All posts in Waters

Sorrow is not our names

Before the break and subsequent new year, Waters 6th graders had an opportunity to consider the power of imagery. Ross Gay is a great poet in that respect, one who combines optimism with vivid […]

“bit by/bit” Narrative Food Poems

Our class began with a discussion of food and memory in preparation for studying Gary Soto’s Narrative-Style poem, Oranges. Nostalgia and feelings came up frequently in our discussions. What emotions are attached to memory […]

“so vibrant and orange” Poems of Memory

This last week students in Ms. Smallwood’s and Ms. Hernandez’s classes wrote poems about important memories. We read “My Father’s Mustache” by Ada Limón and both classes discussed what it is like to see […]

Fear and Big Words

This week we read “HIPPOPOTOMONSTROSEQUIPPEDALIOPHOBIA” by Aimee Nezhukumatahil. We discussed how we approach long words, how to write about what we’re afraid of, and irony in poetry. Students used a map to connect the […]

as man as pink

For our 4th week with Waters, we revisited the simile. I say revisited since I worked with most of these students last year, and we’ve reviewed the simile before. This time, I was inspired […]

How to Sneak Like a Snake

For our 4th session with Waters 6th graders, we delved into the wonderful world of similes. Like metaphor, similes are all around us, especially in music. We saw similes in action when we watched […]

“In response to the season of winter” Responding with poetry

This week students explored what it means to respond through poems. We started class by exchanging some short letters. We read “Way Opposite” by Harryette Mullen which was also a response to the poem […]

There May Be a Reason Why

This week, the world lost the poetry giant and phenom that is Nikki Giovanni. Fittingly, last week’s 7th graders explored bravado and bragadoccio in her iconic poem “Ego Trippin (there may be a reason […]

The World Is A Home Run

For our 3rd session with Waters 6th graders, we dove into the wonderful world of metaphors. They’re all around us, like in the Katy Perry song “Firework” (which we listened to and watched the […]

Opposite Poems

This week students at Waters wrote poems about opposites! In class we, fittingly, read “Some Opposites” by Robert Wilbur and talked about the confusing process of defining an opposite and making up our own. […]

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I’M FROM THE CITY LIGHTS / STREAMING OUT IN THE NIGHT / AND HUGE SKYSCRAPERS / TOWERING OVER THE LAKE – MELISSA E., 7TH GRADE POET