Subject: Language Arts
Grade(s): 3-8
Overview
Students respond to a photo or visual prompt using diamanté poetry.
Background
Diamanté is a form of poetry that is based on specific rules of structure. With seven lines total, each with either a series of nouns, verbs or adjectives, diamanté poems will provide excellent practice for using critical thinking skills.
The Activity
The teacher will explain and model the structure and process of writing a diamanté poem. Through the use of examples, students will start to understand how selecting appropriate and correct words will influence their ability to effectively answer a writing prompt or represent an image with words.
1. Find a photo:
Have students select a photo prompt of their interest in the Write About This app gallery.
From the selected photo, students can choose a leveled prompt or they can use the image only by de-selecting “text prompt” in the settings.
-or-
Students can use their own photo from the camera roll using the Quick Write button
2. Have students start with a noun that will help them answer the prompt or begin their topic.
3. Give students time to write each line of their poem, referring to the structure of a basic diamanté poem.
4. After students have completed a rough draft, give students time to revise the poem by reviewing the words they have selected. Invite them to use a thesaurus to find the best adjectives to articulate their ideas.
5. After students have had a chance revising, have them create a final draft to publish and share with the teacher and family members using the share options.
What’s Next
Supplementary activities include the following:
- Have students swap prompts/photos with a peer and respond with a diamanté poem.
- Ask students to respond to the same prompt in the form of another poetry form. This can include chi quaint, free verse, rhyme etc.
Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.
Acquire and use accurately a range of general academic and domain-specific words and phrases sufficient for reading, writing, speaking, and listening at the college and career readiness level; demonstrate independence in gathering vocabulary knowledge when encountering an unknown term important to comprehension or expression.
Lani deGuia is a teacher, instructional technologist, and social media manager. She has over 13 years of educational experience in traditional and online classroom settings for both K-12 and adult learners. She currently works in digital content and strategy for businesses and personally blogs at Rose Tinted Traveler.