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West Haven Public Schools
Unit Planning Organizer
Subject: Reading
Grade: 3
Unit: 6 – Intensive Close Reading of Poetry
(Mini Unit)
Essential Question(s):
1. What is the purpose of poetry?
2. How does our schema help us better understand poetry?
3. How can we use inference to construct meaning?
Big Idea(s):
1.
2.
3.
The purpose of poetry is to understand the author’s message and to tell a story
or relate someone’s feelings through rhyme or verse.
Our schema helps us understand poetry by thinking about what we already
know about a topic to construct meaning.
We can use inference to construct meaning by using context clues in the poem
to figure out the meaning or specific information of the poem.
Common Core State Standards (includes West Haven’s “Priority” Common Core
Standards in BOLD and “Supporting” Standards)
CC.3.RI.4 Determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific words and phrases in a text
relevant to a grade 3 topic or subject area.
CC.3.RI.8 - Describe the logical connection between particular sentences and paragraphs in a text (e.g.,
comparison, cause/effect, first/second/third in a sequence).
CC.3.SL.1c Ask questions to check understanding of information presented, stay on topic, and link
their comments to the remarks of others.
CC.3.L.6 Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate conversational, general academic, and domainspecific words and phrases, including those that signal spatial and temporal relationships (e.g., After
dinner that night we went looking for them).
Gr. 3 Reading Unit 6: Intensive Close Reading of Poetry Revised August 2014
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Overarching Skills
Reading
CC.3.RL.10 By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas,
and poetry, at the high end of the grades 2–3 text complexity band independently and
proficiently.
CC.3.RI.10 By the end of the year, read and comprehend informational texts, including
history/social studies, science, and technical texts, at the high end of the grades 2–3 text
complexity band independently and proficiently.
Speaking and Listening
CC.3.SL.1 Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups,
and teacher led) with diverse partners on grade 3 topics and texts, building on others’ ideas and
expressing their own clearly.
Foundational Skills
CC.3.R.F.3 Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding
words.
CC.3.R.F.4 Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension.
“Unwrapped” Concepts and Skills, and Bloom Levels (BL)
Concepts(Need to Know)
Text Structure
 Compare/contrast
 Cause/effect
 Sequence
Skills(Able to Do)
Describe (logical connection between
particular sentences/paragraphs in a text –
comparison, cause/effect, sequence)
Presented Information
Ask (questions to check understanding, stay
on topic, and link their comments to the
remarks of others)
“Dipsticks” (Informal Progress Monitoring Checks):
*teacher made > students will NOT write their own poetry but they will
analyze and reflect on the different types of poetry
Gr. 3 Reading Unit 6: Intensive Close Reading of Poetry Revised August 2014
BL
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3
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Instructional Planning
ELA: Weeks 1 -5
Refer to Nancy Boyles’ Launching Lessons for Modeling Close Reading (included in June 2014
revised ELA Curriculum Packet)
What Do Good Readers Do?
Model Before, During, After Reading Strategies during Shared Reading and Read Aloud
Shared Reading Strategies: (The focus of shared reading is not based on the Scott Foresman
skill of the week. For any resources that you use during Shared Reading make sure to focus
your instruction on the following standards.)

Describe the connection between particular sentences and paragraphs in a
text (e.g., comparison, cause/effect, first/second/third in a sequence.
Ways of Reading





Shared Reading
Guided Reading
Independent Reading
Partner Reading
Listen to Reading - Teacher created listening activity similar to units 1 and 2.
*Vocabulary and Spelling should be taught in a small group setting
based on students’ needs. An opportunity to differentiation
instruction/practice is during Daily 5/Word Work.
Vocabulary:
 Wordly Wise 3000
 A-Z Readers
Spelling:
 Utilize Words Their Way-Word Sorts for Syllables and Affixes
Writing
Informational Text/Research:
o Lessons to be supplied by Trisha D’Amore, West Haven Writing
Consultant
Gr. 3 Reading Unit 6: Intensive Close Reading of Poetry Revised August 2014
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Language: (*Use World of Language only if it applies to the language standards being taught in
this unit. Based on standards
o Use grade-appropriate conversational, general academic, and domain-specific
words and phrases, including those that signal spatial and temporal relationships.
ELA: Week 6
Re-teaching and Enrichment based on Assessments
Instructional Planning
Suggested Resources/Materials:
*All poems are to be taught as a close reading activity.
Days 1-6: Poems, lessons and activities created/given by Kathy Weissman.
Types of Poems/
Poem Titles
Day 1: Hoops (Picture
book) by Robert Burleigh
Day 2: Goal (Picture
book) by Robert Burleigh
Day 3: Things
Day 4: Valentine
Day 5: Rain on Saturday
Poetry/Other
Hard copy of poem
provided
Hard copy of poem
provided
Hard copy of poem
provided
Hard copy of poem
provided
Hard copy of poem
provided
Poetry
Worksheet/Graphic
Organizer
Open ended response
sheet provided
Open ended response
sheet provided:
o Identify point of
view
o Identify text
features
o Identify figurative
language
o Summarizing
Gr. 3 Reading Unit 6: Intensive Close Reading of Poetry Revised August 2014
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Day 6: Dear Car
Hard copy of poem
provided
Day 7: Close reading of a
poem introducing similes
and metaphors
Read Quick as a Cricket
by Audrey Wood
Open ended response
sheet provided:
o Identify the
author’s message
o Identify point of
view
Students can create their
own quick as a cricket
booklets
o A Dream Deferred
by Langston
Hughes
o Caterpillar Race by
John Hammelman
Day 8: Close reading
Color Poem: Red
through identifying
powerful language in the Who Has Seen the Wind
poem
By Christina Rossetti
o Adjectives
o Adverbs
o Visualizing
o Imagery
**Use Reading A to Z:
Poetry Anthology to
introduce different types
of poems for days 9-14

Day 9: Acrostic
Day 10: Limerick
Day 11: Diamante
Reading A to Z samples
o Sunshine
o Sunset
Reading A to Z samples
(follow lesson plan)
Reading A to Z samples
o Winter
o Nonfiction
o Comedy

Reading A to Z
worksheets 1-3
Reading A to Z
worksheets 1-3
Reading A to Z
worksheets 1-3
Gr. 3 Reading Unit 6: Intensive Close Reading of Poetry Revised August 2014
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Day 12: Haiku
Day 13: Cinquain
Day 14: Free Verse
(follow lesson plan)
Reading A to Z samples
(lesson plan – A to Z)
Reading A to Z samples
o Friendship
o Sunbeam
o Hideout
(lesson plan – A to Z)
Knoxville, Tennessee
By: Nikki Giovanni
Reading A to Z
worksheets 1-3
Reading A to Z
worksheets 1-3
Reading A to Z
worksheets 1-3
Eating While Reading
By: Gary Soto
Reading A to Z samples
o Heroes Are
o A Hero Could Be
o Heroes May Be
(lesson plan – A to Z)
- Reading A to Z
- Scott Foresman Texts Imagine That and Picture This(poems at the end of
each unit: nonfiction can also be used as close reading lessons)
- Nancy Boyle’s – That’s a Great Answer! (Chapter 9)
- Georgia Heard’s - Scholastic Poetry Lessons Grades K-5
Gr. 3 Reading Unit 6: Intensive Close Reading of Poetry Revised August 2014
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Suggested Research-based Effective Instructional Strategies:
Strategies
Use of
graphic
organizers
Vocabulary/Word
Wall
Compare/Contrast
Cause/Effect
Sequence
Use of
visual aids
Description
Sensory
Author/ Author’s
Craft
Chunking
information Nonfiction
Simile
Repetition
Line
Verse
Modeled
lessons
Enrichment/Extension
- Students can research
poets based on a
particular type poem
they learned about and
present on it.
Students can create
poetry booklets on the
different types of
poems they learned
about. (Can also be
created by particular
poet)
Students can memorize
a part of a poem and act
it out in groups.
Stanza
Metaphor
Alliteration
Use of
technology
Rhyme
Schema
Flexible
grouping/
Imagery
Onomatopoeia
cooperative Personification
learning
Gr. 3 Reading Unit 6: Intensive Close Reading of Poetry Revised August 2014
Interdisciplinary
Connections
- Students can
research different
types of poems
relating it to all
content areas (ie:
Science, Social
Studies, Math)
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Identifying
similarities
and
differences
Speaker
Noun
Adverb
Adjective
Rhythm
Gr. 3 Reading Unit 6: Intensive Close Reading of Poetry Revised August 2014