Students in Miss Roe’s eighth grade reading classes were asked to write a diamante poem about a character from To Kill a Mockingbird. They had to follow the structure outlined below.
Line 1: A noun (the character’s name)
Line 2: Two adjectives that describe the character’s personality
Line 3: Three –ing verbs that tell about your character’s actions
Line 4: Four nouns (the first two are the two most important people, places, and things related to this character; the next two nouns are people, places, and things that would NEVER fit with this character)
Line 5: Three –ing verbs that describe actions that would never fit this character
Line 6: Two adjectives that describe traits that would never fit this character
Line 7: A noun (the name of the character with the word NOT! before it or the name of a character that is the opposite to your character)
Here are some examples of students’ work:
Calpurnia
Nice, helpful
Willing, caring, working
Atticus, Jem, Scout, Radley house
Unwilling, gossiping, not caring
Mean, lazy
NOT! Calpurnia
By Dylan B.
__________________________
Calpurnia
Respectful, kind
Cooking, serving, loving
Food, chicken, Radleys, Cunninghams
Disrespecting, unforgiving, playing
Terrible, lazy
NOT! Calpurnia
By Dan R.
__________________________
Jem
Smart, funny
Playing, laughing, running
Gum, Indian head pennies, shoes, money
Lying, stealing, cheating
Mean, rude
NOT! Jem
By Marquis S.
__________________________
Jem
Outgoing, smart
Playing, learning, thinking
Tree house, pennies, car, gun
Bullying, pushing, complaining
Mean, disrespectful
NOT! Jem
By Seth T.
__________________________
Stephanie Crawford
Gossipy, nosy
Talking, snooping, imagining
Boo, mouth, ear, quietness
Listening, staying quiet, keeping to herself
Quiet, subtle
NOT Stephanie Crawford
By Jacque W.
__________________________
Miss Maudie
Respectful, kind
Gardening, baking, talking
Flowers, cakes, guns, rulers
Spanking, yelling, gossiping
Mean, disrespectful
NOT! Miss Maudie
By Brittany H.
__________________________
Atticus
Easy-going, respectful
Working, reading, teaching
Children, lawyer, Mrs. Dubose, athlete
Gossiping, hurting, rating
Mean, rude
NOT! Atticus
By Nicole R.
__________________________
Scout
Cautious, young
Playing, learning, running|
Jem, Atticus, boys, high heels
Resting, lying, sleeping
Lazy, mean
NOT! Scout
By Courtney B.
__________________________
Scout
Rude, smart
Writing, reading, studying
Atticus, school, Mercedes, cell phone
Gossiping, napping, resting
Nice, polite
NOT! Scout
By Eliana L.
__________________________
Scout
Smart, loud
Talking, reading, rolling
Books, gum, Radley house, shoes
Agreeing, boring, crying
Nice, lazy
NOT! Scout
By Kailey B.
__________________________
Scout
Impatient, creative
Reading, acting, talking
Radleys, tree house, dress, church
Entertaining, thinking, learning
Calm, ignorant
NOT! Scout
By Tyler Se.
__________________________
Scout
Smart, creative
Rolling, talking, reading
Books, gum, money, car
Annoying, boring, lying
Ugly, rude
NOT! Scout
By Trent Z.
__________________________
Created 10-23-07
Saratoga School District 60C, Morris, Illinois