In my 19th session with Shoesmith 4th graders we continued with hybrid learning, and I shared the poem “Orchard of We” by Mahogany L. Browne. Students noticed that the poet likened the many kinds of fruit found in orchards, grocery stores, and farmers markets to many kinds of people clasping hands “to blossom and become this impossible joy.” Then we looked at a shorter poem called “Face It” by Janet S. Wong. In this poem the poet traces features like her nose and eyes to members of her family and the places they were born. This gave us a chance to think and talk about our own characteristics and diversity, and the people and places to which we belong. We thought about what connects us with other people and things, as well as what makes us unique. When writing their own poems, many students used what they have learned about figurative language, descriptive details, line breaks and stanzas. Enjoy!
Ms. Lehner
4th Grade – Room 207
Who I Belong To
James L.
My nose belongs
To me and my mom
Short and round and can smell stuff
My eyes belong
To my dad and granddad
Wide, and from Memphis
My smile belongs
To my whole family
We smile big and bright
And show our dimples
My picky eating
Belongs to me
I don’t really like meat
Dion life
Dion T.
My life is as great as a millionaire, I can play games
I can eat like a panda
I can sleep like a ninja
I have a cool life as a famous guy
I have a fun life like at a party
I have a great life like it’s hot outside
Who doesn’t like games? They are as fun as going outside!
Who doesn’t like food? Tasty as a hotdog!
Who doesn’t like sleep? It feels like you are laying on the clouds!
just say it
Zinanta N.
My face belong to
Pillow world because it’s smooth.
My eyes belong to
A black cupcake, bear, puppy or flower
Because my eyes are black.
I belong to the mean girls
Because, I mean, grrr.
Property
Isis C.
I belong to my own property.
What even is my property?
Where is my home?
I know.
My body belongs there.
My nose and mouth belong there
My teeth
My tongue and foot
My hair belongs there.
I belong to my own property.
Where is my property?
What is my property?
I belong to my own property.
My home.
My family.
My priorities.
But where is my soul?
My pierced loving soul.
Where is my life?
My good lived life?
Am I an existing entity?
Am I real?
I belong
Aleah G.
My nose belongs to a piece of tissue
I blow and BLOW!
My tissue belongs to a trashcan
my trashcan belongs to a dumpster
My dumpster belongs to the
Back of the beach or ocean
When I swim my goggles belong
To water
when I was born
My air belonged to the hospital
the bigger I grow the better I get
I belong to my mom and dad
Because she raised me
All about me
Jamari H.
My brown eye’s shine in the light like my mom’s
I am from Jamaica
I love my culture which makes me different from other’s and stand out
I have determination on what I do I don’t give up
If you want something done don’t give up
I may live thousands of miles away from my family but I love them so I will not give up
I shine with kindness like my loving aunt
I love my family but what make’s me me
Is my big kind heart
4th Grade – Room 208
recipe
Grace A.
1 cup of cuteness from my family
2 cups of sassiness from my sis
3 cups of beauty from my family
4 cups of sweetness from my grandma
5 cups of helpfulness from my family
The reason I’m so precious
Journey S.
I’m precious because of my beautiful eyes that were blessed to me by my mom;
They show me a world of knowing I can make a difference.
My nose is funny shaped like my dad’s
it allows me to smell beautiful flowers and breathe fresh air.
My cheekbones, like my paternal grandmother’s
will take me far in life and my laugh, like my cousin, Madison
will drive anybody crazy because it is so loud.
Most of all I’m precious because of the love my family gives me everyday.
who I belong to
Gian R.
My chocolate brown nose is from Chicago
my Black cave hair from Atlanta
my bigfoot hairy feet from Mexico
and brown elf ears from Chicago
my madness from my cousin
my funniness from my grandpa
My booming acting skills from
me
and my basketball skills from grandpa.
Where My Identity Was Born
Chloe M.
”Where were you born?” people ask and I say
well I may not know where I was born but I do know where my identity was born.
I get my brown skin from my father. He was born in Arkansas.
I get my face from my mom. She is from many different places: Cuba, Hawaii.
I get my palms from my grandma. She was from the same places as my mom.
I am different from others because I have many cultures from my family roots
and I am happy to be different and have different cultures
that’s what makes me, me.
My life
Sleepy Harp Hopkins aka Prentice C.
I was born in Chicago
Teeth like my mom
My face like my dad’s
My funniness from my mom
My craziness from my brothers
My basketball skills from my dad
My fastness from my cousin
My clothes from my mom
My shoes from my granny and my dad
