How to Write a Diamond Poem

Objective

This is a good poem format to help teach adjectives, verbs, and nouns.

Method

Line 1 - a one word noun
Line 2 - 2 adjectives that describe the noun
Line 3 - 3 verbs that the noun does
Line 4 - 4 things (nouns) that the top noun and the bottom noun has
Line 5 - 3 verbs that the bottom noun does
Line 6 - 2 adjectives that the describes the bottom noun
Line 7 - a one word noun that is opposite the top noun

Example:

cat

             furry, silky

       sleeping, purring, meowing

    tail,   fur,    tongue,   collar

       barking, playing, licking

            friendly, big

dog

Another example:

Peace

quiet, open

playing, singing, dancing

vacation, parties, noise, rockets

firing, running, crying

scary, destructive

WAR

1. Ideas for writing activities:

a. Describe ONE day during the war.

b. Describe something/somewhere/someone that I will never forget (e.g. something wonderful that happened, something particularly difficult, something funny)

c. Write letters to the parents of siblings of the Lone Soldiers who were killed.

d. Write letters to lone soldiers who were injured.

e. Write a letter to a child their age in Gaza.

f. Write a letter to a child in the south asking questions. Questions can first be brainstormed in class relating to the past, present and/or future.

g. Write an imaginary letter to someone their age abroad, explaining some element of the war.

h. Bring a selection of Janusz Korczak quotes about war and children. Discuss, and offer students to write their own credo on the rights of children. You may want to refer to the UNICEF Fact Sheet on the Rights of Children. Collect the students’ writing to post on a bulletin board in the school.

i. Something that I was worried about during the war was…..

j. Write blogs/diaries/accounts about what they did during the war. Students can use Blogger www.blogger.com or write their diary/account in a Google document.

k. Ask your students to read about Operation Protective Edge – in pictures. Ask your students to choose one of the pictures that is especially interesting to them and describe it in a few sentences. Students can create a shared PowerPoint Presentation.

l. Distribute newspaper photos taken during Operation Protective Edge. Allow students to choose and write about memories or feeling they experienced this summer.

m. Ask pupils to bring the pictures, discuss them in groups and write a reaction to them. Students can use a Google shared Power Point Presentation.

2. Have your students make a Prezi http://prezi.com/index/2/ or a PowerPoint Presentation about the events of the war, using pictures and famous quotations (weaker pupils can be given the quote while stronger ones can be sent to biographical sites to find them for themselves). Other ideas include having your students express how they feel today. Where they were when the sirens caught them. How they coped while a family member was serving in tzahal in Gaza. They should try and use colors, pictures, words, sounds, music to express their emotions.

3. In elementary school, put a small book together that talks through, in very simple English what happened, and end with the hope for quiet in our times. You can use Padlet http://padlet.com/ in which all the students in the class collaborate.

4. Ideas for creative writing (Students can use Voki http://www.voki.com/create.php in which students write or record themselves:

a. A day in the life told by:

i. an animal left on one of the kibbutzim in the South;

ii. a missile that did not explode;

iii. the safe room itself;

iv. a shelter that was used to having tons of people in it, and now everything is quiet and boring;

v. the sofa in the living room that is sick and tired of seeing basically the same newscasters all day and most of the night;

vi. a fly on the wall in the Prime Minister’s office

vii. the border;

viii. a jeep;

ix. a pizza delivery to the soldiers on the border;

x. ANYTHING!!!

b. If I were Prime Minister of Israel I would…..

c. Our life without:

i. the Iron Dome

ii. a strong army

iii. good doctors

d. Writing a letter to a former leader of Israel telling him / her about the situation

e. 50 years from now

f. Write a poem in English and record yourself reading it. Add personal photos to the poem and write captions like in a scrap book. Students can use Voicethread http://voicethread.com/

5. Have your students explain how this operation affected their lives. Students can use this site http://padlet.com/wall/ca8j2g2v895q to collaborate with their friends and share their pictures and files.

6. In Hebrew the operation is called מבצע צוק איתן. Ask your students why they think Israel decided to call it in English Operation Protective Edge?

7. Many people around the world object to Israel's operation. Have the students use their smartphones and create a video in which they explain to the world why this operation is justified. Students can upload their video to YouTube only with their parents' consent.

8. Talk about ways to express emotions. For example, we use language, facial expression, and body movement to share ideas and feelings with others. Divide students into small groups and ask each group to make a human sculpture of emotions. They may integrate movement, poetry, a slogan, or more! Allow student input for defining the task.

9. Raid the school arts and crafts cupboard. Bring a selection of paper, clay, wire, glue, panda, chalk, pencils, water-colors, etc. to class, and lay them out for use. You may want to spur them to work, by bringing any of the conversation topics listed in the other sections on this page. Likewise, you may want to allow this as an alternate activity to the writing or discussion scenarios suggested here.

10. Find photos of people volunteering and gathering donations to the soldiers in Gaza. Have your students create a collage of photos, slogans and posters of Israel during the operation. Ask them how does that make them feel?

11. Racism and Hate-Crimes around the world: Discuss the importance of the existence of Israel, and the recent increase in anti-semitism.

12. Discuss the use and abuse of the media by special interest groups with an agenda. Include the meaning of propaganda, outlining its effects.

13. Discuss the use and abuse of social networks, the pros and cons. Ask your students how they feel about seeing talkbacks and posts?

14. Discuss the rules of engagement rules of negotiation, and war. What is the role of the United Nations, The Geneva Convention UNICEF, etc?

15. Talk about how Israel was unified with our soldiers in Gaza: people volunteered, donated and visited. Ask your students how that made them feel and do they think that unification will continue after the operation is over?

16. Use quotations as a means to open discussion. Copy several “war quotes” such as the ones below onto large cards or posters:

a. “Never think that war, no matter how necessary, nor how justified, is not a crime.” – Ernest Hemingway

b. “I don’t think there is such a thing as a good war. There are sometimes necessary wars. And I think one might say just wars. And I never questioned the necessity of that war. And I still do not question it. It was something that had to be done.” – Sam Hynes, THE WAR

c. “The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him.” ― G.K. Chesterton

d. “War is what happens when language fails.” ― Margaret Atwood

17. Many more quotes can be found on: http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/war

a. Spread them around the classroom.

b. Ask students to read all the quotes, choose one, stand next to the one he or she chose and explain why they chose the specific quote.

18. Suggested links:

· http://4h.missouri.edu/programs/military/resources/manual/reactions-and-guidelines-for-children.pdf

· http://www.nctsnet.org/nctsn_assets/pdfs/edu_materials/HATS2ndEdition.pdf

· https://www.teachervision.com/creative-writing/printable/62002.html

· http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/profdev051.shtml#sthash.7WVJNKag.dpuf

· http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/profdev051.shtml

· http://www.abc.net.au/btn/v3/teachers/downloads/warandconflict.pdf