A literacy activity that uses acrostic poetry to look at the language and imagery that places evoke.

KEY QUESTION: What do you think and feel about where you live?

 

Background

This is a short activity in which learners use the name of their place to write acrostic poems about their local area. This familiar technique works by simply writing the place name vertically, and beginning each line of the poem with a letter from the place name, as in these examples from a Google web search for ‘acrostic poems place’ below.

NEW YORK

N ew York is a state in the Mid-Atlantic
E ach of the 5 Borough are the best
W hether it’s in the East or the West

Y oung and old come each year
O ne by one they rejoice with cheer
R est they do not as there is much to see
K ing of cities is N.Y.C.

SOUTH AFRICA

S unny and hot
O ranges growing
U mbrellas are never up
T rees as tall as Big Ben
H otels are very posh

A mazing and exotic
F ull of animals
R ich in gold and diamonds
I nsects all around
C olourful costumes
A nybody should be in South Africa

AFRICA

A rchaeologists dig in the ruins,
F resh fruits dangle from the trees,
R ainforests glimmer against the sun,
I ncredible paintings you may see,
C atastrophic illnesses cower over many people,
Ancient cultures linger there still.

By age 9 learner, Stapleford Community Primary School (used with permission).