Poetry Broadsides

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

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

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

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. Kennedy's class: 5th grade

Ode to the Snakeatertafishjumper
Eric M.



















Oh how you swim through the ocean, fly
through the foggy clouds, hope through the
forest and crawl in the woods. Oh why
do you eat trout, eat plants,
and why do you eat snakes. Why do
you live in the mountains, woods, and
ocean? Oh how they think you
are ugly.

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

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. Mitchell's class: 5th grade


Ode to the Flapper
Ceclia F.




The Flapper who stutters
and fights and picks certain
animals to poke with his horns
so the opponent won't eat
his two-headed fish.
He has the power that Flappers
could use under water. He eats
seals and much more. He lives
under the water and flies too.
The colorful flapper that looks
like a lollipop with a hundred colors.
He is brave and a hard fighter.







Ode to the SnakeFishTale
Leslie P.



The SnakeFishTale who swims around the lakes waddling out on the sidewalks.
How he eats ants and chases little kids around. The Snake Fish Tale with
one pink eye that can be out in the lake or in the
jungle with a horn of rhino and goes around eating their friends and scaring
them by making weird noises that no one on earth had heard
before. The SnakeFishTale that died because it has spent too much time out in earth.

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)

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

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.