Welcome to Poetry Friday. I am so glad you’re here. This week was Valentine’s Day and there was so much love, poetry love in the air.
First off, Janet Wong and Sylvia Vardell sent copies of HERE WE GO, the latest Poetry Friday Power Pack.
Just this week, our Family Engagement Committee discussed how we can best help our students during the world today. How can we raise the level of social justice and make them feel safe? This is the perfect book to help students make some sense of the world.
There are many ways to approach this book; read the thirty-six poems like a story or use the poems as a springboard for writing. The end of the book is chock full of resources for both students and adult. One the resources, Poetry Performance Tips, will be used with my Poetry Rocks group, grades 1 through 3.
Poetry Rocks worked on some “What If” poems after school today in groups. We wrote as a quick write after reading Naomi Shihab Nye’s poem “Blue Bucket and Janet Wong’s response poems by Jenna and Ameera.
What if our teachers were gingerbread
instead of people
What if blueberries could talk
instead of regular blueberries
What if our bodies could talk
instead of our mouths talking
What if trees were sweet tarts
instead of regular trees
What if our homes were gingerbread
instead of normal homes
Then everything would be weird.
By Nevaeh, Amiah, Lauren
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
What if we were ghosts
instead of people
What if we could join our friends on their journey
instead just reading them
What if we could go to a land of magic
instead of going to school
What if school was fun and exciting
instead of being boring
What if our homes were made of gingerbread
instead of wood
Then life would be cooler.
By Haylie, Macy, Ricky, Taylor
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
What if I could change the laws
instead of going to school
What if I could eat cookies all day
instead of celery
What if chocolate
instead of tomatoes being food
What if everything was made of chocolate
instead of trees
What if there was no play
instead of school
Then I would be very sad.
By Bentley, Jazzlynn, Taryn, Charlie
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
What if I could play on my PS 4
instead of dad saying no
What if school was one hundred miles away
instead of a shortcut to home
What if there dragons
instead of moose
What if you could just float in the world
instead of outer space
What if I lived in Texas without electricity
instead of Washington
By William
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
What if I could teleport
instead of walk
What if there was no school
instead of school
What if school had only recess
instead of learning
What if the sea was filled with hot chocolate
instead of salt water
What if there was no light
instead of light
That would be bad.
By Marcella, Ella, Gabe, Italy
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
What if we had no homework
instead of homework
What if babies ruled the world
instead of crawling
What if humans were dogs
instead of humans
What if the world was made out of candy
instead of not being candy
Then that would be weird.
By Angel, Jazlyn, Eliza, Dakota
Next week due to the holiday and conference, we won’t have Poetry Rocks but I have challenged them to write their own “What If”poems. We’ll see what they write. I wrote my own “What If” poem which is posted at Deowriter.
I am going purchase some copies for our library I have a fourth grade class fired up about social justice. Can’t wait to share. Do you want your own copy? I have five copies to give away.
MORE POETRY LOVE!!
Congratulations to Laura Shovan for winning the CYBILS Poetry Award.
Happy Friday.
Happy Poetry.
HERE WE GO is excellent! I love the “What if” poems. I especially like the line “What if babies ruled the world” : ) No need to enter me in the drawing, I have a copy. Thanks for hosting!
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I’ve loved reading Here We Go, but haven’t written “from” it yet. How great that you have them for your students. The poems show they loved the imagining! Thanks for hosting, Jone!
I’m the same way….haven’t written FROM it yet. I’m itching to!
Thanks for hosting, Jone, and thanks to you and these creative students for sharing the “What if” poems. Such a great prompt. :0)
(Don’t worry about adding me to the drawing; I’ll be giving away a few copies on my blog in a couple of weeks.) And, yes – Yay, Laura!
Thank you for hosting Poetry Friday Jone. Enjoyed the responses to the question posed- What If? Such an open question elicits a range of possible responses.
Thanks for hosting, Jone. I love your students’ responses, and I MUST get a copy of this book. I read every week how good it is.
Thanks so much for hosting this week and for sharing your students’ What If poems. What a fun format for them! Thanks also for the giveaway–I’d love a chance to win a copy!
Happy Poetry Friday, Dear Jone! And thank you for hosting. I’m so glad to know that you are a teacher in the lives of a class of fourth graders. Not only are they getting an awesome adult in their lives but an awesome adult that shares the value of poetry with them. THANK YOU!
I really look forward to watching the continued ripple effects of ‘Here We Go’. Our students can feel so frustrated and sidelined at times like this. And ‘Here We Go’ is the perfect coach whistle to bring them into the game….THEIR game as they prepare to lead us. What a perfect book to kick off this weekend!
I happen to share William’s question:
“What if school had only recess
instead of learning”
Have a great week
How fun to see just how far these young imaginations can stretch! Looking forward to reading your “What If” too, Jone. Thanks for hosting PF today!
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Jone, I loved reading all the “what if…” poems of possibility! I chuckled all the way down the page. How clever these young poets are! Thank you for sharing this activity and the student work!
Thanks for hosting, Jone! Like Michelle said, I love seeing the directions the kids take and the thoughts & imagery they come up with. Keep up the great work!
One of the things I love about Here We Go poetry exercises is the immediate sense of success students feel when writing these poems. You can’t go wrong with What if? Thanks for hosting today and for promoting Here We Go.
What if blueberries could talk? What if the sea was filled with hot chocolate? What if there were dragons? I LOVE THESE wonderings! Here I smiling and smiling. Thank you, Jone & students!
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Fun seeing how the students responded. Here We Go is such a treasure. Thanks for hosting this week, Jone!
Love the What If poems from your students. I can’t wait to read this book myself. I’m hearing such good things about it.
Funny how celery and tomatoes would be eliminated. As an adult those are two of my favorite veggies. It’s a good thing I’m not in Texas, I’d be commenting in the dark! Thanks for sharing these imaginative writings.
Hi, Jone. What a great writing prompt! It’s clear what’s on these young poets’ minds from the details they included in their peoms.
POEMS!!
Jone, yes there is a great deal of poetry love going around this week, especially with Valentine’s Day tucked inside this week. I even gave my family a Valentine card with a poem from the heart. Thank you for hosting and showcasing Janet and Sylvia’s book. I won one of the copies of Here We Go raffled from Michelle H. Barnes’ giveaway. Thanks for hosting today.
Thank you for hosting! Happy Friday! 🙂
Thanks for hosting, Jone! What if, indeed! I love the kids that tapped into their stomachs, “What if I could eat cookies all day / instead of celery” – my kind of thinking. Happy Friday, Happy Poetry! =)
Thanks for sharing your student examples! I have my copy but haven’t yet shared any of the poems with kids. Can’t wait!
Margaret sent me this book and I’ve been using it every Friday with my students. Thank you for sharing your student samples, they always help me see where my kids are.
What grade? These were 1-3 graders and more of a quick write.
“What if we Poetry Friday didn’t exist?
That would be bad.”
Thanks for posting these!
-Ed
“And what if I could write coherently
instead of including a typo in a simple ten-word reply?
That would be good.”
Love your students’ poems. I received the book from Margaret and am trying to find time to work with some of the ideas. I see such beautiful writing from it, and can’t wait to dig in.
Love these student poems, especially this line:
“What if we could join our friends on their journey
instead just reading them.”
Is your Poetry Rocks group an after school club?
Thanks for hosting, Jone.
So fun — I love all those What If poems! Thanks for hosting, Jone! And congrats to Laura!
Kids scribbling in their copies, working in groups, brainstorming drafts together (that kids can later revise individually)–LOVE seeing all this, Jone. THANK YOU!!!
And we are learning Blue Bucket to recite.
What wonderful “What if’s”. I love the way gingerbread recurs in more than one.
Thanks for hosting today, Jone, and thanks for sharing this book – I just received it and can’t wait to try some of these poems out with my kiddos.
Thanks so much for sharing these wonderful “what if” poems and for all your support of HERE WE GO! It’s always so inspiring to see where kids go when we open the door to poetry!
Thanks for hosting and sharing your students’ poetry! I would love to go to the land of magic instead of school. Oh, wait. School IS kind of a land of magic…so I actually get my wish every day!
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Thank you for hosting this week, Jone. I love your students’ “What if…” poems, especially the chocolate-filled ones!
I’m stopping in a day late as I had a full schedule yesterday. Thanks so much for hosting and for sharing the students’ poems. I just loved reading them. The did a great job!
Thanks for hosting a great Poetry Friday! Ruth, thereisnosuchthingasagodforsakentown.blogspot.com
I loved reading your students “what if” poems. Their imaginations soared! I especially liked, “what if you could just float in the world” and “what if the sea was filled with hot chocolate.” It would be great to have a copy to use with my students.