ECED 4300 A, Rachael Howell and Jocelyn
Kelley
DEFINITION
POETRY
Rachael Howell and Jocelyn Kelley
ECED 4300 A
Dr. Tonja Root
Spring 2009
ECED 4300 A, Rachael Howell and
Jocelyn Kelley
JOCELYN KELLEY
PREWRITING STAGE
ELA3W1: The student demonstrates
competency in the writing process.
M. Prewrites to generate ideas, develops a
rough draft, rereads to revise, and edits to
correct.
PLO: Students will prewrite to form a definition
poem.
ECED 4300 A, Rachael Howell and
Jocelyn Kelley
PREWRITING
 “Getting
to write” stage
 Main
goal = to think and get ideas
down on paper.
 Needs
to be 70% of writing
ECED 4300 A, Rachael Howell and
Jocelyn Kelley
DEFINITION POETRY
Poetry
that explains/defines a
certain subject or idea.
Written
as a “definition”
Definition Poem Web. Retrieved
April 3, 2009, from
http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/worksheets
/TCM/pdfs/010720il.pdf
ECED 4300 A, Rachael Howell and Jocelyn
Kelley
KRAUSS, RUTH. (1952). A HOLE IS TO
DIG: A FIRST BOOK OF FIRST
DEFINITIONS. NEW YORK, NY: HARPER
COLLINS
ECED 4300 A, Rachael Howell and Jocelyn
Kelley
Arms are to hug with
Toes are to wiggle
Ears are to wiggle
ECED 4300 A, Rachael Howell and Jocelyn
Kelley
This page of the
book
describes/defines
the author’s purpose
of arms, ears, and
toes.
ECED 4300 A, Rachael Howell and Jocelyn
Kelley
Friends are. Retrieved April 3, 2009, from
http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/worksheets/TCM/pdf
s/010720il.pdf
ECED 4300 A, Rachael Howell and Jocelyn
Kelley
Friends are…
Friends are flowers
brightening your day.
Friends are a gift
picked only for you.
Friends are an energy source
keeping you going all day and
night.
Friends are diamonds
you treasure forever.
ECED 4300 A, Rachael Howell and Jocelyn
Kelley
This poem used
metaphors to describe
how the author feels
about friends.
ECED 4300 A, Rachael Howell and
Jocelyn Kelley
PRACTICE ACTIVITY
RD
FOR 3 GRADERS
ECED 4300 A, Rachael Howell and Jocelyn
Kelley

Teacher passes out Definition
Poem Web.

Will begin interactive writing on
Smart Board.

As I write on the Smart Board, write
down ideas/concepts that we
define.

Our title is…HAPPINESS!!
Graphic Organizer should resemble…
ECED 4300 A, Rachael Howell and Jocelyn
Kelley
Definition Poem Web. Retrieved April 3, 2009, from http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/worksheets/TCM/pdfs/010720il.pdf
ECED 4300 A, Rachael Howell and Jocelyn
Kelley
PREWRITING ASSESSMENT
 Make
sure
students fill out
the Poem Web in
its entirety.
 The
title
 The four subtitles
 The four main
details
Teacher will be looking
to make sure you:
• Compared several
item to topic
•Elaborate on each
comparison
•Choose comparisons
that make sense
ECED 4300 A, Rachael Howell and
Jocelyn Kelley
Rachael Howell
Drafting
GPS
ELA3W1: The student demonstrates competency
in the writing process.
M. Prewrites to generate ideas, develops a rough
draft, rereads to revise, and edits to correct.
PLO: Students will draft a definition poem using
their graphic organizer.
ECED 4300 A, Rachael Howell and
Jocelyn Kelley
Form of Writing: Definition Poetry – poetry
that defines a certain subject or idea.
Sometimes uses similes to make
comparisons.
Stage of Writing: Drafting –
1. “Sloppy Copy” or “Rough Draft”
2. Get ideas onto paper using graphic
organizer
3. Skip lines
4. Content is the most important thing!
5. No erasing!
ECED 4300 A, Rachael Howell and
Jocelyn Kelley
CITATION OF PUBLISHED EXAMPLE:
Sadness is. Retrieved April 3, 2009, from
http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/worksheets/TCM/pdfs/01
0720il.pdf
Hope is. Retrieved April 3, 2009, from
http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/worksheets/TCM/pdfs/01
0720il.pdf
EXAMPLE:
The author uses
metaphors to explain
the emotion:
sadness.
Think about what
makes you sad.
Would your poem be
similar?
ECED 4300 A, Rachael Howell and
Jocelyn Kelley
Sadness is…
Sadness is a black cloud
on the day of your
baseball game.
Sadness is your fish
floating belly up in the
water.
Sadness is losing electricity
when your favorite show is
on TV.
Sadness is a tear
that falls from your face.
Hope is…
problems of the world.
Hope is a tissue,
Hope is a striving flower
wiping away your problems in a dried and silty ground.
and fears.
Hope is a butterfly,
fluttering around a garden
Hope is a bright sun ray,
warming your heart and soul. of weeds.
Hope is a twinkling star
Hope is a tattered teddy bear,
in a sky of black clouds.
hugging your tears, making
them
tears of joy.
Hope is a cozy, warm blanket,
protecting you from the
ECED 4300 A, Rachael Howell and
Jocelyn Kelley
ECED 4300 A, Rachael Howell and
Jocelyn Kelley
PRACTICE
ACTIVITY
RD
FOR 3
GRADERS
ECED 4300 A, Rachael Howell and
Jocelyn Kelley
PRACTICE ACTIVITY
Teacher will start interactive writing on the
Smart Board
 Using the Definition Poem Web we will
construct definition poem:
 Title
 four subtitles
 details
 Connect subtitles and details with metaphors
or similes

ECED 4300 A, Rachael Howell and
Jocelyn Kelley
HAPPINESS IS …
ECED 4300 A, Rachael Howell and
Jocelyn Kelley
ASSESSMENT
ACTIVITY
RD
FOR 3
GRADERS
ASSESSMENT ACTIVITY:
Use the Definition Poem Web you created on your
own.
Before you start drafting make sure you:
- Compared several items to the topic/title
- Listed several details that make sense
Take out a sheet of notebook paper
- Skip lines and start writing your poem using your
Poem Web
ECED 4300 A, Rachael Howell and
Jocelyn Kelley