English Grade 7 Lesson Plan 5

Comparing Features of Poems and Short Stories

Key Idea

Comparing Features of Poems and Short Stories

Most Essential Learning Competencies:

 Use appropriate reading strategies to meet one’s purpose (e.g., scanning, skimming, close reading, etc.) EN7RC-IV-b-10

 Discover literature as a tool to assert one’s unique identity and to better understand other people (EN7LT-III-b-5)

 Determine the worth of ideas mentioned in the text listened to (EN7LC-IV-g-8.2)

 React to what is asserted or expressed in a text (EN7RC-IIIe-2.1.7)

Component 1: Short review

Time: 7 minutes

 Teacher: This week we have looked at some literary texts whose main purpose is to tell us a story. We started with narrative short stories, like the fable and folktale, and a narrative poem. We also looked at figurative language in literary descriptions and how figures of speech (e.g. similes) and sound devices (e.g. rhyming words) can also be used in poetry to create interesting effects.

1. What are some figures of speech you know? Name the figure of speech and give an example.

2. What sound devices do you know? Name the sound device and give an example.

3. Figures of speech and sound devices are literary techniques that authors use to create different effects with words in stories and poems. What effect do these techniques have on you as a reader or listener?

 Teacher asks students to write their answers on the Worksheet. Then ask students to volunteer their answers and give feedback.

 Expect a variety of answers and be prepared to correct and scaffold student answers.

Suggested Answers:

1. Answers could include different figures of speech: simile (e.g. as black as night); metaphor (e.g. the night sky was an inky blanket); personification (e.g. the sunlight danced through the forest)

2. Answers could include different sound devices: e.g. rhyme (play-day), alliteration (six sleepy sloths), assonance, consonance, onomatopoeia etc.

3. Expect a variety of answers. Answers could relate to students’ feelings, senses, imagining, the effects on enjoyment when reciting poetry, etc.

[Teacher Notes: Answers could include students’ prior knowledge of literary devices from previous grades as well as what has been studied in the learning camp lessons.]

Component 2: Purpose of the lesson

Time: 3 minutes

In this lesson, we are going to compare and contrast different types of literary texts. We are going to look at the similarities and differences between a short story and a narrative poem.

Component 3: Lesson Language Practice

Time: 5 minutes

 Here are some words that we have met before while learning about literary texts. We will practice these words again in this lesson. Let us say each word together.

Vocabulary (Revise):

 Narrative (a spoken or written text that tells a story)

 Setting (where and when a story takes place)

 Sequence of events (the order in which things happen)

 Crisis (a time when a problem is at its worst)

 Resolution (a solution to a crisis or problem)s

 Now let’s go over what each word means.

Teacher writes each word on the board and asks the class to volunteer answers and writes each definition on the board. Students write each definition on their worksheets.

Component 4 Lesson Activity

Time: 25 minutes in total

Component 4A Reading the text (~10 minutes)

 Teacher reads The Carabao and the Shell and a narrative poem (from Lesson 4) drawing attention to the stages/structure of each text:

a. Read paragraph one of each text to ask students to locate who is involved, when the events take place and where the events take place (Setting)

b. Point out the problem that causes the events that are the focus of the story (sequence of events) to take place in the narrative (Crisis)

c. Point out how the narrative concludes with a solution to the problem (Resolution) and contains a lesson to be learned.

Text 1: The Carabao and the Shell

One very hot day, when a carabao went into the river to bathe, he met a shell, and they began talking together.

"You are very slow," said the carabao to the shell.

"Oh, no," replied the shell. "I can beat you in a race."

"Then let us try and see," said the carabao.

So they went out on the bank and started to run.

After the carabao had gone a long distance he stopped and called, "Shell!"

And another shell lying by the river answered, "Here I am!"

Then the carabao, thinking that it was the same shell with which he was racing, ran on.

By and by he stopped again and called, "Shell!"

And another shell answered, "Here I am!"

The carabao was surprised that the shell could keep up with him. But he ran on and on, and every time he stopped to call, another shell answered him. But he was determined that the shell should not beat him, so he ran until he dropped dead.

Text 2: Friends

In balmy fields where rice stalks sway,

We laughed and played the Filipino way.

Underneath the mango tree's shade,

In childhood dreams, our bonds were made.

From childhood games to teenage woes,

We journeyed together as friendship grows.

Through fiestas, storms, and starlit nights,

We shared our joys, we faced our frights.

Though miles may part us, memories stay,

Forever cherished, come what may.

In the Philippines, our bonds are strong,

With friends like family, we belong.

(Adapted from ChatGPT https://chat.openai.com/c/3db16469-81dc-427c-91be-5514bd7333c1)

Component 4B (~ 5 minutes)

 Teacher reads out each question and asks students to write their answers on the Worksheet. [See Teacher Notes for alternative to Worksheet approach].

Questions:

Q1. What type of literary texts are texts 1 and 2?

Q2. How are they similar? List three similarities.

Q3. How are they different? List three differences.

 Teacher asks the students to volunteer their answers, giving positive feedback.

Suggested Answers:

Q1. Text 1 is a narrative short story – a fable; text 2 is a narrative poem.

Q2. Both texts have a narrative structure - opening with a description of who is involved and where it happens, followed by a sequence of events.

Q3. Text 1 is a fable, written in prose (sentences and paragraphs), with animals as the main characters – they speak and behave like humans – the events could never have happened but have been invented to make a point or convey a message. Text 2 is a poem, written in stanzas; the characters are human, and the events are ordinary human events. 

Component 4C Questions (~10 minutes)

 Teacher asks students to write their answers on the Worksheet.

Questions:

Q4. Look at the first paragraph/stanza of each text. In what ways are they similar?

Q5. Look at the last paragraph/stanza of each text. How do they compare?

Q6. Read the following statement about narrative poems and short stories – do you agree with it? Give

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reasons in a short paragraph on your Worksheet.

I prefer poems to short stories. Poems are more enjoyable because they have interesting structures and writers can use language more creatively to describe what happens and to express their emotions. In comparison short stories are written using just sentences in paragraphs, which are not as interesting for the reader.

 Teacher asks the students to volunteer their answers, giving positive feedback.

Suggested Answers:

Q4. Both give information about who is involved and where and when the stories take place (Setting).

Q5. ‘The Carabao and the Shell’ ends with the death of the carabao. He did not get any lesson from it. ‘Friends’ ends in a positive way. The crisis (being apart by distance) is resolved by cherishing the memories.

Q6. Students will choose whether to agree or disagree – the focus here is on the reasons they give and examples from the texts to support their answers.

[Teacher Notes: Questions 4 and 5 could be done as a class discussion, with the teacher writing answers on the board. Question 6 could be done in pairs on the Worksheet. This would allow more time for the students to write and for the teacher to sample their answers by getting students to read their writing aloud.]

Component 5: Lesson Conclusion

Time: 5 minutes

Teacher displays the questions:

Q1. The focus of the lesson was on learning about comparing different kinds of literary texts. How has the lesson helped you to understand their similarities?

Q2. Which questions were easy to answer? Why?

Q3. What strategies did you use to answer the harder questions?

[Teacher Notes: Ask students to write on the Worksheet, so you have some feedback on the effectiveness of the lesson and how they feel about their learning experience.

However, if pressed for time, you may want to do this section as a class discussion.]

REMINDER: Collect student worksheets to review and analyze students’ learning; focus on answers to Question 6 for quality and clarity of writing and understanding of the content.