Next, I explained the process of creating a Diamante poem, which consists of seven lines with a combination of nouns, adjectives, and verbs in the gerund form. I provided examples of nouns, adjectives, and verbs on the whiteboard, occasionally acting out the verbs and asking the students to guess. It was evident that the students thoroughly enjoyed this activity.

We then played two games. The first game, called "Do the Hand," required the students to make hand gestures corresponding to specific words. They formed a fist for nouns, a peace sign for verbs, and a high five for adjectives. Initially, they were a bit confused and took some time to respond, possibly because their brains were working hard to coordinate with their hand signals.

The second game was "Bingo." Each student drew a 3x3 grid and filled in each box with the words "NOUN," "VERB," or "ADJECTIVE." When I mentioned a word, such as "glass," they crossed out the corresponding category (noun), and if I said "beautiful," they crossed out the adjective category. The first student to yell "Bingo!" became the winner.

Afterward, it was time for the students to create their own poems. We worked together in their activity books, focusing on the theme of transportation. We decided to create an antonym Diamante poem, comparing a train and a plane. I facilitated a discussion and helped them when they encountered difficulties.

Here is the Diamante poem we created together:

Train 

Long, straight 

Whistling, speeding, thundering 

Smoke, tracks, wings, clouds 

Flying, soaring, jetting 

Large, fast 

Plane

I then distributed Diamante planning sheets that I found on Google and printed out. These sheets were particularly useful for beginners as they provided clues below the dotted line, guiding students on whether to write a noun, adjective, or verb.

To assist them in creating their own Diamante poems, I listed several themes on the whiteboard and allowed them to make their own choices. Some of the themes included sports like Badminton vs Football, objects like Chair vs Sofa, and places like River vs Sea.

I encouraged the students to use a dictionary to find suitable words. Here are some Diamante poems created by my students:

 

If you need more theme suggestions, here are a few additional ideas:

1. Places: School vs Home, Sea vs River, Town vs Village, Malaysia vs Indonesia
2. Things: Television vs Laptop, Water vs Fire, Cup vs Glass
3. Animals: Frogs vs Giraffes, Fish vs Birds
4. Fruits: Orange vs Banana, Watermelon vs Grape
5. Vehicles: Train vs Boat, Car vs Bicycle, Bus vs Van
6. Sports: Tennis vs Pingpong, Fencing vs Taekwondo
7. Food: KFC vs McDonald's, Noodles vs Pizza, Nasi Lemak vs Roti Canai

Lastly, I'd like to share a few Diamante poems I created myself:

                                                       Nasi Lemak 

                                                     Fragrant, spicy 

                                            Wrapping, frying, squeezing 

                                                 Rice, paste, flour, curry 

                                             Rolling, kneading, flipping 

                                                        Crispy, thin 

                                                         Roti Canai

 

                                                        Badminton 

                                                   Exciting, skillful

                                        Jumping, smashing, sweating

                                             Racket, single, field, team 

                                            Kicking, running, chasing 

                                              Enjoyable, competitive 

                                                           Football

 

                                                            River 

                                                    Calm, peaceful 

                                        Fishing, camping, swimming 

                                             Rocks, trees, salt, sand 

                                    Picnicking, sunbathing, relaxing 

                                                        Huge, blue 

                                                             Sea

 

                                                            Sofa 

                                                Soft, comfortable 

                                        Relaxing, reading, sleeping 

                                       Sponge, fabric, wood, brown 

                                            Sitting, chatting, working 

                                                      Firm, heavy 

                                                           Chair.

Before concluding our class, I took the opportunity to gather feedback from each student about their experience with the tasks. When asked about the most challenging aspect, many of them expressed that finding the appropriate adjectives proved to be the most difficult part. It required careful thought and consideration to select the right words to describe the nouns effectively.

On the other hand, when discussing the easiest aspect of the tasks, the consensus among the students was that identifying the nouns came naturally to them. They found it relatively straightforward to identify the objects or concepts that formed the foundation of their poems.

I encourage you to explore the suggested themes and engage in Diamante poem activities with your own students. It is a wonderful way to foster creativity, language skills, and critical thinking.

I hope you find these poems and activities helpful for your own Diamante poem lessons.