Word Poem

One assignment I received during Educational Technology was to create a Word document containing a poem. The document was required to show the use of several tools within Microsoft Word. The poem was to be displayed in columns, with a title made from Word Art. Additionally, the page was to contain a background of some sort of picture, as well as a text box. I was free to select whatever fonts and picture I thought appropriate, as well as the poem itself. I selected a poem by Seamus Heaney, which has been one of my favorites since I did a presentation about him in a previous class. Below is an image of the Word document I created. Click to enlarge.

After completing the Word poem assignment, I looked at my work and was very impressed. Prior to the assignment, I was unaware that Microsoft Word had so many formatting tools available. I think the finished product looks like the creation of a much more complicated program! Learning about all the tools that are available in Microsoft Word has helped me learn how to create handouts for my students, or even documents to be displayed electronically on something like a SMARTboard using a universally available program. Something that is eye-catching is certain to be more interesting to students than plain text on a plain white sheet of paper. I think that creating things like this word poem will be a part of my job as a teacher that I will really enjoy. It's satisfying to create something that is almost like a piece of art!

INTASC standards that apply to this project:

3. The teacher understands how students differ in their approaches to learning and creates instructional opportunities that are adapted to diverse learners.

5. The teacher plans instruction based on knowledge of the subject matter, students, community, and curriculum goals.