Teacher

Mini Unit Plan

Subject
Topic/Foc
us

Overarchin
g Question

Learner
Considerati
ons

Brandy Old
English Language Arts
(Grade 2)
Poetry (Rhymes,
Clerihews)

Why is poetry relevant in todays society?

How does poetry aid personal expression?
Sub Questions:
Where is poetry used in society today? Where has poetry
been used throughout history? What elements are used in
poetry? What is the difference between prose and verse?
Why do authors choose to write in verse instead of prose?
What is personal expression? Why is personal expression
important? How do we express ourselves in an appropriate
and respectful way? What are some ways that we can
accept and listen to others point of views?
***For a more in-depth analysis please refer to frontmatter (part A and B) of C & I mini-unit portion***
- Exposure to multiple forms of texts, students will be able
to develop strong communication skills that allow them to
express their ideas clearly and thoughtfully
- Respond effectively to various forms of communication
- How to work successfully in a group and team setting
- Requires students be involved in all of the five general
learner outcomes
- Exercising critical thinking and personal awareness
- Encouraging students to express themselves by exploring
the effectiveness of poetry
- Allowing students to envision poetry through music,
stories, poems, and everyday experiences (clichs, jingles,
sayings, greeting cards), they are able to transfer
knowledge
- Students have been exposed to rhyming, music, and
rhythm in class and in daily life
- Knowledgeable about rhyming words through learning
about phonics and spelling
- Expected to know how to work collaboratively and share
their opinions through their writing
- Each lesson will have a differentiated version that is
simpler to aid students with learning disabilities, or who are
ESL
- Certain students will require specific variations
- Lessons will allow students to discuss specialized
knowledge of their home cultures with the class

Performanc
e Task
Overview

- Students who are gifted, each lesson will either have a

sponge activity or more advanced versions of the lesson
***For a more in-depth application to specific learner
considerations please refer to Differentiation portion
in each lesson plan***
Students are asked to:
- Compose a clerihew. It is short and only focuses on
rhyming, not rhythm or syllable count
- Clerihews are funny. This is to help provide the
students with a purpose of writing
- Checklist for self- and peer assessment. This is to help
students reflect on their work and learn how to
criticize others. It is a scaffold before teacher
marking so students become a part of the
assessment process.
- Only providing good feedback. Students are asked to
provide positive feedback to one another. This is a
scaffold into peer assessment. Once they have
practiced this further, they will be able to provide
structured critique.
- Convincing why they picked a poem as their
favourite. This is a type of reflection for students.
- Video. This enables students to both expand their
audience of their poetry, and also practice presenting
in a safe environment. They can re-take their videos if
needed, and they are able to practice their presenting
skills before submitting their best video
***For a more in-depth overview of performance
task please refer to performance task handout
and Lesson 3 Lesson Plan***

***For a more in-depth analysis of Learner Outcomes, Links to

Questions, and Assessment Criteria, please refer to front-matter
(part A and B) of C & I***
Learner Outcomes
Links to
Assessment
Overarching
Criteria
Question/subStudents provide
General
Specific
questions
evidence of their
Outcomes
Outcomes
learning as they
GLO 1:
SLO 1.1: Discover
Students are
1.1: interpret
Students will and Explore
experimenting
media, print, and
listen,
with language
visuals in a poetic
speak, read,
(writing poems,
form by reflecting,
write, view,
listening to poems, listing, creating

learning about
rhymes and rhyme
schemes, etc.)

and
represent to
explore
thoughts,
ides,
feelings, and
experiences.
GLO 2:
Students will
listen,
speak, read,
write, view,
and
represent to
comprehend
and respond
personally
and critically
to oral, print,
and other
media texts.

SLO 2.1: Use

strategies and
cues
SLO 2.2: Respond
to texts.
SLO 2.3:
Understand forms,
elements, and
techniques.
SLO 2.4: Create
original text

Students are
exploring the
function of poetry
in society (nursery
rhymes, stories,
types of poems).
Students will learn
how poetry is
developed by
reading and
analysing poems
in different
mediums, and
they will be
composing a poem
about their own
personal
experiences in
todays society.

couplets, and
depicting rhymes
through visuals.
Students have
choices in the
lessons to explore
the content they
choose.
2.1: Students
read, discuss,
visualize, and
create poetry to
show an
understanding.
They read stories
and look at visual
representation to
work on poetry.
2.2: Students
listen/read poetry
and reflect.
Students
listen/view/read
nursery rhymes.
They must decode
the nursery
rhymes and
define personal
meaning from
them.
2.3: Use elements
of a poem to
create a clerihew
poem. Students
will be exposed to
various mediums
of poetry. They
learn about
couplets, rhymes,
rhyme schemes,
and clerihew
poems. Students
view/listen to
nursery rhymes

GLO 3:
Students will
listen,
speak, read,
write, view,
and
represent to
manage
ideas and
information.

GLO 4:
Students will
listen,
speak, read,
write, view,
and
represent to
enhance the
clarity and
artistry of
communicati
on.
GLO 5:
Students will
listen,
speak, read,
write, view,
and
represent to
respect,
support, and
collaborate
with others.

SLO 3.3: Organize,

record, and
evaluate

SLO 4.1: Enhance

and improve

SLO 5.1: Respect

others and
strengthen
community
SLO 5.2: Work
within a group

Students organize
information in a
meaningful way.
This will allow
students to
develop an
understanding of
poetry.

Students are able

to share their
personal
experiences in a
comprehensive
and intelligible
manner.

Students are
required to
express their
personal opinions
through poetry to
the class. The
class must be
receptive and
supportive when
receiving other
students work.

and define them

as poetry.
2.4: Write a
clerihew poem,
finish fractured
clerihew poems.
Students create a
couplet.
3.3: Students see
poetry as song
(from the nursery
rhymes) as well as
written/spoken
stories. While
working in a job,
the students must
organize the tasks
amongst
themselves. They
organize the
poems into rhyme
schemes.
4.1: Self-assess
and peer assess
clerihews.
Changes can be
made after these
assessments
before teacher
assessment.

5.1: Students are

working in groups
and they discuss
their opinions and
personal ideas
about poetry.
Students must
actively respect
others thoughts.
The students work
well in groups

together.
5.2: Students
work in groups at
different stations.
They discuss their
thinking and can
make choices that
allow them to
complete their
task in the
provided time
(timer). Students
help one another
before seeking
help from the
teacher.