Career research and acrostic poetry
In this lesson for grade 6, each student will research a chosen career and will use the information to create an acrostic poem.
An activity for grade 6 English Language Arts
Provided by CareerStart
Learning outcomes
Students will use the internet to research the career of their choice and will create an acrostic poem based on their research.
Teacher planning
Materials needed
- Student handouts:
- Career list handout
- “Guidelines for Researching a Career” handout
- Sample acrostic handout
- Computer with LCD projector
- Student computers with internet access (Portable computer lab, class computer lab, or media center computers)
- Blank paper for acrostic
- Pencil
- Art supplies for decorating acrostic (optional)
Time required for lesson
Approximately 70 minutes
Homework time may be needed for students to complete their acrostics.
Procedure
- Give students a copy of the career list handout and the “Guidelines for Researching a Career” handout. Discuss the different occupations and how they correlate with the students’ personal multiple intelligence areas. (5 min)
- Using the LCD projector, show the students the “Occupational Outlook Handbook” website. Tell the students they will be using the website to complete the “Guidelines for Researching a Career” handout.
- Demonstrate using the site by typing the word “surgeon” into the search box in the upper right corner of the web page. Click on “Physicians and Surgeons.” Briefly introduce students to the information categories provided on the page, ensuring that they understand what each heading means.
- Hand out the sample acrostic. Show the students how the acrostic was created using information from the “Physicians and Surgeons” page on the website, and tell them they will use the site to research a selected career and create an acrostic about it. Instruct students to choose an occupation from the career list. (15-20 minutes max.)
- Assign each student to a computer and allow them to begin researching and recording information. Instructions for using the website appear on the student handout: “You may type your career title into the search box in the upper-right corner of the page or go to the ‘A-Z Index’ and find it alphabetically.” Remind students to completely finish their “Guidelines for Researching a Career” handouts before starting their acrostics. (30 min)
- When the “Guidelines” handout is completed, students may begin working on their acrostics. (10 min.) Homework time will probably be needed if the teacher would like the students to submit acrostics in color or with illustrations.
- Have students present their acrostic poems the next day in class.
North Carolina Curriculum Alignment
English Language Arts (2004)
Grade 6
- Goal 2: The learner will explore and analyze information from a variety of sources.
- Objective 2.01: Explore informational materials that are read, heard, and/or viewed by:
- monitoring comprehension for understand of what is read, heard, and/or viewed.
- studying the characteristics of informational works.
- restating and summarizing information.
- determining the importance and accuracy of information.
- making connections between works, self and related topics/information.
- comparing and/or contrasting information.
- drawing inferences and/or conclusions.
- generating questions.
- Objective 2.01: Explore informational materials that are read, heard, and/or viewed by:
