Lots of Limericks!!!!   

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Project Summary

Summary of Completed Project

1.  Purpose:   "Lots of Limericks" was designed with elementary teachers in mind.   I wanted a project that was appropriate for even very young children.   Limericks are a fairly simple form of poetry with an easy rhythm and rhyme scheme.   Limericks are also humorous and narrative, two qualities that lend themselves well to young children.  The creation of the limericks and illustrations result in an excellent Language Arts and Fine Arts lesson.  The technology required in this project is also very appropriate for the elementary age level.  Relying mostly on e-mail, even young students can participate.  Finally, when I run this project in the fall, my fifth grade students can be responsible for most of the maintenance.  They should be able to answer e-mails, and type in new limericks that are added to the collection.

2.  Project proposal

3.  My Role:   Initially, the bulk of my time went into creating the website for "Lots of Limericks".  Once the site was ready, I solicited participants.  While the project was running, I constantly sent reminder e-mails and tried to continually encourage my participants.  Once the submissions started to arrive, I was busy posting them on the site, and then sending thank you emails.  I also encouraged participants to email me ideas on how to improve the project the next time it is run. 

4.  Participants Role:  I asked each participant to write an original limerick and, if time permitted, illustrate it.   Then, I asked them to email me the limericks and illustrations by the due date.  Finally, I asked for any ideas or suggestions on how to improve the project the next time it is run.  Participants in this project included:

• Ms. Baker's PowerPoint & Internet classes - Oakbrook School - Wood Dale, IL

• Mrs. Jones' 5th grade students - West Elementary School - Taylorville, IL

• Mrs. Edwards' 4th grade students - Meridian Intermediate School - Blue Mound, IL

• 2 of my 7th grade neighbors - Blue Mound, IL

5.  Length of the Activity:  The summer run of this activity was 8 days. 

6.  Improvements for Next Time:  As I have worked to complete this activity, I have discovered a few areas for improvement.

• I need to verify with my collaborating teachers whether or not their students' first names can be listed with their limericks.  It was not an issue this summer with the limited number of participants, but needs to be addressed in the fall with more participants.

• I plan to ask for an email address for my classroom.  That way, my students can answer email relating to the projects without needing to know my username and password on my email account.

• I would like to arrange the "collection" page in a more organized way so students can easily find their submissions.  Again, this was not a problem this summer with the limited number of participants, but needs to be addressed in the fall with more participants.

• I need to specify that illustrations should be sent as .gif or .jpg files so that I can open them.  I may also need to specify size limitations for some illustrations, or explain that they may be cropped to fit on the page.

7.  Value of this activity:  I feel that "Lots of Limericks" is a very valuable activity - especially as an introduction to network projects.  Students not only learn about this form of poetry, but are allowed to explore their own creativity by writing and illustrating their own limerick.  Most importantly, however, they get to publish their work for a real audience.  The students can share their product with everyone they want to via the website.  For teachers, this is an extremely easy project to run and can fit into nearly any timeline.  The amount of technology required is minimal making this project very convenient.  I look forward to running this project again in the fall.