Christine A. Elmore
Objective:
To listen for and identify the use of sense images in poetry.
Materials:
Patricia Hubbell's poem,
I Know A Tree
, chart paper, drawing paper, crayons, colored pencils.
Procedure:
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1) I will begin by reviewing what our five senses are (see, hear, taste, feel and smell) and list them on chart paper. I will then explain that poets use their senses to describe the subject of their poems so that readers can more clearly imagine it.
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2) I will present each student with a copy of the following description of setting, a model used in writing narratives:
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Susan stood on the hill and looked out at the scene before her. The sweet smell of honeysuckle in the air caused her to close her eyes and smile. The warm summer wind blew gently against her face and she could see playful striped chipmunks scampering in the distant woods. The loud shouts of black crows flying overhead made her suddenly look upward and when she did, her eyes were temporarily blinded by the bright glare of the afternoon sun. Because she will near the ocean, the air tasted salty and she longed to wade in its cool waters.
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I would ask my students what they can picture in this description and to identify each of the senses used.
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3) On chart paper I will have written the poem
I Know A Tree
and I will introduce it within a shared reading experience where I read it alone the first time, pointing to each word. The class then reads it along with me a few more times.
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4) Before exploring sensory images, I will review meanings of difficult vocabulary found in this poem like malachite, incense, sleek, teak, Tokay and globules.
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5) Before reading the poem again, I will ask the class to close their eyes and picture the tree being described in this poem. I will then ask such questions as what do you smell in this poem? What can you touch on this tree? What do you see? If the tree could make sounds, what would they be like?
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6) Following this discussion, I would ask the students to draw their version of this tree, fitting the poem's description, using drawing paper and crayons or colored pencils. These would later be displayed on the bulletin board, surrounding the poem written on chart paper.