Poems, Drama, and Prose

Summary

In this lesson students will learn the differences between poems, drama, and prose. Students will be taught about the structural elements of poems (e.g., verse, rhythm, meter) and drama (e.g., casts of characters, settings, descriptions, dialogue, stage directions). This lesson uses a prezi presentation to introduce the topics, followed by a students splitting into groups to further examine the outlined concepts. Students will need computers with access to the internet.

Materials

Prezi presentation and computer workstations with access to the internet.

Background for Teachers

Teachers should have a good understanding of poems, drama, and prose. They should also be able to explain the characteristics and qualities of each to their students.

Student Prior Knowledge

Students should have a basic understanding of how to use the internet, more specifically using search engines to find data. Many students may already be familiar with the characteristics of drama from mainstream media.

Intended Learning Outcomes

English language arts common core reading literature standard 5: Explain major differences between poems, drama, and prose, and refer to the structural elements of poems (e.g., verse, rhythm, meter) and drama (e.g., casts of characters, settings, descriptions, dialogue, stage directions) when writing or speaking about a text.

Instructional Procedures

- The lesson will start with a short walk through of the prezi presentation by the instructor, with the students following along on their own computers. The teacher should clearly explain each characteristic and how it is used in poetry, drama, or prose. Ask students for examples of each, or give your own examples. - The students will then be split up into groups of two or three. Each group covering a specific characteristic. One group should be assigned for each of the following topics: Verse, rhythm, meter, cast, actors, director, script, setting, descriptions, dialogue, stage directions, and prose. Prose can be split into examples of written, spoken, and news broadcasts/talk shows if more groups are needed. - Each group should be able to give an example of their assigned topic and be able to explain it to the class. For example: The group that is assigned verse will find a poem that has a good example of verse, and explain why they like it, and why it fits their characteristic. - While students are performing research the instructor will be walking around to answer questions and make sure students are on track. - After the students have been given adequate time to find their examples, they will take turns sharing their examples and explaining the trait they were assigned to the class. - During presentations the teacher should ask guiding questions and fill in any information gaps.

Strategies for Diverse Learners

Use the groups to your advantage. Pair struggling students with those who have a clear knowledge of internet use and research. Take advantage of bilingual students in your classroom by pairing them with ELL students.

Assessment Plan

- To measure student understanding, students will be given examples of each of the groups, and asked to identify key characteristics. - See provided attachment for a worksheet with example questions to assess poetry, drama, and prose. - To assess drama, Show students a short drama clip of your choice and ask them to fill in a worksheet with key vocabulary terms. They should be asked to identify or give examples of the following characteristics: Cast, actors, setting, descriptions, dialogue, stage directions. Also ask questions about non-visible elements like the director and script. - To assess students understanding of prose, ask them to list 3 examples of different types of prose.