Focus Lesson Planning Sheet

Focus Lesson Topic / Listening for Line Breaks
(Adapted from Calkins and Parsons, 2003)

Materials

/ Poem written on chart paper with and without line breaks (See Poetry: Powerful Thoughts in Tiny Packages by Calkins and Parsons, 2003, p. 13 for example. Similar poems can be found in All the Small Poems and Fourteen More by Valerie Worth.)
Short poem (student or teacher created) for guided practice. (See Poetry: Powerful Thoughts in Tiny Packages by Calkins and Parsons, 2003, pp. 15-16 for example.) Teacher may wish to write each word of the poem on individual cards.

Connection

/ Yesterday we learned how to see the world with poets’ eyes. You know that to write a good poem you need to use your poet’s eyes to see ordinary things in a new way. Today I will teach you another ingredient that you need for a good poem.
Explicit Instruction / To write a good poem, you need to have music. I don’t mean singing or playing musical instruments. The music of a poem comes from the words and how those words are put onto the paper. Good poets try to write the words of their poems so that the reader will read the poems with music.
One way to give your poem music is to divide the words into lines that go down the paper. Let me show you what I mean with the poem called “Aquarium” by Valerie Worth. I’ve written it in two different ways. One way does not give the poem music, but the other does.
[Read aloud the poem without line breaks. Read the poem in a flat tone with little expression to show how this way lacks music.]
When I see the poem written this way, the way the words are arranged on the page tell me to read it just like I am talking. There really isn’t much music in the poem when it is written like this. Now listen to the same poem when I read it the way Valerie Worth really wrote it.
[Read aloud the poem with line breaks.]
When I read the poem with line breaks, it really sounds like music! When Valerie Worth divided the poem into short lines, she told me to read the poem in a certain way. Since this poem is called “Aquarium” I think she wants me to read the first four lines almost like a fish is swimming down the page, flicking and slipping back and forth like fish do. Did you hear my voice change when I got to the second part of the poem? When Valerie Worth wrote about the snail, I think she wants the music of her poem to become slow like a snail that sticks at the bottom of an aquarium.
Guided Practice / Let’s try writing a poem with line breaks together. Let me read the poem to you without any line breaks. [Display poem written without line breaks. To do this, use individual word cards to “write” the poem like prose by placing word cards in a pocket chart or taped to chart paper.]
Turn and talk to a partner. How could we arrange the words in this poem to bring some music to the words?
[Invite one student to move word cards to show one way to bring music to the poem.]
Send Off [for Independent Practice] / I want you to always remember that poets use line breaks to turn the words of the poem into music. Today as you are writing remember to use your poets’ eyes to see the world. When you have an idea, start writing a poem with line breaks. I can wait to hear the music that you bring to you poetry!
Group Share / Allow a few students to share their poems and explain how they used line breaks to bring music to their poetry.