Dynamite Diamante Poetry

Overview

Featured Resources

From Theory to Practice

 

OVERVIEW

Engaging activities teach basic grammar concepts while developing vocabulary and spelling proficiency. Several amusing and informative grammar-themed picture books supply read-aloud examples for a review of nouns and adjectives and an introduction to gerunds. Students themselves refer to the books from the list of materials, plus appropriate dictionaries and glossaries, as they engage in a word-sort activity that provides practice in the spelling changes that can occur when verbs are turned into gerunds. Diamante poems are introduced through handouts and websites, and students compose original, structured poems in this form—first as a class and then independently—using an online interactive tool.

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FEATURED RESOURCES

Diamante Poems: Students use this interactive writing tool to create a diamante poem about a topic of interest.

 

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FROM THEORY TO PRACTICE

Bloodgood, J.W., & Pacifici, L.C. (2004). Bringing word study to intermediate classrooms. The Reading Teacher, 58(3), 250–263.

• Many teachers do not include word study in their instruction, thinking that it is supplemental to the key elements of spelling instruction. However, word study builds vocabulary and increases spelling accuracy, contributing to overall word knowledge and reading and writing skills.
  
  
• Students are more excited about word study when it is presented in an engaging manner, usually by integrating it into other activities that demonstrate its importance and allow students to make connections to real reading and writing activities.
  
  
• The more teachers integrate word study into their curriculum, the more comfortable they become with it. This deepens their understanding of how to make changes so it to fits individual lessons.

 

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