Lessons for Writing Poetry Spanish Grade 2, CRM 3, Arcs 1-4

(4 Weeks of Lessons)

Resources Needed for this Unit:

Mentor Texts:

Con el sol en los ojos = With the Sun in My Eyes, by Jorge Luján

Gathering the Sun, An Alphabet in Spanish and English by Alma Flor Ada

Todo es canción: antología poética por Alma Flor Ada

Arco iris de poesía: poemas de las Américas y España por Sergio Andricaín

Cool salsa, Bilingual poems on growing up Latino in the United States,

Por Lori M. Carlson

El himno de las ranas por Elsa Cross

Por el mar de las antillas anda un barca de papel por Nicolas Guillen

Las palabras que se lleva el viento por Juan Carlos Martín Ramos

Word Choice Texts:

Moon Rope: A Peruvian folktale = Un lazo a la luna: una leyenda peruana,

by Lois Ehlert

Dónde Está la oveja verde? por Mem Fox

Dinosailors by Deb Lund

Additional Resources:

The Conferring Handbook by Lucy Calkins

Poetry: Powerful Thoughts in Tiny Packages by Lucy Calkins and Stephanie

Parsons (most lessons adapted from this resource)

6 + 1 Traits of Writing The Complete Guide for the Primary Grades by Ruth

Culham

NOTE: Adjust these mini-lessons and student writing times as appropriate for

your students. Some lessons may take more than one day to complete.

Unit Materials:

Mentor texts, chart paper, markers, colored pencils, crayons, all previously

Websites:

Read Write Think Poetry (poetry lessons)

Smithsonian Poetry Activities (variety of lessons)

Splatter Poetry (more difficult frames)

Poetry for Kids (examples of different types of poems)

Giggle Poetry and Poetry 4 Kids (online poems)

Unit Materials:

Chart paper, poetry folders/journals, markers, publishing paper, mentor texts,

sentence strips, treasures (small objects used the first two weeks to write poems),

collection of various poems, pencils, colored pencils

Talking About Word Choice:

Word choice for the primary grades is not about grammar but instead about

students’ carefully selecting words to create strong, interesting writing. Students

may play with letters, attempt to write words, try sensory words, play with

finding the perfect word, and use language with precision.

Teaching Notes:

Teaching a unit on poetry can be difficult due to our own misgivings and

misunderstanding with the genre. Throughout this unit, find and share poems

that speak to you. The goal is not for students to understand exactly what a

limerick is, or for them to count stanzas of different poetic structures, but instead

to play with language, rhythm, sounds, onomatopoeia, voice, and repetition. This

unit will be organized in a different way from the other genres. Teachers will

conduct mini-lessons as students work on various poems to be collected and

shared orally and/or in written form.

Encourage students to explore and play with poetry in their own way. Just like

with any other writing, we want our students to see themselves as real writers.

We want them to look at the world and their experiences through different eyes,

and to express themselves in fun, creative ways.

The sample lessons below are not meant to be presented as a lock-step process.

Writers must be allowed to move back and forth within the process as they move

towards publication. Writing experiences should encompass both assigned and

self-selected writing in a variety of genres and content areas. Targeted

instruction should be provided to whole group, small group and individuals.

A great Learning Center Activity during this unit is to have a computer

bookmarked for Shel Silverstein’s website. It is filled with poetry fun!

Day 1: Introduction to Poetry Workshop

1. Tell students that today is a very special day; not only are we starting a new writing project

but we are also starting a new writing workshop, the poetry workshop.

2. Introduce students to their new poetry folders. Tell them that in this folder they will collect

not only their favorite poems written by other authors, but their own poems as well.

3. Share with students one of your favorite poems, written onto chart paper.

4. Explain to students why you enjoy this poem so much. Tell students this will be the first

poem they place in their poetry journal.

5. Give students time to illustrate this poem.

6. Ask students what they know about poetry. Create a chart documenting all their responses.

Choose some students to share their illustrations with the whole group. This should include

discussion that provides an opportunity for rich vocabulary support and ideas to inspire more

reluctant writers and/or students who struggle with written English.

Mini Lesson

Independent Writing

Peer Sharing

Teacher Tips:

Throughout this unit, consider using your shared

reading time as an opportunity to read aloud a

poem. In addition, Lucy Calkins recommends

copying down all the interesting, poetic sayings

our students make every day and using them

(rearranged or broken into stanzas) as mini-

poems.

Day 2: Examining Poems

1. Remind students that yesterday we began our new genre and workshop.

2. Tell students that today we will examine different poems by a variety of poets.

3. Read aloud another one of your favorite poems as students read along silently on chart paper.

4. While viewing the poem on chart paper, guide students through a discussion of reasons we

can enjoy a poem.

5. Tell students that today you want them to read through different poetry books, either

individually or with a partner.

6. Have different poetry books placed throughout the room.

7. Model for students using a sticky note to mark a new favorite poem and write the reason you

enjoyed it on the sticky note.

8. Allow time for students to examine poetry books.

9. Provide sticky notes for students to mark their favorite poems and ask them to write why they

enjoyed this poem so much.

10. If students wish to copy a favorite poem provide paper for this.

Choose some students to share their favorite poems read today.

Mini Lesson

Independent Writing

¿Por qué nos divertimos con los poemas?

Chistosa

Me recuerda a algo

Me hace pensar en ___________

Me hace sentir ________

Peer Sharing

Day 3: Seeing Through Poet’s Eyes

1. Ask students to find the favorite poems they selected yesterday. Have them turn to a partner

to talk about why this poem was their favorite.

2. Tell them that when poets begin to write a poem they look at things in a different way,

through poet’s eyes.

3. Share with the class a poem that illustrates how the poet saw things in different way. Tell

the students you want them to listen to how the poet describes the object in a different way.

(See poems by Zoe Ryder White below.)

4. Tell students you want to share with them another poem about an everyday object.

5. Ask them to look at the ceiling and to describe how they see they see the ceiling using their

poet’s eyes during a think, turn, and talk.

6. Share Zoe’s poem about the ceiling.

7. Ask students to name some other eveeryday objects about which they could write.

8. Tell them to select one object and think and /or write about the object using poet’s eyes.

Choose some students to share how they see objects through poet’s eyes.

Mini Lesson

Independent Writing

Peer Sharing

Sacapuntas por Zoe Ryder White

Creo que hay cien abejas

Dentro del sacapuntas

Y zumban

Y zumban

Y zumban

¡Hasta que mi punta se afila!

Ceiling by Zoe Ryder White

The ceiling is the sky for the classroom.

Como usamos nuestros “ojos de poetas”:

Vemos de cerca.

Pensamos acerca de nuestros

sentimientos.

Vemos a las cosas en una nueva forma.

Vemos…

Day 4: Seeing Through Poet’s Eyes (continued)

1. Remind students that yesterday we learned how to look at everyday objects through a poet’s

eyes.

2. Show another small object that you have brought in to write a poem about it. Model how

you look at this object with your “poet’s eyes.”

3. Have students share the different ways they “see” the object.

4. Chart student responses (Later you will form these responses into a poem.)

5. Begin a chart to be used throughout Poetry Writing Workshop-“Strategies Poets Use”

6. Arrange a variety of other objects around the room.

7. Provide time for students to walk around the room and examine the objects. Have students

carry Post-its® or their poetry folder to take notes.

8. During mid-workshop, teacher may want to emphasize to students to examine the object in

one particular way and to provide more details from that perspective. (i.e. this pencil is like a

rocket. Flying across my paper, leaving a trial of smoky writing.)

Have the class come back together and share how they viewed everyday objects through their

“poet’s eyes.” If it’s not disruptive, hand the poet’s glasses to the student who shares.

Estrategias del poeta

Los poetas miran con ojos de poetas. (Plan to add to this chart throughout the unit.)

Independent Writing

Peer Sharing

Mini Lesson

For today’s lesson, collect several small, ordinary objects to share with students, so they

can practice looking at these objects with “poet’s eyes”. You may want to have “special”

glasses to use. These can be shared with students to look at an object with “poet’s eyes.”

Whenever you want to use poetic words with your poetic eyes, just put the glasses on!

Day 5: Listening for Line Breaks

1. Ask students to explain what we mean when we say that they need to look with a poet’s eyes.

Can they give an example of the way they have been using their poets’ eyes?

2. Tell students that today they will learn another interesting feature of poetry.

3. Have a poem written on chart paper (without line breaks, in paragraph form). Read the poem

aloud in a prose-like rhythm.

4. Tell students that when we encounter text written in that format we read it in a certain way.

Tell them that we read it without the music in our voice.

5. Now show the same poem written with line breaks. Read aloud half of the poem, modeling

the music and emotion in your voice. Explain to students that the author divided up the poem

in this way because he/she want us to read it in a certain way, with rhythm or emotion.

6. Have students sit with a partner and read the rest of the poem with line breaks. Have them

talk about why they read the way they did.

7. Show another “poem” written on chart paper but without line breaks. Have your students

work in pairs to decide where to put the line breaks.

8. Have them share with the class how they divided the poem.

9. Allow students to either continue writing (about small objects) with their poet’s eyes, or

review their poems and put in line breaks.

Provide time for students to share their writing. This is one of the most important stages of the

process. It helps them both learn to appreciate poetry and benefit from the back-and-forth

interchange of the feedback process.

Mini Lesson

Independent Writing

Peer Sharing

Estrategias del poeta

Los poetas miran con ojos de poetas.

Poetas escriben acerca de tópicos y experimentan con pautas de linea

(We will continue to add to this chart.)

Day 6: Listening for the Music in Poetry

(Smithsonian Poetry Activities has a lesson on the music in poetry.)

1. Tell students one of the reasons many people enjoy poetry so much is that it feels like a song

to them. Tell them that often, as you read and reread a poem over and over again, you start

to hear the music in the poem.

2. Tell students that you carry around one of your favorite poems because you love the music in it.

3. Tell students that the first time you read it you read it in a very robotic, boring way. Model

reading part of this poem in this manner.

4. Tell students that the second time you read it, you tried to pay attention to the words, the line

breaks, and took little pauses where suggested by the poet’s structure of the poem (at end of

each line.)

5. Read the poem again, doing all of the above.

6. Tell students that the next time you read it; you wanted to think of how to read it “with

music.”

7. Using sticky notes, show students the type of notes you wrote on the poem to help you

remember when you wanted to read it slow in one place, faster in another place, or to make a

mental image in a certain line.

8. Allow students to continue writing poems using their poet’s eyes, or to go back and put line

breaks in previously written poems.

Have students share new poems they are writing using their poet’s eyes, or discuss how they are

making decisions about where to add line breaks.

Mini Lesson

Independent Writing

Peer Sharing

Estrategias que los poetas utiliza

Poetas ven con ojos de poeta

Poetas escriben acerca de tópicos y experimentas con pautas de línea

Poetas vuelven a leer sus palabras para añadir música a sus poemas.

Day 7: Putting Music into Our Poems (Add Rhyme and Alliteration)

1. Tell students that, just like when we read a poem and put the music into it, we also have to do

the same when we write a poem.

2. Show students a poem that contains rhyme and alliteration. Read it aloud several times,

allowing your voice to rise and fall with the rhyme and rhythm of the poem.

3. Ask students what they notice about the words this poet chose. They will probably notice the

rhyme, but may not notice the alliteration (several words beginning with the same sound, to

create a musical quality.)

4. Tell students that the poet probably played around with the words numerous times to find the

music.

5. Show what you imagine a draft of that poem may have looked like (with boring, unrhymed

words.)

6. Then show them the second draft that has more music in it. Create a chart-“¿Como puedo

añadir música a mi poema?”

7. Have a draft of a poem you have worked on written on a chart for students to view.

8. Ask students to help you create rhyme and alliteration, to rearrange and add words, to create

more music in the poem.

Mini Lesson

Como puedo añadir música a mi poema…

Escribe el poema utilizando ojos de poeta.

Vuelve a leer lo que has escrito.

Escucha por la música en mis palabras.

Haz una lista de palabras que rimen con una palabra al final de una línea. Intercambia estas palabras que riman para crear un sonido musical.

Crea aliteración. Elije una palabra en el poema que realmente te agrade y que quieras mantener. Crea una lista de palabras relacionadas que comiencen con el mismo sonido. Intercambia estas palabras para crear sonidos en tu poema.

Elije los mejores lugares para pautas de línea.

9. Be sure to tell students that they do not need to make all their lines rhyme. This makes

writing poetry too difficult for primary children! If they just add 2-3 sets of rhyming words,

that will give their poems plenty of music.

10. Today, have students go back and revise a poem to add rhyme, alliteration, or line breaks and

to “add more music” to their poems.

Have students share how they have revised their poems to help the reader “hear the music.”

Refer to the chart: “¿Como puedo añadir música a mi poema?”

Day 8: Choosing Our Topics

1. Ask students to turn to a partner and talk about everything they have learned so far about

reading and writing a poem.

2. Remind students that, up until today they have been writing poems about small objects

around the room using their poets’ eyes.

3. Tell them that today they will begin to choose their own topics to write poems about.

4. Tell students that when we choose a topic, we need to pick something that gives us a big

feeling but is still a small moment.

5. Model going through this process for your students. (Ex. Well, I could start with something

small like a leaf or rock and see if I get a big feeling. Or think of something I have big

feelings about, like my niece Mia, and zoom in on one special moment. I remember when my

niece and I went to California together and she got in the pool for the first time and the smile

she had when she first felt comfortable and happy. If I close my eyes I can still see her face.)

Independent Writing

Peer Sharing

Mini Lesson

6. Add to your chart - Strategies Poet’s Use

7. With students, begin a list of topics you and the class have shared that gives all of you a big

feeling, but is still a small moment, such as read-aloud time, a favorite game played, writing

workshop…)

8. Tell students that today, after they finish up the work they started on the previous day, you

want them to begin drafting poems by picking their own small topics with big feelings.

9. Encourage them to create a running list of possible poetry topics.

Choose a few students to share what topics they chose to write about today and tell why they

chose them.

Independent Writing

Peer Sharing

Estrategias que los poetas utilizan…

Poetas ven con ojos de poetas.

Poetas escriben acerca de tópicos y experimentas con pautas de línea.

Poetas vuelven a leer sus palabras para añadir música a sus poemas.

Poetas encuentran un tópico que les den fuertes sentimientos.

Poetas encuentran un objeto, momento, o detalle pequeño para mantener ese momento.

Writing Conventions: Irregular Verbs Teacher should provide explicit instruction and modeling of the writing conventions during modeled and shared writing. In addition, teacher should keep anecdotal notes to guide further instruction in small group and individually. Irregular verbs can be tricky for young children. Provide lots of opportunities for them to play with words and explore the correct use of irregular verbs. Poetry provides a wonderful platform for this.

Day 9: Show, Don’t Tell

1. Tell students that today they are going to learn another strategy poets use to write poems.

2. Tell them that when we write, whether it is a story or a poem, we need to “show, not tell.”

For example, instead of writing, “I felt happy to see my mom.” I could write, “I kept

checking at the window. When I saw her car turn the corner, I yelled, ‘She’s here!’”

3. Point out to students that when an author “shows, not tells”, he uses his words to show the

things he did and the words he spoke to show how he was feeling.

4. Use a couple of your students’ examples to highlight how they showed their big feelings. If

the student is open to it, work through one or two examples to develop the concept of “show,

don’t tell.”

5. Share a few more poems and have students work in pairs to tell what big feeling each student

is showing.

6. As students continue to write poems, encourage them to show their big feelings to their

readers.

Allow time for students to share their writing. Be sure to choose good examples of “showing

feelings through words.”

Remember… when a student leaves a conference with you, they should go away feeling

confident, and wanting to write more.

Mini Lesson

Independent Writing

Peer Sharing

Conferencing:

Be sure to take time each day to conference with a few students. Here are a few possible conference questions.

¿Puedes pensar en un momento que mantiene el sentimiento fuerte el/la ______ que te da?

¿Son esos sonidos que escuchas?

¿Puedes ayudarme a ver lo que tu ves?

Share this poem with students to encourage them to think hard and often about the places where

they might find a poem.

Valentine for Ernest Mann by Naomi Nye You can’t order a poem like you order a taco, walk up to the counter, say “I’ll take two,” and expect it to be handed back to you on a shiny plate. Still, I like your spirit. Anyone who says, “Here’s my address, write me a poem,” deserves something in reply. So I’ll tell you a secret instead: Poems hide. In the bottoms of our shoes, they are Sleeping. They are the shadows Drifting across the ceiling the moment before we Wake up. What we have to do is live in a way that Lets us find them.

Writing Conventions: Pronouns Teacher should provide explicit instruction and modeling of the writing conventions during modeled and shared writing. In addition, teacher should keep anecdotal notes to guide further instruction in small group and individually.

Day 10: Choosing Amazing Words

1. Tell students that a powerful way to show our big feelings is through the use of strong words.

2. Show students a simple sentence such as, “It was a nice day.” Show students how to change

this sentence into clear examples of what made it a nice day. “The sun was shining. I felt the

cool breeze. A bird chirped in the tree.” Be sure to choose strong, vivid words as you work

through this example.

3. Tell students that, as you were rereading your own poems, you found some bland bits that

didn’t show the reader your big strong feelings.

4. Show a poem that you have written on chart paper and underline the sentence or phrase that

needs work.

5. Have students work in pairs or small groups to create better, stronger sentences or phrases.

Share ideas and revise the poem. Reread it, or have a student volunteer to read it aloud.

Discuss the impact the change(s) have on the poem.

6. Allow time for students to write. Encourage them to add strong sentences with vivid words or

to go back and find places they can revise their work.

Allow time for students to share their writing. Be sure to choose good examples of “showing

feelings through words.”

Mini Lesson

Independent Writing

Peer Sharing

Day 11: Hearing the Voices of Poetry

1. Tell students that today and tomorrow we are going to learn how to “play with different

voices” in our poems.

2. Congratulate students on choosing small topics with big feelings. Tell them that many

students have been getting frustrated, however. They choose a great topic, but, when they

write, it ends up sounding just like a regular story--not a poem.

3. Share an example of this. (I love my cat. So much! My cat is cute and fluffy.) Tell them this

sounds just like regular writing.

4. Offer to show them a way to make their writing sound more poetic. Tell them that some of

our poems are sounding too “talky.” (Just telling about the object.)

5. Show them one way to make their writing more poetic is to write as if they are talking to the

object or subject of the poem. (Siempre gritas miau. Cuando quieres que te acaricie. En mi

cama, te acurrucar, lindo, esponjadito.) Be sure to use the same topic on both examples.

6. Share another example of a poem lacking voice.

7. In pairs, have students discuss how they might change this poem to write it directly to the

subject.

8. Have students go back today and revise one of their poems so that it addresses the subject.

Encourage them to write their new poem directly underneath the old one.

Select some pieces of student writing to share with the class. The pieces should demonstrate

what you hope the children will all try to do.

Mini Lesson

Independent Writing

Peer Sharing

Voces del Poeta:

Dirije (habla a) al objeto- el poeta escribe al poema al ob jeto (ej. Sigue creciendo, pequeño tomate. Rojo y jugoso. Pequeño ahora, pero serás grande.)

Escribe con Urgencia- di la historia como si es muy importante y no puede esperar (El tomate pequeño, creció y creció. Lo ví ayer y ahora…enorme. Rojo. Jugoso)

Escribe en forma lírica- escribe con emoción, con tu corazón (Regué el tomate, en la mañana, por la noche, creciendo, creciendo, creciendo. Limpié las hojas, examine la tierra, lo moví al sol. Lo cuidé. Ahora es grade, rojo, jugoso.)

Day 12: Poet’s Voices (continued)

1. Remind students that yesterday, they learned a way to change their writing to make it sound

more like poetry.

2. Tell them that another way to revise poems is to make them sound very important (like an

emergency).

3. Tell them that some poems are like stories. One way to make them more interesting is to

write them as if you imagine running into a room, needing to tell your story very quickly.

4. Choose a poem and read it aloud in a quick and urgent manner. Highlight how the poet

wrote this poem in short, urgent-sounding sentences.

5. Another way words can be changed into a poem with poetic voice is for the poet to write as if

he is talking directly to you about his truest, deepest feelings.

6. Share an example of a poem that is full of heartfelt emotion.

7. Have your students practice with all three voices. Some may need to work with a partner and

take turns working on one person’s poem at a time.

8. Tell students that you want them to pretend they are writing about waking up and feeling the

sun. Tell them they could say it in a “story way” (I woke up. I saw the sun.), but that

wouldn’t sound or feel very poetic. Have them work with a partner to practice this by

revising the poem to have the speaker talking directly to the sun.

9. Then have them create a poem using their urgent, storyteller voice. (Pretend you rush to the

breakfast table and you can’t wait to tell how you felt the sun.)

10. Finally, have them practice using their lyrical voice (be sure to explain the meaning of

lyrical.).

Review the chart for Poet’s Voices. Then choose students to share ways they used different

poetic voices.

Mini Lesson

Independent Writing

Peer Sharing

Day 13: Finding the Right Word

1. Ask volunteers to help you list some of the strategies the class has learned for writing like

poets.

2. Tell them that another way to improve a poem is by finding the “perfect word.”

3. Show students a poem written on chart paper, but with a few words strategically covered.

4. Model that, as the poet was writing this poem, they probably came to a few spots where they

stopped to brainstorm the perfect word choice.

5. Read the poem aloud. When you come to the first covered word, create a list of possible

word choices. Choose the “just right” word and write it into the poem.

6. Have students work in pairs to create possible word choices for other missing words in the

poem.

7. Finish the poem with student word choices. Emphasize picking that “just right” word.

8. Add to the chart “Estrategias que los poetas utilizan” que poetas buscan por palabras

precisas.

9. Allow time for students to write and work on their poems. Remind them to focus on choosing

“just right” words to share their thoughts.

Allow time for students to share how they changed their writing to make it more precise.

Example of a Poem with Precise Words

Mini Lesson

Independent Writing

Peer Sharing

Mi mamá En mi lonchera Un jugo congelado Porque esta caliente hoy Envuelto en papel Así no se derretirá ¿Como yo nunca jamás la veo hacer esto?

Day 14: Finding the Right Word (continued)

1. Remind students that yesterday they learned another strategy that poets use: Searching for

just the right word.

2. Re-read yesterday’s poem with their “just right” words inserted into the poem.

3. Tell students that today, you want them to practice finding “that perfect word” by writing a

class poem.

4. Tell them you want to write a poem about an everyday object (i.e. pointer, chalk, eraser).

Have students talk with a partner, sharing observations about the chosen object.

5. As partners share out with the class, write their observations on chart paper.

6. Have them read the class list and, with their partner, choose two to three favorites. With the

observations they choose, have them experiment with finding the perfect words to make it

sound just right.

7. Have students read their shared poem about an everyday object to the class. If all students

write about the same object, writers will be able to hear how others tackled this difficult job

with the same topic.

8. Allow time for students to work on revising their own poems to make sure the words they are

choosing are just the right words.

Have students buddy up to share the “just right” word choices they have used in their poetry.

Mini Lesson

Independent Writing

Peer Sharing

Writing Conventions: Possessive Pronouns Provide explicit instruction and modeling of the writing conventions during modeled and shared writing and guided practice during writing conferences. Remember that the goal of explicit instruction is for students to independently utilize writing conventions. Teacher consistently reviews student writing and determines future teaching objectives.

Day 15: Putting Our Words Into Feelings

1. Tell students you are proud of the way they have been seeing things with fresh eyes.

2. Tell them that a poet doesn’t only see things with fresh eyes; they express their feelings so

their readers can see through those same eyes.

3. Share that good poets often don’t just “tell” their feeling (i.e. I am happy) but instead, say

their feeling is like something else. We compare our feelings to something else.

4. Share the poem “Inside my Heart”. Guide them through discussing what they think the poet

was hoping the reader would understand when reading her words.

Example of Poem with Feelings

5. Tell students to think of a time when they felt sad. Have them think about what lived in their

heart when they were sad. Have them share with a partner by saying, “When I felt sad,

inside my heart lived….”

6. Have students use the same strategy with a few other feelings (like happy, proud, angry,

lonely…)

7. Have children work on their poems, or revise previous poems, attempting to express their

feelings using comparison.

Choose students to share how they expressed their feelings in their poems.

Mini Lesson

Independent Writing

Peer Sharing

Inside my Heart by Zoe Ryder White

Inside my heart lives One birthday party Two jazz bands Three wrestling puppies Four dancing birds Five laughing babies

Day 16: Examining Our Poems for Feelings and Creating Similes

1. Ask student permission to use their poem…if no one “volunteers,” trade poems with another

teacher, or write a “student poem” yourself. Share one of these poems on chart paper. Circle

the simple statement of feeling that you will be working on.

2. Make a T-chart, writing the simple statement on one side and what the feeling can be

compared to on the other side.

Ex:

Sentimiento Comparación

Me siento triste -Cuendo un amigo se muda -Cuando mi mama dice no -Cuando mi mascota escapa

3. Choose the example that best fits the rest of the poem. Model changing this simple statement

by creating a simile in the poem.

4. Continue modeling through revision ideas for student’s poems. Circle the words and ask

students to think about what those feelings remind them of. Create similes to replace the

simple feelings statements.

5. Send students off to work today- trying to develop their feelings.

Choose students to share new ways they expressed their feelings in their poems.

Independent Writing

Peer Sharing

Mini Lesson Before today’s lesson… review your students’ work. Choose a few poems in which

students attempted to write their feelings but did so with simple statements such as “I felt

sad. I felt happy.”

Day 17: Comparing Poetic Ideas to Paint Pictures

1. Mention a few of the exciting observations you’ve made of the students’ growth as poets, and

their ability to express feelings with words.

2. Tell them that poets also express their ideas by comparing them to something else.

3. Show a chart comparing ordinary language to poetic language.

4. Have a few sentences written under the ordinary language section, with nothing in the

“Poetic” column. Have students work in pairs or trios, practicing by writing them in more

poetic language.

5. Allow time for students to review their own poems, and practice turning some of their own

ordinary statements into poetic language.

Choose students to share ways they used poetic language in their poems.

Ordinario Poético

El árbol es verde.

La noche asusta

El árbol es como un fuego artificial explotando.

En la noche, mi malos sueños viven.

Mini Lesson

Independent Writing

Peer Sharing

Teacher Tip:

Over these days, provide time for students

to practice reading their poems aloud.

Emphasize finding the music in their poems.

Have them read their poems multiple times

until it is just right.

Day 18: Choosing Poems for Publication

1. Ask students to think back over their work as poets during the last few weeks.

2. Point out that it’s time to be thinking about publishing their work to share with others.

3. Using your own writing notebook, model going through and rereading the poems and

selecting favorites. (Don’t actually read them all aloud--read just one or two as examples.)

Tell students you want them to choose at least 5 of their own poems to edit for publishing.

4. Tell them to choose poems that are their best models of poetic language... poems that share

through poet’s eyes, include big strong feelings, use poetic language, precise words and so

on.

5. Tell students to star their chosen poems.

6. Provide time for students to read through the poetry in their writer’s notebooks, and to

choose at least 5 to prepare for publishing.

7. Spend this time circulating and guiding students through this process.

8. Also provide time for students to ask for feedback from their peers on poem choices.

Use this time to discuss how students chose poems and allow time for the class to help struggling

peers make decisions.

Mini Lesson

Independent Writing

Peer Sharing

Day 19: Editing our Poems

1. Tell students that now that they have chosen poems to publish, it is time to edit them.

2. Remind students that when we edit, we fix our writing to make it readable. Show students a

few lines from one of your student’s poems. Remind them that when we edit, the first thing

we do is reread the writing slowly and carefully.

3. Model rereading the lines very slowly and fixing any errors (not better wording, but actual

errors) you see as you go. Say aloud the type of corrections you are making (fixing spelling,

putting in punctuation) as you do it. If you’ve taught any blends or spelling patterns, pay

specific attention to correcting those, along with whatever specific writing conventions you

have worked on during this unit.

4. Create a chart “Editando nuestra poeía” for student use.

5. Show a few other lines of a poem. With the editor’s checklist available, have students edit

those lines with a partner.

6. Talk about the editing the students did.

7. Provide time for students to edit their poems. Remind them to reread the poem, thinking

about only one editing item at a time, (i.e., Read the poem to make sure all the words are

there. Then read the poem again to make sure words have spaces between them, lines begin

with capitals, etc.)

Mini Lesson

Independent Writing

Menú de editar para la poesía

Asegúrate que todas las palabras estén allí.

Asegúrate que la palabras tengas espacion entre ellas.

Asegúrate que todas las letras se dirijan a la dirección correcta.

Todas las palabras de la pared de palabras estén correctamente deletreadas

Toda la puntuación esté correcta (puntos, signos de interrogación y exclamación, comas)

El uso de las mayúsculas sea el correcto

Reglas y patrones de deletreo sean correctos

Day 20: Celebrating Our Poetry

Today students will celebrate the hard work they have put into writing their poems.

Be creative and make sure students feel the excitement. Teachers may decide to get together

with other classes and have a poetry reading with live musicians, berets, and snapping.

Lucky Calkins suggests placing poems around the school in appropriate places (i.e recess poem

on the jungle gym) and going on a poetry walk with guests.

Enjoy the day and provide feedback for you and your students’ hard work!

Celebrate Writing!