Introduction to Unit - What is the power of words? Analyzing figurative language and words in poems.

This week marks the beginning of the third session of ALO. Students were introduced to some of the unit's concepts this week. We read the poem "The Caterpillar" (see poem below) and sequenced the events in the poem to uncover the main idea of the poem.

Another strategy that the students are familiar with is using the "check for understanding" strategy to find the main idea. Students can ask themselves who and what the poem is about.

Some vocabulary words we discussed included:
stanza, rhyme, beat, and sequencing.

I encourage students to read poems and practice uncovering the main idea. 
Some poems I recommend: Caterpillar by Christina Rossetti, My Shadow by Robert Louis Stevenson, and Dream Variations by Langston Hughes

The Caterpillar
Author Unknown_
A tired caterpillar went to sleep one day / In a snug little cradle of silken gray. / And he said, as he softly curled up in his nest, / “Oh crawling was pleasant, but rest is best.”
He slept through the winter long and cold,/ All tightly up in his blanket rolled, / And at last he awoke on a warm spring day,/ To find that winter had gone away.
He woke to find he had golden wings,/ And no longer need crawl over sticks and things./ “Oh, the earth is nice,” said the glad butterfly,/ “But the sky is best, when we learn to fly.”