Arts & Humanities
--Language Arts
--Visual Arts
Educational Technology
3-12
Students use a selection of alliterative phrases to create a wall or ceiling hanging.
English, language arts, alliteration, wall hanging, vocabulary, word bank, technology
Note: This lesson applies specifically to English language arts, but it can be modified or applied to other subject areas or age groups that would benefit from a richer understanding of abstract language concepts. For example, the lesson also can be used in beginner foreign language classes on all levels.
Introduce alliterative phrases and have students read a range of phrases aloud. Discuss the concept of alliteration as a class. Play a brief game: Put a word on the board and ask who can think of the most alliterative phrases. Ask students how they recognize an alliteration and what impact such a phrase has. Encourage them to write or type some of their own alliterative phrases, making use of current vocabulary words and using a dictionary or thesaurus as appropriate.
Next, outline the project and the objective of creating alliterative wall-hangings using cards that include a series of alliterative phrases, such as "curious cat," "crystal clear" and "crazy color."
As a class, investigate the design software program you will use for the project. Digital Scrapbook Artist Compact, for example, enables users to set background colors and materials, to use a variety of fonts for typing text, and to embellish projects with a variety of digital graphics, including ribbons, buttons, swatches of glitter, rope, or zippers.
Assign individual students or groups to consider what words they will use for the project. Set parameters that align with your instructional goals, including whether they should use words from a particular unit, how many alliterative phrases they should illustrate (three to four are suggested), or whether alliterations should be based on a theme ("fall foliage") or social studies concept ("hometown helpers").
Ask students to begin a new document with the software and create a page roughly 4.25 inches high and 8.5 inches wide. Have students set their background colors and/or themes, and use text or freeform paint or drawing features to add the alliterative phrases to the page. Encourage them to add a few digital graphics to their page to help illustrate the phrase (a collar tag, mouse, or fish bone for "curious cat," for example). Digital Scrapbook Artist provides many scanned items for placement, and allows users to use any digital image saved on their computers. Remind students not to crowd their designs with too many elements. Encourage them to explore their own creativity while adding embellishments to their work by copying, pasting, flipping, rotating, or resizing the digital objects and images. Have students repeat the process as many times as necessary -- one page for each phrase.
Print each page, ideally on stiff paper or card stock. Laminate each page if you have the time and equipment. Have students make a hole in the top and bottom of each page with scissors or a hole-punch, and then thread the pages together using string, wool, (safe) wire, or another appropriate material.
Display the hangings from ceilings or bulletin boards, or save them as flash-card like reminders and word banks for referral in future lessons.
Teaching Tips and Differentiation
Teacher Resources:
Students' grades should be based on this grading rubric:
Originally published 05/04/2010
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