Food Poems based on A SUITCASE OF SEAWEED AND MORE

Have you read this book?

If not, you need to buy it now or find it at your local library. It’s a great mentor text for getting students to think about their cultural background. Janet Wong published this book twenty-three years ago and just recently added back stories to the poems. More about that next week when Janet shares the answers to some questions I recently asked her.

I was back in the library this week. I had the opportunity to work with fourth and fifth graders. This book provided excellent food poems as mentors. I decided given the time allotment of thirty minutes over class, the SKINNY poem would be a good form for students to use to write a poem about a food for which they had strong emotions (good or bad). And while the directions for the SKINNY poem are specific, I love how some students make it their own and use the template as a guide.

When I take poetry workshops from Paulann Petersen, she often has words lists available for participants. I decided that given the 30 minute time limit, having a word list for describing food would be helpful. I provided this for students:

Adobo

By Kai

A traditional Filipino dish

Adobo

Wet

Dry

Flavorful

Adobo

Soupy

Chewy

Mouthwatering

Adobo

A traditional Filipino dish

++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Mushrooms

By Avery

Time for soup I guess. So much like snakes

Mushrooms

Slimy

Gray

Bitter

Mushrooms

Yuck

Like a slug

They make you throw up

Mushrooms

They stink! So much like snakes

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Rice

By Sadie

Time for rice

Rice

Sticky

Tempting

Wet

Rice

Flavorful

Heavenly

Mouthwatering

Rice

Time for rice

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Noodles

By Miciah

Time for

Noodles

Buttery

Slimy

Slippery

Noodles

Crumbly

Yummy

Hot

Noodles

Time for noodles

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Pizza

By Connor

Hot, hot, hot

Pizza

Burning

Sizzling

Yummy

Pizza

Tasty

Savory

Mouthwatering

Pizza

Hot, hot, hot

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Tamales

By Hughito

Time for my tamales

Tamales

Delicious

Yummy

Delightful

Tamales

Delectable

Chewy

Delicacy

Tamales

Time for my tamales

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Orange Chicken

By Jordan

Ow, ya!

Orange chicken

Delicious

Mouth

Watering

Orange chicken

Sauce

All

Over

Orange chicken

Ow, ya!

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Strawberries

By Spencer

Yum strawberries

Strawberries

Liquidity

Chewy

Red

Strawberries

Green

Food

Yummy

Strawberries

Yum Strawberries

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