Brief Description

This lesson teaches children how to find a particular website http://pbskids.org/arthur/games/poetry, write a cinquain poem, and publish it on a website so the world can read their work.  This lesson should be taught in a 3-4 day time period with an average of 20-30 min per lesson.

Standards and Frameworks

Technology Standards

• 1T-F2. Demonstrate functional operation of technology components
• 3T-F1. Use prescribed technology writing or drawing tools for communicating and illustrating
• 3T-F3. Use prescribed technology tools for publishing and presenting information

• W-F1. Use the writing process, including generating topics, drafting, revising ideas and editing, to complete effectively and variety of writing tasks.
• W-F6. Write well organized communications such as, friendly letters, memos and invitations, for specific audience, and with a clear specific purpose

Academic

• Students will be able to write a cinquain poem about the fall by using descriptive words with the correct number of syllables for each line.

• Students will be able to find a particular website, given a web address and, use the keyboard to type their poem on Fern’s Poetry Center.

• Students need to know the basic function of the computer
• How to use the mouse and the keyboard
• How to navigate a website

• Read aloud book Red Leaves, Yellow Leaves
• Paper and pencils
• Computer lab
• Marble painting could be an extension activity: have kids cut construction paper in the shape of a large fall leaf then use tempra paint and marbles to create fall colored designs on the leaf. Mount the leaf and poem on colored construction paper and put project up on a bulletin board.

SEI and learning disabilities: These students will be provided picture clues for the recording form and paired up with a fluent English speaker. You may also want to pull these kids to a separate table for extra help while fluent English speakers are working independently.

ADHD/ADD:  Provide these students with smaller chunks and a longer time period to complete their poem.

Gifted and Talented: Compose a poem, on a topic of your choice, using a word wall or thesaurus as a resource for a variety of descriptive words. Illustrate your poem.

Procedures

Set your standards.  Announce to the kids, that we will be learning about fall, technology and writing poetry.

• Ask the kids what they know about poetry and what they think makes a good poem.  Write their suggestions on a chart.
• Read an example of a published poem (Shel Silverstein) and ask what made it so interesting to read or listen to. Add these ideas to your list
• Read an example of a cinquain poem found on the website. Http://pbskids.org/arthur/games/poetry

Bubbles
By Buster
Bubbles
Delicate balls
Softly floating above
Unbelievable happiness
Transparent
• Ask the kids what they noticed about this particular kind of poem. Talk about the form (rules) for a cinquain.

Rules for a cinquain are:
Line 1- (title) 1 word, 2 syllables
Line 2- 2 words that describe the title and has 4 syllables
Line 3-3 words that express an action and has 6 syllables
Line 4-2 words that express a feeling and has 8 syllables
Line 5-1 word and 2-3 syllables
 
• Read the book Red Leaves, Yellow Leaves
• Discuss the types of things that happen in the fall e.g. the leaves turn color, the weather turns cooler, Halloween and Thanksgiving are holidays that happen during the fall, and we bundle up in clothes.
• Take these fall descriptions and create a class cinquain on the overhead
• Do a think-pair share and have the students talk with a partner about their ideas before giving them independent practice time.
• Give students independent practice time and provide students with extra time for dictation.

• Verify that all your students have permission to access and publish on the internet based on your school district’s guidelines
• Instruct your students on internet safety

• Assign students a computer and have them access the internet
• Have students log onto Fern’s Poetry Club at Http://pbskids.org/arthur/games/poetry
• Give students 5-10 minutes to play around with this site
• Have you students click on the box named “write a poem”
• Follow the page and have student’s type in their first name.
• Now have students type their poem in the box provided
• When the kids are finished typing their poem, they need to click on the “send it” box to upload it on the PBS kids website.
• If the kids want to see their poem on the web have them click on “read more poems” and then type in their first name and a list of poems will come up.  Click on the poem and then their work will come up on the web page.

Poetry Rubric
 

4	3	2	1
Completely follows the rules for a cinquain Focused on topic	Follows most of the rules for a cinquain Mostly focused on topic	Slightly follows the rules for a cinquain Slightly focused on topic	Dimly follows the rules for a cinquain Not focused on topic