Using Poems and Text to Convey Meaning

Using Poems and Text to Convey Meaning

Teaching poetry was always one of my least favorite things to do. I think it’s always been a really tough topic to teach. Writing is always fun, but reading and understanding it is tough! That’s why I’ve come up with solutions for using poems and text to convey meaning.

I made two packs that align with RL’s words and phrases standards to use when teaching poetry.

CCSS RL 1.4- Identify words and phrases in stories or poems that suggest feelings or appeal to the senses.

CCSS RL 2.4- Describe how words and phrases (e.g., regular beats, alliteration, rhymes, repeated lines) supply rhythm and meaning in a story, poem, or song.

Here is a peek at RL 1.4!

There are three mini lessons that teach sensory words, feelings, and poetry. Also included are printables, passages, interactive notebook pieces, task cards, and an assessment.

Poetry Unit- using words and text to convey meaning- using sensory words and feeling in texts- common core aligned standards resource- RL1.4, RL2.4

Printables and passages include poems and stories that appeal to senses and convey feelings.

The watermelon lesson is so much fun for using poems and text to convey meaning. Students get their own watermelon sour patch candy and write down all their sensory words with the candy. Then, they read Penny’s Watermelon poem and respond to how the poem appeals to their senses.

Teaching character feelings in the primary classroom.

Using Elephant and Piggy is wonderful for teaching feelings because the students have to infer what is going on instead of the text outright telling them.

Here is an interactive notebook entry where students have to practice finding emotions and feelings within the text instead of reading it word for word.

Here is a little peek at the 3-page assessment with ten questions. There are four general questions, then two passages with three questions each.

And here is a peek at RL 2.4!

This gets a bit more literal with the words and phrases. While 1.4 asks how it makes the reader feel or think, 2.4 is asking for the actual word patterns that supply rhythm and meaning to the poem or story. Just like with 1.4, there are mini lessons to kick off the unit. Then, there are printables, passages, interactive notebook pieces, task cards, and an assessment.

Here is one of the lessons on alliteration for using poems and text to convey meaning.

Here is one of the fun mini lesson activities where the students work with partners to complete the poem with rhyming words, then illustrate their poem.

There is a general poem/story graphic organizer that asks about repetition, alliteration, rhymes, and rhythm.

Poems and stories are supplied with questions about rhymes, alliteration, words and phrases, and why the authors used them. The reader has to infer what the author is talking about using words and phrases from the text.

Repetition happens in stories, too, not just poems. We use some Eric Carle books, as well as There Was An Old Lady to show repetition in a story. Poems are also used to teach repetition!