for an example of a triangle cinquain: http://teams.lacoe.edu/documentation/classrooms/amy/algebra/5-6/activities/poetry/cinquain.html.

SAMPLE CINQUAIN POEMS

Acorn

Brown, hard

Hanging, falling, cracking

Snapped up quickly by a squirrel

Nut

Ocean

Blue, cold

Splashing, crashing, waving

Hearing the sound in a shell

Sea

Bubbles

Round, translucent

Floating, blowing, drifting

Lifting spirits

Pop

Worm

Long, brown

Wiggling, slithering, digging

Spiraling into the earth

Crawler

Cinquain Poetry

A Language Arts Lesson

Lion

Golden, strong

Staring, creeping, pouncing

A hunter on the prowl

Predator

Can you see why people say it’s shaped like a diamond?

Here’s the way a cinquain poem is organized:

Line 1:One word for the subject (noun)

/ lion

Line 2:Two words describing subject

/ golden,strong
Line 3:Three words showing action / staring, creeping, pouncing

Line 4:Four or five words expressing feeling or thought

a hunter on the prowl

Line 5:One word that means the same thing as the first word in line 1 (describing or renaming subject)

/ predator

*Source: eLibrary Elementary Editor’s Choice Website: http://teams.lacoe.edu/documentation/classrooms/amy/algebra/5-6/activities/poetry/cinquain.html

For more background on cinquain poems, visit this eLibrary Elementary Editor’s Choice Website: http://www.poewar.com/articles/cinquain.htm.

Here are more sample cinquain poems:

Acorn

Brown, hard

Hanging, falling, cracking

Snapped up quickly by a squirrel

Nut

Ocean

Blue, cold

Splashing, crashing, waving

Hearing the sound in a shell

Sea

Bubbles

Round, translucent

Floating, blowing, drifting

Lifting spirits

Pop

Worm

Long, brown

Wiggling, slithering, digging

Spiraling into the earth

Crawler

DURING THIS ACTIVITY…

· You will learn about cinquain poetry.

· You will use eLibrary Elementary to do research, gathering pictures and information about an animal.

· You will learn how to organize information about that animal to develop a cinquain poem.

· You will use the steps of the writing process to write and revise a cinquain poem.

· You will create a page with a picture of your animal and your cinquain poem for a class book.

DAY ONE

First you will research an animal on eLibrary Elementary. You will use the information you gather to write a cinquain poem.

1. You will gather pictures of your animal by doing a search on eLibrary Elementary. After reviewing a few pictures, you will write down seven to 10 descriptions of your animal based on what you see in the pictures. You will print out your favorite picture of your animal and save it for later in the activity. Write your name on the back of your printout and don’t lose it!

To search in eLibrary Elementary:

· Go to eLibrary Elementary.

· You will start at the main search screen; if you are not on the main search screen, click the search link at the top of the page.

· Type the name of animal into the search box and press start.

· Click the red picture icon at the top where the source types (maps, articles, etc) are displayed. Pictures will then be listed at the top.

· Click on picture document link to view a picture or click the red picture icon to the left of each link.

2. Next, you will gather information about your animal using the eLibrary Elementary Topic Tree. You will find at least five facts about your animal. Write down the facts you find about your animal on the same piece of paper as your descriptions.

To browse information with the eLibrary Elementary Topic Tree:

· Go to eLibrary Elementary.

· Click the Topics tab at the top of the page.

· Click Science.

· Under Life Science, click Animals.

· Click Animals by Familiar Names

· A large list of animals will appear.