Ohio Resource Center
[blank]
Lessons
Acrostic Poems: All About Me and My Favorite Things
Discipline
Reading
Grades
Kindergarten, 1, 2
Share This Resource
Add To ORC Collection Share via Email Share on Facebook Tweet This Resource Pin it!
Go To Resource >>
Professional Commentary

In this lesson, students write free-verse acrostic poems about themselves using the letters of their names to begin each line. They then write an additional poem about something that is important to them, also using the letters of that word for the beginning of each line. Students revise and edit both poems, then recopy and illustrate them. The activity uses creative writing as a way for students to apply their knowledge of spelling and phonemic awareness. (author/ncl)


Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts
Kindergarten–Grade 5
Reading: Literature
Kindergarten
Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity
RL.K.10 
Actively engage in group reading activities with purpose and understanding.
Grade 1
Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity
RL.1.10 
With prompting and support, read prose and poetry of appropriate complexity for grade 1.
Grade 2
Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity
RL.2.10 
By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature, including stories and poetry, in the grades 2–3 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.
Reading: Foundational Skills
Kindergarten
Phonological Awareness
RF.K.2 
Demonstrate understanding of spoken words, syllables, and sounds (phonemes).
  1. Recognize and produce rhyming words.
  2. Count, pronounce, blend, and segment syllables in spoken words.
  3. Blend and segment onsets and rimes of single-syllable spoken words.
  4. Isolate and pronounce the initial, medial vowel, and final sounds (phonemes) in three-phoneme (consonent-vowel-consonent, or CVC) words.* (This does not include CVCs ending with /l/, /r/, or /x/.)
  5. Add or substitute individual sounds (phonemes) in simple, one-syllable words to make new words.
Phonics and Word Recognition
RF.K.3 
Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words.
  1. Demonstrate basic knowledge of one-to-one letter-sound correspondences by producing the primary or many of the most frequent sound for each consonant.
  2. Associate the long and short sounds with common spellings (graphemes) for the five major vowels.
  3. Read common high-frequency words by sight (e.g., the, of, to, you, she, my, is, are, do, does).
  4. Distinguish between similarly spelled words by identifying the sounds of the letters that differ.
Fluency
RF.K.4 
Read emergent-reader texts with purpose and understanding.
Grade 1
Phonological Awareness
RF.1.2 
Demonstrate understanding of spoken words, syllables, and sounds (phonemes).
  1. Distinguish long from short vowel sounds in spoken single-syllable words.
  2. Orally produce single-syllable words by blending sounds (phonemes), including consonant blends.
  3. Isolate and pronounce initial, medial vowel, and final sounds (phonemes) in spoken single-syllable words.
  4. Segment spoken single-syllable words into their complete sequence of individual sounds (phonemes).
Phonics and Word Recognition
RF.1.3 
Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words.
  1. Know the spelling-sound correspondences for common consonant digraphs.
  2. Decode regularly spelled one-syllable words.
  3. Know final -e and common vowel team conventions for representing long vowel sounds.
  4. Use knowledge that every syllable must have a vowel sound to determine the number of syllables in a printed word.
  5. Decode two-syllable words following basic patterns by breaking the words into syllables.
  6. Read words with inflectional endings.
  7. Recognize and read grade-appropriate irregularly spelled words.
Fluency
RF.1.4 
Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension.
  1. Read on-level text with purpose and understanding.
  2. Read on-level text orally with accuracy, appropriate rate, and expression on successive readings.
  3. Use context to confirm or self-correct word recognition and understanding, rereading as necessary.
Grade 2
Phonics and Word Recognition
RF.2.3 
Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words.
  1. Distinguish long and short vowels when reading regularly spelled one-syllable words.
  2. Know spelling-sound correspondences for additional common vowel teams.
  3. Decode regularly spelled two-syllable words with long vowels.
  4. Decode words with common prefixes and suffixes.
  5. Identify words with inconsistent but common spelling-sound correspondences.
  6. Recognize and read grade-appropriate irregularly spelled words.
Fluency
RF.2.4 
Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension.
  1. Read on-level text with purpose and understanding.
  2. Read on-level text orally with accuracy, appropriate rate, and expression on successive readings.
  3. Use context to confirm or self-correct word recognition and understanding, rereading as necessary.
Language
Kindergarten
Vocabulary Acquisition and Use
L.K.4 
Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on kindergarten reading and content.
  1. Identify new meanings for familiar words and apply them accurately (e.g., knowing duck is a bird and learning the verb to duck).
  2. Use the most frequently occurring inflections and affixes (e.g., -ed, -s, re-, un-, pre-, -ful, -less) as a clue to the meaning of an unknown word.
L.K.5 
With guidance and support from adults, explore word relationships and nuances in word meanings.
  1. Sort common objects into categories (e.g., shapes, foods) to gain a sense of the concepts the categories represent.
  2. Demonstrate understanding of frequently occurring verbs and adjectives by relating them to their opposites (antonyms).
  3. Identify real-life connections between words and their use (e.g., note places at school that are colorful).
  4. Distinguish shades of meaning among verbs describing the same general action (e.g., walk, march, strut, prance) by acting out the meanings.
L.K.6 
Use words and phrases acquired through conversations, reading and being read to, and responding to texts.
Grade 1
Vocabulary Acquisition and Use
L.1.4 
Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grade 1 reading and content, choosing flexibly from an array of strategies.
  1. Use sentence-level context as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase.
  2. Use frequently occurring affixes as a clue to the meaning of a word.
  3. Identify frequently occurring root words (e.g., look) and their inflectional forms (e.g., looks, looked, looking).
L.1.5 
With guidance and support from adults, demonstrate understanding of word relationships and nuances in word meanings.
  1. Sort words into categories (e.g., colors, clothing) to gain a sense of the concepts the categories represent.
  2. Define words by category and by one or more key attributes (e.g., a duck is a bird that swims; a tiger is a large cat with stripes).
  3. Identify real-life connections between words and their use (e.g., note places at home that are cozy).
  4. Distinguish shades of meaning among verbs differing in manner (e.g., look, peek, glance, stare, glare, scowl) and adjectives differing in intensity (e.g., large, gigantic) by defining or choosing them or by acting out the meanings.
L.1.6 
Use words and phrases acquired through conversations, reading and being read to, and responding to texts, including using frequently occurring conjunctions to signal simple relationships (e.g., because).
Grade 2
Vocabulary Acquisition and Use
L.2.4 
Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grade 2 reading and content, choosing flexibly from an array of strategies.
  1. Use sentence-level context as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase.
  2. Determine the meaning of the new word formed when a known prefix is added to a known word (e.g., happy/unhappy, tell/retell).
  3. Use a known root word as a clue to the meaning of an unknown word with the same root (e.g., addition, additional).
  4. Use knowledge of the meaning of individual words to predict the meaning of compound words (e.g., birdhouse, lighthouse, housefly; bookshelf, notebook, bookmark).
  5. Use glossaries and beginning dictionaries, both print and digital, to determine or clarify the meaning of words and phrases.
L.2.5 
Demonstrate understanding of word relationships and nuances in word meanings.
  1. Identify real-life connections between words and their use (e.g., describe foods that are spicy or juicy).
  2. Distinguish shades of meaning among closely related verbs (e.g., toss, throw, hurl) and closely related adjectives (e.g., thin, slender, skinny, scrawny).
L.2.6 
Use words and phrases acquired through conversations, reading and being read to, and responding to texts, including using adjectives and adverbs to describe (e.g., When other kids are happy that makes me happy).
Ohio English Language Arts Standards (2001)
Writing Process Standard
Benchmarks (K–2)
D.
Use revision strategies and resources to improve ideas and content, organization, word choice and detail.
G.
Publish writing samples for display or sharing with others, using techniques such as electronic resources and graphics.
Grade Level Indicators (Grade Kindergarten)
7.
Reread own writing.
9.
Rewrite and illustrate writing samples for display and for sharing with others.
Grade Level Indicators (Grade 1)
9.
Reread own writing for clarity.
10.
Add descriptive words and details.
11.
Use resources (e.g., a word wall, beginner's dictionary, word bank) to select effective vocabulary.
Writing Applications Standard
Grade Level Indicators (Grade Kindergarten)
4.
Dictate or write informal writings for various purposes.
Grade Level Indicators (Grade 1)
4.
Produce informal writings (e.g., messages, journals, notes and poems) for various purposes.