Tarkington School of Excellence Poetry

Poetry Broadsides

2008-05-08T11:15:00.000-07:00

For the last two weeks of the residency, students chose their favorite poems that they wrote this year. Then they revised their work and created a poetry broadside that incorporated images from their own poems. Finally we went on a "gallery walk" where students could see the amazing poems of their peers. It was a great 20 weeks at Tarkington!

Check back next fall for new poems.

What We Know

2008-04-08T12:05:00.000-07:00

Today we read "Ballade" by Francios Villon. We talked about how we know things--how sometimes we know a whole thing by its parts. Or sometimes what we know reveals what we don't know. The students wrote some great poems. Take a look!

Ms. Mitchell 5th grade

I Know
Flor T.

I know my mom by her cooking.
I know my dad by his talking.
I know spring by kids playing.
I know reading by words.
I know everything but my sister.

I know words by letters.
I know flowers by their smell.
I know my teacher by her talking.
I know talking by reading.
I know myself.
I know everything but my sister.

I know my dad by his hard work.
I know people by their style.
I know my friends by being there.
I know everything but my sister.

I Know
Dylan M.

I know my dad by his hair
I know my mom by her voice
I know my sister with her crying
I know my neighbor by her laughter
I know a great book when I see one
I know I’m good at video games
I know how to milk a cow
I know when my grandma made good food
I know my friends when they talk
I know the weather when I feel it
I know what is ticklish

I Know
Annabel H.

I know my mom by her screaming
I know numbers by clothes
I know the steps of my sister when angry
I know my friend by her talk
I know my dog by her whining
I know the color by the tree
I know my dad by his knock

I Know
Delmar M.

I know the ATA airplanes from
the Southwest airplanes by the way
they fly in the air and how they
take off. I know the pit bull
from a rottweiler by the bark.
I know a truck from a car
by the engine.

I Know
Leslie P.

I know my mom by her food
I know a folder by its pockets
I know a girl by her long hair
I know a pixie by its wings
I know my grandma by her age
I know a mouse is a cat’s prey
I know a school by the kids
I know a park by the games
I know a restaurant by the food
I know they angels in the sky
I know beautiful times
But I don’t know if it would be
the end of the world.

Ms. Kennedy 5th grade

I Know
Shannon B.

I know a teacher by the way she looks
I know a child by the way she acts
I know a mother by the way she walks
I know a cow by the way it moos
I know the weather by the way it looks
I know a ball by its shape
I know an equation by its numbers
I know everything but how many licks
it takes to get to a tootsie roll pop

I know a clock by its tick
I know a chair by its squeak
I know a poet by its rhythm
I know everything I’m supposed
to know.

I Know
Sergio D.

I know the cup
by slurping it.
I know the birds
by their song. I
know the school
by it knowledge.
I know when it rains
the sky turns gray.

I Know
Rogelio J.

I know the sounds of my mom
I know the sound of the church
I know the bell of recess
I know the sound when I shoot
the ball
I know the sound of the rain
I know everything but myself.

I know god’s kindness
I know when my Dad comes
I know the devil’s playground
I know everything but myself.

Ms. Schaeffer 5th grade

I Know
Laura M.

I know dogs in stores
I know animals by their smell
I know Home Runs from high
I know water by the noise
I know the shoes when I see people in them
I know when people are mad
I know who makes paper airplanes
I know everything but myself.

I Know
Dominique B.

I know my mom by her shoe
I know Paris by the Eiffel Tower
I know my dad by his voice
I know my friends by their hair
I know my cousin by her hair
I will know everything but my inside

I know BBQ by the grill
I know fudge by the cake
I know my grandma by her glasses
I know my god-sisters by their size
I will know everything but my inside

I Know
Anareli L.

I know my brother by his English/Spanish accent
I know my friends by their skateboards
I know some of my other friends by their smell
I know Tony by his skateboard
I know fear by its face
I know everything but secrets

I know kids by their faces
I know when people are going to hit me
I know the anime’s name
I know death who devours all
I know everything but secrets

I Know
Guadalupe C.

I know the hand on the clock
I know my mom by her eyes
I know people by their cars
I know the plants by the leaves
I know the teacher by our lessons
I know the poems by the reader
I know the calculator by the numbers
I know all these things but myself.

I know the cup by the designs
I know the book by the words
I know the TV by the buttons
I know the words by the letters
I know the world by the names
I know my desk by the book in it
I know my friends by their shoes
I know all these things but myself.

I Know
Andres G.

I know the clipboard by the color.
I know the women by their voices.
I know sadness by the look
on the eye of fear.
I know everything but my mind.

I Know
Karen L.

I know my mom by her hair
I know the teacher by her voice
I know my brother by his hands
I know my dad by his voice
I know my house by the trees
I know my family by how they smell.

I Know
Jackie P.

I know Mexico by the way it smells
I know school by math
I know red by blood
I know scissors by paper
I know paper by pencils
I know baseball by sports
I know my favorite restaurant by the smell
I know fear by school
but I don’t know why I’m so tall.

Ode to the BambooSnakeFishFly--Part 3

2008-04-01T19:01:00.000-07:00

Today we read Pablo Neruda's "The Turtle" and spoke about Odes. We enjoyed Neruda's poem of praise. And, though we liked the turtle, the students became creators of their own new animals. The students then wrote their own odes to their fabulous new creations.

Take a look!

Ms. Schaefer's class: 5th grade

Ode to the ButterBird
Vanessa E.

The butterbird who
flew so long
and saw so much
with
her
purple
eyes.
The butterbird
who ate
leaves
from the beautifulest
tree,
The butterbird who flew
for eight cenuries
and knew
eight
thousand
springtimes,
The butterbird
who slept
in the
golden tree
and wandered
around
she closed her eyes
which defied
and went to sleep.

Ode to the Rhinohornbatwing Man Eater
Derome S.

Ode to the Rhinohornbatwing Man Eater
Oh how I love how it swoops down to
catch people.
It lives on the top of Mt. Rushmore.
It eats human and tigers and lions.
It can fly, and run faster than a cheetah
and on water.
It brings darkness.

Ode to the Snake-Headed Frog-Legged Turtle!
Devonte C.

Ode to the Snake-
Headed Frog-
Legged Turtle.
Oh how it loves
to jump and
say seeeeeses.
It lives under
water in a nest.
It eats insects
baby owl and
baby dogs.
It moves 50 miles per hour.
It loves to jump.
It jumps up to 10 feet
in the air. It catches
prey by it's feet like
an owl or eagle some-
times it eats things whole.
When a big animal
tries to eat it, it
either jumps away or
sticks its snake head
in its shell
and feet in its shell!

Ode to the Winged Shell Tiger Fish
Kelvin H.

Oh how I love my wild beast.
How he lives in rivers.
How he eats the strongest predator.
How he is immortal.
How he is the predator.
How he moves in the air
on land and in water.
Oh how he knows every part of
land, the miraculous beast
who slept in different areas.
How he controls all seasons.
Oh how I love my wild beast.

Ode to the BambooSnakeFishFly--Part 2

2008-04-01T12:25:00.001-07:00

Ode to the Flying Fishsnake
Carlos T.

Oh flying fishsnake how I love to go
all over the places, he eats a lot of stuff.
He flies, jumps, runs and swims. He is not a friendly animal.

Ode to the Flying Snake Butterfly
Noemi O.

Oh snakebutterly how I love when you

fly in the air and swim in the sea
when you eat chickens when to
go to a farm.

Ode to the Hopper
Kimberly A.

How I love to eat carrots, meat, worms and insects. I live
in the wild. I live in the trees and love to fly in the dark. I run
fast and fly in the bright blue sky. Ode to the hopper
tiger bat bird that likes to run and hop fast.

Ode to the BambooSnakeFishFly

2008-04-01T11:38:00.000-07:00

Ode to the BamboojumperLizader
Arniece W.

The BambooumperLizader who eats snakes
covered in chocolate from the jungle named Marc.
And it loves to see its prey hiding
around in tiny tiny places with its eyes
looking at it like a hawk, like it is a fish.

History (in third person)

2008-03-25T13:23:00.000-07:00

Today we read Tomaz Salamun's poem "History." We talked about writing in third person to gain some distance and a new perspective. We also talked about how imagining one's own history could be interesting, especially when the poet chooses vivid images. The students wrote great poems of their own imagined histories. Take a look!

Ms. Mitchell 5th grade
Week 15
3/25/08

My History
Cecilia F.

Cecilia is a hero.
She is a blue book being read.
Some people think she’s crazy.
Maybe she is a healthy carrot
or maybe even a parrot that is
blue! She could even be a famous
singer that she would never be.
Cecilia is taking her stubborn
step sister to the store to
buy a Bratz diamonds doll.
Cecilia is a yellow bright
star in the sky.
She could even be a bright
and sweet strawberry, even
though she is a sour lemon.
But people say: oh look
the devil is coming to the baker
to buy a cake for her family.

History
Thalia V.

Thalia is a cat.
Thalia is a bush.
She sits down watching
TV. People and I, we both
look at her amazed. We wish
her well. Maybe she is an image
you can’t describe. But,
next year, she will be at home
in Mexico or Las Vegas.
This is Thalia.
But in Las Vegas, peoples
say: look. But Thalia
just walks away following her mom.

History
Arniece W.

Arniece is a drama queen.
Arniece is a red ruby shining bright.
She’s like a star shining bright
like a celebrity.
She’s like a stubborn girl who sometimes would like to
leave Chicago.
Arniece is like the queen of celebrities, because
she is a beauty and glamorous and has it all.
Next year, she will probably be in college
like a student in Atlanta or New York.

Ms. Kennedy 5th grade
Week 15
03/25/08

History
Michaela C.

Michaela is a princess.
Michaela is a star shining at night.
She sees people saying it is beautiful.
People and I look at her crazy.
They wish she was a real
live person. Maybe she is punished
from the biggest star in the
universe. Maybe she is a spy
in the sky. Next year, she
will probably be on vacation
and relaxing because she
is stressed out. But, she’ll
be okay for the rest of her life.

What is He?
Alan R.

Alan is a ball that bounces.
Alan is a big scary giant.
He lies down in the shade.
People say: He is a bull
running in the street.
I say: Next year he will
be in Mexico at the beach.
People think he is a big snow-
storm. But the next year
he is at school getting his grades.
But he is still planning to
go to Mexico before he dies.
He is a door not letting
anything go in.

History
Noemi O.

Noemi is an angel.
Noemi is a light turning off and on.
She lies in the night.
Swims in the morning.
Noemi is a cheetah chasing
its prey. She is like a spider
waiting for a bug to get
on her web. Next year
she will be in Puerto Rico.

Ms. Schaeffer 5th grade
Week 15
03/25/08

History
Tyriona W.

Tyriona is a T-Rex
that is running for meat.
Tyriona is a chandelier
dangling in the air.
She is a sour apple
that makes you shiver.
Next year, she would be
a high mountain that no one
can reach. Maybe she will be
a gummy worm that slithers
on the ground. But,
people say she is going to be
a little, tiny bird.
Next year, she’ll probably be
a big hole. There’s
a possibility that she might be
a dancing leprechaun.
But other people say she will
be a singer and a queen that people
will examine in the future.
But she says that she is going
to be a successful person.

History
Guadalupe C.

Guadalupe is a plant.
Guadalupe is a gummy bear
running up and down.
She goes to the pool and
calls her plant.
People look at her weird.
They wish her will and to not
get sick again.
They will give her energy.
When leaves fall to the floor,
she can only show petals
that should be taken in winter.
She will die.
That is history about Guadalupe.

My History
Vanessa E.

Vanessa is an angel.
She might only be a sad story.
Possibly she should be a Chihuahua.
Next year, she’ll be in Europe. In Paris.
But people will say: look there is
Vanessa walking down the street
drinking some latte.
She will always be someone
to trust and she will always
be nice to people.

Crazy Adorations

2008-03-13T11:41:00.000-07:00

Today we read an excerpt of Andre Breton's "Free Union." We talked about the power of metaphor and discussed the strange and surprising way Breton describes his wife. We made a list of unusual parts of the body that might go mostly unexamined, and created a list of unrelated nouns. Then, when asked to think of someone they adore, students came up with many exciting comparisons. Read their work!

Ms. Mitchell 5th grade
Week 14

Poem
Flor T.

My dog’s eyes are like
roses with lots of petals.
My dog is brown like
a chocolate river.
My dog has ears of
a fish.
My dog’s belly is like jelly.
My dog’s head is like a
fountain of glitter.
My dog’s mouth is like
a ring.
My dog’s feet are like
little rabbits feet jumping.
My dog is like
my sister, always doing what
they are not supposed to be
doing.

Poem
Jose M.

Marc’s voice sounds like a
chocolate cookie saying
he doesn’t want to shower,
it sounds like a
skunk trying to
escape from
a predator.
It sounds like
a pop tart with
strawberry. It sounds
like a sad cow that
is going to get a mark
with the thing farmer’s use to make
the mark. He sounds like
a bush baby that can’t get
on the bush. It sounds
like a big thunder
storm trying to let
down rain. He
sounds like
a big
happy panda that just
found its family again.
That’s how Marc sounds.

Poem
Monica R.

My brother’s brain is as small as a peanut.
My brother’s face of steaks.
My brother’s eyes are just like my sisters.
My brother’s belly is an elephant.
My brother’s ears full of monkeys.

Ms. Kennedy 5th grade
Week 14

My Brother
Azalea S.

My brother
has the skin
of a snake.

With the
head of a blown
up balloon.

Hands of a
construction worker.
Heart of a devil’s
brain.

Feet of a jungle
boy. Breath of a
sun on a 150 degree
summer day.

Toenails of a rough
needle. Hair of a
little noodle popping out
and back in.

My brother
of the body
of an ant.

My brother!

My Cousin
Mireya G.

My cousin Daniel has
eyes of a flower, mouth of
a sun, hands of a trouble-
maker, nose of a watermelon and
cheeks of eggs. Legs of snow,
brain of Sponge Bob’s house and
powers like Spiderman.
I love my cousin!

My Friend
Rafael G.

My friend has the lips of French fries,
the brain of beans,
the ribs of sticks,
the eyes of a streelight,
the nose of a button,
and the hair of a bag of popcorn.
The elbow of a water bottle cap,
the fingers of noodles,
the heart of grapes,
the intestines of pipes,
the toes of chicken wings,
and the hair of a monkey.

Ms. Schaeffer 5th grade
Week 14

Free, All Free
Ariel T.

My head that’s shaped like a globe.
My ears are little martens.
My shoulders that are red and pink hearts.
My legs are bright lamps.
My fingers are crystals dangling.
My arms are stringy noodles.

My Cousin
Tariq R.

My cousin’s hair is on
fire, but not very much.
His face looks like a clown
from Saw III, oh god
it looks like glass that broke.

My Friend
Jackie P.

My friend with the nose of
a dog and ears of a chipmunk.
My friend with fingers of
a bear and a brain of a pebble. My
friend with a head of socks.
My friends with a femur of
a dog and an eye of crystal.

Personification Emotion Party

2008-02-19T18:37:00.001-08:00

This week we read "Shame" by Nancy Casteneda and "Fear" by Tracy Waldman. The students and I discussed personification, and then made a list of some emotions we might want to explore. We talked about how, if the emotion was a person, it would look, act, etc. A few student volunteers had a good time acting this out and entering the room as their emotion. Then, they used their own powers to transform their emotion into a person via words:

Ms. Mitchell 5th grade

Confused
Thalia V.

Confused is a girl with 2 pigtails,
one higher that the other.
She doesn’t know whether to put
milk in the cereal box or cereal
in the milk. She is confused.
She doesn’t know whether to put
her homework on her book bag
or in it. She is a girl who is
confused. She doesn’t know
whether to use her hand to
open the door or use her
mouth. She uses her mouth.
She puts cereal in the milk
carton and pours it into
her book bag. Then she puts her
homework on top of her book bag
and heads to school. But
she doesn’t know whether to
run to school or use the bus.
She runs. She is confused.

Happiness
Cecilia F.

Happiness is a woman who
loves and smiles, eats an
egg, hot dog, and some bacon.
Happiness is a beach getting
a tan. Happiness is a just-
married woman with a white
dress. Happiness is a family
who still sticks together and never
be in a fight or get a divorce.

Livid
Delmar M.

Livid is an old man yelling: you
kids better get off my grass!

Livid is my dad when he
curses.

Livid is a lady chewing
gum out of a garbage
can.

Ms. Kennedy 5th grade

Nervous
Berenice T.

Nervous is a girl
who is pretty but doesn’t
speak a lot. She comes
out when you make
abundant mistakes.
She looks like a baby
just born, or a kid
who dropped his lunch.
Be careful, because
you can start being blissful
but end up nervous and shy.

Confused
Cody M.

Confused walks into
the room with a football helmet running
saying: I am going to get you, then runs
into the wall and screams in a circle and
then starts skipping saying: la, la, la, la, laaaaa.

Confused has a dog
in his pocket, and a shoe and a wig.
He smells like half apple, half
wet dog and he has potatoes
in his hair.

Confused punches people for no reason.
He eats a sandwich with cookies, hot dogs
old ice cream and juice.

SAD
Mireya G.

Sad is a boy who’s always
crying. He’s always shaking
because he doesn’t have any
friends. He has no money in his
pocket. He is poor. He eats grass
and drinks water from the
pond. He has a teddy bear. It’s
special to him. It’s his only toy.
He has one pair of sneakers. They
are ripped and black and only
his mother has 1 carrot. He smells
like rotten eggs, because he doesn’t
take baths, because they can’t pay
the water bills. He looks like a sad
kids who loves his family. Boy,
it will be okay!!!!!!

Ms. Schaeffer 5th grade

Nervous
Jeremiah D.

Nervous is scared
the teacher will fall. Nervous
is someone who thinks blue
is purple. Nervous
is: I hope my booger is not
showing. Nervous is: I hope
in the sky. Nervous is someone
who worries too much and has
a great imagination because
he watches too much T.V.

Anger
Cesar C.

Anger is a man who is running
around on fire shouting. His hair
is gone because he ripped it off. For
breakfast he eats a rock. He takes
a bath in a volcano. Now, at 27 he gets
F’s and can’t pass kindergarten. He punches
the walls and rips up paper. He lives
in a junk yard and sleeps
on spikes. He has an alien in his
pocket stabbing him with a nail.
He runs away from the police!
His eyes are red with rage.

Anger
Melissa Z.

Anger is like a man screaming,
like a lion really mad. Or anger is
when people scream and tell people:
get out of my way.

Anger is when people have their face
really red. Or are biting their nails.
Or holding the hand and pushing,
but their hands are red like a tomato.

Sweet Like a ???

2008-01-29T12:18:00.000-08:00

Today we read Michael Ondaatje's poem "Sweet Like a Crow." The students really gained an understanding of comparison/simile and were very excited about the surprising and strange associations this poem offered. The students then began to imagine how a voice might sound and came up with comparison's of their own. They had many surprising images!

Ms. Mitchell 5th grade

My Voice
Rafael V.

My voice sounds like some
one baking nice warm bread.
My voice sound like some
one jumping in fifty thousand
dollars. My voice sounds like
nice wood getting burned.

My Voice
Malia C.

My voice sounds like
cash money saying: I’m
rich I’m rich. You’re
broke, you’re broke.
My voice sounds like
some ice cream with three
cherries on top.

Sweet Like a Bat
Thalia V.

Your voice sound like a
huge chocolate bar being crunched
into tiny tiny pieces with
your foot like someone has just
squished your toe, like
wind blowing with flowers
straight behind, a butterfly
turning into a caterpillar and being swept
away. Oh. Oh. Like a kitten
swimming in a Jacuzzi. Oh yeah!

My Voice
Arniece W.

My voice sounds like a pretty red diamond sparkling
and glowing.

Like someone making a chocolate fountain in their mouth
going down like a chocolate river, like a dark
purple and white butterfly flying high.

Like chile cheese fries with cheese, bacon bitties
and others, like a really mean, angry monkey
throwing bananas everywhere and swinging
from tree to tree.

Like my best friend and a squirrel getting in a
fight.

Ms. Kennedy 5th grade

My Voice
Michaela C.

My voice sounds like an elephant
hollering for help. And a sound
of waving water. A toaster when
toast comes out of it. A sound of
candles melting, and a brilliant
thunderstorm rattling. A sound
of washing machines when
the clothes are twirling. It sounds
like people chewing on gum really
hard.

Your Voice
Roxana A.

Your voice sounds
like a cat taking a
shower in the toilet.
A rooster being
beat up. Your voice
is like a mirror being
broken by a huge rock.
A monkey doing the
bathroom in the zoo.
You sound like a little
munchkin being followed
by a cheetah.

Her Voice Sounds . . .
Alan R.

Her voice sounds like a
toilet flushing,
like a monkey trapped in a
cage.
Like a fire alarm in your house.
Her voice is like paper crunching
on the floor.
Like a train whistling,
like a bee in your ear.
Her voice is like an airplane
passing by your house.
Like a mom in the hospital
having a baby and screaming.
Like a baby crying for help.

Ms. Schaeffer 5th grade

Your Voice
Vanessa E.

Your voice sounds like a screaming
pig, a ruler falling,
a choking squirrel,
you eating frosted flakes,
like scratching on the chalk board,
the school bell,
the sound of a timer,
maybe your voice sounds like stomping
feet,
a singing chipmunk,
falling pencils,
like a big storm,
but of course, when you go to
sleep, you snore.

Your Voice
Ricardo V.

Your voice sounds like a person jumping off
a cliff, like a man was pushing you
off the cliff, like someone eating corn flakes,
an airplane crashing, like waves, a waterfall,
an old lady screaming, like the sound when I
pick my nose. Your voice sounds like someone
vomiting. Your voice sounds like a hippie person
dancing to the Eighties and your voice sounds
really wonderful.

My Voice
Luis M.

My voice sounds like a train whistle and smooth,
or a cave when you speak and your voice gets
louder then lower and sounds like a fish
making bubbles and it sounds like a bell
from a church and the voice sounds like a squirrel
chirping and sounds like frosted flakes
being smushed by a car.

Paint blot comparisons

2008-01-22T12:44:00.000-08:00

To introduce comparison, the students and I read "Fog" by Carl Sandburg. We had a great discussion about how one thing can be/become another thing. Then, I made a few symmetrical paint blots to help the students discover their own "metaphor magic" to transform one thing into another. See their amazing poems:

Ms. Mitchell 5th grade
Week 11
01/22/08

Paint
Dylan M.

It looks like a face with
a rose on its nose. The
black looks like a baby
girl’s t-shirt. The two white
eyes look like eggs. If
you see it upside down,
it looks like a rocket
ship. The top looks like two
great green flowers about
to open. The bottom looks
like a foot ball players. It
looks like an elephant.

Green Paint
Sonia C.

The green paint creates a
fish. A green fish.
It stands still looking around
the ocean, blue and beautiful.
Then, moves on in the ocean.

Paint
Dymon G.

It looks like a lobster
with a trimmed tail.

It sits over looking like it’s
about to snip and snap.

With it’s furious face, saying
you want some, get some, because
I’ll make you wish you never
snapped and hurt me.

Also, with flaky skin, flakier
as you look down her tail.

Ms. Kennedy 5th grade
Week 11
01/22/08

I See
Eric M.

I see a boxing frog.
He got punched back.
He has his fists up
and his eyes closed.
He has blood out of his ears.
He has black feet
and black hands. He
is screaming for help.
He is hungry.
He has a broken leg.
He has red shorts.

Heart Broken
Michaela C.

It looks like two hearts
surrounded by a person who
is in love. But, his heart
is broken because the girl
doesn’t love him.

3 Paintings
Catterin G.

The paint is a little girls with red
hair, and on the edge of the red hair,
I see black hair.

I see a nose, red nose, 4 teeth,
red eyes, a black scale and skin.

I see 2 hearts that look like
claws, and an evil spider with
a green head.

Ms. Schaeffer 5th grade
Week 11
01/22/08

The Paint Splash
Dominique B.

It looks like a man doing yoga, or
an alien that’s red and came from Mars
with black armor. In the middle there
looks like a ghost. And it has blood
red hands and arms.

The Paint Splash
Ariel T.

The plain white paper turns
into a mutated man in a
space suit. It turns into a robot.
This plain white piece of paper
turns into a cactus or a man
with green eyes.
My last white piece of paper
is a bat, or a gorilla. Maybe
an airplane that is
red, green, and black put together.

The Paint Splash
Leslie M.

There was one time three little
paint splashes turned into a flower.
The other one turned into a
Christmas tree. The next day,
they turned into a human and
the other one turned into a spider.
The other one turned into an
eagle. Two days later, it was
an airplane.

In My Head

2008-01-15T04:10:00.000-08:00

This week, we stepped outside of ourselves to see what kinds of images might be lurking inside of us. We read "A Boy’s Head" by Miroslav Holub, translated from Czech by Ian Milner. The students were amazed at what kinds of things represented knowledge and were excited to explore images of their own. Look at their great work!

Ms. Mitchell 5th grade
Week 8
11/27/07

Dymon’s Head
-Dymon G.

In it there is my mom telling me to wake up
and trying not to think of school too much

And there is a store filled with generous shoes

Thinking of all the wonderful gifts on Christmas
then right after that my birthday

In it is heavenly chocolate chip dough pie
fresh from the oven

There is a memorized birthday list

An entirely new day

The tunes of soulja boy & I-15 going on & on & on

It cannot be cut down

In Neila’s Head
Neila R.

In it there are lots of words
and questions about life.

And there is my cousin saying
chu-chu which means he wants
to watch Thomas the train on T.V.

And there is an entirely new
me, an entirely new house,
and an entirely new school.

There is a river filled with chocolate.

There are equilateral triangles.

There are a lot of gray rainy clouds.

And it cannot stop.
I believe that only my heart can stop
what I think about my life.

There is a lot of promise that not a lot
of people think what I’m thinking.

My Brother’s Head
Rafael V.

In it I see him playing
with car toys.

In it I him
in a 1945 van.

In it I see all kinds
of car toys only him
playing with them.

In his head I see him
making a mess in my room.

All I see is him having
a good day and me having
a bad day.

In my head
Marc B.

In it there is a devil side
and an angel side.

In it there’s a blood fountain
but the angels ice it up.

In it there’s a brave guy
that wants to come out
its in chains because
of the devil side of me.

In it there is a video game
calling my name.

Ms. Kennedy 5th grade
Week 8
11/27/07

In My Head
Alan R.

In it is a penguin flying
that is red and pink

And there is
a boy charging up
a dog that breathes fire

And there is
a puma hunting in the sky
me walking on the sky

There is a
river full of ire

And it just cannot
get out of my head

In My Head
Sergio D.

In it there is me
playing Xbox 360.
There is a game inside.
There is Halo 3 in there.
There is me killing all
the zombies with a
bazooka and a sergeant
killing them with a laser. There
is me driving a Jeep where
it is the end of the
world. I believe I will
never stop playing
my game.

In Oswald’s Head
Oscar L.

In it there is a fling rat
there is a dead dog
there is a hamburger
there is a book
and a math problem
there is a soccer ball
I believe that only
a head could be
trimmed

Ms. Schaeffer 5th grade
Week 8
11/27/07

In Kelvin’s Head
Kelvin H.

There are snow balls.

There is a little puppy.

There are presents just for me.

There is a snowman
shaking hand with Santa Claus.

There are miles of
hot chocolate rivers.

There are chocolate bunnies
with whipped cream
inside.

There are penguins
and husky dogs dancing
to disco music.

There are games for
free at stores.

There are snow white
birds flying to Antarctica.

The Army Life
Tariq R.

There is the army
inside my head
that is green with so much
of a war of fight
with blood and fight
real hard as a legend

In a Girl’s Head
Tyriona W.

In a head there is the F.B.I.
protecting her from villains.

And there is a singer singing on
a stage in the clubs.

There is football, baseball, soccer,
cosmetology jobs.

There is a growing diamond
of love and peace and quiet.

There are movies like Peter Pan
and DVDs like Manda playing inside.

There is a lot of promising for her,
that she lives with no voices.

And she believes she will be
a singer. That’s her goal.

In My Head
Marquis G.

In my head is a jet pack.
In there is me, just me.
In my head is my mom,
and in my head is to become rich.

From T.S. Eliot to Chicago

2007-12-06T12:40:00.000-08:00

We read T.S. Eliot's first section of the "Preludes" to get a sense of setting in poetry. Eliot gives concrete and vivid details of a particular place at a particular time. We discussed the way he described a winter evening in the city at 6'clock. The students found it to be an interesting assignment to write about their own neighborhoods at an exact time in a specific season. Look at their work:

Ms. Mitchell 5th grade
Week 6

7 O’clock A.M.
Dylan M.

The sun rises from
the ground. You see an airplane
fly by. The squirrels
are picking their food up.
The tree branches are falling.
You see red bright birds
trying to catch worms
under some old
and wet logs.

5 O’clock P.M.
Arniece W.

5 o’clock dark quiet light flashing
cold as if a snowman can stand for
the whole winter. People walking past
talking to one another laughing. The smell
of homemade chocolate cookies just going
in the oven from the fantastic factory Nabisco.
Kids walking home to their house
with their parents just coming from the store.
Standing on the front of your house
looking at everyone’s flashing glowing lights.
Listening to the laud and noisy disturbing
train behind all the old bushes.

Splash!
Jaylah C.

In the sunny afternoon people were splashing
in swimming pools with the smell of pools
that are filled with Clorox to keep them clean,
to make the pools clean and now people are swimming
in the water splashing everywhere. People
are filled with cool water and the water goes
up and down on broken swimming
suits and at the corner filled
with Clorox and the Clorox is
going away.

Ms. Kennedy 5th grade
Week 6

At Marquette Park: 7 O’clock
Noemi O.

It is the fall evening with birds
and squirrels gathering food getting
ready for the winter people talking
on phones walking at seven o’clock
getting ready to go home.

When I walk around the
road I smell chorizo getting
cooked from a house with a
window cracked half way open.

Then I hear cars
driving by with balloons
to go to a party maybe
or a wedding then I walk
home because the street
lights are already on
so then I go home and say
Home Sweet Home!
and get ready to go to sleep.

Summer Evening 3:15
Azalea S.

The summer evening settles
down with smells of
candy and juice.
3:15.
The burnt-out ends
of Nabisco cookies
of withered kids
coming from a long
day of school just want to
go home and get in the pool of the last day of school
on broken fire hydrants
with water bursting out kids jumping in
and the corner of
the street kids and parents
getting ready to cross to the
other side and then they’re finally
home. Their home sweet home.

12:00 AM
Judy D.

At midnight walking by
the airport, waiting to see
and airplane pass by. I walk &
see people walking, driving, on
buses. I see people there seeing
if I might get a ride home &
seeing people on bikes waiting
to see if I would like to have
one. One of these days I
would drive & have a big 3
wheel bike like by grandmother.
Having a big black bike with
a comfortable seat. Waiting
to be home and go to bed and
wake up the next day & start
all over.

My Home
Kiara S.

The sun’s bright lights
shining down the smell of
cookies in the afternoon.
3:15 when all kind’s be
around walled we walk home
where joyful all around.
The school is edgy by 4:00
where leaves crunching under my
feet. By 4:20 it gets broke
when winter breezes blowing under
the start. The street lights
our dime like if the light
were on all night. Where I go to bed
and when the street lights go off
its time to wake up.

Ms. Schaeffer 5th grade
Week 6

Neighborhood
Vanessa E.

Christiana is a neighborhood where I
can go to play at 4 p.m. I go outside
walk through the neighborhood. I can
smell the cookies it makes me hungry.

The birds chirp.
I run and play.
I can hide behind a tree.
In my neighborhood I have a tree a
secret tree I play there when I go
outside.
When I go outside I see people
playing.
In my neighborhood I lay down
in the grass and watch the sky
In my neighborhood at 5 pm it gets
dark. My mom comes outside and says
it’s time for dinner.
Well, that is how my neighborhood goes.

Millard
6:00
Ricky V.

It’s 6 o’clock
in the street of
Millard the neighborhood
birds have turned silent
the dogs are barking.
What a surprise that
they are barking. I turn
my head to try to go to
sleep. The smell of Nabisco
cookies are cooking, the
cars turn on. The smell
of fresh air in the
street of Millard. The train
passes by, so I know
that it is six o’clock in
the street of Millard.

12:30
Guadalupe C.

A sunny day at 12:30 at Tarkington
School in Marquette Park that
has a garden so kids play
their sport and where students
learn in school, the smell of the
cookie factory 2 blocks away
and the smell of cookies cooking.

Miss Rosie

2007-12-06T12:26:00.000-08:00

We read "Miss Rosie" by Lucille Clifton. This lesson focused on mood and concrete details that give us cues about mood. The students were very close readers noticing how Lucille Clifton changes the mood midway through the poem from sad to victorious. The students wrote really interesting poems.

Ms. Kennedy 5th grade
Week 5

My Cousin
Carlos T.

When I watch you
in the park
playing with
your red bike

surrounded by
big balloons
and a cake

or

when I watch you with your
new bike and that
I want to ride
in the park

waiting for your mind
like next week
with a new thing.

Bird
Rogelio J.

When I watch you
I see you coming to the cables
you got electricity
between the cables
you crash to the garage.

Surrounded by bees all over the place.

When I watch you, you have broken one wing.

Waiting for the bird to not die in time.

I say why did you die.

Happiness
Mineya G.

When I watch you I see you on the playground
going up and down, up and down having
a swing by your mother.

Surrounded by butterflies, birds, flowers and people
and balloons in the sky. A huge bundle of roses
sitting there waiting for somebody to get them.

When I watch you in your dream I see running around
asking for a drink and drinking it, then having the energy
to shout and play.

Waiting for my mom’s favorite food with is mine too.

I say I love my life
as a wonderful wind blowing in my face.
I love it. I love it a lot.

Ms. Shaeffer 5th grade
Week 5

Little Miss Sandra
Devonte C.

When I watch you wrapped up like a boa constricter
sitting
surrounded by stinking garbage cans smelling
like rotten eggs
or
when I watch you in your old shirt you had 6 years
ago with your collar missing
waiting for you to try to get help, get food, get a house but
you have no money
I say to myself I wish you were not like that I wish I could give
up my life and take yours

The Kid
Anareli L.

When I watch you
in the playground
surrounded by
bullies
or
people that you don’t know
when I watch you in your
house
crying
waiting for
your dad or mom
I say
believe in yourself
be brave

My Dad
Juan A.

When I watch you
play soccer
I have fun
surrounded by
all of my
games
or
when I watch you in your
nice house
the way you painted it
because you’re a
cool/nice dad
waiting for
you get home from work
I say
I am
so excited
to see
you because
you’re the
best/awesome
dad

Best Brother
Brandon W.

When I watch you
play football
I want to play
football

surrounded by
all your friends
and teammates

or

when I watch you in your
Morgan Park football
uniform playing in
a lot of dirt

waiting for
your games to start
on kickoff I love
to see

I say
I would love
to be you

Little Room

2007-11-08T09:09:00.000-08:00

We read Max Jacob's poem "Little Room." The students and I discusssed concrete details and how they create setting. We had a really great discussion about the way the speaker remembered and imagined his childhood room. Then, the students were asked to remember a place they knew and to focus on setting while they wrote. There were many favorite places revisited.

Ms. Mitchell 5th grade
Week 3
10/23/07

Mom’s Garden
-Lesli P.

I remember my mom’s garden.
I would always go there when mad.
There are a lot of roses in a circle and
a circle in the middle. All the trees around
the yard, green and purple leaves. All flowers
red and white with a nice smell. There is a pattern.
the red rose goes first, the n the white flowers
or you could step on the big green grass.

Poem
-Annabel H.

I remember in my room with my nephews
imagining that we could walk on the ceiling
and jump over the door. There are fans
on the ceiling, so we had to take
another path in the house. And then we notice
that if we were in the ceiling, what if the stuff
from the floor becomes the ceiling
like the beds and couch.

Poem
-Jose R.

I remember the time I was in my own
basement jumping on my own king size
bed where I jump and play and I
wrestle with my little seven-year-old
brother.

Me and my brother and my little
sister Julianna R. and my sister
Katy R. jumping and playing in my big
bed.

Playing and imagining that we are
heroes. That we are transformers fighting.

Ms. Kennedy 5th grade
Week 3
10/23/07

The Hour Glass Short Poem
-Rafael G.

I remember me
on my back lawn
laying down and
imagining me flying
meeting birds and
even new birds
bluejays, greenjays
fruitjays, blackbird
woodpeckers, yakkers
swallow, and even
hawks. And I can
imagine I am a
big bird with gray
and blue stripes
and my wings are
1 foot wide and 3 feet tall.

Poem
-Oswald O.

I remember my house. There was
a big space in my living room. There was
a guitar. It talked and it told me play me.
And I did. So now I am a good guitarist.

Poem
-Anais N.

I remember my mom’s room.
I see make-up everywhere. Bam!!
Bam!! I jump on the bed. Click.
Click. I am a super model. Cheese.
Cheese. Whoa. Whoa. Bam! I fell
on the floor. I forgot I was imagining.
Next time I will become a singer.

Ms. Schaeffer 5th grade
Week 3
10/23/07

Poem
-Jackie P.

I remember my old garage
with its old rusty ladders and rakes
and its shallow walls with spider webs
everywhere with spiders crawling.
And the voice of the old lady
that used to live there echoing
and bouncing off the dusty old walls
with its gasoline smell and oily floors
and gardening knives and tools.
But now my garage has
been remodeled.

Poem
-Karen L.

I remember the room I had as a child.
It was very nice. Blue and white, many flowers.
When I look the top of it transforms into a dragon
with one princess. His head was yellow, its eyes
blue. She was on the sky and it was like one
fantastic place with many colors, flowers, dragons,
unicorns, animals, people, stars and many letters
that transformed into people. It smelled like
strawberries. It was like a book. Very beautiful.

I Remember
-Jerrett C.

I remember basketball rims, bleachers, an office, gym equipment,
rolling pads, basketballs, skid marks, volleyballs,
people around me talking to each other.
Goofing off. Just being a kid.

Double, Double Toil and Trouble

2007-11-08T08:52:00.000-08:00

To get in the spirit of Halloween, we read a segment of Act 4 from Macbeth. We had a discussion about mood, and how moods can actually be set by the inclusion of specific concrete details. The students were then asked to create a mood by designing their own brew. As expected, the brews got pretty scary.

Ms. Mitchell 5th grade
10/30/07
Week 4

Girl’s Devil Brew
-Natalia C.

In my brew I will include
a soldier’s guts and a
witch’s broom a
horn of a devil and
an eyelash too, an
eye of a vampire and
the fangs will do.

Half, Half Creepy Not
-Cecilia F.

Boil bubble, double trouble
cauldron bubbles throw in
a baby owl your future
is candy twix, pixie dust and
a small pinch of cinnamon.
A giant snail is in, candy out.
A devil’s horn and a poison
frog. In goes a fairy’s leg
and out come the bubbles
your future is half
and half devil horn and
halo stick. That’s what my
brew can do. Half
and half to you on
halo devil day.

My Halloween Brew
-Monica R.

Double, double toil and trouble,
eat a snake and take a bubble.
Eye of dog and fur of rat,
baseball mitt and baseball bat.
A broken car and a set of lights
a big box filled with fright.
No truck, no luck, nothing but talk
can’t even see, can’t even walk.
I should have told myself I knew
I shouldn’t add this to my brew.

Ms. Kennedy 5th grade
Week 4
10/30/07

Devil’s Brew
-Alberto E.

In my brew I will include
eye of a cobra
toe of a lion, hair of a demon’s
soul. Tongue of an alligator.
for a charm of powerful trouble I
will add a devil’s horn. Here
is what my brew can do. It
gives you power exchange for your soul.

A Nasty Brew
Catterin G.

Double, double toil and trouble,
fire burn and cauldron bubble.
In my brew I will include a goldfish tail
and eye of rat, a toe of cheetah.
Hair of a lion, tongue of buffalo.
For a charm of powerful trouble
I will also include a leg of pig,
and his leg is black and pink.
Here is what my brew can do. It is
a magical medicine and is like
juice. You can sleep and ask
for witches double, double toil trouble
fire burn and cauldron bubble.

Mix It Up Brew
Jeremiah B.

In my brew I will include a wing
of owl, eye of a frog, toe of a mouse,
hair of an armpit, tongue of a human.
For a charm of powerful trouble
I will add a shell and slime of a snail.
And something else too, a tail
of a lion. Here is what my brew
can do, make me ruler of the world
and control minds too.

Ms. Schaeffer 5th grade
Week 4
10/30/07

The Evilest Brew
Laura M.

In my brew I will include
a old shoe. Eye
of a tiger, toe of a wolf,
hair of a cat
tongue of a bluebird.
For a charm of trouble
I will add a tail of a devil.
Here is what my brew can do,
it can send you to a black hole.

The Animal Brew
Jose G.

In my brew I will include
a tooth of shark,
wing of a bee,
blood of a dragon,
wolf’s nose
and an ear of a rabbit
and the eye of the tiger.

And for a powerful charm
of trouble, I will add a shark’s tongue.

Here is what my brew
can do. It will make you
transform into any animal you want.

The Nasty Brew
Luis M.

In my evil brew I will include
a human’s arm
eye of snake
toe of a skeleton
a brain of a human.

for a powerful charm of trouble
I will add a dragon’s scale.

Here is what my brew can do.
It can raise the dead.

Go Inside

2007-10-29T18:09:00.000-07:00

We read Charles Simic's "The Stone." The students and I had a good time imagining getting very tiny and having the ability to go inside of something. Using their senses and concrete images, here are some of their ideas.

Ms. Mitchell 5th grade

Rock
--Joshua A.

Going inside of the rock
and what is inside.

It must look like the moon.

I feel like going into
the rock.

But what is real inside
of the rock. Is it like a moon
or an ocean? The rock
would look like this.

Stone
-Ricardo D.

Go inside a stone.

From the outside
it looks like an oreo.

Yet within it looks
like an egg in an egg
in an egg.

Go Inside a Flower
--Thalia V.

Go inside a flower.
From the outside the flower
is a water fountain for a bird.
Yet within, it’s dry and hot.
I have seen my brother circle around
it yelling flower you’re mine!
I have seen people tear it up. Leaving
some petals behind. I have seen
flowers torn apart inch to inch.
Inside a flower it is dark. There
is enough room to fit the cars tower.
It feels lumpy soft and hard.
That is what a flower is.

Ms. Kennedy 5th grade

Go Inside a Book
--Michaela C.

Go inside a book
that would be my way.
Let somebody else become a river,
or a whale with hard teeth.
I am happy to be a book.

from the outside the book is a whale.
No one knows how to become it.
Yet within it is hard and thick
even though it is dirty and big.
the book smells funny outside.

I have seen it break
with different shapes. Perhaps it is full
with different stuff. It is behind a bush
on the fresh green grass.

Poem
-Shannon B.

Go inside a mean hard dirt viper
that has been in a bag.
Let somebody else be a teacher.
From the outside the viper is cool, evil
and terrible. The viper is like a rock that’s dirty
and hard. Yet within, it must be nice, smooth
and clean, not mean. I have seen
a viper but it was cool, hard, evil and mean.

Poem
-Eric M.

Go inside a can of Coca-Cola that is not open.
Let someone else be a rat or shiny cat tooth.
From the outside the coca-cola is sharp and wet,
it is pointy like a sharp knife that is little.
Yet within it is tasty and very small and damp.
I have seen this can in a very hot volcano.

Ms. Schaeffer 5th grade

Poem
-Kelvin H.

I go inside a tiger.
Let someone else be a cheetah.

From the outside I feel
smooth and furry skin.

Yet within
I have the eye of the tiger.

I have seen me
fighting crime. I fly and run
super fast.

Computer
--Cesar C.

I go inside a computer.
Let someone else search the web.
From the outside sick people
feel my head is empty.

Yet within, I’m full of knowledge.

I have seen a little arrow
inside me. Other people have touched
me, felt I was cold and heard all of the sounds
I make, all the clicks.

Sometimes you can smell me,
when you use me too much or leave me
on. You can see me in libraries.

Poem
-Ariel T.

I go inside the concrete ground.
Let somebody else sink through the cement.
From the outside the ground is being walked on.
Yet within, it must be hard, cool & quiet.
I have seen foot prints that lead away to the sky.
So, perhaps the concrete is a shade of gray, strange
writings on the side.

Magic

2007-10-29T17:59:00.000-07:00

On our first day, we read the poem "Magic" by Dahlia Ravikovitch. I asked the students to think about some things they might want to be:

Ms. Mitchell, 5th grade

My Heart Leads Me
Flor T.

Today I’m a unicorn.
Last night I dreamt I was
a big red letter.
In the morning I’ll be a butterfly flying
away from home.
Today I’m a pencil writing.
Yesterday I was a heart bumping.
Tomorrow I’ll be me and just me.

Magic
Neila Noemi R.

Today I am a pink dog.
Last night I was an alien exploring earth.
In the morning I’ll be Patrick Star
looking for Sponge Bob.
Today I am a bicycle riding to school.
Yesterday I was a backpack thrown
on the floor.
Tomorrow I’ll be a white yellowed
flowered dress denied to be worn.

Magic
Jose M.

Today I’m a tiger,
tomorrow a wild dog
always wandering like a puma
always running to attack my prey.

Last night I dreamt a fox
looking for food.

In the morning I listened
and put my breakfast in a bowl.

Today I’m a watch,
tomorrow a shorty.

Yesterday soft clothing,
today a pink eraser.
Tomorrow
I’ll be today.

Ms. Kennedy 5th grade

Today, Last Night, In the Morning and Tomorrow
Andre W.

Today I am coffee
covered in marshmallows
so hot and brown.

Last night I dreamt I was
a cheetah running fast
as wind.

In the morning
I was a waterfall so sparkly, so
bright.

Today I am a god making
world peace, making paradise.

Yesterday I was a coach
teaching things back and forth.

Tomorrow I’m just
a normal kid like
everyone else.

Magic
Berenice T.

Today I’m a tornado
in Chicago.

Last night I was
a book with 1,000 pages.

In the morning I was
a shark with very sharp teeth.

Today I am the world
with water.

Yesterday I was
a tree that the humans
turned into paper.

Tomorrow I’ll be
Ms. Kennedy teaching everybody
my class.

I Will Be
Alan R.

Today I’m a tree
that is made into maple syrup.

Last night I dreamt I was
an alien with a human head with eyes
in the back of my head.

In the morning I was
a new car that does not pollute the earth.

Today I was a planet that
was made of rocks and fire.

Yesterday I was a TV with people
watching wrestling.

Tomorrow I will be myself
and go do chores.

Ms. Schaeffer 5th grade

Imagine That
Dominique B.

Today I am a forest
with a lot of trees.

Tomorrow I will be a new plant
wandering in space.

Last night I dreamt
I was a stream.

In the morning
I was a lake.

Yesterday I was fish
just about to be caught by a fisher.

Today I am a book
just waiting to be read.

Tomorrow I will be a star
twinkling in the sky.

Magic
Jeremiah D.

Today I am a burger
that is all types of colors.

Last night I dreamt about being
a big fat whale that was
polka-dot all over its body.

In the morning I was
a bomb that had exploded on Iraq.

Yesterday I was playing football.

Today I am Mrs. Blackman

Tomorrow I will be the sun.

My Dream
Andres G.

Today I am a dolphin swimming.

Tomorrow I will be a toy
almost worn out.

Last night I dreamt
I was a tortoise living
in my shell.

In the morning I was
a tornado on the roof
of my house.

Yesterday I was a knight
fighting with a dragon to save a princess.

Today I will be the sun
that shines in the sky.

Tomorrow I will be a grown person.