Lesson Planning Form for Accessible Instruction Calvin College Education Program

Teacher

Kristen Brink

Date

Subject/ Topic/ Theme

Personification

Grade _____3__________

I. Objectives
How does this lesson connect to the unit plan?
The students are learning about poetry and poetic devices including figurative language. Personification is one way to promote imagination and allow for writing to
becoming more interesting, fun, and exciting. Using personification, along with other figurative language devices can help them have more fun while reading and
writing poetry.
cognitiveR U Ap An E C*

Learners will be able to:

R
Ap
C

Define personification as giving human qualities or characteristics to an object.

Give at least one reason as to why authors use personification in their works.
Create a poem using personification throughout the whole thing.

physical
development

socioemotional

X
X
X

Common Core standards (or GLCEs if not available in Common Core) addressed:
RL 3.1: Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to the text as the basis for the answers.
RL 3.4: Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, distinguishing literal from nonliteral language.
RL 3.10: By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poetry, at the high end of the grades 2-3 text complexity band
independently and proficiently.
W3.4: With guidance and support from adults, produce writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task and purpose.
W3.5: With guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, and editing.
W3.6: With guidance and support from adults, use technology to produce and publish writing (using keyboarding skills) as well as to interact and collaborate with
others.
RF.3.4: Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension.
RF.3.4.A: Read grade-level text with purpose and understanding.
RF.3.4.B: Read grade-level prose and poetry orally with accuracy, appropriate rate, and expression on successive readings.
RF.3.4.C: Use context to confirm or self-correct word recognition and understanding, rereading as necessary.
L.3.2: Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.
L.3.2.A: Capitalize appropriate words in titles.
L.3.5: Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships and nuances in word meanings.
(Note: Write as many as needed. Indicate taxonomy levels and connections to applicable national or state standards. If an objective applies to particular learners
write the name(s) of the learner(s) to whom it applies.)
*remember, understand, apply, analyze, evaluate, create

II. Before you start

Identify prerequisite
knowledge and skills.

The students should know many different types of figurative language and understand that
some poems contain figures of speech.
Students should be able to write and elaborate sentences using punctuation and capitalization.

Pre-assessment (for learning):

Outline assessment
activities
(applicable to this lesson)

Formative (for learning): Throughout the lesson I will be asking them questions and then asking them to
summarize what they are learning.
Formative (as learning): They have to identify the examples of personification within the given poems.
Summative (of learning): They will have to write a poem using personification.

What barriers might this

lesson present?
What will it take
neurodevelopmentally,
experientially,
emotionally, etc., for your
students to do this lesson?

1-19-13

Provide Multiple Means of

Representation
Provide options for perceptionmaking information perceptible
I will be reading the poems, having
them read the poems, and also
having it on the screen so they can
see it.

Provide Multiple Means of

Action and Expression
Provide options for physical actionincrease options for interaction

Provide Multiple Means of

Engagement
Provide options for recruiting
interest- choice, relevance, value,
authenticity, minimize threats
The activity gives them a variety of
ways to be creative. They will be
able to choose any object to write
about and they will be able to
decorate in a way they see fit.

Provide options for language,

mathematical expressions, and
symbols- clarify & connect
language

Provide options for expression and

communication- increase medium
of expression

Provide options for sustaining

effort and persistence- optimize
challenge, collaboration, masteryoriented feedback

When writing their final poem,

they should try and use other
literary devices or other types of
figurative language as well.
Provide options for comprehensionactivate, apply & highlight

I will highlight the examples of

personification that they give
me after I read it.

Materials-what materials
(books, handouts, etc) do
you need for this lesson
and are they ready to
use?

How will your classroom

be set up for this lesson?

Provide options for executive

functions- coordinate short & long
term goals, monitor progress, and
modify strategies

Provide options for self-regulationexpectations, personal skills and

strategies, self-assessment &
reflection

Microphone
Elmo
The Day the Crayons Came Home by Drew Daywalt and Oliver Jeffers
Summer Grass by Carl Sandburg
Snowman by Shel Silverstein
Personification Poem handout (25 copies)
Chromebooks (each student has their own in the classroom)
The classroom will be set up as it normally is. I will have the students start at the back carpet while we
read the story. After the story, I will have the students go back to their seats where we will go over the
lesson. When it is time to work on their poems, I will let them sit where they want around the room.
When they are done writing, I will have them gather at the back carpet once again so they can read
their poems to their classmates.

III. The Plan

Time
9:15
9:25
9:30

1-19-13

Components
Motivation
(opening/
introduction/
engagement)

Describe teacher activities

AND
student activities
for each component of the lesson. Include important higher order thinking questions and/or
prompts.
First, I will start off by reading the book,
Gather at the back carpet and listen to the
The Day the Crayons Came Home (they
story The Day the Crayons Came
have previously read The Day the
Home.
Crayons Quit).
Discuss the story and recognize that
After we read the book I will have a
realistically crayons cannot walk, talk,
discussion with them and try to lead them
write, etc. like they do in the book.
in the direction of personification.
o Is this story non-fiction?
Realistic? Why not?
o Can crayons really write by
themselves? Walk? Talk?
As we discuss the characteristics that the
authors, Drew Daywalt and Oliver Jeffers,
gave the crayons I will tell them that it is
an example of personification.

9:32

9:35

9:40

9:45
9:50

Development
(the largest
component or
main body of
the lesson)

1-19-13

After we have the discussion of the

characteristics of the crayons and they
know it is called personification I will ask
them to go back to their seats.
When they get back to their seats, I will
go into more detail of personification
means; I will tell them that personification
is when you give human qualities to an
object.
I will put the poem Summer Grass by
Carl Sandburg on the Elmo. I will read the
poem out loud and then ask them if they
see any phrases with personification. If
they are having trouble I will ask them
questions in order to lead them to what I
am looking for
o Can grass whisper? Call? Sing?
Does it have a face?
After they understand that the grass has
been given human qualities, I will ask
them what they think the author means
when he says Summer grass aches and
whispers or The rain hears; the rain
answers
o What do you think he means?
What is this poem about? What is
the author trying to convey?
Read Snowman by Shel Silverstein.
This poem is more fun and upbeat and has
personification throughout the whole
thing.
o What is being personified? What
are some specific examples from
the text?
I will then explain that personification can
go throughout an entire book or poem but
that it can also just be within a phrase or
sentence. I will then give phrases that I
think they have heard before and ask them
what is being personified in each sentence
and what they think it means.
o I could hear Hawaii calling my
name.
o Time crept up on me.
o The words leapt off of the paper
as she read the book.
I will point out that all these phrases give
you a better idea of what they author was
trying to convey and it helps you imagine
what is happening.
I will ask them if they have any questions,
and if not I will ask them if they can give
any examples. If they are having trouble I
will help them by telling them to think of
an object and then to think of a verb and
then to put them together.
Once I feel as though they are getting the
hang of it, I will pass out the
Personification Poem worksheet. We

Go back to their seats.

Recognize that The Day the Crayons

Came Home is an example of
personification.
Recognize that personification can be
defined as giving human qualities to an
object or non-living thing.
Identify the examples of personification in
the poem Summer Grass by Carl
Sandburg.
o For example, grass cannot
actually whisper like humans.

Understand what the author actually

means when he uses personification.
o The grass needs water because it
is dying so it is asking the rain
to come.
Understand that the snowman is being
personified because it has been given
human qualities and characteristics.

Identify what is being personified in each

phrase, and what each phrase means.

Think about what personification does to a

sentence and why authors might use it.
o Helps the reader imagine what is
going on.
o Provides a clearer picture of what
is happening.
Brainstorm their own sentences with
examples of personification (think of an
object and put a verb with it, be creative).
Ask questions if they have any.
Read the Personification Poem
worksheet together and ask questions if
they have any.
Go get their Chromebooks from the back
of the room and start writing their poems.
Add pictures and have a friend edit their
poem to look for punctuation and spelling

9:55

10:10

Closure
(conclusion,
culmination,
wrap-up)

will read the top of the worksheet and the

instructions together. Ask them if they
have any questions. Once I feel like they
understand, they can get their
Chromebooks out and begin writing their
poem on googledocs.
Explain to them that when they finish
writing their poem, they can add pictures
and have a friend edit it to look for
punctuation or spelling mistakes. Once
they have done that, Remind them that the
document needs to have a title and their
name must be on it somewhere. They are
then allowed to print it.
Gather the students at the back carpet and
have them share their poems one by one.
Have the students put their poems in their
poetry folder.

mistakes.
Print their poems.

Sit at the back carpet.

Share their poem if they want to.
Put their poem in their poetry folder.

10:15
Your reflection about the lesson, including evidence(s) of student learning and engagement, as well as ideas for improvement
for next time. (Write this after teaching the lesson, if you had a chance to teach it. If you did not teach this lesson, focus on the
process of preparing the lesson.)
I think the concept of personification is pretty easy to grasp because of the word itself, therefore I think it will be more of a fun
lesson for them because they can spend time making poems about all different sorts of objects.
This lesson is a bit lengthy because I started off with a book. If we do not have enough time, I think I will start off with the Shel
Silverstein poem in order to create more room for flexibility.
One thing that I could focus on more is how personification can just be a single phrase, because many of my examples have
personification running throughout the whole thing.
They should be used to the routine of writing poems on their Chromebook by now, so I think the process will go smoothly.

1-19-13