Lesson Plan Critique

Reading the lesson plan Carolyn Wilhelm, created for grade 2, I had some good and not such good opinions of the lesson. While it is well planned out, with great resources being used, I imagined that as a child in the classroom I might have spaced out, since it feels too technical. The students must focus on the reading, and then finding words and writing lines. These are great activities which are perfect for the lesson! But before doing that, I would try to discuss the relevance with students, so they can compare the story of the book to their own past experiences (although the teacher does lead the class to discussion, she explains that it will be about the words and phrases etc.) This would infuse any second grader with more enthusiasm, and they can even use their suggestions in the poem they will write on the board later on. Or use a topic for the poem that the class discussed which the students seemed excited about.
In session three, I think it is very good that the teacher writes that she would role play and model speaking in front of a group, in order to present good oral presentation. This is very important, as second graders need that role play in order to perform.
 I would also use more role play in the beginning when students are starting to write the poem. I would say my thoughts out loud, while creating random poems, to show the students how a poet thinks. I would experiment with different lines together with students, and come up with many ideas. This would help the students later on (by the extension lesson), where they come up with their own original poems. I think they can use a little more background.