I Am, I Notice

Overview

Students meet their new teacher through a welcoming introduction to poetry as a way of expressing personal experience. After listening to a short teacher model, each learner creates a five-line “I am” poem using prompts about interests, place, family, hopes or character, then shares it with a partner and selected volunteers read aloud.

Learning intentions

• We are learning to listen attentively and respectfully to a speaker.
• We are learning that poems can communicate personal experiences, feelings and ideas.
• We are learning to create a short poem using prompts and carefully chosen words.
• We are learning to share our writing and notice what makes each person’s poem unique.

Success criteria

• I can listen while someone else is speaking without interrupting.
• I can use five prompts to create an “I am” poem.
• I can choose words that tell the reader something about me.
• I can share my poem with a partner or the class in a clear voice.

Curriculum links

• Oral Language — engagement, listening and attention: showing interest, joint attention and active listening for enjoyment and a particular purpose.
• Reading — engagement: developing interest in and enjoyment of literature, including poetry.
• Reading — motivation and choice: communicating about texts for pleasure and interest.
• Oral language and writing connections: using personal experience to express ideas and communicate with others.

Lesson structure (60 minutes)

1. 0–7 min · Welcome and connection. Teacher welcomes the class, briefly introduces themself through three simple facts and invites students to silently notice one detail they remember; students listen, then turn to a partner and share one remembered fact. Open with the welcome and listening challenge slides.

2. 7–15 min · Meet poetry. Teacher explains that poetry can be short, personal and shaped by the poet’s choices, then reads aloud a five-line “I am” poem written about themself, pausing naturally but without asking students to analyse rhyme. Students listen with eyes on the speaker or text and identify one line that helped them learn something about the poet. Use the poetry introduction and teacher model slides.

Suggested model: “I am a walker in the rain. I am from a busy town. I love stories and hot tea. I hope to learn your names. I am ready for a new year.”

3. 15–22 min · Notice the poet. Teacher revisits the model and asks, “What did the poet tell us?” and “Which words made the poem personal?” Students discuss with a partner, then contribute observations such as interests, place, hopes, family or character. Display the noticing and discussion prompt slides and record a few student ideas on the board.

4. 22–38 min · Create an “I am” poem. Teacher distributes the five-prompt I am poem sheet and explains that students may write a word, phrase or sentence for each prompt. Students draft five lines, using the prompts:

• I am someone who…
• I like or enjoy…
• I am connected to a place, person or family tradition…
• I hope…
• I am … (a character word or quality)

Encourage students to choose details they feel comfortable sharing; they do not need to write private information. Move around the room, quietly support spelling and ask prompts such as, “What is special about that place?” or “Which word shows your character?” Keep the poem-writing instructions and prompt slides visible.

5. 38–48 min · Partner sharing. Teacher models respectful listening: face the speaker, remain quiet, listen for meaning and respond kindly. In pairs, Partner A reads their poem while Partner B listens and says, “I noticed…” or “I would like to know more about…”, then partners swap. Students may read from their sheet, rehearse softly first or ask the teacher to read a line for them. Return to the partner-sharing and respectful-listening slides.

6. 48–56 min · Class poetry circle. Teacher invites volunteers to read their poems aloud, celebrates varied experiences and reminds the class that passing is acceptable. After each reading, students offer one respectful observation about the poem, focusing on personal details or interesting word choices rather than judging the writer. Use the volunteer-reading and response sentence-stem slides.

7. 56–60 min · Reflect and close. Teacher asks students to complete the final reflection on the poem reflection box: “One thing I learned about poetry is…” and “One respectful listening action I used was…”. Students share one response with a partner before the teacher gathers sheets or takes a quick verbal sample.

Resources

• the complete welcome, poetry and sharing slide deck
• the five-prompt I am poem sheet
• Board or interactive whiteboard
• Teacher’s model poem
• Pencils and colouring materials
• Visual timer
• Optional quiet space or headphones for learners who need reduced distraction

Assessment

• Observe whether students show joint attention, listen without interrupting and respond appropriately during the teacher model and partner sharing.
• Confer with students during writing to check that they can use the prompts to communicate personal ideas and make at least one deliberate word choice.
• Review the poem and reflection for evidence that students understand poetry as a form of personal expression and can identify a respectful listening behaviour.

Differentiation

• Support learners with oral rehearsal before writing, a word bank of interests, places, feelings and character words, sentence starters and permission to draw first and label ideas.
• Scribe for a learner who needs it, accept dictated responses or allow the student to record the poem orally; provide enlarged, uncluttered worksheet text and a quiet working space where appropriate.
• EAL learners may first discuss ideas in their home language, use bilingual vocabulary support and include familiar words from another language, with meaning explained or illustrated.
• Extend confident writers by inviting them to add a title, repeat “I am” for effect, improve one line with a vivid word or explain how a chosen detail reveals something about the poet.