"I Used to/but now" lesson plan - America SCORES

“I Used to, But Now….”
Poetry Buffet
Recommended Time: 1 Workshop
Objective
Students will write a poem about the difference between the way they
are now and the way they used to be.
Materials:
Journals and Pencils
A clock on the wall that is visible to the students
Literary Moment: “I Used to Be” by Mercedes Mesen
• Read the poem out loud.
• After you read, discuss the idea of personal changes with your
students: Do you feel like you’ve changed since last week Last
year Five years ago In what ways have you changed (physically,
interests, clothing, family, friends, etc)
Writing Time
Brainstorming
• Make two columns on the board that say “used to” and “now.”
Write a few examples for yourself- try to use figurative examples
and metaphors as well as literal examples.
• Elicit a few examples from the students. Prompt them with some
verbs they can use: read, dream of, look like, know, like, feel like,
want to be, wear, make, have, etc.
• Give the students about 10 minutes to make a list of “used to’s”
and “but now’s.”
• As they write, rotate through the classroom giving encouragement
and ideas for students who may be stuck.
Modeling
• Re-read Mercedes’ poem. Discuss her use of figurative languageis
she really a pencil What might she mean by that Why is she a
statue, when she used to dance
• Model how you could transform more literal changes into figurative
examples using your examples on the board.
Guided Practice
• Give the students about 10 minutes to work on their favorite “used
to/but now” phrases. Encourage them to experiment with more
figurative images.

• As they work, check that they are following with the format. In the
independent section, they will be able to use whatever structure
they’d like.
• Once they’re done, have a few volunteers read a line from their
poems. Offer feedback and elicit feedback from other students.
Independent Work
• Read “That’s Odd” by Joel London. Ask students if this is a “used
to/but now” poem. How is Joel’s structure different What do they
like about it
• Now it’s time for the students to take their poem and polish it,
expand it, or change it completely! Remind them that they can use
the “used to/but now” format as much or as little as they want.
• Give students about 10-15 minutes to work on their poems. Walk
around the classroom offering support and helping students who
may be stuck, but encourage them to develop their poems on
their own.
Author’s Chair
• It’s presentation time! You can help create a safe, encouraging
environment by reading a poem yourself, and always giving the
students the option to pass.
• After a student presents, have the other students provide positive
feedback: an image or rhyme they liked, any questions they have,
or something that reminded them of their own lives/changes. You
can first provide a model giving positive feed back to the first few
readers.
• In a circle, remind students of any upcoming events or projects for
the week (game days, soccer practice, writing class).
• Encourage students to consider reading their poem at a game day,
practicing beforehand to be the best they can be!

I Used to Be
Mercedes Mesen
Page 160, from Wishes, Lies, and Dreams; Teaching Children to Write
Poetry by Kenneth Koch
I used to be a desk but now I’m a pencil
I used to be hair but now I’m a head
I used to be a fish but now I’m a girl
I used to be a person but now I’m a dope
I used to be the sky but now I’m the ground
I used to dance but now I’m a statue
I was a square but now I’m a circle
I used to be a rose but now I’m a leaf
I used to be a boy but now I’m a a woman
I used to have a baby but now he’s a dog
I used to be a rope but now I jump
Yesterday Mr. Koch was a man and today he’s a boy
I used to be a cow but now I’m a horse
I used to be a paper but today I’m made of wood
I used to be big but now I’m large
That’s Odd
Joel London
Page 173, from Wishes…
I am very unusual. People call me odd and this is why
I used to cry when everyone else laughed
But now I laugh when everyone else cries
I used to be born in 1957
But now I’m born in 1857 because my birth certificate was
written wrong
I used to be married
But now I’m divorced
Yet today is my sixth birthday
I used to hate a person whose name I don’t want to mention
But now I still hate her
I used to throw water balloons
But now I don’t because one landed in a place I don’t want
to mention
I used to be able only to scream
But now all I can do is whisper because of a voice defect