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.

I left my keys at the house
they are as lost as my heart
I’m scared of my house
I can stay in my car
or a chair

~Hunter

Ruling rulers
we always rule the classroom
measure, hit, compare
We help you with your homework
Ruling, radiant runner

~Lilly

Lost and forgotten marker
I am as leaky as a river coming into the sea
overused, gross, ugly
we chucked you in the trash
yucky, unneeded, broken marker

~Ruben

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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: Working with Third Graders On Animal Sound Poems

Welcome to Poetry Friday. Thank you goes to Rebecca at Sloth Read for hosting everyone.

Yesterday I was lucky enough to sub in Mrs. Martin’s room. I shared the “I Come From” poems in January.

I love teaching poetry when I sub. The tricky part is being able to get it down in the amount of time I’m given. Yesterday I had an hour which I could work with the class.

Georgia Heard’s book BOOM! BELLOW! BLEAT! has been a great mentor text.

We discussed some of the poems in the book. I really like “Rattlesnake Warning” and “You Can’t See Us, But You Can Hear. Us” for whole group participation. Then I shared my poem and asked what they noticed.

This lead to a discussion about

Here’s a sneak peak of the third grade poems. What I notice with third grade is their variety of animal choices: cockatiel, blue whale, chinchilla, canines, pandas, and a giraffe to name a few. We talked about being more specific that just “dog” or “bird”.

I will be publishing them during April’s National Poetry Month. And in the near future, I will have an interview with Georgia Heard.

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: 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: Featuring Second Grade Poets

Thanks to Buffy at Buffy’s Blog for hosting us today.

Second grade did research recently on animals of the Oregon Zoo.  They used  World Book Kids which has a fantastic animal quick facts chart and the Oregon Zoo website.

Following the research, we wrote animal poems.

polar bear
fluffy white bear
catching, running, fighting
you look like you’re made out of the snow
playing, hiking, swimming
white as snow
ursus maritimus

~Allison S

chelonlidae
in open waters
swimming, protecting, eating sponge
been around for over 100 million years
laying eggs, weighing more than 1000 pounds
sea turtles

~Kiki

cheetah
fast, cool
Chasing, resting, fascinating
Family, awesome, cubs, playful
Sneaking, sleeping, pouncing
jumping, turning
acinonyx jubatas

~Ruben

ursus maritimus
the Arctic
swimming
sea ice
playing, rolling, splashing
they live in cold places
polar bear

~Taryn

cheetahs
fast smart
hiding hunting chasing
you’re always looking for something else to do
eating sleeping scaring
having fun
acinonyt jubatus

~Allison D.

Sea otter
fun
playing, swimming, eating
sunbathing in water grabbing hair body covering
creeping, sleeping, stepping
playful, silly
pteronurabrasiliensis

~Piper

white sturgeon
when young eat mollusks
swimming clinging growing
freshwater and seawater
eating hiding growing
like a white and gray log
Acipensertransmentarus

~Connor

 

Poetry Friday: More Student Work

Poetry Friday is hosted by Tricia at The Miss Rumphius Effect.  I love that she’s gone old school with the links.

A few weeks ago I featured student poetry.  I walked by the fourth/fifth classroom and noticed the art and poems. I just had to share!

 

 

In further news:

• The Poetry Section for the CYBILS has about thirty eight titles nominated.  Woohoo.
• Go to Today’s Little Ditty as Michelle reveals the cover to The Best of TLD, 2014-2015.  I am thrilled to be in this collection.
• Find out more about the Winter Poetry Swap at Tabatha Yeatts.  Always great fun!                                  

National Poetry Month, Celebrating Student Work 14/30

Strong, Shoshone, Sacagawea
I am as brave as a bear
Steady, ready, and stable and ready for trouble
I am Captain Clark’s Admirer
Confident, Courageous, Scout

Katelyn M.
4th grade

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

Lewis loves lemons
I am a brave as a lion
I jump off a cliff
Lewis had a dog named Seaman
Lewis loves lemons

Kylie W.
4th grade

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

Strong, Shoshone Sacagawea
I am as smart as a dolphin
Ran, jumped and ran away
Am the expedition’s guide
Smart, courageous Native American

Kadence B.
4th grade

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

Sacagawea
Smart, strong, Sacagawea.
I am as brave as a stealthy fox.
Sneaky, quiet, throws for prey.
Sacagawea has a crush on Clark.
Kind, amazing, Sacagawea.

Alaina K.
4th grade

 

National Poetry Month, Celebrating Student Work 12/30

Oops….I hit publish instead schedule…enjoy this preview.  More later.

I am a tough bottlenose dolphin.
I am as warm-blooded as a human.
I work in a group to catch prey.
Tough Tursiops Truncatus.

Ariana
3rd grade

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

I am a blue jay
I live in forests
In America
I sample bird eggs
My parents will
Work together
To defend
The nest

Andrew D.
3rd grade
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

I am a colorful toucan.
I am as thin as a rabbit.
I fly in the sky.
I travel in groups called flocks
I am mostly hollow.

Alexis
3rd grade

National Poetry Month, Celebrating Student Work 9/30

Third grade researched animals on World Book and then wrote poems.

twisting head owl                                                                          .
I am as fluffy as a dog as I move through the forest
I strike as fast as a cheetah
I eat small mammals, birds, and insects
cool strix occidentalis.

Peighton S.
3rd grade

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

Fluffy cat
I am as fluffy as a fur coat
I sneak slowly swift
cats use their sensitive whiskers to help them sense their surroundings in the dark
Furry cat

Morgan S.
3rd grade

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