I am a crazy rabbit and an ugly monster and nice people.

I went a little nuts typing up many more poems than usual, because I was so thrilled about the hilarious and exciting results of our "I am/I am not" anaphora poems. I asked the students to finish the phrase "I am..." fifteen times, and "I am not" five times. I encouraged them to use metaphor (compare themselves to objects, animals, places...) or to use adjectives, or verbs. I was struck by the complexity that they expressed through these poems, throwing in semi-contradictory lines ("I am an ugly monster and nice people.") and documenting growth and change ("I am not mean to you anymore.").

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Ms. Vilchis, Rm. 202, 3rd grade

I Am and I Am Not
Abel V.

I am a real hotdog.
I am a hamburger from Burger King.
I am a pencil that always writes.
I am a car that goes fast.
I am a taco from Tio Luis tacos.

I am not a nerd.
I am not a teacher.
I am not a clown.
I am not a paper.
I am not a piece of cement.

I am a computer that works.
I am a stapler that has a lot of staples.
I am a tissue paper.
I am a ramp that people use.
I am a clown that is funny.

I am not a piece of lead.
I am not a jacket that people wear.
I am not a folder that children use.
I am not a chalkboard.
I am not the worms that crawl in the dirt.


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Carlos L.

I’m an alligator, an alligator that invites people in my stomach.

I’m not a fish, a fish that swims in the water.

I’m a rat, a strong rat that could make a cat lose.

I’m not a worm that moves slow.

I’m a lion that is strong.


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Adriana A.

I am cleaning my room today.
I am helping people to earn money.
I am playing with my dog.
I am a daughter.
I am jumping around.

I am not hungry.
I am not worried.
I am not lucky; today always bad luck.
I am not happy today.
I am not cleaning my room.


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Andrea P.

In 5 de mayo I am going to dance. I am not a good dancer.
I am going to eat tamales. I am not happy.
I am a lizard. I am not a thing.
I am a balloon. I am not afraid of water.
I am a ball. I am not mean.

In 5 de mayo I am going to dance. I am going to dance.
I am going to eat tamales.
I am a lizard. I am a balloon.
I am a ball. I am a tree.

I am not a good dancer. I am not happy.
I am not mean. I am not afraid of water.
I am not a thing.


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Nicole O.

I am not a ghost.
I am a red shape and dark.
I am not mean to you anymore.
I am something that’s blue and flies.
I am not a heart.
I am the sun.
I am not the color yellow.
I am a paperclip.


I Am a Little Girl with a Big Imagination
Zamira M.

I am a little heart that don’t have nobody.
I am a little girl that is almost everything.
I am a little butterfly that flies and flies.
I am your Valentine all the time—
when you need help I will help you.
I am not a girl that steals friends.
I am not a toy you play with.
I am not a book that you laugh at all the time.
I am not a mean person that steals.
I am not a ghost.


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Daniel R.

I am a clown that makes a lot of people laugh
and I talk to people.
I am not a crazy boy. I am a nice boy
because you are not a bad boy,
you are a nice boy to play with.
I am a boy that does his work in the classroom.
I am not bringing my homework to school.
I am a tree and a train and a bike
that has two wheels.
I am not a clown.
I am not an ugly kid.
I am a crazy rabbit and an ugly monster
and nice people.


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Fernando L.

I am a can.
I am a ghost.
I am a famous singer.
I am the Earth.
I am a car.

I am not Jeff Hardy.
I am not a human.
I am not a tray.
I am not a clown.


I Am…I Am Not…
Araceli V.

I am a 3rd-grader. I am sad.
I am in Mrs. Vilchis’ classroom.
I am a student. I am my mom’s daughter.
I am not a teacher. I am not happy.
I am not a 4th-grader.
I am not a student of the month.
I am not a dog.


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Krystal R.

I am a sandwich that walks.
I am a bird.
I am a turkey.
I am a paper that talks.
I am a balloon.

I am not a book.
I am not a person.
I am not a shoe.
I am not a squirrel.
I am not a table.

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Ms. Hamdan, Rm. B15, 3rd grade

I Am, I Am Not!
Michelle B.

I am like a shining diamond!
I am not crazy!
I am a beautiful red heart!
I am not a banana with fresh peels!
I am clean and shiny!
I am not a crazy monkey!
I am a shining star in the sky!
I am not confusing!


I Am
Sebastian C.

I am a giant robot.
I am a magnet who sticks on the robot.
I am a rock--I can't move.
I am a football player.
I am a volcano who spills lava.
I am a pencil who people could write with.
I am a leaf on a tree.
I am a writer.
I am a house.
I am a candle.

I am not a pair of glasses.
I am not scissors.
I am not cool.
I am not a ruler.
I am not a clock.


Confusion
Marcos B.

I am 10 of these are us which is
you or me or these.

I am not the same as all of you.

I am always everywhere, as you
can see.

I am not afraid of fireworks or not even
chocolate but maybe of you.

I am not fat.

I am always skinny.


I Am Not
Angelica A.

I am not a boy.
I am a girl.
I am not broccoli.
I am a girl that likes to laugh.
I am not a washing machine.
I am writing a poem.
I am not a tree.
I am counting in my head.
I am not dinner.
I am reading my sentence.
I am not a cup of coffee.
I am doing work.
I am not a triangle.
I am using Andy's pencil.
I am not a cake.


I Am! I Am Not!
Jacqueline V.

I am nice.
I am a girl.
I am strong.
I am pretty.
I am a kitty.
I am great at school.
I am beautiful.
I am a dog.
I am big.
I am brave.
I am not a cylinder.
I am not mud.
I am not a rock.
I am not a leaf.
I am not a cake.
I am not a cube.
I am not a boy.
I am not a rectangle.
I am not a cone.
I am a sphere.
I am not a pyramid.
I am not a prism
because I will be a prism.

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Mrs. Vazzana, Rm. 104, 3rd grade

Untitled
Victor P.

I am a house.
I am not a paper.
I am a book.
I am not a board.
I am a television.
I am not a shoe.
I am a map.
I am not a pencil.
I am a ball.
I am not a book bag.
I am short.
I am not hair.
I am an apple.
I am a person.


I Am the Things
Hazael G.

I am tiny like an ant.
I am not a computer
because I don't have letters
in my stomach.
I am a hot dog.
I am not a donkey.
I am a book.
I am a poem.
I am not water.
I am a lion.
I am not a shark.
I am not a planet.
I am a dog.
I am an angel.


I Am
Esmeralda P.

I am a frog because
I jump a lot.
I am a monkey because
I ate a lot of bananas.
I am a dog because I like
bones of meat.
I am the sun and I am bright.
I am a song I sing.
I am a book so fat.
I am a poem so long.
I am a hot dog.
I am pizza.
I am a school.
I am a donkey that does the limbo.
I am a cookie.


I Am Not Things, I Am Things
Yacsel H.

I am a butterfly in the sky.
I am a monkey, I dance and eat bananas.
I am a seahorse and I am in the water.
I am a pencil and I write with it.

I am not a car who rides.
I am not a house where they live.
I am not water to drink.
I am not a poem to read.
I am not food to eat.


Myself
Angelica V.

I am a good girl.
I am a princess.
I am my dog.
I am a girl.
I am a president.
I am a super girl.
I am Maya.
I am a D.W.
I am a woman.
I am a mom.

I am not a boy.
I am not a stranger.
I am not a dinosaur.
I am not a nice boy.


I Am
Miguel M.

I am a white tiger.
I am not Joaquin.
I am Miguel.
I am a red dragon.
I am not a shark.



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Karina G.

I am a girl.
I am not a boy.
I am in Chicago.
I am not an animal.
I am a dog.
I am not a house.
I am fabulous.
I am not a clock.
I am a princess.
I am not a number.
I am a teddy bear.
I am not a ghost.
I am a happy face.
I am not a marker.
I am a heart.
I am not a rabbit.
I am a star.
I am not teeth.
I am a popstar.
I am not a baby.
I am a butterfly.
I am not a rat.
I am a bird.
I am not a fly.
I am a rainbow.
I am not a fish.
I am a glass of water.