Submitted by: Brian Duncan

Grade Levels: 6-8

In this lesson plan, which is adaptable for grades 6-8, students use BrainPOP resources and devices of poetic imagery to learn how to use appropriate forms, conventions, and styles to communicate information to different audiences for different purposes. Students will explore the importance of providing sufficient details and appropriate depth of elaboration for clear understanding. They will then use poetic devices (such as imagery, rhyme, simile, metaphor, alliteration, personification, and onomatopoeia) to create a poem about the five senses.

Lesson Plan Common Core State Standards Alignments

Students will:

  1. Write using appropriate forms, conventions, and styles to communicate ideas and information to different audiences for different purposes.
  2. Provide sufficient details and appropriate depth of elaboration for clear understanding.
  3. Use poetic devices to create a poem about the five senses. The following poetic devices include but are not limited to: imagery, rhyme, simile, metaphor, alliteration, personification, and onomatopoeia.

Materials:

  • Projector and computer with internet access
  • One Hershey's Kiss for each student
  • Paper
  • Pencil
  • Scratch paper or photocopies of the Graphic Organizer

Vocabulary:

imagery, rhyme, simile, metaphor, alliteration, personification, onomatopoeia, poetry

Preparation:

Preview the BrainPOP Poetry movie and prepare the materials above.

Lesson Procedure:

  1. Watch the BrainPOP movie on Poetry.
  2. Review poetic devices uses a handout, textbook, or website. Mention imagery - words or phrases that appeal to any sense or any combination of senses.
  3. On scratch paper or the Graphic Organizer, ask students to write a few sentences about what they consider to be their most important sense and why. Ask some of the students to share their sentences.
  4. Advise the class that they will be challenged to write a poem about the five senses, and that they will be assessed by their individual and group work. Ask them to clear their desks with the exception of the poetic devices resources, paper, and pencil.
  5. Place a Hershey's Kiss on each student's desk and ask students not to touch it. Give the following instructions: The word “chocolate" and all words related to it cannot be used for this challenge. The Hershey’s Kiss will now be referred to as an object until it is named.
  6. On a piece of paper that will be turned in, advise students to name their object and write at least two sentences related to the sense of sight using poetic devices.
  7. Have students observe and write at least two sentences related to the sense of touch using poetic devices. Allow students to feel and write about their object.
  8. Have students write at least two sentences related to the sense of sound using poetic devices.
  9. Allow students to open and smell their object and write at least two sentences related to the sense of smell using poetic devices.
  10. Allow students to taste and write at least two sentences related to the sense of taste using poetic devices.
  11. Divide students into pairs. Have each pair of students pick one object name and sentence for each sense. Each student must use at least two of their sentences. They should combine the names of their objects and five sentences to create a poem.
  12. Give each group time to present their poem to the rest of the class.