No.175
Acrostic Writing
Japanese name: あいうえお作文
Materials
- Paper
- Pencils
- Cards showing the chosen characters
How to play
- Choose a short word of 2–5 characters and write its characters vertically down the left of the page. The Japanese example sakura has three kana: さ・く・ら. Start with a short word.
- Begin each line with the corresponding character and invent a phrase or sentence. For さ (sa), the Japanese phrase sakana ga (“a fish…”) is enough; short phrases are welcome.
- Share the jobs of suggesting, writing, and reading according to the number of lines. Discuss how to connect the lines loosely. Do not write lines that mock real participants.
- Read from top to bottom and check that the initial characters spell the chosen word. Change roles and topics, then finish after two compositions.
Ways to adapt
Younger primary school children: use 2–3 characters and short phrases. Children in the middle primary school grades: three lines. Older primary school children: a five-line story or poem.