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.