All About Me – Digital Acrostic Poetry
Purpose
For students to:
- use word-processing software and a digital camera to compose an acrostic poem that expresses themselves
- identify and communicate their strengths and interests confidently.
Level
Middle primary
Essential learning areas
Health and physical education
Essential skills
Communication, social and cooperative
Strands
Health and physical education
Personal health and physical development, level 2
Relationships with other people, level 2
Participants
Year 3–4 students
Description
This learning experience was part of a health unit called 'All about me'. The
students had engaged in activities to explore their strengths, interests, relationships,
and interactions with others. During this experience the students took digital
photographs of each other and used Microsoft
Word to create an acrostic
poem that described themselves.
Teaching and learning sequence
- The class were shown how to take photographs with a digital camera.
- In pairs the students took photographs of each other in the playground. They were encouraged to be creative with their shots.
- The teacher showed several students how to download photos on to the computer. These students took on the role of 'experts' and helped to teach each pair how to download their photos and save them on the server.
- The students followed written instructions on how to insert their photograph in a Word document, and resize it. The 'experts' supported them with this process.
-
View instructions: How
to insert your photograph (Word 38KB)
- Each student then wrote an acrostic poem about themselves. They selected words beginning with each letter in their name to describe themselves. They typed their poem beneath their photograph in the Word document.
-
View students poems: Super
Ashleigh (Word 177KB), Upside
down Anastasia (Word 266KB), Relaxation (Word
231KB), Sitting Jeremy (Word
180KB), Time to go (Word
261KB), The flying king (Word 261KB).
- The students printed out their poems and shared them with the class. The poems were also used as a title page for their profile books.
Evaluation
The information and communication technology (ICT) involved in this learning
experience provided the students with a new medium for expressing themselves.
This experience was both motivating and meaningful for the students. It helped
to stimulate discussion and reflective thinking about how they viewed themselves.
The students were enthusiastic about sharing the finished product with others.
Resources
Digital camera
Computers (PC and a Mac)
Microsoft Word (http://office.microsoft.com/en-au/assistance/CH790018161033.aspx)
How to insert
your photograph (Word 38KB)
Super Ashleigh (Word 177KB)
Upside down Anastasia (Word 266KB)
Relaxation (Word 231KB)
Sitting Jeremy (Word 180KB)
Time to go (Word 261KB)
The flying king (Word 261KB)
Authors
Janet Cummings