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• Students will distinguish between words that are onomatopoeias and words that are not.

• Copy of onomatopoeia poems for each student, as well as one transparency with each poem
  • Noises
  • I Know All the Sounds that the Animals Make
• Onomatopoeia song
  
• Highlighters for those at their seats
  
• Overhead markers

This is a whole class convention mini-lesson on onomatopoeias. While working with students in writers' workshop I observed that the students weren't using vivid imagery in their writing pieces and were lacking the sense of sound to get across ideas more accurately. After reading through a number of pieces without seeing many onomatopoeia's used, I decided to teach this convention whole class instead of individually.

When I was conferencing with you, I noticed that your pieces were missing something. I like to read your pieces and have them come to life for me as if I am sitting down watching a great movie written by you. I found it difficult to do this, so I thought about why that might be. I realized that you weren't using any onomatopoeias. Has anyone heard of that word before, onomatopoeia? What does it mean? Onomatopoeias are words that illustrate sound such as bang, boom, click, swish, clap, creak and beep. You can use these in your own writing to help your piece come to life for the reader. Today I will teach you how you can use onomatopoeias to create a better picture in the minds of your readers.

1. I want you quietly listen to the room around you. What do you hear? How do you know you are hearing things like the clock and footsteps, etc.? What do they sound like?
   
2. I am going to do an activity with you in which you will be making the noise and creating a picture in your heads of what is going on. I am not going to tell you what the noises mean, or what they are for.
   
3. This is a storm, so this is what they will be doing step by step. They should be sitting in a circle in their chairs during this portion. The teacher will choose a student to become the "leader". The leader will imitate what the teacher is doing. Once the leader imitates the teacher (rubbing hands, stomping feet etc.), the next person in the circle will begin (the first person will not stop until the teacher changes what he/she is doing. Once that happens, the leader will begin to imitate the new sound while the rest of the class is still on the previous sound then the person next to the leader will join in with the new sound etc.).
   1. The rain storm begins with drizzle made by rubbing hands together, palms and fingers flat, back and forth slowly, then faster.
      
   2. Big raindrops begin to fall, made by snapping your fingers slowly, then faster.
      
   3. The rain begins to pour down heavily, made by quickly patting lap with hands, faster, then faster.
      
   4. The rain is REALLY pouring down now as you add to the lap pounding, feet stamping on the floor.
      
   5. The storm begins to lessen as feet stop pounding.
      
   6. It lessens more as hands stop lap slapping, and fingers begin to snap again.
      
   7. Fingers slow their snapping, then begin "drizzle" again.
4. Ask the students, "hat sound were you imitating? A storm has a lot of onomatopoeias in it. Let's write down the sounds we heard on the overhead. What sound is most like the rubbing of our hands together (sh sh sh sh sh sh sh)? What sound is like our fingers coming together (snap snap snap snap)?"Continue on with this. When they are finished, I will ask the students to read aloud what they came up with. What they have is a poem written entirely in onomatopoeias. Ask them to title the poem.

1. Show the prepared poem, I Know All the Sounds that the Animals Make, on the overhead and pass out individual copies to students. Tell the students, "As we read the poem, I want you to see if you can spot any onomatopoeias in the poem." When we are done reading the poem, I will ask for volunteers to come up and underline where they found onomatopoeias. On their own papers, I will have them highlight the onomatopoeias while their peers are coming up to underline.
   
2. Show the next poem, Noises, to the class and pass out individual copies. Tell the students that once again they will be reading the poem to pick out onomatopoeias. I will have students come up and underline their findings on the overhead and have them highlight them individually on their own papers.

I want you to open your writing folders and take out your latest piece. Reread your latest writing piece. We are going to do a Think/Pair/Share.

Think: I want you to find at least three places that you could put in an onomatopoeia so that it makes your writing become more alive for the reader.
Pair: Turn to a partner and tell them where you would place your onomatopoeias and why you would put them there.
Share: I want you to share one onomatopoeia you or your partner came up with and why it would add to the piece.

Noises By Danielle Caryl The click of the clock, the creak of the stair, The squeak of a mouse and the swoosh of the air. The groan of the house as it settles below, And outside the window, the patter of snow. The scruff of the dog's paws below where I rest, The rattle of the window that seems to face West. The jingle of bells from a wind chime next door The unearthly sounds of a truly loud snore. The crunching of snow under an animal's feet, The honk of a horn from right down the street. So many noises I just want to weep, Is it too much to ask for some sleep?


I Know All the Sounds that the Animals Make
by Jack Prelutsky

You can find this poem in the book, "Something Big has Been Here"

E-Mail Danielle Caryl!

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