6.+Lesson+Two

Insects and Dragons || **Curriculum Link: ** **TS2.2** - performs, giving some consideration to use of voice and gesture, eg in poetry |||| **Lesson Topic: ** Playing with poems - students will be provided with opportunities to explore a variety of insect and dragon visuals and will transform their descriptive language into poetry. || 4 out of 10 || **Year:** Stage 2 (Year 4) |||| **Learning Area(s):  ** Creative Arts, English || The unit aims for students to develop a deep understanding and knowledge of how the various techniques that artists use provide numerous opportunities for a wide variety of interpretations by viewers. In addition, students will develop confidence in utilising visual and written grammar to portray meaning and gain an understanding of how the selected subject matter can represent different interpretations. || Students will familiarise themselves with certain special features/characteristics possessive of insects and dragons through their 'reading' of images offered and will use this descriptive language to create poetry. || - poem on insects/dragons - mystery bag carrying a variety of laminated insects and dragon images collected via the internet, books, magazines - OHP/SMARTboard - a copy of Graeme Base's //The Discovery of Dragons: New Research Revealed -// several copies of picture books with illustrations of insects and dragons - templates of insects and dragons for students to transform their poem into a shape poem || (Prior to the lesson) Using the resource //Playing with poems//, by Zoe Ryder White, teacher designs a poem for the class using an image of an insect/dragon. In the poem, teacher utilises many nouns and adjectives to create an interesting and engaging poem. Teacher reads poem to the class and requests students to identify the text type. How do we know this is a poem? What are the common feature of poems? How do poems differ to other text types, such as narratives, recounts, etc? Teacher places poem on OHP/SMARTboard and has students come up and underline nouns in one colour and adjectives in another. Whole classes discusses the important role nouns and adjectives play in creating interesting and appealing poems. || Teacher produces a mystery bag and explains to the students that in the sack there are a collection of laminated pictures of insects and dragons. || - have turns in putting their hand in the mystery bag and choosing an image - have a 2 minute chat with their shoulder buddy about their chosen image - have a whole class discussion on the illustrations of magnificent dragons displayed in Graeme Base's book - look through relevant picture books of insects or dragons for inspiration - jot down thoughts, ideas, words, adjectives, nouns, etc, on a piece of paper that could be used later when creating their poem - students write a simple poem with the aid of their chosen image and relevant picture books - once complete, students transform their poem into a shape poem || **Teacher will… ** - explain to students that what image they choose out of the mystery bag will be the one they will have to work on. There will be no second choices - suggest a two minute chat with their shoulder buddy to discuss their chosen image to each other - guide students in a class discussion on the spectacular dragon images displayed in Graeme Base's book and prompt students to talk about the artists' use of layout, the use of colour to suggest feelings or mood, angles (high, low or eye level), which part of the image catches their eye first - explain to students that they will now have the opportunity to write their own poem by closely examining their image and with the aid of other picture books. Clearly define the constraints. The completed poem should rhyme, have a minimum of 10 adjectives, 10 nouns, and a minimum of 10 lines (this can be extended for more confident students) - provide students with a variety of picture books that depict images and written text of insects and dragons for students to examine and refer to, eg //The Puffin Book of Australian Insects,// by Helen Hunt (1990); //Insects,// by Barbara Taylor (2008). - model to students to write down any ideas, thoughts, words, adjectives and nouns they come across in when exploring the picture books, that may assist them with the construction of their poem - provide a proforma sheet sheet to help student's who struggle to get their ideas together, eg a sheet that has headings such as //looks like, smells like, acts like, feels like,// etc, to be able to fill in to help sort their ideas. - walk around the classroom to make certain students are staying on task, answer any questions, and offer support - provide students with a template of an insect or a dragon for students to represent their completed poem on || Before students present their poems to the class, the teacher will model how a poem should be read by giving some consideration to the use of voice and gesture. Teacher reads to the class a poem created by them as an example:
 * **Unit Topic: **
 * WS2.9 -** writes simple poems
 * WS2.10 ** - identifies adjectives, nouns in own writing and how these add to the meaning of the text
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 * **Resources: **
 * **Lesson Outline ** ||
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 * __Teaching strategy/Learning__ __Activity:__
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//The Emerald Dragon, the colour of green grass, its nails as jagged as broken glass. Huge, wide-open wings, soft as a feather, the tip of its tail feels like leather. It has a long chin that is rather hairy and has scaly skin that looks very scary! The burning fire that comes out of its mouth is as deadly as the gaze of its yellow eyes looking South. Those pointy ears must feel like fur and those sharp fangs compel you to approach it with a "Yes Sir!" Look at those flaring nostrils and those bone-white horns; Beware! Do not advance towards the Emerald Dragon - especially when it scorns!//

Students will then have the opportunity to read their poem to the rest of the class. As an extension, teacher may ask students to identify the nouns and adjectives of the poem that was just performed. || <span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 8pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Teacher will collect completed poems and assess students' work by how competent they were in using a variety of nouns and adjectives, whether or not students were able to use rhyme in their poetry, and if students were able to follow the constraints of at least 10 adjectives, 10 nouns and 10 lines. Teacher will assess the confidence students displayed when reading out their poem to the rest of the class. Teacher will observe students as they examine images provided for inspiration - were students able to discuss elements of 'visual literacy'? Were students able to acknowledge that artists make artworks for different reasons and that various interpretations are possible? Teacher will listen for visual metalanguage during whole-class discussion. || Teacher must consider management of class. Have students find an area around the classroom to work on their poem alone, with no distractions from other peers. Teacher may play soft music in the background to promote a low noise level. Teacher will need to monitor the class frequently to ensure students are on task and progressing towards the completion of a simple poem. || Was the lesson too easy/complex? Was time a problem? How engaged were students? How motivated were students? Did the lesson reach the required outcomes and indicators? How capable were students in using the visual metalanguage? Were the constraints too easy/complicated? Were the resources an aid or a distraction to the task? Did the mystery bag hold enough of a variety of insects and dragon images? Did the students enjoy the teacher's poem and the overall lesson? Did students have difficulties transforming their poems into shape poems? || <span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 8pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 1.0pt;">
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