Collaborative Poems

For our last class before the holiday and new year break, I wanted to try something that would (hopefully) be fun. We read several two-line poems from Joshua Beckman & Matthew Rohrer's collaborative book, Nice Hat. Thanks, and talked a bit about the process the two poets used when writing poems together. Students then counted off, and were put in groups based on their number. Each wrote three starting lines for as many separate poems, passing them on to others in their group, who added their own lines, creating a series of short group poems. Students were encouraged to think fast, and make "sense" only if they wanted to, or could.

Ms. Fialkowski, 5th Grade

Ivory G., Angel H., Marbella R., Johnny S., Kayla S.

I can't wait to walk my friend
to the garbage can
I'm a rain drop
Justin Timberlake

That's the smallest tree
Superman once fell down
spilling
purple milk

Edgar A., Sergio M., Julissa S., Luis V.

I saw a dog.
You got dog mail.
I fell in a mailbox
scary.

I hear noise outside my house.
It was a dog and cat.
They were fighting.
A kangaroo came and they all kick-boxed.

Erica A., Jose D., Daniel G.

Destroy all humans
voices are screaming in the house.
Then the people that were screaming, I kick them out.
They stayed there.

I fell in the store for fun.
I saw some candy.
It was furry and fungy but I couldn't resist
and gobbled it up.

Oscar M., Vanessa P., Ricardo R., Samantha T.

Have you seen a red sky?
What are you talking about?
The sky is not red,
it's blue. Also bigger than Earth.
Earth is big but blue is more blues.

I hear
you talk
about race cars.
What is important about race cars?
Nothing.

Claudia A., Virginia B., Norberto M., Jonathan R.

Who ate the last cookie?
Santa Claus.
He was very hungry, he drank milk.
Do you like chips?
“With soda!”

The island,
is very peaceful.
“Why are you so hairy?”
I am so not!
You are not what?

Janet H., Crecesio P., David V.

I saw a man with a saw.
I like to throw snowballs at cars.
I'm happy when I get presents.
My feet are freezing, the door is creaking.

The streets have snow.
The snow is cold oh how cold am I.
I will like to have a bulldog.
But I hate Barney.

Ezequiel A., Katy R., Steven S., Damian V.

Jennifer Lopez
Crazy Frog
Super Mario
Rontu-Aru

Spongebob
King of Queens
Still Standing
Alvin

Ms. Michel, 5th Grade

Daniel A., Samuel G., Vanessa L., Eddie L., Jose M., Liliana R.

My dog is dancing
on the stage
and then he fell
and continued dancing
and fell again
and kept on dancing.

I love frogs
because they are cool
bouncing everywhere
and eating my tail
and I like the dog biting his tail
I bit the dog's tail.

Griselda A., Gerardo C., Selena L., Alex R., Magdalena R., Jeremy S.

run away
from your mom
and never come back
and scream
loud.

It is almost Christmas.
I get a lot of presents
so cool I got chills
and snow on my face
and got a cold.

Christian A., Alondra B., Jennifer P., Karen R., Daisy V., Joanna Z.

I felt sad.
Think of something happy
like when you're at a party
with your family.

20 people brought cake.
We could eat the cake.
The cake was so good
I ate 4 pieces.

Angel B., Jessica M., Emmanuel R., Yulissa R., Javier S., Alvaro S.

I get to
play soccer in the rain and
set a picnic
but it is ruined by the rain.

The frog said
I like playing at night
before
my mom calls me in.

Servando C., Giovanni F., Angel G., Luis O., Jennyfer O.

Place value.
Flag.
We got to Six Flags.
Space
mission
to Mexico.

Only 25¢
office
snow
snow fight
cool pop.
Wow.

Ms. Hughesdon, 5th Grade

Jose B., Marlene C., Cesar M., Jesus N., Everardo P.

The park.
The trees
are filled with kids.
Mr. Dean
not a kid!

Purple cat
with the giant hat
made a big splash.
It got wet
on the cold winter day.

Diego B., Nancy C., Itzamari C., Omar C., Yvette T.

Sometimes I like school
because we have parties
and play games.
The bunny is
in the classroom.

Cat is
too small
and too fat
and I can't even carry him
it's 2,000 pounds

Salena C., David F., Luz G., Rodalfo P., Jessica Z.

My dog.
Sun is very hot
like a hot pot.
In summer
play with me.

green clouds
are dark
are greenish
yuck
pencil make us writing

Anheli D., Belen F., Abel G., Brenda R., Gustavo R.

I like dogs.
Perfect chaos.
They walk home.
I have a Maltese.
I like cats.

Oranges
are bananas
good
strawberries.
The end of a fruit poem and now I'm hungry.

Claudia A., Brian D., Carlos M., Maria M., Miguel R.

And every thing is broken.
Buy other things,
buy everything in the store.
But don't waste your money
on that ugly sweater.

The Blue December.
It stinks like snow.
It is white and shiny.
It is white and nasty
but is not hot.

Ms. Montoya, 5th Grade

Daisy A., Roberto A., Ramiro G., Jovonne M., Alexis R., Diana R.

Loud
noisy and aggravating too.
Also like a fire alarm,
like a police car?
Blue and red.

The tiled floors
are white & green,
I like them
they are nice.
They are a pattern.

Jennifer A., Ana C., Diana H., Michelle M., Vani P., Louis Z.

I love my family
cuz they are nice.
And they love me
because I am not mean.
Her family is nice to her.

Because I was
mad
and sad
I am not sad
I am sad.

Janet B., Monica M., Jose P., Aaron R., Juan R., Natalie T.

My name is Janet.
My mom put me like that.
She makes me eat.
I hate onions,
they make me cry.

I am going to school.
Yo tambien.
I go to Shields school.
Even me
but it is called Branch.

Cynthia G., Omar G., Yadid G., Juan J., Ivan M., Cristian O.

The tree is made of
apples,
life
or death
and more tree.

The body
has skin, bones, and veins,
is colored peach
and has a lot of cells,
is many sizes.

Alfredo C., Linet L., Anibal M., Fatima M., Eric P., Jesus P.

I like volleyball.
It floats like a balloon.
It flies.
Soccer rules.
Over the net.

I fell out the window.
I fell from the Sears Tower.
I fell out of the car.
I lost my potato.
I fell out too.

Ms. Graefen, 5th Grade

Alejandro A., Vanessa C., Magdalena F., Diana G., Robert R., Jose Z.

Not like the color blue
because it looks ugly.
Oh my gosh!
Are you serious?
Dog.

Hello, bye bye!
The astronaut went into space.
Like the car.
The car goes into the sky also.
No it doesn't.

Elva C., Alexandra C., Oscar C., Mercedes L., Salvador M., Silvia R., Osvaldo T.

Hello
little star.
How are you?
Good and you?
So-so.

Pencil
is made of wood
from trees.
Lead pencils,
you are wasting trees.

Cesar G., Marco O., Jesus P., Alejandro R.

Adventure
camp is
fun.
Six Flags.
Playing games.

My brother is tall,
my sister is tall too.
I don't have a tall sister.
What?
What?

Maggie M., Rocio M., Laela M., Jacob S., Anthony S.

The home
was messy
and ugly
and dirty
and for sale.

Hate
spiders
eyes and
legs
feet.

Diego C., Isaac G., Mirella H., Eliliana L., Veronica S.

Before I forget.
Do my chores
make juice.
I forgot
I gots to go.

I hate blue.
I punch blue.
Blue is nice
blue is a very cool color! And that's that!
Why would you punch blue?

Mr. Heredia, 5th Grade

Jorge A., Daryl C., Keith D., Jesus G., Cristian M., Carlos Z.

Michael Jordan
photosynthesis
helps plants
in
city

Ball
plant
picture
Michael Myers
can never beat Jason

Carina G., Amanda H., Eibar N., Edwin O., Jasmine R., Daniel V.

go for it
Spain
I ate all the pizza
look
do not go for it

I felt terrible
psych.
No homework turned in,
punishment's
shame on you.

Jacquelin A., Edgar O., Cesar P., Jesse R., Ricardo R., Leslie S.

I love baseball,
running and running,
I hit it,
I throw the ball.
It went high.

Dinosaurs.
Dinosaurs were extinct
then humans came along.
The dinosaurs were ugly,
big and ugly.

Brenda A., Deisy C., Stefanie M., Mayra S., Adelia S.

I ate the banana, the peel is still there.
The rabbits ate bananas.
They even ate the banana's peel.
I didn't get a chance to eat some bananas.
I slipped on the peel.

Oatmeal.
A bug fell in my oatmeal.
The monster ate me.
I ate the bug on the oatmeal.
The oatmeal ate me and the bug.

Andrea A., Samantha B., Ana C., Javier C., Yoni D.

Thousands
of people came to celebrate,
bounce balls,
are jumping around.
It's a good day.

The class has Christmas lights, they shine.
The tree is little.
The tree is ugly
like a piece of taco
in my heart.

Personification Poems

This class was right before holiday break, so I brought in a Christmas poem - e.e. cummings' "little tree." We talked about how cummings gives the tree in the poem human characteristics (having feelings, arms/fingers). They then wrote their own poems, selecting a holiday object and giving it human qualities.


Ms. Sandoval-Johnson, Rm. 001
3rd Grade

Little Present
Cesar N.

Little Present
Nice and dressed
So silent in a box - what could you be?
You sleep until you wake up, I will
Know what you are.

The Kiss of the Mistletoe!
Maria S.

Oh mistletoe, when people
come over to my house
and if they see a mistletoe
they have to kiss on the cheeks.

Oh mistletoe, you look very shiny
with your red bows and those little
circles that are red.

Oh mistletoe, you feel very soft
and fluffy to me if only the world
could know how I feel about you.

Oh mistletoe, people always see
you but not all the time when I see
you I feel like I want to hug you.

Oh mistletoe, this is how I feel about you.

Stars
Samuel P.

Stars shining for Christmas to come.
Waiting every year. I'll just talk with you
and you talk to me. Stars playing together
to make something every day, smiling
every day, your skin so bright and
yellow.

Oh! How you dream of presents every
year is the same.

Snowflakes
Bernice A.

Snowflake, you are so
blue and cold. If you were
alive you would walk and talk.
You would walk better than my
sister. You would say kind words
like sorry, thank you. Sorry. Please.
You would also live in
the freezer so you won't
melt. You would also ask
people "where did you come from?"

Untitled
Brenda B.

Candy cane you are so red
that you will get eaten by
my sister. If you were
a person you would help
people walk in the
hospital if you
could. Then little
kids would say
if they could
have your
brothers or
sister
Your mom will be so
sad that she will cry.
But they won't now
that you are a
candy cane
because you
are a
person like
us. But you
will have red
hair and
look pretty you
are sweet, candy cane.

Snowflakes
Jonathan V.

little snowflake little snowflake
when I caught you I let you
go then the next
year I saw you but you
were way bigger I rolled
you into a snowball and
hit a window you did not
break you walked back one
time I threw you too hard
you were bleeding water

Ms. Marfise
3rd Grade

Little Ornament
Troy S.

Little silent ornament
you are so sparkly
you are more like a chain

Who found you at the store
and were you angry to away?

See, I'll take care of you

I picked you because you are pretty
with such a round head
I will hug your round head.

I will kiss you on your head

I will wrap you in a blanket and put you to sleep.

I keep you close to my heart
I'll pass you down like a tradition of my
family, I will read you a book goodnight.

I will let you be the first on the tree
And trust me you will not get destroyed.

Snowflake Snowflake
Jose C.

How do you float in the
air what do you see
and why are you
white? Do you ever
smile at someone? And
why are you so sparkly
and why do you have things
on you? You look very
dangerous, because you
have little spikes on you
and I wish I could
meet you someday.

Mistletoe
Shalynn S.

Mistletoe you hang like
my hair.

You have a green skirt that
hangs down.

You have a power to make
people kiss.

You have red balls like
my earrings on my head.

Oh mistletoe it is time
for you to go to sleep.


Ms. McCormick, Rm. 214
3rd Grade

Present Present
Ernesto C.

present
present
you
are so soft
you are
so magic

what would
I feel?
I would feel
cardboard

I would
hop hop
into the
Christmas
tree.

Little, Little Presents
Denise N.

Little, little present
you are very
soft and
dark.
You are more
than a pair of
shoes.

Who found you under
the tree and were
you hiding? I would
like to get you because
you smell real good for
me.

I will
hug you real
hard and I'll squish
you.

Little Star
Karina C.

I am all alone on top of
the Christmas tree, a person
holds me until he or she gets
there. When I get on top of
the Christmas tree I glow.
I feel so alone that no one
is here with me. But one day
when I felt so alone, a boy
came to hug me and
I never felt alone again.
The next week the same
boy came back
but he had something behind
his back - he got me a friend.

The Little Lonely Menorah
Loreto G.

Little Menorah
Little lonely Menorah
You are so lonely with eight plain arms
You are so small
the air can lift you up.
But don't worry
you will not be
alone, you'll have
eight friends, one in each
arm. You will
be warm, as if you
were wearing a coat.

The Cookies and the Milk
Marlen N.

"Hey" cookie and milk, you smell so chocolatey
and the milk like it comes from a cow in
Mexico. i will eat you even if you cry
"Oh my God it is going to eat me"
Milk I will drink you for my stomach
will be so warm and your friends
OK!

Mrs. Rodriguez, Rm. 401
5th Grade

Star
Ryan V.

Star
Shiny golden star
Are you happy when you shine
Or are you sad when you don't glisten?

You escaped from your flock
And landed on my tree
Which I understand
Because trees can call a star

You shine so brightly when you see a box
Do not worry star
After Christmas you are sent free
Back to make more wishes and miracles

And so goodbye for Christmas had ended
I know you will see me again
So hurry up you must flee
For the other stars have almost left.

Big Icicles
Sigitas A.

big icicles,
big looming icicles,
you shine like gold when
the sun shines

and you howl when
the wind blows through
the cave in which
you live peacefully

you cry when it gets
too warm
if it gets too noisy,
you get angry

when you get angry,
you fall,
and with your sharp
fist you try to destroy the noise.

Christmas Ribbon
Jacqueline M.

Little ribbon, little ribbon, how you shimmer
with a smile. Who tied you? Why are you
this color? I will put you on a Christmas
tree and then you will shine with
such desire.

Snowflake
Paula V.

White, round
play, fall, fly
Little, soft
star
it is sleeping

Snowman
Beverly A.

big snowman
big silent Christmas snowman
you are so big
you are round

who found you in the snow
and were you very sad to come with me?
see i will love you
because you smell like salt

i will kiss your nose
and hug you tight
just as your mother would,
only don't be afraid

look at your eyes
that always cry when you are only
dreaming of being happy with someone
your nose, your eyes, and soft snow

Ms. Breen, Rm. 201
3rd Grade

Mistletoe
Andrew F.

Mistletoe, mistletoe with
a pretty red bow. You hang
from the doorway waiting
for someone to go.

Christmas
Jesica G.

Bells can make
a sound. They are
shiny. And the
color is gold, red, or
silver. They would be
happy. And they would
be very excited. I
would show them
in the window.

Snowflakes
Bianca V.

Little snowflake you look like a flower
you are so white. You melt when we
touch you.

Little Tinsel
Julie G.

little tinsel dancing around the tree.
how could they have found you
in a store? You are happy because people
look at you. I will hang you
on a Christmas tree, people stare.

Our Words--3rd graders

These poems sprang from reading a poem by Mahmoud Darwish called "Psalm Three." I asked the students to follow a slightly more open-ended version of his form, and to employ nouns, feelings, opposites, and an occasional rhyme (but not all the time) to describe their words. The assignment seemed to lend itself better to descriptions of surreal scenes and fantastic landscapes, which still worked out fine.

I'm very excited that two or three students who normally are reluctant to write or don't write at all, all turned in work this week. One of those poems is featured below. Also, in Mrs. Vazzana's class, which is an ELL bilingual classroom, I encouraged students to plug in the Spanish word if the English word wasn't coming to them. Victor took this idea and ran with it. There was also one student who, of his own volition, wrote a first draft, then a revised draft, during one class period, and turned the second draft in to me. I'm glad to see that the value of revision has started to take hold.

###

Ms. Vilchis, Rm. 202, 3rd grade

Funny Water #2
Zamira M.

When my words were water,
I was sleeping underwater.

When my words were water,
I was swimming by the cat.

When my words were water,
I was in the gulf of Mexico.

When my words were ice,
I was freezing.


The Sugar Words
José A.

When my words were water
I was dripping

When my words were feelings
I was sad

When my words were sugar
I was a candy

When my words were bananas
I was yellow

When my words were houses
I was hard



In Ice and In Spring
Daniel R.

I was in the water.
I was melting.

I was drinking water.

I was a fish in the water.

I was in ice and then I melted.

I was in ice and I was in winter
and I became a penguin.

I was a penguin so it was spring then
I became a bird.


Manners
Carlos L.

When my words were angry they
broke in pieces.

When my words were happy they
smiled too much.

When my words were sad there
was water in all of the places.

When my words were eating candy
they were fat.


####


Ms. Vazzana, Rm. 104, 3rd grade


Untitled
Victor P.

When my words were strong
I was good

When my words were big
I was quick

When my words were little
I was a dog

When my words were pelo
I was a cat

When my words were shoes
I was a rat

When my words were a hand
I was an elephant

When my words were a camisa
I was a house

When my words were a cabeza
I was playing anything


Words and Things
Hazael G.

When my words were
quiet I was sleeping.

When my words were
smart I was reading.

When my words were fast
I was running.

When my words were
a car I was driving.

When my words were
a skateboard of fire I was
riding it.


Untitled
Alexsandra

When my words were strong
I was powerful

When my words were a tree
I was giving apples from
the tree


I Was So Loud
Miguel M.

When my words were strong
I talked so loud. When my words
were so loud I was so happy.
When my words were loud I barked
so loud.

###

Ms. Hamdan, Rm. B15, 3rd grade


Untitled
Jennifer R.

When my words were ice cream,
I was dropping and hopping it.

When my words were jelly,
I was belly.

When my words were December,
I was September.

When my words were a boat,
I was afloat.


Power Four
Sebastian C.

When my words were sunny
I was the light

When my words were funny
I was laughing

When my words were strong
I was crazy

When my words were ugly
I was nice

But when my words became
stones…
I couldn’t talk


When My Words
Alejandro

When my words were strong
I was weak. When my words
were sand I was at the beach.
When my words were sad I
was blue. When my words were
hot like the sand it turned
like the sun.

Opposing Feelings

I brought in Edna St. Vincent Millay's "Recuerdo" for this class - we talked a lot about that first line ("We were very tired, we were very merry--") and what that might mean. Has there ever been a time when you were both tired and happy? What might make one feel thus? We then composed a stanza or two as a class, focusing on two (possibly) opposing feelings. In some classes, each individual student then wrote a concluding stanza(s) for the class poem. This actually turned out to be a nice collaborative exercise!

Mr. K, 3rd Grade (Rm. 205)

Class Poem

We were very happy, we were very excited
We had gone back and forth all night
in the car on the moon
It was dark and bright, it smelled like cheese
We looked at the earth and rocks and we jumped
really high! We ate Mexican cheese
and drank lemonade. The we had a pajama party.

"Feeling Brave and Scared"
Virgen S.

We were very scared, we were very brave.
We had been trick-or-treating all night long.
But we looked in a haunted house, and heard
noises. We lay on the ground and the people
kept saying trick-or-treat, and dawn came soon.

We were very scared, we were very brave.
We had been trick-or-treating all night long.
You ate a candy, and I ate a chocolate bar, from all
the candy we got somewhere. And the sky went
howling, and the wind came hot, and the
moon came dripping, a bucket full of candy.

We were very scared, we were very brave.
We had been trick-or-treating all night long.
We hailed, trick-or-treat, mother! to a mask, and bought
gloves, which neither of us used, and
we lost it, sorry! for all the candy,
and we gave her a chocolate bar
and our other candies.

"We were very happy and very excited"
Jasmine

We were very happy, we were
very excited. We were very happy
cause we went to Mars, it was
very red, it had some gray, we were
very excited cause we saw
some aliens in Mars, we played
spelling. We ate some alien food,
we drank some lemonade.
We had a pajama party.
We were very happy cause we saw
the planet Mars. We were very excited
cause we saw some aliens.

"Recuerdo"
David C.

We were very excited, we were very tired
We had gone all night and day on the candy
factory tour. It was all yummy, it smelled
like bubble gum, chocolate.

We were very excited, we were very tired
We had gone all night and day on the candy
factory tour. I ate gummy worms, you ate
gummy bears. I lost the candy, sorry owner!


Ms. Sandoval-Johnson, 3rd Grade (Rm. 001)

Class Poem

We were very sad, we were very happy--
we went round and round on the roller coaster
all night long!
It was high and creepy, it smelled like old onions -
But we were screaming and putting our hands in the air,
We went down the tracks, we went up and down.

We were very sad, we were very happy--
We went round and round on the roller coaster
all night long!
We ate cotton candy and popcorn,
that was free from a crazy man;
the air was hot, the wind was a tornado.


Ms. Marfise, 3rd Grade (Rm. 002)

Class Poem

We were very weak, we were very strong--
We felt weak; in our dreams, we were strong.
We couldn't move, but we could pick up anything.
We picked up the Sears Tower,
people were flying out the windows

We were very weak, we were very strong--
We felt weak; in our dreams, we were strong.
We were eating spaghetti in our dreams
We sleepwalked into the kitchen for brownies
but we couldn't pick them up.

Continuations of the class poem...

Veronica

We were very weak, we were very strong--
We felt weak; in our dreams, we were strong.
We felt something ticklish in our arms.
We took it off, but it was just grass.
We woke up to our dear mother's voice.

David F.

We were very weak, we were very strong--
We felt weak; in our dreams, we were strong.
We woke up and our dream ended.
And what we dreamed of really happened.
(Except for the eating part.)
Now let's start a new dream to let it happen.

Myriam R.

We were very weak, we were very strong--
We felt weak; in our dreams, we were strong.
The washing machine had a large hand and
walked up the stairs. There was spaghetti
all over the floor. It slipped and hit itself
and fell back downstairs.

Shalynn S.

We were very weak, we were very strong--
We felt weak; in our dreams, we were strong.
We were eating spaghetti in our dreams
We sleepwalked into the kitchen for brownies
but we couldn't pick them up because they were 20
pounds, so I walked into the front room
where my dad was playing music all night long
I felt weak, but strong, the door opened,
white wonderful stuff was coming down
from the dark sky. It looked like ice cream--
I ate it, it was cold.

Ms. McCormick, 3rd Grade (Rm. 214)

Class Poem

We were very brave, we were very scared
We were going to our new house
It looked yellow and very empty.
It smelled like wet paint. Some rooms
were old and looked haunted, had spirits in them
We went to the kitchen and saw a nice lady making popcorn.

We were very brave, we were very scared
We were going to our new house
I went to the garden and you went to the store,
you ate vegetables and I ate pizza,
they looked like little trees and bread.

Continuations of the class poem...

Isabel C.

We were very brave, we were very scared
We were going to our new house.
The plates were broken, there were
cats outside our yard. In the night
I saw an old woman on the couch.
When we went to the attic, we saw a man
fixing a truck. Still, if our house is scary
I still love my new house.

Casandra S.

We were very brave, we were very scared
We were going to our new house.
When we were at the kitchen, it
was bright, but tiny noises were out and we
all went to sleep. The nice lady
tucked us in and sleep tight and don't
let anything harm you tonight
she shut the door.

Yenci S.

We were very brave, we were very scared
We were going to our new house.
For a drink, you could drink water, and I could drink
some pineapple juice. I'll go to the park and you'll
stay at home, you'll do my homework while
I have some fun.

Mrs. Rodriguez, 5th Grade (Rm. 401)

Class Poem

We were very excited, we were very bored,
We drove all day and all night.
It was very bright and it smelled like burning oil.
But we looked outside the window and saw a parade
There were people on stilts and on a big ball
There were clowns in red, green, blue and white.

Continuations of class poem...

Beverly A.

We were very excited, we were very bored,
We drove all day and all night.
I was very dark and it smelled like smoke.
But we looked strange and saw ice cream
There were people on chairs.

Cynthia G.

We were very excited, we were very bored,
We drove all day and all night.
You ate a pizza, I ate frise. They were
both from a little restaurant in the parade.

We were very excited, we were very bored,
We drove all day and all night.
We saw an old lady, she had two kids,
she needed money, we gave her some but not
all the fun we were having.

Carlos G.

"All Aboard"

we were very bored and excited watching a movie
while in the sky it was very white and very high
the clouds looked like a ball
of cotton and I was excited to go to California
with my cousins but it was going to take a while.

Then I looked out the window and I couldn't see
any tower at all, at night the clouds looked gray and
the stars looked medium far, it looked like the sun
was gold and cold but it was hot, the sun looked
like we could tie it in a knot. But too bad it was not
a shoe is was the sun, but a sun could burn you down.

Maria M.

We were very excited, we were very bored,
We drove all day and night in the freaky car!
It was very dark, it smelled like pumpkins all over the car.
We were very excited, we were very bored,
We drove all day and night in the freaky car. It was
bright and dark at the same time but we saw a fairy
that granted us some wishes.

We were very excited, we were very bored,
We drove all day and night in the freaky car. It was very
cold, but I found gold.

The moon sleeps me: Personification Part II (3rd grade)

We devoted a second week to these challenging, complex, and diverse personification poems. One class got caught up in writing about their hands, I believe after Daniel wrote his stunning piece (which is below).

Also, the students have taken to drawing on the borders and bottoms of their poetry, which I've begun encouraging them to do once they are finished writing their poem. This assignment especially prompted an explosion of illustrations.

###

Ms. Vilchis, Rm. 202, 3rd grade

The Moon and The World
Zamira M.

The moon said, “You should
be enjoying things.”
“Why?”
“Because you always are sad.”

There is a world to see.
You are in a world. Do you
see things?”
“No. It’s always dark.”

“It’s because your glasses
are dirty.”


(My right hand said)
Daniel R.

My right hand said, “Get to
work to be smarter. If you write
a lot you may get better in writing
and they will know what you are
writing in the paper. And they will
understand you. Because you will get smarter
and you are better and you will get A+
in writing. And you will be one of the
good spellers.”


The Moon Sleeps Me
Karina V.

The moon sleeps me at night
to be tomorrow a good day
for me to do. I can sleep
at night to do a day to play.
The moon is all the night. If you
sleep at night, the stars are
staying when the sun comes up.

###

Ms. Vazzana, Rm. 104, 3rd grade

The Sun and Me
Jhoan B.

I talk to the sun. The sun
talks to me.

I take him to a date which he
destroys.

He gets sleepy. I get sleepy.
The sun goes to sleep. I go to
sleep.

In the morning, the sun
says, “Good morning.” I say,
“Good morning.”

At day the sun shines like
flowers.

At night the sun is dark and
not there.


When My Plants Grow
Angelica V.

I see the flowers and the sky raining
so the flowers can grow big and smart.
The flowers say, “I want water. And a sun
too.”


Good Night Says Moon
Andrea R.

When I go to sleep I say to the moon, “Good night.”
The next day I say to the moon, “You go to school for me."

###

Ms. Hamdan, Rm. B15, 3rd grade

The House
Jordy D.

The house started to talk to me
and it said, “It’s not easy carrying lots of
things.”

I said, “I could carry at least six
small objects.”

The house said, “I carry over 100 things.”

I said, “Really?”

The house said, “I carry everything
you own plus more.”

I said, “WOW.”


The Moon
Marcos B.

The moon said, “I am like a light and
bright like him.” In the middle of the
moon shines his face. I see him every
night at midnight. He sees me when I go to
sleep. And tomorrow I will see him again.


The Car
Joel D.

The car is laying by
the tree. While the car is
asleep. While the car
sees. While the car
falls in the sea.

Body Part Poems

In her poem, "Anatomy Lesson #2: The Palpation of Bony Landmarks," Katrina Vandenberg urges readers to see beyond the surface of things, beyond the cold and confusing language of science, using "the art of finding" to explore deeper issues of love, compassion and understanding. The poem's anatomical jargon was discussed, and students were asked to consider an under-appreciated body part in poems of their own.

Ms. Fialkowski (402)

Skin & Body

Janet H.

Skin covers your inside.

Your skin sometimes feels

cold. Your skin is different

colors. Your skin is in all

the body. Your eyes help you

see. Your eyes help you sleep

ZZZ. Your eyes are different

colors. Your bones help you

walk and move. Now I am

waving goodbye with my

hand.

My Body

David V.

The body has

skin to

protect it

from germs.

The

legs help you

run

fast.

The

hands are to

grab things.

The arm helps

the hands to

move. Feet are

to walk. Eyes

are to see.

Ears are to

hear. Nose is to

breathe.

My Body!!!

Damian V.

My body is special. I crack my body every day.

My knee, my fingers, my elbow, my toes. My body

is smooth and soft, it is always skin.

Ms. Michel (403)

Guess What Am I?

Griselda A.

I am as big as your fist. I

pump blood when I beat. When

you eat candy I make you

go hyper. When you run I

beat so much that you

have to sit for a while.

Also when you are scared

I beat too much. Guess what

am I? (A heart.)

Untitled (Body Part Poem)

Jose M.

One

day my

friend told

me that he

broke his

arm because

he fell on the

playground.

And I asked

him did it

hurt and he said no.

Then he told

me that he

was going

to go to

the slide

and he

fell there

and his

mom said

let's go

to the

doctor

and

the

doctor

said

that

his

arm

was

broken

from

the

fall

and

he

was

okay.

The

doctor

said

okay.

And

we

were

friends

again

for

ever

and

we

went

to

the

movies

and

we

go.

The Brain

Yulissa R.

The brain is

on your

head. It

helps you think,

and if you

didn't have a brain

you wouldn't

know nothing,

and you wouldn't

know who you

are if

they called

your name,

you would just

be standing

there. That's

why we have

a brain

and by eating

healthy food

you're feeding

your brain

and you and your

brain have energy.

Ms. Hughesdon (407)

The Skull

Diego B.

The skull protects our brain

from the headers in soccer

and crazy falls

and carrying our eyes.

The skull touches our skin

and it holds our hair.

Eyes

Jose B.

Eyes make you see and to

see your friends, your TV, your

parents. And see cake.

The Hands

David F.

My hands with

five fingers they

look like five

long trees with

lines the lines

look like a

long tree with

long lines the

palm of my

hand the veins

look like stripes

of the color green

the line in the

palm looks like

a deep dark valley.

Skin

Rodolfo P.

My skin so soft and smooth but kind

of hard and has a lot of bruises and

hairy and my green veins and some birthmarks

on it. My skin is also white and tan.

The thickest part of the body.

Ms. Montoya (405)

Untitled (Body Part Poem)

Jennifer A.

In my head

I can learn

by teaching

me like my brain I

can learn math and

reading and writing too

and I can do maps like

to find some states and

any mouth I can talk

and eat too and I can

laugh and make

jokes too.

My Head

Ramiro G.

My head, where my eyes are in place

so I can see the world, where my

nose is so I can smell the wind,

where my mouth is so I can taste

food, where my brain is, where my in-

formation is in my head.

The Nose

Yadid G.

The nose,

small, with two holes

on the bottom,

in your head

with mucus inside

all green or all

gooey. The nose,

where you breathe,

where you smell,

the nose.

Teeth

Jose P.

Teeth is what you chew with, and so

you need to brush them. Sometimes I think

when will a tooth fall out, wondering. I

almost never think about it. Only when

I brush them or look into the mirror.

Once the second set is there, you need

to take care. And sharks, when teeth fall out, they

just keep growing and growing. I wonder

how do teeth grow out of the pink stuff

in your mouth, where does it come from?

Where is it when you have baby teeth, where's

the new one? I'm just wondering.

Untitled (Body Part Poem)

Aaron R.

My friends have different bones.

I have my bones, I have a stomach.

I have a body, I have lots of

bones in my body. One of my bones

is funny, they are called funny bones.

I have a stomach where my

food goes to. I am made

out of bones, I have about

200 bones in my body. I am really

happy, boy it is just really funny.

Ms. Graefen (404)

Untitled (Body Part Poem)

Alejandro A.

We all have elbows.

Our elbows are joints.

The joints meet an-

other part of the

body.

The elbow has other

partners that are

joints, like our knee

joint, hip joint, and

the last but not least

is the shoulder joint.

My Hand!

Vanessa C.

My hand has five fingers.

My hand is big.

My hand has a ring.

My hand is cool.

My hand could hold things.

I could write with my hand.

My hand works hard!

Pinkie

Diego C.

My pinkie, it's

small, funny looking,

with its friend Mr. Nail.

Flexible, sometimes cracking.

Very loud. Two lines in between.

Larynx, Trachea, Bronchial Tubes

Isaac G.

So small is the larynx, no larynx,

no talking. Such a little part,

so big a role. Trachea, a part of life

is breathing, no trachea, no breathing.

Suffering, the life of no breathing

is a painful experience. Bronchial tubes,

carry air, carbon dioxide, inhale, exhale.

No tubes, no air, no bronchial tubes, no

trachea, no trachea, no larynx, no larynx,

no throat, no life.

Mr. Heredia (414)

My Broken Arm

Deisy C.

It was a day in

my life when

I broke

my arm.

I was screaming

“aaa.”

I broke

my arm.

It healed

in three

weeks.

Alright

I can

climb the

tree again.

Body Parts

Fernando P.

The eyes are the

littlest are

lightest

thing in

the body.

The eyes look

like little bouncing

balls, and sometimes

they look

like they are going

to bounce away.

The eyes are wet

and squishy.

Untitled (Body Part Poem)

Jasmine R.

How you crack to never acknowledge

the thought about arthritis.

To ache and to pull them apart.

Able to move them in a bendable

way. A bump of writing at the

most.

Week 5: Persona Poems

This week, I had students read Craig Raine's poem "A Martian Sends a Postcard Home." I used the poem both as an entre into understanding the idea of writing a poem in a voice other than your own (persona) and as a means of eliciting creative description. As the title suggests, the poem is essentially a portrait of humanity through the eyes of a Martian. So, for my writing prompt, I asked them to imagine that they were aliens making a visit to Shields school. Their "mission" was to describe as much of the school as possible so their fellow aliens back home might be able to imagine what this strange, alien landscape looked like! I made sure to mention that an alien might not know the specific names for a lot of commonplace objects in the school - like clock or blackboard or drinking fountain. So, their challenge was to use their senses to describe the objects, as though making riddles. They turned out some really excellent work! I selected one poem from each of my six classes to share below:

Mr. K. (205)
3rd Grade

"Martian"
by Celina S.

Have you ever seen a girl that
looks like a blue bubble with
the letter G? And I see a
box with laser to drink.
I've never seen that. And I
see something that makes
your eyes burn if you use
it too much. I smell something
that is round but with something
stringy. I see something round
it can free the time. I see
someone that looks like he is
in charge.

Ms. Sandoval-Johnson (001)
3rd Grade

A Waterfall
Sarai B.

A waterfall
is when you
push a button
and a waterfall
comes out of
a hard box
you can drink
the water it
does not sound
clean to me
but it does
sound very
loudly in
the waterfall
is falling down in a
circle on the
bottom of
the waterfall
it is going
away when
I don't
press the
button
I think something lives in it.

Ms. Marfise (002)
3rd Grade

Aliens Visiting Shields School
Denise B.

I come from Mercury. There
are 30 ghosts on this strange
planet. There are some other aliens
that came. There are the ghosts'
plans. There are the other aliens'
ships. There are some green stars.
The other aliens are taking
over this school.

Ms. McCormick (214)
3rd Grade

Wandering Around
Kiara M.

I am on a mission
to examine Shields School
I see a circle thing
with numbers and lines I
wonder what it is
I see a tall woman
with a bunch of
shorter people behind
her
I am wandering down
these dark halls
The tall people don't
seem to be afraid.

Mrs. Rodriguez (401)
5th Grade

Trip to Shields School
Emmanuel M.

Hello my friends in Mars. My mission to
Shields School is a success, what I see here
is a circle moving thing that sends air to you.
I also saw four little wooded legs, and a little
platform on top, and you can put your back on it. I also
saw a thing they call "book" - it has small looseleaf
paper in it. This thing I will right now talk to you about
this thing looks like wood but smells like water, and it
has different colors. I also saw a magic thing
that reminded me of old times, they call it
"pictures."

Ms. Breen (201)
3rd Grade

Alien at Shields
Julie G.

A circle with
black marks and
hands
Some squares with
feet
A tall thing
in a square
A number 4
on cement
A ball with
bright colors
that spins
to look for
places
A box with
plastic
Some ghosts
doing stuff
Some ghosts
making
letters
A big square
with little
squares scribbles
A big shiny
thing to carry birds
with wings
A pink thing
that makes things
disappear
A tall human
is a principal.