Lesson/Unit Topic/Theme: Grade 5 - Stone Soup: Word Use and Vocabulary Building
Acrostic Poetry Unit.
Lesson/Unit Length: 4 periods/ 40 minutes per period – TOTAL: 160 minutes.
Curriculum Expectations:
5e20 – Writing: Word Use and Vocabulary Building-select and use words to create
specific effects (e.g., to create a mood);
5e18 – Writing: Word Use and Vocabulary Building- routinely introduce new words
from their reading into their writing;
5e37 – Reading: Knowledge of Language Structures– use their knowledge of elements of
grammar and oral and written language structures to understand what they read;
Cross-Curricular Links
The Arts – Visual Art
5a38 - Creative Work: organize their art works to create a specific effect, using the
elements of design (e.g., create a still life depicting their favourite foods, and explain how
they used colour, texture, and shape to appeal to the viewer’s senses);
Content Area Focus: The unit will be broken into three parts: 1) writing a poem based
on the book Stone Soup and 2) creating visual art using the same mediums used in the
story book (i.e., watercolour), and 3) presentation of artwork to teacher. As an
introduction to poetry, the students are allowed to work in groups of 2-3 to select several
words that capture the essence of the story book Stone Soup (e.g., teamwork, sharing
etc.). They may also choose to work on their own. As a group or individually, the
students create a poem using the one word to create an acrostic poem. The poem must
reflect the various moods of the book (i.e., loneliness, isolation, inspiration etc.). The
poem must also use at least one word from the story book. After their poem is written,
each student individually creates a painting using watercolour that represents what their
acrostic poem means to them. For example, a student may decide to paint a picture of
his/her family eating around the dinner table. The student will present the artwork to the
teacher individually and explain why their use of: 1) colour, 2) texture, and 3) shape. This
lesson incorporates a multi-modal approach to teaching poetry by using: 1) A story book,
2) Group work or individual, 3) Artwork to express moods and feelings, and 4)
Presenting the artwork to the teacher. This lesson plan is designed for several types of
intelligences as outlined within the Multiple Intelligence theory. Linguistic: This lesson
allows students to understand the meaning of words and how to order the words when
creating their acrostic poem. Spatial: This lesson allows for the visual learner by creating
artwork based on their acrostic poem word. Interpersonal: While working in a group
this lesson allows this type of learner to understand and perceives the mood of their group
members, as well as the mood that the author has tried to create in the Stone Soup
storybook. Intrapersonal: In this lesson, the student is able to express their feelings in
tow areas; 1) creating the artwork, and 2) Explaining and expressing their feelings about
the artwork in a presentation to the teacher. Excellent incorporation of multimodality
and MI theory!
Skills Focus
Social Skills: While creating the acrostic poem, some of the students are working in
groups of 2 or 3. The group needs to collaborate together to create their poem. It is
through this interaction that students are able to develop pro-social behaviours such as: 1)
Listening, 2) Cooperation, 3) Empathy and 4) Respect.
Learning Skills: The students will learn how to create a poem from words used in a story
book. They will learn how to: 1) Use words to create moods, 2) Create an acrostic poem
using words, and 3) Create an art piece that reflects the feelings and moods from the text
chosen.
Focusing Questions: The following questions can be used as a guideline for the teacher
when reading the story book, while instructing the acrostic poem lesson and introducing
the art portion of the lesson.
Part 1 – Reading Stone Soup
“What type of mood does the artwork in this book create? Why? How?”
“What are some words that reflect the feelings or mood of the villagers?”
Part 2 – Introducing Acrostic Poetry
“What are some types of poems?”
“When creating an acrostic poem, what types of words will we use to a create mood and
express feelings?”
Part 3 – Acrostic Art
“How can we express our feelings through art?”
“How can we use colour, texture and shape to create a mood in our artwork?”
Culminating Task/Performance: The students will present their artwork to the teacher
individually. This allows students to express their feelings in a safe way in front of the
teacher, not in front of the whole class. In addition to the questions regarding colour,
texture and shape, the teacher may also ask the following questions to consolidate the
lesson.
“What is the message that the author wants to give us from Stone Soup?”
“How can we express moods and feelings in writing poetry?”
“What was your favourite part in creating the poem and artwork?”
Assessment Tools and Strategies: A rubric will be created to assess the students in two
areas: 1) Acrostic poem, and 2) Artwork.
Acrostic Poem Rubric: The acrostic poem will be based on a 1-4 scale and on the
following categories: 1) Form (acrostic style), 2) Word Usage (creates mood, feelings), 3)
Language Conventions (spelling, grammar, punctuation), and 4) Social Skills
(cooperative, participating, teamwork) good
Acrostic Artwork: The acrostic artwork will be based on a 1-4 scale and on the
following categories: 1) Oral Communication (presentation to teacher), 2) Colour (use of
colour, 3) Texture (use of texture), and 4) Shape (use of shape). Categories 2-4 are based
on the manner in which the student is able to capture the essence of their poem and
transfer the mood and feelings of the poem into artwork.
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Lesson/Unit Checkpoints & Feedback: While the students are working on their acrostic
poem, individually or in a group, the teacher walks around the classroom to check in with
the students. The teacher needs to ensure that: 1) The students understand the
requirements for the poem, 2) Are working collaboratively with their group, and 3)
Staying on task. During the artwork lesson, the teacher will also walk around the
classroom to ensure that the students: 1) Understand the requirements of the artwork, 2)
Staying on task.
Key Concepts & Skills
Reading
Instructional Approaches: Read Aloud
•
involves students through prediction;
•
models reading techniques and fluency;
•
provides opportunities for students to prepare and rehearse selections;
•
selects texts that enrich student thinking. Great!
Critical Literacy/Thinking Skills: During the Read Aloud of Stone Soup, the teacher asks
the students questions that allow for higher order thinking of the story.
“What is the message that the author is telling us?”
“Why are the villagers able to come together at the end of the story, but would not talk to
each other before the monks came to the village?” good
Accommodations/Modifications: The teacher will be using a story book as a visual aid, to
ensure that the student understands the concepts presented. The teacher may also have the
students sit closely to the teacher when reading the book. The teacher may also provide a
structured overview of the lesson before beginning instruction. (OCUP)
Writing
Instructional Approaches: Writing Processes
•
teaches various forms of writing;
•
provides feedback through conferences and observation;
•
models forms of writing and the writing process;
Critical Literacy/Thinking Skills: During the acrostic poetry writing of this lesson, the
students are asked to think about words that describe moods and feelings to describe what
they learned from the story book Stone Soup. The teacher may ask:
“What are some words from the book Stone Soup that describe the mood of the book?”
Accommodations/Modifications: The students that are able and interested in working
independently are allowed to create their own acrostic poem. The students that need extra
support and are on an IEP,can be accommodated by being paired up with stronger
students to help them through the process of creating the poem. The teacher can prepare a
template of an acrostic poem for students that are on an IEP and need modifications to the
lesson. The teacher may also: 1) establish time lines, and 2) monitor the student’s
progress often, since frequent feedback will help keep the student on track, let him or her
know what is expected, and help build self-esteem; (OCUP)
Oral Communication and Media Literacy
Instructional Approaches: Oral Presentation 1) gives feedback in a constructive form,
including strengths and areas for improvement. 2) sets clear guidelines for the assessment
of the presentation (e.g., criteria established through a rubric);
Critical Literacy/Thinking Skills: The final portion of the lesson is to have the students
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present their artwork to the teacher. During this time, the students are asked to explain
their choice of 1) colour, 2) texture and 3) shape within the art piece. The student needs
to clearly outline how these three factors affected the mood and feeling of the artwork.
Accommodations/Modifications: The teacher may:1)establish extended time lines, and 2)
monitor the student’s progress often, since frequent feedback will help keep the student
on track, let him or her know what is expected, and help build self-esteem. (OCUP)
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