Grade 5 Language Arts Activity - Teaching Alliteration and Onomatopoeia

This Grade 5 language arts activity has students pick an object and list examples of alliteration and onomatopoeia that describe their object. These words can be added to a word wall at the end of the lesson. The students will then use the words they have gathered to create a poem using alliteration and onomatopoeia literary devices.

I chose to do this activity about my corrective eyeglasses for my near-sightedness (myopia, where light focuses in front of the retina), which requires a concave, divergent lens. This means that lens will diverge (spread) the light coming through and pushes the light back towards the retina.

Here is a picture of my glasses, which I wear only sometimes (like when I'm sitting in the 'nosebleed' section of the Rogers Centre in Toronto).

Fun with Alliteration and Onomatopoeia

Name your object: Eyeglasses

List some examples of alliteration that describe the object above, make sure to use the same consonant sound to begin each word;

Clear	Crafted
Crisp	Coated
Corrective	Costly
Convergent	Crystalline
Crystal-clear	Concave
Conductive	Convex

List some examples of onomatopoeia that describe the sounds your object could make:

Crack	Bam
Clunk	Boink
Smash	Clatter
Scratch	Click
Thud	Clink
Whack	Plunk

Use the words above, create a poem in the box below that describe your object:

My Captivating Corrective Eyeglasses Clear, crisp, and well-crafted My corrective lens is concave and divergent I carefully move the arms back which causes a CLICK And comfortably clunk the glasses on my nose The camel in the distance becomes so crystal-clear That a caterpillar can be seen crawling along its cranium THUD! I was so captivated by the camel That I cluelessly tripped and crashed into the concrete BAM, SMASH, CLINK, CRACK, CLATTER, CRACK My once crystalline glasses become convoluted and cracked Everything becomes cloudy and cluttered I commend the creator of such a crafty invention Because I clearly need the correction To comprehend the crispness of every crevice and crack Whether the lens is concave, convex, convergent or divergent Corrective eyeglasses capture all of the captivating colours That make the world so beautiful!

Understanding Gears by Design

 As a student, I have always found that I learn best by doing. Creating an authentic product that students can feel proud of will give them the confidence to take on their own projects in the future. It also becomes more meaningful to them. Answering questions from a textbook does not give a student much appreciation for what they have accomplished. Adding a 'Great Job!' sticker with a 100% in big bold letters  cannot compare to the feeling of accomplishment one experiences when one applies their knowledge to design a real product that they can then use. With this is mind, here is a fun way for students to learn about how gears work by designing a gear system of their own.

Group activity for the Grade 4 level
Designing a gear system using corrugated cardboard in groups of 3:

•  Can use cardboard boxes to do this activity (key is that corrugated cardboard should have a length of 12 inches perpendicular to the lines of the corrugate lines à this is to ensure that gear ‘teeth’ are of adequate length). Corrugate cardboard can be revealed by peeling off paper 
• Materials Needed:
  -        X-Acto knives (if allowed, otherwise prepare corrugated carboard beforehand)
  -        Cardboard boxes
  -        Pins
  -        Scissors
  -        Pencil
  -        Compass (to make circles for gear wheels)
  -        Glue
  -        Scotch tape

1. Use the compass to draw circles on one part of the corrugated cardboard (suggested sizes to start out with: 1 inch diameter, 2 inch diameter, and 3 inch diameter)

2. Make a mark in the middle of the circle with the compass as circle is being drawn
3. Cut the circles

4. Cut across the wavy corrugates (perpendicular to the lines) at least 3/16 inch thick but no more than 1/4 inch thick

5. Line the thin strip along the circle and snip off at the ends so that the gear teeth match up nicely TIP: the ‘teeth’ of the gears should be uniform when putting the ends of a strip of corrugated cardboard together (e.g. teeth should be separated by a space) à Corrugates should mesh together so that the wheels turn easily
6. Glue the outer edge of the circle along the circumference
7. Use tape to hold edge of gears until glue is dried
8. Push pins will put in the middle of the circle to attach the gear to the cardboard backing
9. To make a handle just place a pin on the outer edge of a circle 

  TIP: If student finishes early… He/she can add tape to the pins at the back (if they went through the cardboard) that will lock the gear wheels in place 

Assessment Strategies for the Junior Level

Some sample assessment strategies that a teacher might use include:
- Classroom observations
- Anecdotal notes
- Conferences
- Checklists
- Miscue analyses
- Running records
- Informal reading inventories
- Portfolios
- Self-assessments


I believe that miscue analyses are an excellent assessment strategy for students’ reading. As a tutor, I could immediately employ this strategy in order to chart patterns in a student’s oral reading errors (e.g. overuse of first letter cues). An error analysis could also be used in other subjects such as math. For example, teachers could work one-on-one with a particular students as they complete a few math problems while recording errors made in the process. Therefore, teachers would be able to recognize exactly where the misunderstanding is coming from (e.g. use of the wrong formula, addition/subtraction errors, etc.) and will be able to provide appropriate instruction/activities to aid the student immediately (assessment for learning).

Another great way to assess student learning is through conferences. Conferencing is an excellent way to begin the process of metacognition and self-assessment in students. They can make judgments about what they believe their strengths and weaknesses are, while teachers LISTEN to ensure the student knows what to do next. Using small groups of students for revising/assessing work can be great way to facilitate peer teaching and feedback.

Portfolios are another excellent means of assessment (for, as and of).
Portfolios will ensure that students can reflect on their accomplishments as they maintain a record of their assignments, tests, projects, artwork, etc. This can lead to increased self-esteem as they see the gradual improvement in the quality of their work. Another great aspect of portfolios is that they use many different mediums (e.g. audiotapes, videos, writing, art samples, etc.) to demonstrate student learning and achievement. Portfolios should be student-centred, thus they will be the ones to choose which samples be placed in portfolios (teachers can use work folders for other work). Since they must choose which samples represent their strengths and which represent their weaknesses, they become metacognitively aware.

Cross-curricular Learning at the Junior Level

Noting the similarities between the Ontario learning documents for the Junior Division allows teachers to create cross-curricular lessons. Cross-curricular lessons have enormous benefits for student learning as students will be able to make connections between the different subjects. For example, in the math curriculum document it states that “literacy skills can play an important role in student success in mathematics”. Explanations of reasoning when solving math problems could integrate aspects of the language arts curriculum.

In the science learning document, the Understanding Structures and Mechanisms unit even states that “connections can be made to the Grade 4 social studies topic Heritage and Citizenship: Medieval Times”. Pulleys and gears have been used for a long time and the class could build a medieval times model of a pulley/gear (e.g. catapult) to be compared with more modern forms (e.g. elevator). Therefore, teachers could prepare a lesson that teaches students history and science at the same time. They will also be able use previous learning from one subject to supplement new learning from another.

In the learning documents under ‘Cross-curricular and Integrated Learning’ sections, it states that “linking expectations from different subject areas [provides] students with multiple opportunities to reinforce and demonstrate their knowledge and skills in a range of settings”. This increases assessment opportunities for teachers so that teachers can provide necessary instruction where the student really needs it (e.g. if he/she is weak in language arts, but strong in science and technology, problem-solving questions can assess both subjects simultaneously). Teachers can also note any differences between the documents, which can ensure that they modify their instruction for a particular subject accordingly. For example, the Application of knowledge and skills for Science and Technology includes the safe use of equipment, which is not applicable for Language. Teachers will be able to determine what general skills (e.g. inquiry/research skills) should emphasised during their lessons as they may be applicable to different subjects. I wonder if one day teaching ‘Subjects’ will become an outdated approach in favour of cross-curricular teaching.