We have been working on figurative language in our class and poetry was the best place to practice using similes, metaphors, idioms, personification, etc. Last week we used the Where I'm From poem to really begin our study with figurative language, but this week students had to work in a more independent fashion with an I Am poem.
Normally, the I Am poems that I have seen have focused on the repetitive line of "I am..." But, I wanted to mix things up a bit. One of my former students posted a beautiful example of an I am poem she wrote at her new school, so I decided to use her writing to spark my lessons.
Since Martin Luther King day was close, we read lots of books and watched video clips about MLK. Students pulled out words that described MLK. Many pulled out words such as minister, dreamer, etc. We then focused on diversity and how each student was a unique individual with traits that were valuable to our classroom.
Each student used the Notes app on our iPads and brainstormed words about themselves. Some students listed words like sister, brother, daughter, son, adventurer, student, Legobuilder, writer, etc.
We then used the WordFoto app on our iPad to import our list of words over a photograph.
When you begin the app, you have the option of taking a photo with the camera feature or using a photo from your camera roll.
Once the photo is chosen, tap the "T" at the bottom of the screen to add your word list. You are limited to 10 words in the list. Then tap the Back button to add them to your photo.
The final product of the photograph has blown me away! I wish I could show you the photograph of the kids, but I can't hide their faces, so you are stuck with mine :)
After we created the list of words, students then chose one for the topic of their I Am poem. The entire poem was focused on this one idea. Students created multiple stanzas that stretched the idea of who they were.
We are in the middle of working on these, so I don't have finished products, but I love the photograph and wanted to show you this app immediately!
After all of the poems are finished, we will put the photographs and poems into Book Creator to publish! Check out my post on Book Creator here.
I'm linking up for the first time with Technology Tailgate today!
Have a wonderful week!
This is SO cool, Shasta! Thank you so much for sharing. This would be great gift for kids to give to grandparents, too! Or, and end of the year project...oh the possibilities! Thanks for sharing :)
ReplyDeleteElizabeth
Fun in Room 4B