UNT Lesson Plan

Pre-service Teacher:
Starr Phillips

Grade(s): Fourth

School/Mentor Teacher (if

applicable): Country Place Elementary
School/Mrs. Starnes

Subject area(s):
Language Arts

Unit
Topic/Theme:
Writing
Descriptive
Adjectives
Relevant ELPS:
74.4
(c)(5)(G) narrate,
describe, and
explain with
increasing
specificity and
detail to fulfill
content area
writing needs as
more English is
acquired.

Lesson Title: Lets Make Thrilling

Poetry!

Relevant TEKS:
110.15
(b)(20)(A) use and
understand the function
of the following parts of
speech in the context of
reading, writing, and
speaking:
(iii) adjectives and their
comparative and
superlative forms.

Relevant TX CCRS: II. Reading

10. Identify and analyze how an authors
use of language appeals to the senses,
creates imagery, and suggests mood.

Lesson Objective(s)/Performance Outcomes: The student will be able to make a bio

poem about themselves using descriptive adjectives.
Assessment (Description/Criteria)
The student should have a brainstorming sheet and a final draft of their bio poem
completed by the end of the lesson. The bio poem should include at least three uses of
descriptive adjectives as proof that they understand what this part of speech is and how
to use descriptive language.
Materials and Resources
Pencils
Papers
Dictionary
Thesaurus
Management of the Instructional Environment
Students will be in their own space with their own writing utensils. They will be allowed
to whisper as long as they are finishing their work.
Technology Integration
Students may type their bio poems on laptops. After they have finishing typing, they
can change their font and add clipart.

UNT Lesson Plan

Diversity and Equity (Accommodations, Modifications, Adaptations)
Dictionaries and thesauruses will be available for students who need this extra
accommodation.

Activities/Procedures
1) Begin the lesson by reviewing adjectives and descriptive words. Brainstorm some
ideas of adjectives that use descriptive ideas. Provide examples from the samples
of student work collected during the pre-assessment phase.
2) Introduce this new form of poetry to the students and provide an example of one
created by the teacher, about the teacher. Explain to the students that they will
be creating their own after they hear the example.
3) Distribute copies of the brainstorming graphic organizer to each student. As a
class, brainstorm a list of descriptive adjectives that can be used as positive
character traits for a person. Go over the other boxes of the graphic organizer and
see if the students can point out other examples where descriptive adjectives
could be used. Give students time to fill out the brainstorming boxes completely.
4) Give students time to share some descriptive adjectives they came up with, but
not too many because they will be sharing their whole poems.
5) Students will now be putting their poems into the correct format. Show the
students your example of how bio poems should be set up. Provide them with two
pieces of lined paper (one to use as a rough draft and one decorative piece for
their final draft). Remind them that the lines can be arranged in any order they
wish.
6) Have students share their poem and talk about the descriptive adjectives that
were used.
Reflections and Documentation/Evidence of Lesson Effectiveness
This lesson was completed in about 30 minutes. I really enjoyed teaching this lesson
and the students I chose during my strengths and needs pre-assessment were very well
behaved and willing to help. I started off the lesson by asking the three students what
they knew about the word adjective. When I spoke with Mrs. Starnes about my lesson,
she informed me that they had gone over this word but that she accompanied this term
with the phrase describing words. The students informed me that they had heard the
word but could not recall what it meant. I continued my question by adding in the
phrase that Mrs. Starnes had provided me with. The students were then able to tell me
that an adjective described a noun. We went over a couple of examples and then I
introduced this new form of poetry. The students have not worked on poetry very much
this year so I only introduced this type, explaining that it was going to be about them, it
did not have to rhyme, and it followed a certain pattern. I then read my example,
pointing out adjectives as we went along, and then we began brainstorming.
During this brainstorming phase, the students were talkative. This was probably
because there were only three of them so they felt a little freedom. But I allowed the

UNT Lesson Plan

talking because it was related to their brainstorming. When we began running short on
time, I asked them to think quietly in their heads so we could get to our final product. All
of the students finished the brainstorming and the final product and we were able to talk
about the differences between their first writing piece and this poem.

I really enjoyed teaching this lesson. It was done in the hallway so the setting was
relaxed and the students acted like they wanted to be there. I do struggle with spelling
myself, so I pulled out dictionaries for them to refer back to during their final writing.
This was my only big struggle, but it did not take away from the main idea of the lesson.
The students were attentive when I was talking and I was able to refocus them by asking
them to think quietly in their heads at times when they were chatting too much.

When conferring with the students, I was able to point out that all of their adjectives
improved. The students were able to think past the overused words cool and
awesome and use unique describing words like quirky and goofy. They also
learned that poems are unique in their structures. By the end of the lesson, they had
produced a final product that used three or more adjectives throughout and were able to
explain what an adjective was.

This lesson really taught me to be prepared. I had reviewed the lesson plan I created
several times before I taught it, which made me comfortable in front of the students. If I
were to make one change to this lesson it would have been to put more emphasis on
adding adjectives throughout their poem. They were able to brainstorm several of them
for the line of the poem that described themselves, but I do not think I put enough
emphasis on the fact that an adjective could have been placed in front of any noun in
the poem. I also learned that even when a teacher comes prepared, time still moves
very quickly. Feedback is important for students and even for teachers who are still
students, such as myself. Mrs. Starnes felt this lesson was helpful for these particular
students when it came to adjectives and preparing them for a poetry unit. She agreed
with me that their progress with more unique adjectives and their understanding of an
adjective was reflected in their poems. The most important point to take away from
teaching this lesson is: the more knowledgeable a teacher is about the core subjects, the
easier it is to teach a lesson.

UNT Lesson Plan

Student work pre-lesson

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Student work post-lesson

UNT Lesson Plan

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UNT Lesson Plan

Pre-Assessment
STRENGTHS
INTRODUCTIONS
DIALOUGE
PUNCTUATION
GIVING REASONS
THROUGHOUT
STAYING ON TOPIC

NEEDS
VISUAL DESCRIPTIONS
DETAILED DESCRIPTIONS
CONCLUSION

Post-Assessment
STRENGTHS
BRAINSTORMING
EXPRESSING ONES SELF
ORGANIZATIONAL SKILLS
ADJECTIVES

NEEDS
SPELLING
VISUAL DESCRIPTIONS
DETAILED DESCRIPTIONS