Providing the Instructional Scaffold for Composing Informational Poetry

by Dr. Beth Frye

(Part of a manuscript in preparation)

Part 1 (Poetry Innovation Mentor Text)
• Determine the topic of study.
• Marinate students in the literature; invite students to read as many persona poems
as possible.
• Compose a descriptive “definition” for the poetic form based on observations of
the texts and class discussion; the inquiry approach is key.
• Choose a mentor text and read it aloud.
• Identify descriptive language and specific imagery in the text and chart the words
or phrases that appeal to the senses and emotions.
• Engage students in a discussion about the poetic form of persona poetry.
• Provide students with the poetry innovation and discuss the format.

Part 2 (Researching topic)
• Begin reading and researching selected topic as a class.
• Decide guiding questions that will need to be answered in order to sufficiently
understand the content. (You may decide to compose and answer these guiding
questions together as a class, or these questions may simply assist you in
highlighting the most important information from the research. This will depend
upon the amount of instructional support needed.)
• Read aloud or complete a shared reading of some informational text (e.g.
nonfiction books, textbook excerpts, web sites, magazines, news articles, etc.)
• Chart key words or phrases that you feel are important to the students’ conceptual
understanding. (You may also be answering specific questions at this time.)
• Continue researching and recording information. (e.g. Data Retrieval Charts)
• Revise the persona poem innovation and include changes based on research topic (e.g. change verbs for I POEM).

Part 3 (Shared Writing-Poetry Innovation)
• Together, during this shared poetry writing, you and your students compose
collaboratively. You are the scribe who guides, demonstrates, and negotiates the
creation of the text, seeking and validating students’ input, while at the same time
shaping their thoughts in a collaborative and flexible environment.
• You will demonstrate for the students HOW to transform the information they
gathered and integrate this content with the poetic form.
• Revise the poem for understanding focusing on content, form, and poetic
language.
• Publish informational poem.
• Discuss students’ intensified understanding of topic.

Part 4 (Student Research and Writing-Poetry Innovation)
• Students read and gather data on connected topic of study.
• Students write down important information that will aid them in composing their
informational poetry innovations.
• Students transform this information and draft their poem.
• Teachers provide feedback to students using specific criteria in order to improve
students’ writing.
• Students revise, edit, publish and share their informational poetry innovation.

• Think about your blogs as places to publish their poetry! You may also wish to incorporate podcasts!