Unit Plan 24 (Grade 3 ELA): Writing Original Poems

Grade Level: 3

Subject Area: English Language Arts (Writing, Language)

Total Unit Duration: 5 sessions (one week), 45–60 minutes per session

I. Introduction

This week invites students to become poets by composing free verse, acrostic, and shape (concrete) poems. Writers learn to capture a small moment/experience (narrative focus), choose words for effect (figurative language, nuance), and write routinely across the week with quick drafts, revisions, and a short celebration. By Friday, each student will publish at least two original poems—one free verse and one in a chosen form (acrostic or shape)—that use sensory details and purposeful word choice.

II. Objectives and Standards

Learning Objectives — Students will be able to…

1. Generate ideas from small moments and write a poem that shows a focused experience with details that build feeling or image (narrative focus).
2. Use figurative language, word relationships, and shades of meaning to create imagery and precise tone.
3. Compose in varied forms (free verse, acrostic, shape), making intentional choices about line breaks, repetition, and layout.
4. Write routinely (quick writes, drafts, revisions) to develop and strengthen poems.

Standards Alignment — CCSS Grade 3

• Writing: W.3.3 (apply narrative craft—situation, details, feelings—to convey experiences; adapted in poem form)
• Language: L.3.5a–c (literal/nonliteral; real-life connections; shades of meaning/nuance)
• Writing: W.3.10 (write routinely over short time frames for a range of tasks and purposes)

Success Criteria — student language

• I can show a small moment or feeling with specific details (not just tell it).
• I can choose precise, vivid words (and a simple simile/metaphor if helpful) to create an image.
• I can follow a poetry form (free verse, acrostic, or shape) and make line breaks that help meaning.
• I can draft, revise, and publish poems across the week.