Script page 1

GRADE K | ComprehensionReading Poems (Supplemental)

Lexia Reading Core5LEXIA LESSONS

CCSS

: RL

.K.5

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Direct Instruction

Today we’ll be learning about poems, and what makes a poem a special kind of writing. Let’s start by listening to a poem called “Fish Story.”

Give a lively oral reading of the nursery rhyme “Fish Story”:

One, two, three, four, fiveOnce I caught a fish alive.Six, seven, eight, nine, tenThen I let it go again.Why did I let it go?Because it bit my finger so.Which finger did it bite?The little finger on the right.

This is a silly poem that we can enjoy just for fun. Did you hear a bouncy beat in this poem? That’s the rhythm of the poem. Listen as I read it again. This time, nod your head or clap your hands along to the rhythm.

Reread the poem so that students can nod or clap along, four beats to a line.

Now listen for something else that we can find in poems. I’ll read just the first two lines of the poem. Listen, and pay special attention to the words that I say loudly.

Read aloud the first two lines, using a louder voice to say five and alive.

Which words did I say louder? (five, alive) What do you notice about the sounds of five and alive? (They sound the same at the end.) The words five and alive have the same ending sounds, /īv/. The words rhyme. Now listen as I read the next two lines of the poem.

Read aloud lines 3 and 4, without emphasizing the rhyming words.

DescriptionSupplemental Lexia Lessons can be used for whole class, small group or individualized instruction to extend learning and enhance student skill development. This lesson is designed to help students recognize that poems are meant to be spoken, and that sound is important in poetry. Students listen for and identify rhythm and rhyme in this lesson.

Teacher Tips

You can adapt this lesson for older students by showing them the poems in this lesson and reading together.

Preparation/Materials• An anthology of read-aloud poems, such as Mother Goose rhymes or Read-Aloud Rhymes

for the Very Young, selected by Jack Prelutsky

• Drawing paper and crayons

Script page 2

GRADE K | ComprehensionReading Poems (Supplemental)

Lexia Reading Core5LEXIA LESSONS

CCSS

: RL

.K.5

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Tell me which two words rhyme. (ten, again)

Rhythm and rhyme are two things that make a poem like a song. As a matter of fact, a song is a poem set to music.

Name a short song that is familiar to students, and sing it aloud together. Then say the words of the song without the music, and invite students to “say the poem.”

Guided PracticeGive an expressive reading of the following poem by Kate Greenaway.

One large apple! Is it for me?Who has picked it off the tree?We’ll have it peeled, and put in a pie,And then we’ll eat it, you and I.

What did you picture while listening to the poem? (Students may name things from the poem, such as a big apple, a tree, and a pie. They may also express their understanding that the speaker in the poem is talking to a friend or family member.)

How can we discover what the rhythm of this poem is? (Clap or nod along to it.)

Reread the poem so that students can clap or nod along, four beats to a line.

What rhyming words did you hear in the poem? (me/tree, pie/I)

Independent ApplicationDisplay the anthology of poems you have selected. Read aloud two or three poems. Ask students to choose one poem and draw a picture to go with it.

After students have completed their picture, have them dictate a caption for it using words or lines from the poem.

Wrap-UpCheck students’ understanding.

How can you tell that you are listening to a poem and not a story? (Encourage a variety of responses based on the instruction in this lesson. For example: A poem is shorter. A poem is more like a song. A poem has a rhythm you can clap to. You can listen for rhymes in a poem.)

Use students’ responses to guide your choice of activities in the Adaptations section on the following page.

Script page 3

GRADE K | ComprehensionReading Poems (Supplemental)

Lexia Reading Core5LEXIA LESSONS

CCSS

: RL

.K.5

This

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Adaptations

For Students Who Need More Support

Option 1: Use familiar finger games based on poems, such as “The Itsy Bitsy Spider,” to draw attention to the sounds of words and the rhythm of lines.

Option 2: Provide a rhyming couplet for students to repeat and memorize. After students recite the two lines, ask them to name the words that rhyme. Examples:

Sit on a swing, rise so high.See if you can kick the sky!

Froggy made a great big hop And landed with a great big plop.

For Students Ready to Move On

Option 1: Tell students that repeated sounds and words are also found in many poems. Use your chosen anthology to offer more poems in which students can listen for and identify repetition.

Option 2: Explain that although many poems have rhyming words, a poem can still be a poem without rhyme. Help students to make a poem that tells about one thing by asking for words and phrases that “help listeners picture the thing clearly.” List their words and phrases to show students how the ideas in a poem are set in separate lines. For example:

Through the Window

Through the window I seeGreen leaves wavingTree shadows on the grassA glowing yellow circleIn a bright blue sky.

Round Things

Big wheels on a truck.A bouncing orange ball.The knob on a door.A mouth saying “Oh!”