I’m excited to return back to Twain Elementary to teach poetry. This time I will be working with the 4th graders on Mondays. I felt welcomed by students who were so friendly and excited to write poems. During our first week of poetry, we read a delicious poem by Eve Merriam, titled “How to Eat a Poem.” Some students thought it was silly and strange, wondering how can someone eat a poem? Does this mean we are going to eat paper?
In her poem Merriam compares poetry to fruit. Merriam’s poem is written as instructions for the reader. She’s teaching us that poetry doesn’t have to be perfect, sometimes it can be messy. But poetry is about having fun by trying something new. Don’t be polite/Pick it up with your fingers and lick the juice that may run down your chin/It is ready and ripe, whenever you are.
Inspired by Eve Merriam, Twain 4th graders wrote their own “How To,” poems revealing different ways they can interact with poetry.
Please enjoy these wonderful poems and artwork.
Ms. Williams 4th Grade
Group 1
How To Volleyball a Poem
by Kristen B.
Be harsh with it.
Aim it.
Shoot it.
Root for it.
Keep that white ball in the air.
Once it comes down, hit it, hit it.
Get ready, call it, call it.
You don’t need to be good with it.
For there is no rule,
or drool
or fool
or mule.
How To Paint A Poem
By Allyson D.
The poem is your brush.
Use your calmness.
The chill is your creativity.
But don’t forget your page.
You will need it for later.
And also use imagination.
How To Not Lose Your Pen
By Valeria G.A.
Do not lose your pen.
You have to study
You have to pass
You have to work
You have to love
Because if you lose your pen
Means no note, no note
No study, no study you fail,
You fail means no work, no work
No money, no house, no married,
No wife, no kids means you get
Lonely and sad, so do not lose
Your pen, have extra pens.
How To Box A Poem
By Meghan U.M.
Do be nice and hit the poem.
Next try to knock the poem down.
Then try to get the poem tired, so
then you can knock them out and take his power
and make him stay down for 6 seconds.
Lastly you need your own singers to sing
when you go to the ring.
also get your gloves and win the fight
like Canelo Alvarez
the Mexican fighter.
Ms. Hayes 4th Grade
Group 2
How To make a cake with Poetry
By Emily A.
First, make sure you and your poet
have all the ingredients and supplies.
Then get you mixer and pan, then
make your mix with some milk and glitter.
Then pour it in the pan and bake it for
20 minutes. After its done baking get
get your fondant and icing and decorate
your cake however you want it!
If you want, then you could put decorations
not made of cake.
That’s how you make a cake with a poet.
How Design A Poem
By Sophia C.
You can sprinkle, draw, paint, a poem.
First you have to get a flat paper.
Then you get all and when I say all
I mean all your decorations and paint.
You can also express your feelings.
Like you can make it blue for sadness.
red for anger, yellow for happy,
green for annoyed
And that is how you can design your poem.
How To Imagine Poetry
By Nestor S.
Imagine poetry,
lots of words
lots of pictures
rhymes are the details.
Imagining poetry is not hard.
Imagining poetry makes you voice
feel like you’re singing.
Imagining poetry is like reading a diary.
Imagining poetry makes you experience
other ideas and feelings.
There is just no end to the ideas.
And last you can imagine silly poetry
and write your poetry.
Ms. Soldat 4th Grade
Group 3
Playing Video Games with A Poem
by Daniel A.
Playing video games with a poem.
Don’t be shy.
Just play.
Don’t drop it or you’re going to mess up.
If you’re ready, just play!
You don’t need a mouse or keyboard.
No Nintendo with a game
You might play it with a controller
if you’re a troller
There is no mouse pad
or pencil
or utensils
or park
or barks
but the time is to play!
How To Space A Poem
By Rozie P.
Neptunes light is bright.
Uranus the planet is elegance
Phobos and Demos the moons of Mars.
Go to space, write the facts.
Venus the planet of beauty.
Pluto the planet of rebirth and destruction.
Saturn the planet of space and time.
How To Plant A Poem
By Aria S.
Planting a poem, it takes many steps.
Look to your right, then look to your left.
It can be perfect, it’s best if it
looks behind, then rewind.
Place the seeds in the soil and don’t
let the sun boil with water.
Then it’ll bloom into a stanza,
big or little, its perfect.
If its big your great, if its small
don’t stress, it’ll grow over time.
Full card that perfect,
the key to planting a poem
is time and patience.
Ms. Carther 4th Grade
Group 4
How to Sing A Poem
by Mayrin G.
Don’t be afraid, be brave
First you need a big confident
microphone.
Then you’ll need a big strong
speaker, so you won’t miss a person.
Next, you’ll need flashing lights
for special effects.
Then, you’ll need a nice big stage,
Then you’ll be a real rock star.
How To Bake A Poem
By Elizabeth L.
Don’t not be messy.
You are going to be messy.
But don’t worry, its part
of the experience.
First, get one cup of adjectives.
Next, get some nouns, crack them
and put them in a pot
Then get 1/2 cu of adverbs.
Last, put in the oven.
Put some similes and pronouns
on top of it.
How To Trap A Poem
By Sebastian S.
Don’t forget your trap.
Go to the woods if you could.
Grab some bait.
Grab a mate.
Just you wait.
All night long.
Do you like Kong?
Sing a song.
Go to sleep.
That’s so neat.
It is morning.
No more snoring.
Look outside.
Your poem is there.
You got a new friend.
Goodbye now!
How To Brew A Poem
By Blake Z.
You grab a science glass.
Then you get gas masks.
When you brew the poem
in the glasses you boil them.
You get a partner because
it’s dangerous to brew alone.
When you do that,
boil the new batches
with sugar to make
them sweet.
Don’t upset the “brewed poem”
buyers. Sell poem rights. to
get some cash.
When you happily brew
your poems, if you
brew them right
they will be sweet
and good tasting.
