“I Am” Poem Suggested Lesson Plan
Before Class:
•
•
Make sure you have downloaded the I
AM POEM slideshow and added in
your own I AM poem on the appropriate
slide.
Make sure you have copies of the I Am
Poem handout
The Plan (about 25 minutes)
1 minute: Pass out handouts, but let students
know not to worry about them quite yet
10ish minutes: Go through the slideshow
with your students. You may want them to
take notes on the necessary vocabulary.
Sharing your own I Am poem provides
students with an example and allows them a
way to get to know you better.
5 minutes: After sharing your poem, let
students ask you questions. Invite them to
critique your piece and let them know that
they will be critiquing each other throughout
the class; critiques are part of the writing
process. (Don’t move on to the critiquing
slide yet)
10ish minutes: Let students work on their
own I Am poem using the handout (you may
want to walk through the vocabulary
questions with them before they begin). You
can give students more or less time
depending on how they working and
progressing.
Rationale:
While simple, this poem
allows students to build their
confidence and comfort in the
class slowly. This is a great
getting-to-know you activity
that incorporates writing to get
students used to daily creative
thinking.
After Writing (optional critiquing)
(about 5-10 minutes):
Gallery Walk:
Flip to the last slide of the slideshow.
After students have completed their poems,
they can hang them up around the room,
down the hallway, or leave them up and
visible on their desks.
A gallery walk should be silent. Students
walk around, reading each others’ work.
They can use post-its to leave feedback and
observations on other poems. Since this is
most likely the first writing they share with
the class, direct students to focus on positives
for this critique. Direct students to the
sentence starters on the slideshow if they are
having a hard time getting started. You may
also want to require students to make a
certain number of observations (for example,
if you have 20 students, maybe each must
leave 5 post-it notes on others’ work).
Name:______________________________________________________________________
“I Am” Poem
Directions: Fill in the blanks to create your own “I Am” Poem
I am _________________________________________________________________________________
(two special characteristics)
I wonder _____________________________________________________________________________
(something you are curious about)
I hear ________________________________________________________________________________
(an imaginary sound)
I see _________________________________________________________________________________
(an imaginary sight)
I want _______________________________________________________________________________
(a desire you have)
This is a
stanza—a
grouping of
lines in a
poem, like a
poetic
paragraph.
How many
stanzas are in
this poem?
_______
I am _________________________________________________________________________________
(repeat the first line)
These are lines
I pretend _____________________________________________________________________________
of poetry—a row
(something you pretend to do)
of words in a
I feel _________________________________________________________________________________
poem.
(a feeling about something imaginary)
How many lines
are there in
I touch _______________________________________________________________________________
(an imaginary touch/texture)
each stanza of
this poem?
I worry _______________________________________________________________________________
_______
(something that bothers you)
How many lines
I cry __________________________________________________________________________________
are in the whole
(something that makes you sad)
poem?
I am __________________________________________________________________________________
_______
(repeat the first line)
I understand __________________________________________________________________________
(something you know is true)
I say __________________________________________________________________________________
(something you believe in)
I dream _______________________________________________________________________________
(something you dream about)
I try __________________________________________________________________________________
(something in which you make an effort)
I hope ________________________________________________________________________________
(something you hope for)
I am __________________________________________________________________________________
(repeat the first line)