Make Your Own Damper

Learning Intention: 

I am learning how to edit for meaning so that I can write a rhyming poem that provides information on a topic. 

Success Criteria: 

• I can extract key information from the article.  
• I can create rhyming sentences that incorporate this key information.  
• I can experiment, edit, rearrange and extend on these sentences to compose a poem.  

Essential knowledge: 

• More information about the impact of language choices on compositions can be found in the English Textual Concepts video Style. 

As students read the text, ask them to identify key pieces of information about damper. This could include aspects of its history (made at a campsite by stockmen), ingredients (water or milk), method (cooks quickly), or how it is eaten (butter, honey or nothing at all).  

After students have read the article, ask the class to brainstorm a list of information about mangoes. This could include considerations of colour, texture, taste, the season it grows and ways to prepare it.  

With the class brainstorm about mangoes on display, play The Vegetable Plot’s song Mango. Ask students to listen for information about mangoes. Also ask them to list words that rhyme with, or sound like mango (e.g. charango, tango, yo, grow, calypso, mambo, Django). Tick the information that is covered in the song (e.g. mangoes grow in summer, they can be turned into drinks and ice creams and there are many ways to peel them). 

Return to the article about dampers. Explain to students that they will create rhyming sentences about damper and share them as a class. Then, they will individually turn these rhyming sentences into a short song or poem through the editing process.  

Using the RhymeZone dictionary students create sentences about damper with rich rhyme. Challenge students to be creative, but to also include some sentences that contain information about damper. For example: A group of campers like to eat damper (informative); Damper repels all the vampyrs (creative). Use Padlet to create a virtual wall displaying these rhyming sentences.  

Once students have completed their sentences, read the Padlet contributions as they appear to the class. Explain to students that these sentences lack clarity, and there is little connection or flow between ideas.  

Ask students to select their favourite sentences and edit them for meaning. This may include altering the words, rearranging their order or extending upon them.  

Finally, call for volunteers to present their poems. Should they wish to turn them into a song, they could copy the rhythm of The Vegetable Plot.