How to Teach Poetry: Lesson Plan 6 (Going Beyond the Classroom)

Course: How to Teach Poetry

Lecture 6: Going Beyond the Classroom (6 of 15)

TEACHER GOALS

• Prevent the classroom from becoming claustrophobic
• Extend the classroom environment to include real-world experiences

STUDENT GOALS

• Gain writing opportunities based on real-world experiences
• Learn how to apply all five senses when writing

TEACHER DO NOW

• Have a field trip planned (this can be as close as a field of grass behind the school); somewhere students will be inspired to use each of their five senses
• Prepare students for field trip

STUDENT DO NOW

• Grab a pen and notebook for writing down notes during field trip

MINI-LESSON/ACTIVITY

• For the first 15 minutes of class, teacher(s) and students will review PowerPoetry's 7 Tips on Writing a Poem about Your Surroundings and PowerPoetrt's 5 Tips for Writing Idylls, to become familiar with using the five senses when writing
• The remainder of class will be devoted to the planned field trip
• Students will keep a list of everything they can see, hear, touch, taste, and smell

SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIAL

• PowerPoetry's 7 Tips on Writing a Poem about Your Surroundings Tip Guide
• PowerPoetry's 5 Tips for Writing Idylls Tip Guide

HOMEWORK

• Students will write a poem using the notes from the field trip (Challenge: each line of the poem focuses on a different one of the five senses)

PRINTABLE WORKSHEET

How to Teach Poetry Teacher Lesson Plan 6