Lesson Plan 3

Wisconsin Teaching Standards 1, 2, 4, 6, 9, & 10

On October 22, 2015, I taught an 11th-12th grade Language Arts lesson on found poetry at James
Madison High School in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I opened the class by asking the students what
they knew about poetry to gain background knowledge. I showed two examples of poems, one
that rhymed and one that didnt, and asked if they were both considered poetry. From that, we
were able to conclude as a class that not all poetry has to rhyme. I then delved into a brief lesson
on rhyme scheme, using the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air theme song as an example. I then quickly
discussed the types of figurative language often found in poetry. After delivering the background
on rhyme scheme and figurative language in poetry, I discussed found poetry and shared an
example that I wrote using Chapter 1 of Metamorphosis, a fictional novella by Franz Kafka,
which they were reading in class at the time. Looking at my example, I asked the class questions
such as Does it have a rhyme scheme? Does it have a particular structure? What do you
think the poem is about? Finally, I instructed the class to create their own found poem using
Chapter 1 of Metamorphosis. Once they completed their poem, they were given drawing
paper and markers for them to reproduce their poem on and hang on the wall.
I believe this lesson highlights my ability to demonstrate Wisconsin Teaching Standards 1, 2, 4,
6, 9, and 10. I demonstrated standard one by emphasizing my knowledge of poetry throughout
the lesson. Though I have a lot of experience working with poetry, I had never created a found
poem myself, so I needed to do a bit of research on found poetry before creating a lesson
centered on it. By planning materials suitable to high school juniors and seniors, I met standard
two. In comparison with the poetry lessons I taught to eighth graders, the samples that I chose to
work with for this lesson were noticeably harder and targeted toward a more advanced audience.
I demonstrated standard four by utilizing a PowerPoint presentation (which my cooperating
teacher kept and still uses) and by working with individual students on their poems as they
worked silently. I believe I met standard six by communicating clearly and confidently
throughout my lesson. I also tried to establish a fun, welcoming environment for the lesson by
using examples which students would relate to (such as the Fresh Prince of Bel Air theme
song). After teaching my lesson, I spent a lot of time evaluating my teaching performance,
which is highlighted in standard nine. I understand that my students could have benefitted from
me slowing down a tad throughout my lesson in order to provide more thorough instruction.
Evaluating my performance allowed me to gain insight that I carried onto further lessons.
Finally, I believe I met standard ten by working with my cooperating teacher in the creation of
the lesson and materials.
Conceptualization: I demonstrated the Alverno Advanced Education Ability of
conceptualization by assimilating my knowledge of poetry and Language Arts in order to instruct
this lesson. I was also able to create my own found poem based off of chapter one of
Metamorphosis, the text they were reading in their class, in order to demonstrate the

expectations I had for the students. If it werent for my background in English, I would not have
been able to effectively communicate the elements of poetry and come up with several examples.
Diagnosis: I demonstrated the ability of diagnosis by observing students as the worked to assess
for understanding. In addition, I asked a variety of multi-leveled questions (Depth of
Knowledge) throughout my lesson.
Coordination: I established the ability of coordination by setting clear learning targets and
using resources to reach those learning goals. Furthermore, I utilized class time appropriately by
instructing, providing an example of a found poem that I wrote, and then allowing the remainder
of the period for students to work on writing their own poetry. I also collaborated with my
cooperating teacher in planning the lesson.
Communication: I met the communication standard by presenting the material clearly,
accurately, and in a manner that held student interest throughout the lesson. I tried to provide fun
examples to hold student attention, such as analyzing the rhyme scheme of the theme song in
The Fresh Prince of Bel Air. My PowerPoint provided an oral and visual presentation and was
easy to follow along with. In addition, I used an example of the learning goal (to create a found
poem) by writing one myself.
Integrative Interaction: This ability was met in my capability to connect with students by
showing interest in their ideas and perspectives. I gave satisfactory answers to all students
questions and comments.