ALEX Resources

   View Standards     Standard(s): [ELA2021] (3) 11 :

11. Read and reread grade-appropriate poetry, practicing phrasing, rhythm, rhyme, and meaningful expression.

[ELA2021] (3) 18 :

18. Demonstrate content knowledge built during independent reading of informational and literary texts by participating in content-specific discussions with peers and/or through writing.

[ELA2021] (3) 42 :

42. Write poetry or prose in response to visual images to interpret their meanings.

[ELA2021] (4) 25 :

25. Explain how the form of a poem contributes to its meaning.

[ELA2021] (4) 32 :

32. Respond in writing to literature and informational text, including stories, dramas, poetry, and cross-curricular texts, both independently and with support, demonstrating grade-level proficiency.

[ELA2021] (5) 5 :

5. Demonstrate fluency when independently reading, writing, and speaking in response to grade-level literary and informational text, including stories, dramas, poetry, and cross-curricular texts.

[ELA2021] (5) 32 :

32. Respond in writing to literature and informational text, including stories, dramas, poetry, and cross-curricular texts, independently and with grade-level proficiency.

Students begin by brainstorming types of poetry, then examining themed poetry collections to find examples. They create a working definition of poetry that they will revisit throughout the unit. Next students reexamine the collections, identifying what the poems have in common and generating a list of characteristics of thematic poetry collections. Students then begin work on their own poetry collection. In each session, they read, analyze, and write a different form of poetry, including diamante, cinquain, 5W, Bio, I Am, Name, Acrostic, Limerick, and Two-Voice poems. In some forms, they write about themselves, and for others, they interview and write about a classmate, but all the poems follow the theme of "getting to know each other". Throughout the process, students complete a checklist to organize and track what they learn about poetry forms and elements of poetry. Graphic organizers are included for each poetic form.

   View Standards     Standard(s): [ELA2021] (3) -3 :

R3. Expand background knowledge and build vocabulary through discussion, reading, and writing.

[ELA2021] (3) 36 :

36. Demonstrate knowledge of the rules of standard English grammar including punctuation, capitalization, sentence formation, and spelling appropriate for third grade.

a. Use articles a, an, and the correctly.

b. Identify the role of a noun, verb, adjective, adverb, pronoun, preposition, and conjunction within a sentence and explain the type of the information it conveys.

c. Form plural nouns, verbs, and possessives, including irregular plural nouns and verbs.

d. Use simple abbreviations, including days of the week, months of the year, titles, units of metric and customary measurement, street names, and state names.

[ELA2021] (3) 42 :

42. Write poetry or prose in response to visual images to interpret their meanings.

[ELA2021] (4) 25 :

25. Explain how the form of a poem contributes to its meaning.

[ELA2021] (4) 39 :

39. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage.

a. Use relative pronouns who, whose, which, and that, relative adverbs where, when, and how, and irregular possessive nouns.

b. Form and use the progressive verb tenses.

Examples: I was walking, I am walking

c. Use modal auxiliaries to convey various conditions.

Examples: can, may, must

[ELA2021] (5) 39 :

39. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage in writing.

a. Evaluate the usage of pronouns for the proper case.

Examples: subjective, objective, possessive

b. Identify inappropriate shifts in pronoun number and person.

c. Use varied pronouns and their antecedents correctly in composing and revising writing.

d. Use subject-verb agreement correctly when composing and revising writing.

e. Use verb tenses to convey various times, sequences, states, and conditions.

f. Recognize and correct inappropriate shifts in verb tense, including subject-verb agreement.

g. Use perfect verb tenses to compose and revise writing.

h. Use correlative conjunctions correctly when composing and revising writing.

[ELA2021] (5) 40 :

40. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.

a. Use commas to separate items in a series, separate introductory elements from the rest of a sentence, set off tag questions, and indicate direct address.

b. Use underlining, quotation marks, or italics to indicate the titles of different types of works.

c. Spell grade-level words correctly, consulting references as needed.

This classroom resource includes engaging activities to teach basic grammar concepts while developing vocabulary and spelling proficiency. A list of several amusing and informative grammar-themed picture books supply read-aloud examples for a review of nouns and adjectives and an introduction to gerunds. Students themselves refer to the books from the list of materials, plus appropriate dictionaries and glossaries, as they engage in a word-sort activity that provides practice in the spelling changes that can occur when verbs are turned into gerunds. Diamante poems are introduced through handouts and websites, and students compose original, structured poems in this form—first as a class and then independently—using an online interactive tool.  Printable handouts and links are included.

   View Standards     Standard(s): [ELA2021] (3) -1 :

R5. Utilize a writing process to plan, draft, revise, edit, and publish writings in various genres.

[ELA2021] (3) 1 :

1. Contribute meaningful ideas to discussions with groups and peers utilizing agreed upon rules.

a. Elaborate on responses in conversations and discussions.

Examples: use precise, descriptive language; build upon previously expressed ideas

[ELA2021] (4) -3 :

R4. Utilize a writing process to plan, draft, revise, edit, and publish writings in various genres.

[ELA2021] (4) 25 :

25. Explain how the form of a poem contributes to its meaning.

[ELA2021] (5) -3 :

R4. Utilize a writing process to plan, draft, revise, edit, and publish writings in various genres.

Building classroom community is one of the most challenging yet most important tasks for any teacher, and it needs to be reinforced frequently throughout the year. This lesson gives students the opportunity to be innovative, creative, and expressive while building a sense of community. In this lesson, students explore the genre of acrostic poetry and participate in a shared writing experience with acrostic poems. Using the Internet, students explore and investigate the characteristics of acrostic poetry. They then brainstorm positive character traits about one of their classmates using an online thesaurus and compose an acrostic poem. Students use an interactive online tool to write and print the final draft and then share their poems with the class.

   View Standards     Standard(s): [ELA2021] (3) -1 :

R5. Utilize a writing process to plan, draft, revise, edit, and publish writings in various genres.

[ELA2021] (3) 42 :

42. Write poetry or prose in response to visual images to interpret their meanings.

[ELA2021] (4) -3 :

R4. Utilize a writing process to plan, draft, revise, edit, and publish writings in various genres.

[ELA2021] (4) 25 :

25. Explain how the form of a poem contributes to its meaning.

[ELA2021] (5) -3 :

R4. Utilize a writing process to plan, draft, revise, edit, and publish writings in various genres.

[ELA2021] (5) 32 :

32. Respond in writing to literature and informational text, including stories, dramas, poetry, and cross-curricular texts, independently and with grade-level proficiency.

Writing poetry enables students to reflect on their everyday experiences, express their perceptions and observations, and craft powerful images. In this lesson, students write theme poems using their content knowledge and sensory awareness of a familiar object. Students first learn about the characteristics and format of a theme poem. They then engage in an online interactive activity in which they select a graphic of a familiar object (e.g., the sun, a heart, a balloon), build a word bank of the content area and sensory words related to the object, and write poems within the shape of the object. Finished poems are printed and displayed in class.

   View Standards     Standard(s): [ELA2021] (3) 27 :

27. Read prose, poetry, and dramas, identifying the literary devices used by the author to convey meaning.

Examples: personification, imagery, alliteration, onomatopoeia, symbolism, metaphor, simile

[ELA2021] (4) -2 :

R5. Identify and explain literary devices in prose and poetry.

[ELA2021] (4) 25 :

25. Explain how the form of a poem contributes to its meaning.

[ELA2021] (4) 26 :

26. Analyze how rhythm and rhyme in poetry contribute to meaning.

[ELA2021] (5) -2 :

R5. Identify and explain literary devices in prose and poetry.

This unit introduces poetry forms and craft elements while students explore poetry about everyday topics or themes. Students begin by discussing their varying definitions of poetry, brainstorming all the different types of poems they know, and briefly discussing elements of poetry. In each subsequent session, students are introduced to one form of poetry. This lesson uses concrete/shape, haiku, cinquain, two-voice, and free-form poetry, but the lesson can be easily adapted for any poetic form. Students read examples, define the form, and find additional examples in poetry books. They create their own poetry collection by adding examples, definitions, and their own poems to a writer's notebook. In the final session, students go back through the poems they have collected, looking for examples of the five elements of poetry.

   View Standards     Standard(s): [ELA2021] (3) -3 :

R3. Expand background knowledge and build vocabulary through discussion, reading, and writing.

[ELA2021] (3) 11 :

11. Read and reread grade-appropriate poetry, practicing phrasing, rhythm, rhyme, and meaningful expression.

[ELA2021] (4) 5 :

5. Demonstrate fluency when reading grade-level text and when responding through writing or speaking.

[ELA2021] (4) 25 :

25. Explain how the form of a poem contributes to its meaning.

[ELA2021] (4) 26 :

26. Analyze how rhythm and rhyme in poetry contribute to meaning.

[ELA2021] (5) 5 :

5. Demonstrate fluency when independently reading, writing, and speaking in response to grade-level literary and informational text, including stories, dramas, poetry, and cross-curricular texts.

[ELA2021] (5) 6 :

6. Read grade-level text orally with accuracy, automaticity, appropriate prosody or expression, purpose, and understanding, self-correcting and rereading as necessary.

This lesson is a great way to teach both scientific and English content to a class, although the teacher can easily choose another book and subject area. In this lesson, students listen to poems in the book Science Verse by Jon Scieszka. Students then create diamante, acrostic, or theme poems with illustrations. To help increase fluency, students read their poems to the class. Finally, students create original poems using facts they have learned in the current science curriculum.

   View Standards     Standard(s): [ELA2021] (3) -3 :

R3. Expand background knowledge and build vocabulary through discussion, reading, and writing.

[ELA2021] (3) 42 :

42. Write poetry or prose in response to visual images to interpret their meanings.

[ELA2021] (4) -2 :

R5. Identify and explain literary devices in prose and poetry.

[ELA2021] (4) 25 :

25. Explain how the form of a poem contributes to its meaning.

[ELA2021] (4) 32 :

32. Respond in writing to literature and informational text, including stories, dramas, poetry, and cross-curricular texts, both independently and with support, demonstrating grade-level proficiency.

[ELA2021] (5) -2 :

R5. Identify and explain literary devices in prose and poetry.

[ELA2021] (5) 32 :

32. Respond in writing to literature and informational text, including stories, dramas, poetry, and cross-curricular texts, independently and with grade-level proficiency.

Using One Leaf Rides the Wind by Celeste Davidson Mannis as an introductory text, students learn to identify elements of haiku poetry. Students go on a class hike to observe nature in their own neighborhood and collect "picturesque" words in their writer's notebooks. They explore syllable counts in their word collections and use descriptive words to compose an original haiku. Students then use print and online resources to locate facts for informational notes on the topics of their poems. Finally, students work collaboratively to publish their poetry and notes in an illustrated class book.