Teaching sequence

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

15 minutes

Tune In: Think of the seabirds!

15 minutes

Find Out: Poetry and sounds - Communicating meaning

25 minutes

Take Action: Found poetry

5 minutes

Reflection

Learning intentions

Students will:

learn how poetic devices, especially careful word choice and sound techniques and rhyme can be used to engage audiences and enhance meaning in creative texts.
learn how the experiences of shorebirds/seabirds are being impacted by human activity and waste.

Success criteria

Students can:

explain how some images make them think and feel certain things, and can identify elements of the images that evoke these thoughts and feelings.
explain some key poetic devices and how they communicate meaning about seabirds and ocean ecosystems.
transform informative material into a creative poem to communicate meaning about seabirds and ocean ecosystems..

Tune In: Think of the seabirds!

Step 1

Display the Lesson Presentation or hand out copies of the Seabirds Stimulus Images sheet and invite students to look closely - it features a number of images of seabirds - birds that contribute to coastal ecosystems. Ask students to look carefully at the images and select one that draws their attention. Invite them to individually complete the 'See-Think-Wonder' routine in the space on the Student Worksheet.

Depending on the nuances of your class and how familiar they are with this visible thinking routine, you could scaffold an example for them by selecting an image and modelling how to work through the 'See-Think-Wonder' routine.

Hot tip: If you have taught the Tuning In Lesson, explain to the class that this is the same visible thinking routine. Practising this routine will help them to develop their thinking strategies. If this is the first time you have done this with the class, explain that a 'See-Think-Wonder' routine is a visible thinking routine that encourages careful and thoughtful observation and interpretation about what they see and can help them establish goals for further learning.

Step 2

After students have completed the routine, encourage a few volunteer students to share what they noted in the Think and Wonder columns. Where possible, facilitate discussion based on student responses. The following questions might help prompt this discussion:

What was something in the image that made you think that way?
Did anybody think something different about this image?
What might that be able to tell you about seabirds/marine ecosystems?

Step 3

Remind students that they have been looking at how still images communicate meaning. Explain that these images all communicate something about the current experiences of seabirds on Australian coastlines, as well as the work being done to support them. Explain that before they use some of this thinking and emerging knowledge about seabirds to communicate in creative, yet meaningful ways, it is important to understand a little more about seabirds, their role, and the threats they currently experience.

Watch the following clip about Dr Jennifer Lavers and her work with seabirds and seabird colonies. Explain to the class that Dr Lavers is a research scientist at the Institute of Marine and Antarctic Studies and has been monitoring the health and status of seabird colonies. The clip is also embedded on the lesson presentation.

Who is Jennifer Lavers? (https://vimeo.com/1056609385/c234845474)

Step 4

After the clip, briefly discuss with students some of the information she shared. Prompt discussion with the following questions if needed:

What can seabirds tell us about the current status of the ocean?
What were some of the threats to seabirds/Shearwaters that you could see in the clip?
What do you think you can do to help the situation?

Further information about this topic can be found on the Marine Debris Factsheet and the Shorebirds Factsheet.

Find Out: Poetry and sounds - communicating meaning

Step 1

Ask students to think about what they know about poetry. Give them time to think and, while doing this, write the word ‘poetry’ on the whiteboard. Facilitate a brief class brainstorm, asking for volunteers to write their responses on the whiteboard. Prompt students by asking them for:

Different types of poetry
Some techniques and what they are
Where they might see or hear poetry
Why people might write poetry

After this brainstorm, using the Lesson Presentation display the Poetic Devices Glossary slides (also embedded on the Student Worksheet) and read through the devices listed under ‘Basic Terms’ and ‘Sound Devices’, discussing them with students and offering or asking for examples where necessary. Attention could be given to ‘connotations’ and ‘denotations’ - a quick word association game using words like ‘beach’, ‘ocean’, ‘surf’, ‘water’ can be helpful to establish a clear understanding of the devices.

Hot tip: This glossary can be substituted for one that is better aligned with your classes' individual learning needs.

Step 2

Watch the following clip with the class, explaining to them that this is a poem about seabirds that is being performed with accompanying images to enhance the meaning. Ask students to listen carefully for any poetic devices they can hear. Explain to them that poetry, while written, is most powerful when it is heard, so by listening before they read the poem, they can find greater meaning.

Ode to seabirds (https://vimeo.com/1056609559/4415169959)

After watching the clip, ask students if they could identify any of the poetic devices used, especially sound devices or those related to rhyme and structure. Give students time to read the poem (embedded on the Student Worksheet) and identify any poetic devices and the effect they have on the audience and communicate something about seabirds. There is a table on the Student Worksheet for their responses.

After they have completed this brief analysis, facilitate a discussion with your class. For example, students might refer to some of the rhyming couplets, the use of repetition with some words or phrases, or words such as ‘never’ or ‘need’ that have strong connotations.

Take Action: Found poetry

Step 1

Explain to students that in the next part of the lesson they will create their own poems using an existing text. This type of poetry is called found or blackout poetry. Explain that found poetry is like a poetic collage, where a poem is created using words and phrases from other texts, rearranged and reordered, to communicate a new meaning.

Note: Found poetry is an engaging way for students to interact with poetic forms and devices, as it focus on the effect of vocabulary and expression and does not require students to have expert skills in creative writing. This technique allows students to consider meaning that is produced, and gives them room to think critically and creatively. Further information about different types of found poetry, as well as online volumes, can be found at: https://www.foundpoetryreview.com/about-found-poetry/.

Step 2

Show students the example found poem produced by Read Write Think from Chang-rae Lee’s essay 'Coming Home, Again' on the Found Poem Example. Point out to students how only certain phrases or words have been selected from the original text and sequenced in the poem version. Explain to students that they will be creating their own found poetry using a small section of original text from either the Marine Debris Factsheet and the Shorebirds Factsheet.

Step 3

Go through the Found Poem Instructions for the Found Poem Example. This is also embedded on the Student Worksheet. Before they begin, remind students that their found poem must refer to seabirds in some way. This could be by incorporating relevant issues that are addressed in the factsheets or in the lesson, such as:

Plastic and marine debris
Habitats and wildlife
Sea bird calls or habits

Remind your class that their poem need not be longer than 20 lines. As students are working through the activity, monitor their progress and encourage some to share their found poem (either by displaying or performing it).

Step 4

Facilitate a poetry reading/performance by asking students who are comfortable to share their poem with the class. As poetry is typically written to be performed, encourage students to consider their reading with attention to verbal and non-verbal features of spoken presentations.

Verbal features: Pronunciation, phrasing and pausing, audibility and clarity, volume, pace, silence

Non-verbal features: Facial expressions, gestures, proximity, stance, movement

For students uncomfortable with sharing, you could facilitate a gallery walk after the performances by having the poems displayed on walls or desks, and asking students to quietly walk around reading each other's poems.

Learning opportunity: Depending on the requirements of your class, you could extend this lesson by having students engage with either the Marine Debris Factsheet and the Shorebirds Factsheet. Use some of this information to complete the thinking strategies utilised in the lesson.

Reflection

Invite students to complete the reflection activity routine for this unit on their student worksheet. This is a short 3-2-1 activity that encapsulates their thinking and learning at the end of the lesson. This can be about the topic or the skills and thinking routines. Students are asked to reflect on what they have learnt and participated in this lesson and identify:

3 things they have learnt
2 things that were interesting
1 question they now have

Depending on the requirements of your class, you could have students submit these as exit slips at the end of the lesson or submit their Student Worksheet to you digitally.

Blue - Seabird Poetry

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Summary

Learning intentions:

Students will:

Success criteria:

Students can:

Lesson Guides and Printables

Lesson Details

Skills

Curriculum Mapping

Resources Required

UN Sustainable Development Goals

Additional Info

Related Professional Learning

In this lesson