Name: Kristin Powell

Title: Thanksgiving Poem

Grade Level: 3rd
Subject/Content Area: ELA, Poetry
Date Taught: November 16, 2017
Time Requirements: 1 hour

Type of Lesson (Students to be Taught):

Whole-group lesson plan, teacher instructing to 3rd grade classroom of English-speaking
students with students who have various abilities. In the class, there are students who
struggle with reading and writing, and kids at levels from Kinder-4th grade.

Introduction:
This lesson is being taught the week before Thanksgiving. Currently, the class is working on
identifying and working with different types of writing. One of the things that they struggle
with is poetry. This is going to be a lesson targeted at having students write a “sensory”
poem about what they see, feel, hear, smell and taste.

*For students who do not celebrate Thanksgiving, they can write about a time where they
had a gathering with family or friends where they gathered around food.

Standards:
CCSS.ELA-Literacty.CCRA.W.3
Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences using effective technique, well-
chosen details, and well-structured event sequences.
a. Establish a situation and introduce a narrator and/or characters; organize an event
sequence that unfolds naturally.
b. Use dialogue and descriptions of actions, thoughts, and feelings to develop experiences
and events or show the response of characters to situations
c. Use temporal words and phrases to signal event order
d. Provide a sense of closure.

CCSS.ELA-Literacty.CCRA.W.4
With guidance and support from adults, produce writing in which the development and
organization are appropriate to task and purpose.

Content Objectives:
SWBAT describe what a poem is.
SWBAT write their own sensory poem.
SWBAT connect this poem to a real-life event (Thanksgiving).

Language Objectives:
SWBAT verbally explain what a poem is.
SWBAT read their poem aloud.
SWBAT describe how this poem connects to a real-life event (Thanksgiving).
Vocabulary:
Thanksgiving, poem, poetry, rhyming, sensory

*For teaching of the 5 senses we will have examples that we will pass around as a class.

Taste: yogurt/fruit (provided from the cafeteria-allergen free)

Sight: jar of marbles
Touch: cotton swabs
Hear: music played on front computer
Feel: meditation activity

After we experience each of these senses, they will then write down in their writing
journals what they feel, what they see, what they taste, etc. We will then discuss as a class
and come up with posters about what we believe feeling, hearing, touching, seeing and
tasting are. These will be the guidelines for their following lesson.

Materials Needed:
Lesson idea found from: http://lessonplanspage.com/thanksgiving-poetry/

Lined paper, teacher example (provided below), template, pencils, crayons, materials for 5
senses activity (teacher/school provided)

Active Instructional Plan:

 Anticipatory Set: “Do you guys know what holiday is next week?” I will ask the
students about some of the things that they see, smell and taste on Thanksgiving. I
will then transition into how the students have been working on poetry and
introduce the lesson to the students.
 Questions: Do you know what the word sensory means? What are your 5 senses?
Teacher will then conduct 5 senses activity and have the students work with the
examples.
 Modeling: The teacher will read her example to the class and explain how the
students are to fill out each line of the poem. Visuals and explanations for each child
will be presented.
 Guided Practice: The students will all be provided a template for their poem and
can work in partners/groups.
 Independent Practice: Students will be given 15 minutes to work on their own,
teacher may walk around. Students will draw a picture of a Thanksgiving memory
or what they hope it will look like.
 Closure: Each student who wants to share their poem will have a chance to read it
in front of the class. Or, they can present their picture to the class. Ending discussion
on key concepts and vocabulary words.
Assessment/Evaluation:

Informal/Formative: Did the students use the template properly (i.e. “I see lots of food”
under sight and “I smell warm cinnamon” for smell, etc.)? Can they properly identify what a
poem is?

Modifications/Differentiation:

Have students dictate, write out words for them. Provide template and key words in
another language. For students that can’t write, they can just draw a picture.
 SIOP Components Identified Sheltered Strategies
Lesson Preparation  Content and language objectives displayed
 Appropriate content: week before Thanksgiving,
poetry is in standards/something they are tested on
 Supplementary Materials: See below

Building Background  Opportunities for interaction: Students are able to

work in partners/groups
 Connects to background knowledge: Talk about past
family experiences, working with poetry
 Emphasizes key vocabulary: Teacher constantly uses
vocabulary throughout the lesson
 Vocabulary words defined or clarified: definitions are
written on board
Comprehensible Input  Appropriate rate of speech: Steady, slow when
important concepts are introduced, louder when the
entire class needs to hear
 Explain what the students are to do clearly: When
going over example, provide student strategies for
individually completing the poem
 Use various instructional techniques: visuals, vocal,
auditory

Effective Strategies  Allow students enough practice time: Gauge student

work time, feel the room
 Scaffolding: Introduce one concept/topic at a time
 Graphic Organizers: Worksheet below
 Various levels of questions: Range from “what is a
poem?” to “how does sensory traits add value to
poetry?

Student Interaction  Allow students to interact: Class discussion, students

can work in groups/partners
 Student grouping configuration: Students are
strategically placed with students of their same
academic placement
 Sufficient wait time: Enough time for students to
think but not enough for them to get bored
 Clarify key concepts: Presented on the board, ask
individual students to make sure they understand
Practice/Application  Hands-on material: Worksheets, real-life examples of
the 5 senses (cotton balls, music, marbles, etc.) that
the students can touch and work with to understand
the 5 senses
 Activities that integrate language skills: They are to
read their poem aloud to the class/to each other/to
the teacher

Lesson Delivery  Refer to content and language objectives: Constantly

refer to where they are posted and ask if students are
understanding, especially in the final discussion
 Engages students at least 90% of the time: Teacher
should lead the lesson and discussion, ask questions
during individual work time
 Modeling/Demonstration: Teacher will read her own
example of the poem
Review/Assessment  Review key vocabulary: ask students what each word
means in their own words
 Review key concepts: “What did you learn today?”
 Frequent feedback: Teacher is assessing student
comprehension throughout the lesson, providing
individual feedback during work time.
 Brainstorming
Think of ideas for what you see, smell, feel, hear and taste and write your ideas in the boxes below.
This is to help you organize your thoughts before you write your poem.

On Thanksgiving, I see… On Thanksgiving, I smell…

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On Thanksgiving, I hear… On Thanksgiving, I taste…

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On Thanksgiving, I feel…
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 Thanksgiving Sensory Poem

By:

I see

I hear

I smell

I taste

I feel

I enjoy