Learning experiences (activities and lessons)

What are the activities that the students will do to inquire into the central idea?

Tuning in: Prior knowledge (1-2 lessons)

• What do you know about poetry?
• Tuning into poetry with the 6 Thinking Hats (30 minutes – students answer questions after 1st week of poetry; good for home learning activity)
•  Unit vocab knowledge rating HWExO(ongoing throughout the unit)
• An introduction to storyboarding (60 minutes) . Make 4 back to back copies per child of this storyboard for penguins before beginning.
• Video showing the storyboarding process

Finding out: Writing effective poetry and learning video skills to evoke emotion (3 weeks)

The following lessons are taught along side the video masterclasses:

• Analysing poetry films – need headsets
• Cinquain poems
• Haiku – using image students write 3 poems and mix and match best lines
• Poetic Devices
• Using a refrain in poetry
• Tips for reading poetry
• When I Feel poem examples
• Emotions – list to use in When I Feel poem
• My Many Colored Days – ( 80 minutes )using Dr. Suess book and template students write poems relating color to favorite days; great success for all levels; learn about simile and metaphors
• Color Poem(60 minutes)
• Line breaks – This 1 lesson engagement will help students understand the importance of line breaks in poetry.
• Personification Poem – (60 min) explanation of personification; planning sheet; examples of 3 poems, one from a student

Video Master classes (Do these before you get the students to create a film):

• Perspective – need photo cameras for practice of this, but can use Photobooth at a pinch
• Lighting – need video cams one-between-two/three for practice. Photo cameras will do if none available. Also might need headsets if the kids want to watch the video more than once.
• Framing
• Speed/timing
• Shooting the action
• Using the green screen – Need to book the Broadcast Studio
• Video production process – Planning 1 – 2 x 40 minutes

Sorting out: Creation of a poetry film (2 weeks)

• Selecting a poem to make into a film
• Making a poetry film

Drawing conclusions: Assessment tasks (1 lesson)

• Self, peer and teacher assessment of your film using the Video Assessment Checkbric
• Grade 5 Poetry Film Festival

•  Click here to view the 2011/12 finalists
• Click here to watch the 2011/12 Poetry Film Festival in its entirety.
• Click here for a template to use for reflecting on the final video