Title – Creating Alliteration Wall Hangings

By – Robb Ponton

Primary Subject – Language Arts

Secondary Subject – Computers & Internet

Grade Level – 4-6

Full Title:

Engaging English

Create Alliteration Wall-Hangings to Excite Young Learners

Summary:

Elementary students can sometimes find language arts lessons hard
to grasp without visual clues to the meaning or common use of words and
phrases. Young learners often experiment with language while working on
imaginative tasks and during creative play. In this project, students will use
technology to effectively present a selection of alliterative phrases that can
be used to create an informative wall or ceiling hanging. The word bank will
become a vibrant classroom display. This unit will support English concepts
including alliteration and vocabulary and will support technology and
creative arts skills. They will draw on a combination of skills to communicate
and display their knowledge appropriately.

Subject Area:

This lesson applies specifically to English language arts,
but it can be modified or applied to other subject areas or age groups who
would benefit from a richer understanding of abstract language concepts.

Teacher Preparation:

• Gather and prepare supplies including one or many computers, paper on
  which to print student designs (stiff or card stock works best),
  age-appropriate scissors or hole-punch and wool, string or wire for hanging
  completed
  projects.
  
• You will need a creative design software program appropriate for
  elementary students, such as Serif’s free Digital Scrapbook Artist Compact
  (
  

  http://www.daisytrail.com/dsacompact

  
  ). Most programs will have tutorials to get
  you
  going quickly. Serif provides several classroom resources at
  

  http://www.serif.com/education

  
  .

• Prepare your own example alliteration wall-hangings which will enable you
  to give better support to students when they create theirs and will provide
  demonstration material to use during the main lesson activity.

Lesson Description:

Introduce alliterative phrases and have students read a range of phrases
aloud. Discuss the concept of alliteration together as a class. Play a brief
game, putting a word on the board as ask who can think of the most
alliterative phrases. Ask them 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, cards that include a series of phrases, such as “curious cat,”
“crystal clear” and “crazy color.”

Then, as a class, investigate the design software program you will be using
for the project. Digital Scrapbook Artist Compact, for example, enables you
to set background colors and materials, to use a variety of fonts for
typing text and to embellish your project with a wide variety of digital
graphics, from ribbons and buttons to swatches of glitter, rope or zippers.

Assign individual students or groups to consider which words they will be
using for the project. Set parameters that align with your instructive goals,
such as using particular words from a unit, how many alliterative phrases
they must illustrate (three to four are suggested) or creating alliterations
based on a certain theme such as a season (“fall foliage”) or social studies
concept (“hometown helpers”).

Ask the students to begin a new document with the software and create a
page roughly 4.25 inches high and 8.5 inches wide. Have them set their
background colors and/or themes. Use text or freeform paint or drawing features
to add their 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, for
instance, provides many scanned items for placement or allows you to use
any digital image saved on your computer. Remind students not to crowd their
design with too many elements. Encourage students to explore their own
creativity while adding embellishments to their work by copying, pasting,
flipping, rotating or resizing the digital objects and images. Have them repeat
the process; one page for each phrase.

Print out each page, ideally on stiff paper or card stock. Laminate each
page if you have the time and the equipment. Make a hole in the top and bottom
of each page with the scissors or a hole-puncher. Thread the pages together
using string, wool, (safe) wire or other 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.

Curriculum Standards:

This lesson addresses these

National Educational Technology Standards for Students

:
• Students use technology tools to enhance learning, increase productivity
  
  and promote creativity.
  
• Students demonstrate a sound understanding of technology concepts,
  
  systems and operations.
  
• Students apply digital tools to gather, evaluate and use information.

Grading Rubric:

Students’ grades should be based on:
• How effective was their display? Did they follow the project guidelines
  
  (such as using correct vocabulary words)?
  
• Did they demonstrate a grasp of the alliteration concept?
  
• Did they expand their technology skills?
  
• Did they develop their understanding of creative arts abilities?

Teaching Tips and Differentiation:

• As a variation, create wall-hangings with other types of words and
  phrases such as colloquial words, idioms or onomatopoetic words.
  
• This lesson can also be used in beginner foreign language classes on all
  levels.
  
• Experiment with different design elements when creating the hangings,
  whether with the software or by gluing physical embellishments, such as ribbon
  or other materials to the printed pages.
  
• To add onto the lesson, have students write a brief description of their
  alliterative phrases and what inspired them to create them. Ask if they can
  build longer phrases with three or four words?
  
• For students with special needs or remedial words, focus the lesson on
  the use of nouns, adjectives, or high frequency vocabulary or spelling words.
• For more advanced students, encourage them to use more complicated
  phrases or sophisticated design techniques (perhaps using the more advanced
  Digital Scrapbook Artist software).

Resources:

• Voices.net: Alliteration Poems from around the world,
  
  

  http://www.voicesnet.org/allpoemsonecategory.aspx?catid=AL0010

  
  

• American Folklore: Tongue Twisters,
  
  

  http://www.americanfolklore.net/tonguetwisters.html

  
  

• Answers.com: Alliteration References,
  
  

  http://www.answers.com/topic/alliteration

  
  

• Digital Scrapbook Artist introduction and basic skills tutorials,
  
  

  http://www.daisytrail.com/blog.html?post=30

Author Bio:

Robb Ponton has been teaching for more than 25 years. He is currently an instructional technology resource teacher for Williamsburg James City County Public Schools in Virginia and is a member of the board of directors for the
Virginia Society for Technology in Education.

E-Mail

Robb Ponton

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