Pre-class prep:  

Write one or two Diamantes on a large sheet of paper to show the class. You can find some online or write your own. 

On another sheet of paper, write out a blank Diamante template. (For individual poems, print out blank templates for each student to fill in on their own. Templates can be found in the .PDF version of this lesson.)  

Sequence of activities (self-paced):  

Share the poems with the class. Ask if they notice anything – hinting at the use of nouns/verbs/adjectives, and even the shape. 

With younger kids I abandoned the specificity of the nouns/verbs/adjectives, but with older kids who are learning these, it’s a good challenge. 

As a class, pick two words to be the beginning and end nouns. Depending on the grade level, there are many options here as well. You can focus on the words being antonyms or synonyms or simply pick two words that are related to each other. Brainstorm in the blanks! (You may have to repeat the definitions of nouns/verbs/adjectives throughout the brainstorm.) 

Example from Charmaine Friga’s 3rd Grade Class, Cavett Elementary School