Before Thanksgiving break, we read Elizabeth Alexander‘s “Butter.” The first thing I asked was how many times did the speaker in the poem use the title word? We counted fourteen, so I asked why, and each time was it used the same way? Two of the more interesting passages were “butter the lava in white volcanoes / of hominy grits” and “glowing from the inside / out, one hundred megawatts of butter.” We discussed figurative language, and how it compares things perhaps unalike in interesting ways. From there, our conversation turned to imagery—descriptive language that appeals to the senses—and alliteration—the repetition of the same consonant sound or letter at the beginning of each or most words in a series—and we looked for examples in the poem. It was a terrific conversation, continuing our ongoing dialogue about elements of poetry.
Since discussing the poem made everyone hungry, I said that the students should write about their favorite foods—just in time for the holiday!
Mrs. Haddad, 2nd Grade
Cakes
Mya J.
Cakes how you make
it. Eggs and milk and flour
and my cousin makes silver
stars sugar hearts
buttercream roses
birthday candles.
Turkey
Cameron K.
I like turkey.
It’s
delicious
like
chicken.
Pumpkin Pie and Other Foods
Norah L.
On Thanksgiving
I eat pumpkin pie.
It smells so good like it
tastes.
This Thanks-
giving
I
might have pakoras.
A
pakora
is Indian food.
I also eat turkey
it tastes better than
it looks. (If you haven’t tried turkey.)
I also like white chicken and tan
chicken. It tastes good.
I like corn too. I like my corn
with
a
lot
of butter.
I have a tasty life!
Cookies
Alex R.
crunchy
soft
yummy
can be big
can be small
can be shapes
can
be
sweet
very
yummy
and
sweet
can be
colors
and a
treat.
Mrs. Ward, 2nd Grade
Spicy Cheetos
Max B.
It was a nice day.
I was in California.
I was eating spicy
Cheetos. They were red.
They were so spicy. They
made my eyes water.
The Cranberry Sauce
Eliana C.
I love cranberry sauce. It is light purple. It is
like Jello. It is so squishy. It is like a
hippo.
Mac and Cheese
Samantha C.
I like mac and cheese better than
my mom. It’s sometimes white. Most of
the time
it is
orange. It is so
cheesy. The cheese
sticks
on your
spoon.
Pancakes
Ireland C.
Steaming a clump
of butter comes down
the big waterfall of
pancakes. The
plate dripping with
syrup like lava.
Cherry Pie
Sofia F.
Cherry pie. Juicy. Sweet. Melty &
crispy! Cherry pie with whipped cream
so delicious! For Thanksgiving
I have cherry pie. (I would eat
it every day)(So juicy!)
Thanksgiving
Kota G.
I like pie
I will eat it on Thanksgiving
I will have my family over
to my house.
Mash Potatoes
Grace S.
Mash potatoes are good for
Thanksgiving they are also
good with carrots and peas I
love mash potatoes on Thanks-
giving they’re also healthy I
would be crying if there were
no such thing as mash potatoes.
Mrs. Daigle, 2nd Grade
Candy
Layla D.
My favorite candy is cookies.
Chocolate. Chocolate chip all cookies
are yummy. Cookies, cookies, cookies.
I like lollipops too! Oh no I
forgot about lollipops.
Turkey
Oriana H.
I like turkey. Turkey looks as wide
as a tree trunk. Turkey is my favorite
food when it is Thanksgiving day. It’s my
favorite time because I get to be with
my family and friends.
Food
Elias K.
as the food sits
on the
table
I sniff
it it smells
like me having
a gold horse
right in my face
Pie
Max K.
Pie is my best friend.
Don’t tell him but
I’m planning to eat him
he tastes so good
it tastes like the
best thing in the
world you need
to try it I love it
it is so lovely no and
I forgot to tell you
I have 11,000,000,000,
000,000,000,000,000 pies
and I have eaten more
than that by far it tastes
so awesome I love it
it will be in your mind
if you read this! And
it will be in my mind
forever I like/love/will kiss
pie after eating it
Pizza
Brooke S.
My favorite food is pizza. I like pizza because
pizza you can fold it in many different ways.
Pizza is the best. Pizza pizza everywhere!
Pizza pizza yummy yum!!!!!!!!!! Pizza
with some french fries on the side yummy
in my tummy goody
Pancakes
Sofia T.
I see the big round ball in the pan
when I take it off of the pan I put
butter and syrup the ball is dripping with
syrup as light as gold. And the butter
as light as the clouds. In one second they
are gone. My sister will lick the plate
because it is so good. I wish I could
eat pancakes every day because they
are so good. I’ll eat them every day
because they are so good.
Vanishing Pizza
Samantha W.
Me and my mom were
walking
to Pizza Hut.
Suddenly we
saw
a
green glowing pizza
it was as bright as 9,598 of the brightest
lights in the
universe.
Me and
my mom were as
shocked as
if the strongest
and
loudest people
on EARTH
got
scared. Then
it vanished
and
teleported on
the chef’s hat. Next
me and my mom
dashed
to eat the pizza.
Ms. O’Connor, 2nd Grade
I Like Chinese Food
Preston D.
My favorite food is Chinese food.
I like rice and crab rangoon.
It has melted cheese.
I like beef too I pour
the soup in my rice
that’s why I like
Chinese food.
Corn
Yvonne L.
It is yellow.
It is sweet.
It is crunchy.
It is fun to bite.
Sushi
Emika M.
Japan is an amazing place.
Delicious food, here’s the recipe.
Vegetables, rice, avocado is optional.
Seaweed also, and vinegar & soy sauce.
And finally, for the secret ingredient.
Taste! Eat me!
Sweet Potato Pie
Imade O.
My favorite food is sweet
potato pie because sweet potato
pie is good and I mostly eat
it at Thanksgiving. I WOULD
DIE WITHOUT PIE.
Cheese
Winston P.
Cheese is so yummy!
I love cheese.
It is white or yellow.
It’s cold or warm!
Pie
Adam S.
Hi this is
pie. Pie
said hi
he does
not like
to get
eaten he
tries his
best but
then he
goes.
