Poetry Friday: Food Love and A Special Announcement

Thank you, Linda B. at TeacherDance for rounding up all the poetry goodness this week.

This week upon arrival to the school I was subbing at, the person was there and gave me the opportunity to write poetry with her two fifth grade classes. I think it caught the students off guard (especially first thing in the morning and they are less familiar with me than my former school).  I made some adjustments and the second class took off.

I used the lesson from the poetry of Janet Wong’s A SUITCASE OF SEAWEED AND MORE.  It’s food poems are the best to lead off for writing to poems.

I like using the “Skinny”poem format as it’s quick in a short time  space (30 minutes). Everyone has a strong reaction to food that being you either love or hate particular foods.

The ‘Skinny” poem consists of eleven lines.  Three lines are the SAME word (in this case food). The first and the last line should be the same sentence. The remaining six lines are single words or a word phrase to describe the food.

These are general instructions for writing and I am not strict about following them as my main goal with students is to experimenting, playing with words, and hopefully a poem will result.

 

Could It Be the Return of Student Poetry Postcards?

Stayed Tuned!

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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.

Yesterday I was in third grade. Two teachers share their students so I was able to do two poetry lessons. And I figured out how to use PADLET. Woohoo! I put the poems up on Padlet as they finished and the students LOVED seeing their work displayed.

For details on the HOW-TO of this lesson, visit this POST.

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

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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

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Rice

By Sadie

Time for rice

Rice

Sticky

Tempting

Wet

Rice

Flavorful

Heavenly

Mouthwatering

Rice

Time for rice

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Noodles

By Miciah

Time for

Noodles

Buttery

Slimy

Slippery

Noodles

Crumbly

Yummy

Hot

Noodles

Time for noodles

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Pizza

By Connor

Hot, hot, hot

Pizza

Burning

Sizzling

Yummy

Pizza

Tasty

Savory

Mouthwatering

Pizza

Hot, hot, hot

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Tamales

By Hughito

Time for my tamales

Tamales

Delicious

Yummy

Delightful

Tamales

Delectable

Chewy

Delicacy

Tamales

Time for my tamales

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Orange Chicken

By Jordan

Ow, ya!

Orange chicken

Delicious

Mouth

Watering

Orange chicken

Sauce

All

Over

Orange chicken

Ow, ya!

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Strawberries

By Spencer

Yum strawberries

Strawberries

Liquidity

Chewy

Red

Strawberries

Green

Food

Yummy

Strawberries

Yum Strawberries

Student Poetry Month: Inanimate Object Poem Week

I interviewed Laura Purdie Salas about her new book IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT in March. That interview is HERE.

Then I had an opportunity to work with a fourth grade class. We made a list of all the inanimate objects in the classrooms. I am featuring their poems all week.

The let down pencil
I get left in the pencil bin all day
sharp, dull, lead, eraser
You write with it
lead filled wood

~Shelby

Computer
happy as a pig I be
fun, important, electric
I am your gaming station for life
I am your device of glory computer

~Elliott

Student Poetry Month: Inanimate Objects Poems

I interviewed Laura Purdie Salas about her new book IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT in March. That interview is HERE.

Then I had an opportunity to work with a fourth grade class. We made a list of classroom inanimate objects. I am featuring their poems all week.

Organized calendar
I’m as smart as a 7th grader
flip, count, mark
you know what day it is
Time keeper

~Tim, 4th grade

Majestic American Flag
We are strong as a bald eagle
Strong, brave, huge
Best
my country flag

~Kelton

Poetry Friday: Students + Writing = Poems

It’s Friday and that means Poetry Friday. Thank you to Robyn at Life on the Deckle Edge for hosting.

I was very excited to get this SNOWMAN – COLD = PUDDLE . In fact, I was so excited for the book I accidentally bought two. So guess what, I will be selecting a lucky person for my extra copy. Just comment below.

Last week, I had the opportunity to sub at my former school. The teachers were gracious enough to make space in the day for me to teach Equation Poems based
Laura Purdie Salas’s new title.

It’s never enough time to fully polish and revise the poems. After reading the book and talking about the idea on a one line poem, the students dove in. I worked with second and third graders. Some second graders were able to create the illustrations.

One second grader took the paper home to finish.

Here are more examples:

The above are my second graders who had more time to work.

Process: We read the book. Made a few group ones. I created a list of possibilities for the sum or difference. (=family, =heaven, = honesty {one of their life skills they are working on} )I had a sheet with the format and asked the students to write three. They then selected their favorite to illustrate.

Here are some that were written but not illustrated:

Blanket + Cat = Nap

~Liana, 2nd grade

Winter + Waves = Storm

~Elisha, 2nd grade

Horses + Saddle = Heaven

~Beatrix, 3rd Grade

Me + Family = Love

~ Vicka, 3rd grade

Me + Sick = Chicken Noodle Soup

~ Jayden, 3rd grade

Me + Homework = No, No, No

~ Daniel, 3rd grade

Sad + Cry = Puddle

~ Ricky, 3rd grade

Person + Forever Sleep = Heaven

~Naomi, 3rd grade

Triangle + Ingredients = Pizza

Moon + Stick = Lollipop

Stick + Stone = Hammer of Thor

~John W, 3rd grade

Max + Daniel = Honesty

~ Elvira, 3rd grade

Sister + Doom = Sadness

~ Malachi, 2nd grade

Book + Learning = Smart

~Samantha, 2nd grade

Have a poetic week. Over at Deowriter, I’m remembering Paul Janeczko.

Poetry Friday: A Poem From a Former Student

There’s a lot of poetry goodness happening today. It can be found at Writing the World for Kids. Thank you, Laura.

Last week, I heard from a mom how her daughter missed Poetry Rocks and was still writing poems. I sent a post card to the daughter and asked about her poems. Last night this appeared on my Facebook page.

Puppies Are So Cute

They are cuddly, too.

They like to play a lot

They like to run a lot too.

They are also a good pet

and sometimes they get a little
sleepy and they go to bed

And then in the morning they play,

play all day long.

©Rylee, 2nd grade

I love how much she knows about puppies. I believe she has a puppy at home.

She has an idea about line breaks. And the word sleepy and the repetition of play, play so fun.

Thank you, Rylee!

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Hope to see you all next week. The post will be available early. I will be revealing the CYBILS Poetry Winner for 2018. I’ve been working with some fabulous judges to decide. The finalists are giving us a run for our money.

Poetry Friday: Process for I Come From Poems

Thanks to Sylvia at Poetry for Children who is hosting today. She has a teacher rarified Sneak Peek of the 2019 poetry titles.

DISCLAIMER: I usually am teaching poetry lessons with a limited time amount. It may be thirty minutes or forty-five minutes. And as when I was in the library, I had to do over several weeks. If I were teaching in a regular classroom, I would probably teach in a different way.

I’ve been thinking about my process for working with students with creating poetry. A lot of times, I’m a “pantser” (versus being a planner). So last month I had an opportunity to work with two third grade classes on a more complicated version of the “I Come From” poems that George Ella Lyons has offered to the world. If you search on the Internet, you will find a variety of templates to use.

I decided to adapt a template into a format that I have used with students for a several poetry forms.

The first week I subbed in December, I used this form after sharing a lot of examples (particularly ones that I’ve shared in earlier blog posts).

At the end of writing time, I gathered them up so that I could type their drafts (if I were in a classroom full time, I would probably have them type them).

When I returned the second week, I handed out the drafts. I shared from my own experience in submitting poems that I get to look at the draft and the “editor” suggestions. I had them reread and make changes.

I met with these two boys and they shared what they wanted. Students got to choose which lines they wanted to use.

On this second class, I offered this for those who wanted to write their poem.
Nathan reread his draft and decided that he wanted to revise in a big way by using the above format.

He was so pleased with the outcome.

To showcase the class poems, I’m in the process of creating a Padlet for their work.

Poetry Friday: Student Poetry Randomly Shared With Me

Thanks to Margaret at Reflections on the Teche for hosting Poetry Friday this week.

Earlier this week, I got a noticed that a fifth grader, Jamison, had shared poetry with me.  We have been done with poetry for awhile in the library but fifth graders may have been working on poetry in class.

When I had Jamison in class on Wednesday, I asked him if meant to share his poetry with me. He said yes. Jamison is one of those students that I wouldn’t expect to do this.   He’s active, speaks out, and sometimes you wonder if he’s listening.  I asked if I could share on the blog today and he said that’s why he shared them with me.

I am skilled with games
I wonder if I am going crazy
I hear rustles in the basement
I see morning stars on the roof
I want to have the earth’s core in my hand
I am skilled with games
I pretend there’s no sound
I feel bad presence
I touch a shadow
I worry that something is going to jump at me
I cry about my grandma
I am skilled with games
I understand my mom
I say the world is ending
I dream everything is ok
I try to convince people
I hope I last long

–Jamison, 5th grade

I am a casual ghastly
Nobody wants me though I am alone
All by myself an alleyway
Asking if I can be someone’s partner
It’s been 3 days without anything
I’m behind a trashcan hiding
I have a visitor and he has a nice home
I guess I’m not so lonely after all

–Jamison, 5th grade

Such thought provoking images. this always makes me happy to receive unasked for poetry from students.  Thank you, Jamison, for sharing with me.

Poetry Friday: Student Poetry 04/07/2017

Poetry Friday is hosted by Irene at Live Your Poem. Thanks, Irene. And thanks again for organizing the fabulous Progressive Poem which lands at Irene’s blog today.