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.

cognitive- physical socio-

Learners will be able to: R U Ap An E C* development emotional
• Define personification as giving human qualities or characteristics to an object. R X
• Give at least one reason as to why authors use personification in their works. Ap X
• Create a poem using personification throughout the whole thing. C 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 • The students should know many different types of figurative language and understand that
knowledge and skills. some poems contain figures of speech.
• Students should be able to write and elaborate sentences using punctuation and capitalization.
Pre-assessment (for learning):

Formative (for learning): Throughout the lesson I will be asking them questions and then asking them to
Outline assessment summarize what they are learning.
activities
(applicable to this lesson) 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.

Provide Multiple Means of Provide Multiple Means of Provide Multiple Means of

What barriers might this
lesson present?
What will it take –
neurodevelopmentally,
experientially,
emotionally, etc., for your
students to do this lesson?
Representation
Provide options for perception-
making 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.
Action and Expression Engagement
Provide options for physical action- Provide options for recruiting
increase options for interaction 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.

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 Provide options for language,
mathematical expressions, and
symbols- clarify & connect
language
Provide options for comprehension-
activate, apply & highlight
I will highlight the examples of
personification that they give
me after I read it.
Provide options for expression and
communication- increase medium
of expression
Provide options for executive
functions- coordinate short & long
term goals, monitor progress, and
modify strategies
Provide options for sustaining
effort and persistence- optimize
challenge, collaboration, mastery-
oriented 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 self-regulation-
expectations, personal skills and
strategies, self-assessment &
reflection

• Microphone
Materials-what materials • Elmo
(books, handouts, etc) do
• “The Day the Crayons Came Home” by Drew Daywalt and Oliver Jeffers
you need for this lesson
• “Summer Grass” by Carl Sandburg
and are they ready to
use? • “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
How will your classroom lesson. When it is time to work on their poems, I will let them sit where they want around the room.
be set up for this lesson? 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

Describe teacher activities AND student activities
Time Components for each component of the lesson. Include important higher order thinking questions and/or
prompts.
9:15 • First, I will start off by reading the book, • Gather at the back carpet and listen to the
Motivation “The Day the Crayons Came Home” (they story “The Day the Crayons Came
(opening/ have previously read “The Day the Home.”
9:25 introduction/ Crayons Quit”). • Discuss the story and recognize that
engagement) • 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.
9:30
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.

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9:32 • 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
9:35
means; I will tell them that personification
is when you give human qualities to an
object.
• I will put the poem “Summer Grass” by
9:40 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
9:45 whispers…” or “The rain hears; the rain
9:50 answers…”
o What do you think he means?
What is this poem about? What is
the author trying to convey?
Development
• Read “Snowman” by Shel Silverstein.
(the largest
This poem is more fun and upbeat and has
component or
personification throughout the whole
main body of
thing.
the lesson)
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

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9:55 will read the top of the worksheet and the mistakes.
instructions together. Ask them if they • Print their poems.
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.
10:10 • Gather the students at the back carpet and • Sit at the back carpet.
Closure
have them share their poems one by one. • Share their poem if they want to.
(conclusion,
culmination, • Have the students put their poems in their • Put their poem in their poetry folder.
wrap-up) 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.

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