Analyzing Poetry: Pages 35–41 of Love That Dog and “The Apple” | EL Education Curriculum

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ELA G4:M1:U1:L10

Analyzing Poetry: Pages 35–41 of Love That Dog and “The Apple”

In this Lesson

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These are the CCS Standards addressed in this lesson:

  • RL.4.1: Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.
  • RL.4.3: Describe in depth a character, setting, or event in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text (e.g., a character's thoughts, words, or actions).
  • W.4.9: Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
  • W.4.9a: Apply grade 4 Reading standards to literature (e.g., "Describe in depth a character, setting, or event in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text [e.g., a character's thoughts, words, or actions].").
  • SL.4.1: Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 4 topics and texts, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly.
  • SL.4.1a: Come to discussions prepared, having read or studied required material; explicitly draw on that preparation and other information known about the topic to explore ideas under discussion.
  • SL.4.1b: Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions and carry out assigned roles.
  • SL.4.1c: Pose and respond to specific questions to clarify or follow up on information, and make comments that contribute to the discussion and link to the remarks of others.
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Daily Learning Targets

  • I can identify the characteristics of poetry in "The Apple." (RL.4.1, RL.4.5)
  • I can identify what inspired Jack to write poetry and find evidence of this in his poems. (RL.4.1, RL.4.5)

Ongoing Assessment

  • What Inspires Poets to Write Poetry? note-catcher (RL.4.1, RL.4.5)

Agenda

AgendaTeaching Notes

1. Opening

A. Engaging the Reader: Love That Dog, Pages 35-41 (10 minutes)

B. Reviewing Learning Targets (5 minutes)

2. Work Time

A. Analyzing Poetry: "The Apple" (10 minutes)

B. What Inspires Jack to Write Poetry? (20 minutes)

3. Closing and Assessment

A. Research Reading Share (15 minutes)

4. Homework

A. Accountable Research Reading. Select a prompt and respond in the front of your independent reading journal.

Purpose of lesson and alignment to standards:

  • In this lesson, students continue reading Love That Dog to analyze what happened in those pages and how Jack felt about it (RL.4.1, RL.4.3). Students then closely read "The Apple" by S.C. Rigg (Sharon Creech's pseudonym) (in the back of Love That Dog), to identify characteristics of poetry (RL.4.5).
  • Students then use the poetry characteristics in the famous poems to explain what inspired Jack in Love That Dog to write poetry. In pairs, they analyze one of the poems Jack wrote that his teacher posted on the board to identify what inspired him and to find evidence of that (RL.4.1, RL.4.5). They then meet with other pairs who have analyzed different poems to complete their note-catchers.
  • In this lesson, the habit of character focus is on working to become an ethical person. The characteristic that students are reminded of specifically is integrity, in relation to them completing their research reading homework.
  • Students practice their fluency in this lesson by following along and reading silently in their heads as the teacher reads Love That Dog aloud during Opening A.
  • The research reading that students complete for homework will help build both their vocabulary and knowledge pertaining to poetry and creative writing. By participating in this volume of reading over a span of time, students will develop a wide base of knowledge about the world and the words that help describe and make sense of it.

How it builds on previous work:

  • In the lessons leading up to this one, students have become familiar with the routine of reading pages of Love That Dog, and analyzing what happens and how Jack feels about it, and then analyzing the famous poem that Jack describes. This lesson continues this routine with new pages of Love That Dog and a new famous poem, "The Apple" by S.C. Rigg (Sharon Creech's pseudonym).
  • Continue to use Goal 1 Conversation Cues to promote productive and equitable conversation.

Areas in which students may need additional support:

  • Students may need additional support with analyzing their allocated poem to determine what inspired Jack. Ensure students are grouped strategically in pairs with a stronger reader in each pair. Also allocate poems carefully. For example, the two blue car poems on pages 4 and 8, are simpler than the others. The most challenging poem is the animal protection shelter poem on pages 25-27.

Assessment guidance:

  • Listen to students as they share their analysis with other pairs and notice any collaborative work issues to be used as whole group teaching points.
  • Consider using the Reading: Foundational Skills Informal Assessment: Reading Fluency Checklist to gather baseline reading fluency data from students' independent reading books in Closing and Assessment A. Refer to the Writing Rubrics and Checklists - Grades K-5 documents on the Tools page.
  • Consider using the Reading: Foundational Skills Informal Assessment: Phonics and Word Recognition Checklist (Grade 4) to gather baseline phonics and word recognition data from students' independent reading books in Closing and Assessment A. Refer to the Writing Rubrics and Checklists - Grades K-5 documents on the Tools page.

Down the road:

  • In the next lesson, students will continue the cycle of reading Love That Dog and analyzing the poem that Jack refers to. Students will also prepare for their end of unit assessment discussion.

In Advance

  • Preview the poem "The Apple" and review the example anchor charts and note-catchers to determine what students need to understand from reading the poem.
  • Prepare a research reading share using the Independent Reading: Sample Plans (see the Tools page), or using your own independent reading routine.
  • Strategically pair students for work in this lesson, with at least one strong reader in each pair, and plan allocation of poems from Love That Dog according to ability, and also with as equal a number working on each as possible.
  • Post: Learning targets, What Happens and How Does Jack Feel about It? anchor chart, What Makes a Poem a Poem? anchor chart, and Working to Become Ethical People anchor chart.

Tech and Multimedia

  • Work Time A and B: Students complete note-catchers using a word-processing tool--for example, a Google Doc.
  • Work Time A and B: Students complete their note-catchers in a word-processing document--for example, a Google Doc--using Speech to Text facilities activated on devices, or using an app or software such as Dictation.io.
  • Closing and Assessment A: Record students as they engage in text-based discussions to listen to later to discuss strengths and what they could improve on, or to use as models for the group. Most devices (cell phones, tablets, laptop computers) come equipped with free video and audio recording apps or software.

Supporting English Language Learners

Supports guided in part by CA ELD Standards 4.I.A.1, 4.I.A.3, 4.I.B.5, 4.I.B.6, 4.I.B.8, 4.I.C.10, and 4.I.C.11

Important points in the lesson itself

  • The basic design of this lesson supports ELLs by repeating the pattern of analysis of Love That Dog using the What Happens and How Does Jack Feel about It? anchor chart and a closely related poem, "The Apple," using the What Makes a Poem a Poem? anchor chart. Moreover, partners have the opportunity to analyze what inspires one of Jack's poems and then share what they've learned with other partners in an information-gap activity. This format is ideal for language development because it invites students to negotiate with other students about the meaning of what they are trying to say, pushing them to change their language to be more comprehensible. Additionally, this format motivates students to focus on specific information as required by the note-catcher.
  • ELLs may find it challenging to analyze what inspires Jack's poems. Invite them to sketch their ideas first, or prepare a bank of Jack's inspirations to choose from. They can select the appropriate inspiration for the poem they are analyzing (see Meeting Students' Needs column).

Levels of support

For lighter support:

  • During the Opening, challenge students to generate questions about the meaning of chunks from a key sentence of Love That Dog, pages 35-41, before asking the prepared questions. (Example: "What questions can we ask about this sentence to help us figure out what it means? Let's see if we can answer them together.")
  • Invite students to create their own graphic organizer to analyze what inspires poets to write poetry.

For heavier support:

  • During Work Time A and B:
    • Turn the What Makes a Poem a Poem? anchor chart into a kinesthetic activity. Copy descriptions of the characteristics and lines from "The Apple" onto separate strips. Students can paste the descriptions and lines into the correct category: Structure, Imagery, Rhyme and Meter, or Repetition.
    • Distribute partially completed copies of the What Inspires Poets to Write Poetry? note-catcher. This will provide students with models for the kind of information they should enter, while relieving the volume of writing required.
    • Copy "The Apple" and Jack's shape poem. Display them side by side. Invite students to draw lines to show the similarities between "The Apple" and Jack's poem. Invite them to use contrasting colors to underline portions that are different.

Universal Design for Learning

  • Multiple Means of Representation (MMR): This lesson builds on skills developed in previous lessons. Help students to generalize across lessons by making explicit connections to previous lessons in this unit. For instance, when introducing the learning targets, have students make connections to the work they completed in the previous lessons that is similar to what is expected of them in this lesson. Purposefully make connections between lessons by reminding students that they have been making comparisons between Jack's poems and other poetry. 
  • Multiple Means of Action and Expression (MMAE): The basic structure of this lesson has students reading and summarizing what happens on pages 35-41 of Love That Dog. This will be an important foundation for students to draw on throughout the rest of the lesson. Some students may feel overwhelmed by the amount of text. Consider chunking important sections of the text and asking scaffolded questions to enhance comprehension. Record the responses in accordance with how you segmented the information.
  • Multiple Means of Engagement (MME): During Work Time B, students complete the What Inspires Poets to Write Poetry? note-catcher. The number of poems in the basic form of this task may be overwhelming to some students. Select an appropriate number of poems that the students need to complete and highlight them. This will help minimize the complexity of the task. Give students specific, positive feedback if they exceed this goal.

Vocabulary

Key: Lesson-Specific Vocabulary (L); Text-Specific Vocabulary (T); Vocabulary Used in Writing (W)

  • inspired, effective (L)

Materials

  • Love That Dog (from Lesson 2; one per student)
  • What Happens and How Does Jack Feel about It? anchor chart (begun in Lesson 2; added to during Opening A; see supporting materials)
  • What Happens and How Does Jack Feel about It? anchor chart (example, for teacher reference)
  • What Makes a Poem a Poem? anchor chart (begun in Lesson 3; added to during Work Time A; see supporting materials)
  • What Makes a Poem a Poem? anchor chart (example, for teacher reference)
  • Red, yellow, and green objects (one of each per student)
  • What Inspires Poets to Write Poetry? note-catcher (one per student and one to display)
  • What Inspires Poets to Write Poetry? note-catcher (example, for teacher reference)
  • Working to Become Ethical People anchor chart (begun in in Lesson 2)
  • Independent Reading: Sample Plan (see the Tools page; for teacher reference)

Materials from Previous Lessons

New Materials

Assessment

Each unit in the 3-5 Language Arts Curriculum has two standards-based assessments built in, one mid-unit assessment and one end of unit assessment. The module concludes with a performance task at the end of Unit 3 to synthesize their understanding of what they accomplished through supported, standards-based writing.

Opening

OpeningMeeting Students' Needs

A. Engaging the Reader: Love That Dog, Pages 35-41 (10 minutes)

  • Move students into pairs and invite them to label themselves A and B.
  • Invite students to retrieve their copies of Love That Dog and to turn to page 35.
  • Invite students to follow along, reading silently in their heads as you read aloud pages 35-41.
  • Focus students on the What Happens and How Does Jack Feel about It? anchor chart.
  • Divide the class in half and invite one half of the class to focus on pages 35-37, and the other half to focus on pages 38-41.
  • Invite students to work with their partner to:
    • Reread their assigned pages.
    • Discuss what to record in each column of the anchor chart.
  • After 3 minutes, cold call students to share out. Refer to What Happens and How Does Jack Feel about It? anchor chart (example, for teacher reference) as necessary.
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with comprehension: Mini Language Dive. Ask students about the meaning of chunks from a key sentence of Love That Dog, pages 35-41. Write and display student responses next to the chunks. Examples:
    • "Place your finger on the sentence from Jack's February 21 entry: "My brain was pop-pop-popping when I was looking at those poems." Read the sentence aloud as students follow along.
    • "What is the gist of this sentence? (The shape poems really stimulated Jack's imagination.)
    • "Can you sketch a brain pop-pop-popping? What does that sound like? Did Jack's brain really sound like that?" (Look for students to sketch an active brain or someone's thriving imagination, and to make popping sounds. No, but popping is great imagery.)
    • "Place your finger on those poems. What does those poems refer to? What, in the text, makes you think so?" (Those poems refers to poems where words make the shape, which the text introduces just before those poems.)
    • "Place your finger on when. Why did Jack write this word? What happens if we replace when with and?" Tell students you will give them time to think and discuss with their partner. Invite them to draw a timeline showing how when coincides with Jack's brain popping and Jack looking at the poems. (Jack uses when to signal that he will give more information about his brain popping; specifically, he will give information about the time his brain popped and why it popped. If we replace when with and, we are only saying that Jack's brain is popping at the same time he is looking at the poems. When tells us the two are happening at the same time and that the first event is caused by the second.)
    • "How does your understanding of this sentence change your understanding of Love That Dog?" (Responses will vary, but may include: It shows me that Jack is inspired by shape poems.) (MMR), MMAE)

B. Reviewing Learning Targets (5 minutes)

  • Direct students' attention to the posted learning targets and select a volunteer to read them aloud:

"I can identify the characteristics of poetry in 'The Apple.'"

"I can identify what inspired Jack to write poetry and find evidence of this in his poems."

  • Remind students they have seen the first learning target throughout this unit, and in this lesson they will be focusing on the poem "The Apple."
  • Remind students of what the word inspired means and point out that they identified what inspired Jack in the previous lesson when they analyzed Jack's street poem for evidence of the famous poems he had read.

Work Time

Work TimeMeeting Students' Needs

A. Analyzing Poetry: "The Apple" (10 minutes)

  • Direct students to turn to the back of Love That Dog to find "Some of the poems used by Miss Stretchberry." "The Apple" is the seventh of these poems. Tell students that it is by S.C. Rigg. You may or may not want to tell them that S.C. Rigg is actually a pseudonym for Sharon Creech.
  • Follow the same routine used in previous lessons to:
    • Invite students to chorally read the poem with you twice.
    • Have students close their eyes to visualize the poem.
    • Have students determine the gist (apples, how they look and taste).
  • Remind students of the characteristics of poetry recorded so far in the third column of What Makes a Poem a Poem? anchor chart.
  • Guide students through an intentional Think-Pair-Share of each of the following questions, leaving adequate time for students to think, repeat the question, and share after you pose each question. Then cold call students to share out.

"What do you notice about the structure?" See What Makes a Poem a Poem? anchor chart (example, for teacher reference).

"What do you notice about imagery?" See What Makes a Poem a Poem? anchor chart (example, for teacher reference).

"What do you notice about rhyme and meter?" See What Makes a Poem a Poem? anchor chart (example, for teacher reference).

"What do you notice about repetition?" See What Makes a Poem a Poem? anchor chart (example, for teacher reference).

"What does the author's use of these characteristics help us understand from the poem? What is the theme?" (The repeated use of positive words about how good they taste makes us want to go and eat an apple.)

  • As students share out, capture their responses in the second column of What Makes a Poem a Poem? anchor chart. See What Makes a Poem a Poem? anchor chart (example, for teacher reference).
  • Distribute red, yellow, and green objects.
  • Tell students they are going to use the Red Light, Green Light protocol to show how comfortable they feel with the first learning target. Remind students that they participated in this protocol in Lesson 7 and review what each color represents as necessary (red = stuck or not ready; yellow = needs support soon; green = ready). Refer to the Classroom Protocols document for the full version of the protocol.
  • Focus students on the first learning target and guide them through the Red Light, Green Light protocol, using the red, yellow, and green objects. Scan student responses and make a note of students who may need more support with this moving forward.

For ELLs and students who may need additional support with comprehension: Ask:

"What is the same in Jack's shape poem as in the poem 'The Apple?' What is different?" (Same = no stanzas, free verse, use of imagery. Different = Jack also draws lines to help convey the shape; Jack's includes movement words, but not taste or texture.) (MMR)

  • For students who may feel uncomfortable sharing their progress on meeting the learning targets publicly: Minimize risk by providing students with a sheet of paper where they can select a color for each learning target in private. This provides you with useful data for future instruction and helps students monitor their own learning. (MME)

B. What Inspires Jack to Write Poetry? (20 minutes)

  • Distribute and display the What Inspires Poets to Write Poetry? note-catcher.
  • Remind students of the second learning target and tell them that the poet they are going to focus on in this lesson is Jack.
  • Remind students that throughout Love That Dog, Jack has been writing poetry. The whole journal is written in verse, but explain that they are going to focus specifically on the poems that Miss Stretchberry posted on the board.
  • Focus students on the "My Yellow Dog" poem on page 37.
  • Invite students to turn and talk to their partner, and cold call students to share out:

"What inspired Jack to write this poem? How do you know? What evidence can you find?" (Jack's yellow dog inspired him to write this poem, and also looking at shape poems by other poets, including "The Apple" by S.C. Rigg.)

  • If productive, cue students to expand the conversation by saying more:

"Can you say more about that?" (Responses will vary.)

  • Refer students back to the characteristics of poetry they determined for "The Apple" and use these as the basis for recording student responses in the first row of the displayed note-catcher as a model for students. Refer to What Inspires Poets to Write Poetry? note-catcher (example, for teacher reference) as necessary.
  • Tell students they are going to work with their partner to analyze one of Jack's poems listed on their note-catcher:
    • First, they will talk about what inspired Jack and where you can see evidence of this in his poetry.
    • Then they will record their ideas on their note-catcher.
  • Strategically allocate each pair a poem of Jack's and give students 5 minutes to work on it. Ensure poems are allocated so that, as far as possible, an equal number of students is working on each poem.
  • Remind students to refer back to the famous poems, as Jack is often inspired by the famous poems he reads, and then the characteristics of poetry for the famous poems, as this may provide clues to the evidence they need.
  • Circulate to support students in analyzing the poem and recording on their note-catchers. Refer students to the characteristics of poetry on the What Makes a Poem a Poem? anchor chart as necessary.
  • After 14 minutes, refocus the whole group.
  • Tell students that with their partner, they are going to silently find another pair that has been working on a different poem. Point out that they should not make a sound; instead, they should find a nonverbal way to communicate their poem to other pairs.
  • Once students have found another pair, give them 2 minutes to share what they discovered about what inspired Jack and to update their note-catchers with the new information.
  • Repeat this process until students have filled out each row on the note-catcher.
  • Tell students they are going to use the Red Light, Green Light protocol to show how comfortable they feel with the second learning target. Remind students that they participated in this protocol earlier in the lesson and review what each color represents as necessary (red = stuck or not ready; yellow = needs support soon; green = ready). Refer to the Classroom Protocols document for the full version of the protocol.
  • Focus students on the second learning target and guide them through the Red Light, Green Light protocol, using the red, yellow, and green objects. Scan student responses and make a note of students who may need more support with this moving forward.
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with comprehension: Remind them that they have been talking about the similarities between famous poems and Jack's poetry over the past five lessons. Refer them to the side-by-side comparisons they have done of the poems over the previous five lessons. (MMR)
  • Minimize the complexity of this task by highlighting a few poems for students to address on the note-catcher. Set this as their goal and allow them to exceed it if they have time. (MME)
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with comprehension: Before they begin analyzing what inspired Jack's poems, encourage students to brainstorm comparison language and then display their list. Examples:
    • "is the same as"
    • "is like"
    • "shares similarities with" (MMR)

Closing & Assessments

Closing

A. Research Reading Share (15 minutes)

  • Focus students on the Working to Become Ethical People anchor chart. Remind students of: I behave with integrity. This means I am honest and do the right thing, even when it's difficult, because it is the right thing to do.
  • Remind them that this includes doing homework even when there may be other things they want to do after school. Remind them that the purpose of research reading is to build background knowledge and vocabulary on a topic so that they can gradually read more and more complex texts on that topic.
  • Refer to the Independent Reading: Sample Plans to guide students through a research reading review, or use your own routine.
  • Guide students through the Red Light, Green Light protocol, using the red, yellow, and green object to self-assess how well they showed integrity in this lesson. Scan student responses and make a note of students who may need more support with this moving forward.

Homework

HomeworkMeeting Students' Needs

A. Accountable Research Reading. Select a prompt and respond in the front of your independent reading journal.
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with reading and writing: Refer to the suggested homework support in Lesson 1. (MMAE, MMR)

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