I decided to write a mini-unit on exploring the craft of a poet. During the reading and writing workshop, students immersed themselves in poetry. This enabled them to get in touch with their inner beings and look at life through the lens of a poet. This unit gave students another dimension to write about. Students were able to explore ideas, feelings, topics, and types of poetry. Most importantly, students created poetry which held significant meaning in their own lives.

Tips for recording students' poetry:

You can find the poetry I used in these lessons in Important Documents.
Students will use Audacity to record and edit.You'll find this free program at http://audacity.sourceforge.net/
A good audacity tutorial can be found at www.how-to-podcast-tutorial.com/17-audacity-tutorial.htm

Students read their poem into the microphone while using voice and expression to convey and evoke feeling. Audacity will automatically create a file for each recording.

If you can't upload audacity files for poosdcasting, convert them into MP3 files. For further instructions visit- http://www.boutell.com/newfaq/creating/converttomp3.html

• Students will learn about poetry as a genre and also gain an understanding of the different ways to write poetry.
• Students will identify the text features and structures of a poem: figurative language, adjectives, rhyming words, metaphors, and similes.
• Students will read poetry and visualize the poem to gain a deeper understanding of the poem's meaning and author's purpose.
• Students will practice writing their own poetry using variety of poetry sources as models: poetry texts, poetry published on the internet, as well as music lyrics.
• Students will learn to use Audacity to create podcasts.
• Students will combine literacy and technology to share poetry pod casts with their second grade-reading buddies.

http://poetrypoem.com/ Claims to be the largest collection of Poetry online.

http://www.poetry4kids.com "Funny kids poems guaranteed to make you giggle by author Kenn Nesbitt! The most popular children's poetry website on the net."

http://audacity.sourceforge.net Free audio editor for recording, slicing, and mixing audio.
A good audacity tutorial can be found at www.how-to-podcast-tutorial.com/17-audacity-tutorial.htm

• Literacy Standard 3-Poetry Unit
• Students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of reading and writing poetry.
• ELA Standard 1: Students will read, write, listen and speak for information and understanding.
• ELA Standard 3: Students will read, write, listen and speak for critical analysis and evaluation.
• Technology Standard 2: Know and use technical vocabulary
• Technology Standard 3: Understand basic computer operations
• Technology Standard 4: Be able to manipulate file basics
• Technology Standard 6: Be responsible when using computers
• Technology Standard 9: Use word processing
• Technology Standard 10: Create products
• Technology Standard 13: Use the Internet

The Inner Poet

Skill: Author's Purpose

Objectives:

Students will be able to draw conclusions and identify the author's purpose in writing the poem. (Students refer to the poetry packet)

Students will be able to notice different kinds of structures and features in poems and make connections: text-to-text, text to self, text to world connections.

Materials:

Poetry packet (one for each student) and a transparency for teacher modeling. [See Important Documents]
Chart paper
Overhead Projector
Writer's notebook

Procedure:

Teacher models how to use the Writers notebook for the unit.

Teacher picks poem from the poetry packet and models thinking aloud while reading the selected poem to students in the meeting area. Then teacher asks students to turn and talk with their reading partner and draw conclusions about the poem's meaning and other noticings.

Teacher charts noticings that students made about the poem.

Reading partners then work together and pick two poems from the packet to look at closely while practicing to make inferences and noticings.

Teacher and students come together to share and chart what they noticed and learned about poetry.

Homework: Students make a list about things they could write a poem about. Then, from their list, they will choose one idea and practice writing a poem.

Assessment: Teacher informally observes students writing their own poems.

Can you imagine or picture the poem?

Skill: Visualizing the Text

Objectives:

Students will be able to identify parts of the poem that they can picture and explain what words or phrases enable them to visualize the poem.

Students will develop an understanding of capturing the reader's attention by being able to put a picture in one's mind while reading and writing poetry.

Materials:

Poetry Packet 2 Text: Poem "74th Street" [See Important Documents]
Chart paper
Writer's Notebook

Procedure
Teachers show and model different ways to envision and use "accountable talk" with the poem "74th Street."

Teacher asks students to read the poem with their partner and find a part in the poem that they can picture in detail.

Teacher guides discussion focusing on what good readers can do when they read poetry.

Homework: Students select a poem from the poetry packet and identify features in the poem that can enable the reader to visualize and understand. (Students look at the writer's craft: voice, language, expression, word choice.)

Assessment: Teacher informally assesses students during turn-and-talk and class discussion.

Notice the craft of writing poetry

Skill: Looking closely at poetry- features and structures

Objectives:

Students will read different ways poems are written and also identify the author's use of poetic devices such as: figurative language (use of similes, metaphors, adjectives), line breaks, figurative language, repetition, rhyming words etc.

Students will learn about different types of poems: Rhyming poems, Free Vese, Limericks, Narrative Poems, Concrete Poems and Haiku.

Students will compare and contrast poetry texts.

Materials:
Poetry packet/ poetry texts [See Important Documents]
Colored pencils and notebooks
Venn Diagram

Procedure:

Teacher models thinking of making noticing s on the poet's craft while reading the poem aloud.

Students work in partnerships using poetry packets/ poetry texts to identify the author's use of literary devices.

Using color pencils, students color code the literary devices they notice and discuss it with their reading partner.

Teacher leads class discussion on how the author's use of figurative language and literary devices express the author's inner "voice."

Homework: Students write their own poem using some of the literary devices learned in class.

Informal Assessment: Students share poetry in the meeting area and explain what they think the poem is about.

The Poetry Channel

Technology Component: Audacity

Objectives:

Students will combine literacy and technology to share poetry pod casts with their second grade-reading buddies.

Students will learn to use Audacity to develop pod casts.

Materials:
Student Poem
Laptop cart (whole class) or 1 laptop and call each student up one at a time while the others are working with reading partner.
Internet
Chart paper
Microphone

Procedure:
Students log onto: http://audacity.sourceforge.net/ and download Audacity- software for recording and editing sounds.

Students read their poem into the microphone while using voice and expression to convey and evoke feeling. (Repeat this process with each student.) Audacity will automatically create a file for each recording. A good audacity tutorial can be found at www.how-to-podcast-tutorial.com/17-audacity-tutorial.htm

If you can't upload audacity files for poosdcasting, convert them into MP3 files. For further instructions visit: http://www.boutell.com/newfaq/creating/converttomp3.html

Assessment: Teacher pod casts student poem during morning meeting. Students listen to pod casts and jot down things they notice about the poem, author's purpose, images that come to mind etc.

Students bring their notes to the meeting area and discuss what they learned about poetry as a genre.