Year 4 Unit Overview Australian Curriculum: English Poetry

School name Unit title Duration of unit

Driver Primary School Exploring Classical Poetry 9 to 10 60 minute lessons

Unit outline

Describe the focus and context for learning in this unit

Year 4
Aims and objectives of teaching poetry

Provides opportunities to choose words for effect;

Write poems using playful language;

Analyse literary devices

Use imagination and creativity;

To edit and improve poetry writing;

Ability to recite poetry and experiment using different ways to express ideas and perform aloud;

Exposes children to a wealth of literature and vocabulary; and

Apply inference skills and promote higher order thinking;

This poetry unit of work comprises of 9 - 10 lessons taught once a day over a period of two weeks. For students this unit aims to:
To engage with and listen to classic poetry; and

The ability to use imaginative, creative and patterns in language.

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 Unit outline

To conclude this poetry unit students will independently or in groups deliver a classical poem covered in the unit. The poem will be presented in
front of the class. Diversity will be catered for wherever possible in the attached poetry lesson plans.

Reading
Students will read published poems to better understand a poets opinion, detail and coherence. Reading opportunities throughout the unit allow
students to share their individual understanding of poems through actively participating in class discussions. Students will demonstrate
understanding of grammar, select vocabulary, accurate spelling and punctuation through reading and writing to improve their individual poetry
meanings (ACARA, 2017).

Writing
This unit will incorporate opportunities for students to demonstrate poetic devices and features that include descriptive terms, creativity and
expression. Viewpoints will be discussed and shared regularly (ACARA, 2017).

Identify curriculum
Content descriptions to be taught
General capabilities and
Language Literacy Literature cross-curriculum priorities

Understand that social
interactions influence the way
people engage with ideas and
respond to others for example
when exploring and clarifying the
ideas of others, summarising their
Discuss how authors and
illustrators make stories exciting,
moving and absorbing and hold
readers interest by using various
techniques, for example character
development and plot tension
Sharing and discussing students
own and others understanding of
the effects of particular literary
techniques on their appreciation of
texts ACELT1603

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 Identify curriculum
own views and reporting them to
a larger group ACELA1488
Relevant prior curriculum
ACELT1605
Plan, rehearse and deliver
presentations incorporating learned
content and taking into account the
particular purposes and audiences
ACELY1689
English Understandings
X Reading X Listening X Speaking X Writing X Creating
Achievement Standards English
Targeted achievement standard targeted in the assessment include:
Receptive modes (listening, reading and viewing)
Explain how language features, images and vocabulary are used to engage the interest of audiences. T
Productive modes (speaking, writing and creating)
They explain how language features, images and vocabulary are used to engage the interest of audiences.
They describe literal and implied meaning connecting ideas in different texts.
In Year 3 students should have covered the following ACARA Outcomes:
Language devices in literary texts, including figurative language Discuss the nature and effects of some
language devices used to enhance meaning and shape the readers reaction, including rhythm and
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 Identify curriculum
onomatopoeia in poetry and prose ACELT1600
How texts reflect the context of culture and situation in which they are created Discuss texts in which
characters, events and settings are portrayed in different ways, and speculate on the authors reasons
(ACELT1594)

ACELT1594
Features of literary texts Discuss how language is used to describe the settings in texts, and explore how the
settings shape the events and influence the mood of the narrative ACELT1599

Language devices in literary texts, including figurative language Discuss the nature and effects of some
language devices used to enhance meaning and shape the readers reaction, including rhythm and
onomatopoeia in poetry and prose
ACELT1600

Differentiation and Supportive learning

I will consider all the needs of the students and adapt this unit by considering what my students know,
what they can do, and where they want to be by developing a road map of steps to successfully pass
this unit of work.
In Ms Flemings class the cohort of students is diverse. There is 1 EAL/D student, 1 x student with and
auditory processing diagnoses, 1 x ADHD student, 1 x student diagnosed with autism, Indigenous
students, a number of high and low achievers.
Poetry, video clips and resources required to deliver this unit will be carefully selected. Videos will be
screened prior to presenting to the students.

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Identify curriculum

Accommodating the diversity of students may look like this:

Exposure to materials and explicit teaching of concepts may need to be increased

Adjustments to groups may sizes depending on the task
Students may need more time to complete tasks
Tasks will need to be broken into steps in order to cater for individual learning needs
Rotation activities can support student learning by using appropriate language to explain tasks given the
students individual abilities.

The importance of verbal and written feedback

Students will be informed of their individual progress verbally, in writing and after formative and
summative assessments.
Feedback is usually delivered by the classroom teacher however, self and peer assessment may also
be used.
I aim to provide timely, ongoing and purposeful feedback relevant to the ACARA outcomes that will be
delivered throughout this unit.
Feedback will most likely be in the form of what individual students know, how they did for the relevant
task and what they can do to improve their work.
Feedback will need to personalised for each student.

Teacher reflection

Daily reflection is vital.

I need to identify what went well and what didnt in order to guide my future planning but to also improve

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 Identify curriculum
activities that will be attempted as this unit is covered.
I will need to consider how I monitor student learning and assessment and make improvements where
necessary.
Address differentiation on a daily basis to inform teaching and learning needs.

Assessment and student progress

Varied formative assessment strategies to be used.

This unit incorporates a written assessment task (final assessment piece), opportunities to explore the
elements of humorous poetry, reading, understanding, interpreting and performance.
Summative assessment will conclude this unit.
Formative and summative assessments will be used as data to inform report writing for Semester 2,
2017.

Brief outline of lessons

Lesson Topic and Task Learning focus, L.I. and S.C. Questions Resources

1 Exploring poetry patterns
L.I. Identify patterns in poetry
S.C. Identify poetry patterns, word
choices and language features
Q. What is the purpose of
poetry?
Q. What patters can the
students hear in the poem?
Q. What is a stanza?
http://www.readwritethink.org/
files/resources/lesson_image
s/lesson391/I-am-poem.pdf

2 Performance and styles of L.I. Create performance effect in Q. Who is the intended The Huntsmen Poem
poems poetry audience?
S.C. Keep the style of poetry and Q. Can you hear patterns in
sentence structure; the poem?
Q. Does the rhythm of the

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Identify curriculum
4 Recreate the poem Some One
5 Small group performance
6 Words used in The Listeners
poem
Narrative poems: The imagery
7 and setting by a poet
Identify verbs and rules for The
Huntsmen poem
L.I. Create a new scary / frightening
version of the poem Some One
S.C. Use patterns / rhyming in your
poem
L.I. Perform as part of a group
S.C. Work fairly as a group
Provide constructive feedback to
group performances
L.I. Identify evidence in The
Listeners Poem
S.C. Link evidence to support ideas
L.I. Identify words that describe the
setting
S.C. Use a dictionary to support your
poem give the impression of
an animal?
Q. Class discussion
brainstorm scary / frightening
words
*Share ideas for scary
creatures
Q. How is this poem different?
Q. How does background
sound impact a performers
pace?
Q. What does evidence mean?
Q. Ask the children what is
happening in the poem?
*Statements + Evidence +
True or False?
Q. What words describe the
poetry image?
Q. Can you identify words and
Poetry resources/Some One
poem resource.docx
Support poetry lesson:
https://www.youtube.com/wat
ch?v=mf3BRsO9PMg
https://www.youtube.com/wat
ch?v=mf3BRsO9PMg
http://www.yourdailypoem.co
m/listpoem.jsp?poem_id=130
0
http://soundbible.com/1673-
Hehttps://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=nlDUXYnH-Vg
https://www.youtube.com/wat
ch?v=rtnEnEqjk0E
art-Beat.html
https://www.poetryfoundation.
org/poems/47546/the-
listeners
https://www.poetryfoundation.
org/poems/47546/the-
listeners
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 Identify curriculum
understanding of the words / phrases that describe a https://www.youtube.com/wat
meanings setting? ch?v=mAmpKUHwGRU
- Think about the inside,
outside and location of the
haunted house

8 Prepare poetry performance
L.I. We are learning to understand
sound effects in The Listeners
poem
S.C. Identify sound effects in The
Listeners poem to support ideas
Q. What do we know about https://www.youtube.com/wat
sound effects? ch?v=MmE2I20XYkk
Q. Thinking about technology https://www.poetryfoundation.
and items in the classroom org/poems/47546/the-
listeners
how could you incorporate
sound effects into your poetry?
Q. What makes a good
presenter?

9 - 10 Group poetry performance L.I. As a group perform a Walter de - Brief rehearsal prior to final. Assessment rubric
assessment la mare poem - Teacher to provide http://www.readwritethink.org/
S.C. Include sound, expressive voice constructive feedback files/resources/lesson_image
and pace s/lesson1001/poetry.pdf

Assessment Rubric Attached below

Vocabulary list Poetry, stanza, performance, sound effects, patterns, rhyming, scary, frightening, haunting.

Links that support this unit of Stated alongside relevant lessons. This may be updated from time to time.
work

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