Writing a Spring Poem

Name: Megan Taylor

Date: Subject/Grade: Language Arts/1st Grade

I. Integration of Learning Outcomes

a. Students will be able to brainstorm adjectives, nouns, actions, and adverbs related to
spring time to include in their poem.
b. Students will be able to write a poem about spring following the requirements given.
II. Standards
a. CC.1.4.1.F: Demonstrate a grade appropriate command of the conventions of standard
English grammar and spelling. • Capitalize dates and names of people. • Use end
punctuation; use commas in dates and words in series. • Spell words drawing on
common spelling patterns, phonemic awareness and spelling conventions
b. CC.1.4.1.L: Demonstrate a grade appropriate command of the conventions of standard
English grammar and spelling.
III. Anticipatory Set
a. Tell students that we have just finished writing a poem about a friend and now we are
going to write a poem about spring
b. Remind students that we read a book about spring yesterday to give us some ideas
about what happens and tell them that now we are going to watch a brain pop video to
get even more ideas
c. Show the spring brain pop video
IV. Procedures
a. Tell students that their poem is going to start with “spring sings with” and then three
lines about things that happen in spring
b. Tell students that each line of their poem will include an adjective, a noun, a verb, and
an adverb that tells where the verb is happening
c. Bring up the example poem on the smart board and talk about the adjectives, nouns,
verbs, and adverbs in it
d. Ask students to brainstorm ideas of adjectives they can use and write them on the smart
board
i. Baby
ii. Small
iii. Colorful
iv. Soft
v. Warm
vi. Yellow
e. Ask students to brainstorm ideas of nouns they can use and write them up on the smart
board
i. Chicks
 ii. Bunnies
iii. Flowers
iv. Eggs
v. Winds
vi. Grass
f. Ask students to brainstorm ideas of verbs they can use and write them up on the smart
board
i. Pecking
ii. Blooming
iii. Laying
iv. Sitting
v. Jumping
vi. Running
vii. Swimming
viii. Hopping
ix. Playing
g. Ask students to brainstorm ideas of adverbs they can use and write them up on the
smart board
i. In the field
ii. In the grass
iii. In the sunshine
iv. In the garden
v. Across the yard
vi. At the park
h. Tell students that they are going to be doing a rough draft and a final draft
i. Tell students that once they have finished their rough draft they should circle any words
that they think they spelled wrong and take out their Quick Words book and correct
them and once they have done that they should raise their hand to have it checked by
the teacher
j. Hand out the rough draft papers and tell students to get started
k. Circulate around as students are working to help as necessary
l. When students are ready, check their paper and correct their spelling and hand them
the good copy reminding them to make the corrections and use their best handwriting
m. Tell students that they should color the picture on the good copy because we will be
putting them up on the bulletin board
V. Differentiation
a. Lower level students can dictate to the teacher what they would like to write and the
teacher can write their rough draft for them so they can copy it onto their good copy.
b. Higher level students will be asked to write four lines instead of three in their poem.
VI. Closure
a. Once students have finished writing their final draft and coloring, ask for some
volunteers to share their poems
 b. Collect students poems to check them and eventually out them up on the bulletin board
VII. Formative/Summative Assessment
a. Students will be formatively assessed as they brainstorm to see if they know what
adjectives, nouns, verbs, and adverbs.
b. Students will be summatively assessed through the collection of their poems to make
sure they hit all of the criteria that was asked of them.
VIII. Materials/Equipment
a. Smart board
b. Rough draft paper
c. Final copy paper
d. Pencils
e. Crayons
f. Sample poem
IX. Technology
a. The smart board is used to show a video and to brainstorm.
X. Reflection on Planning
a. This is part of the language arts program that includes writing. I decided to use the
gradual release of responsibility model to teach this lesson to allow students to
understand exactly what they are supposed to be doing and how to do it before
attempting it on their own. I differentiated my instruction to meet various learning
needs by making accommodations for struggling students and advanced students so the
struggling students can complete the activity in a way that fits them best and so that the
advanced students are challenged enough. I considered students background
knowledge by connecting their previous writing of a poem about a friend to the writing
of this poem. Technology is used in this lesson to support the learning by using it to
brainstorm ideas for each category of the writing piece such as adjective and verb and
to show example poems. Overall the plan is well written and will help the lesson go
smoothly.
XI. Reflection on Instruction
a. Overall this lesson went smoothly. The students had an understanding of poetry writing
and what verbs, nouns, and adjectives were so that helped the lesson move quickly and
helped the students with knowing what to do. One strength of my lesson was the
progression of activities that gradually released the responsibility to the students until in
the end they were writing their own poems. Another strength of my lesson was that I
walked around a lot to monitor students’ progress and understanding of what they were
supposed to be writing and made myself available to those students who were
struggling. Something I would improve about my lesson is giving students more
directions and reminders about using a variety of words, especially the adjectives and
adverbs because many students were using the same ones over and over again.