What can writing with a partner accomplish that can’t be done alone? This is the question the 8th graders of Clinton reflected on after watching “Cat Poem” by the Get Lit Los Angeles BNV Slam team. After pairing up, students used Venn Diagrams to interview each other and find out what they had in common. Then, they chose a topic and wrote poems that included a mix of individual and shared lines. Students wrote about shared lived experiences, favorite foods, mutual dislikes, and histories of their friendships, using poetry to build bridges between them.
Ms. Krasic
“Purple“
by Rania B. and Tanveer K.
We love the color purple!
Red plus blue makes purple the favorite thing between us!
William Henry Perkin, the man who created purple in 1856 tried
finding a cure to Malaria and ended up creating our favorite color!
From Royal Purple to the soft lavander it makes the
would different from any other
We see purple everywhere
We see purple everyday.
From Plum to Indigo to Violet, name it all this is
our favorite color that we love with all our heart the
color purple.
“Mexican Sisters“
by Sofia G., Cynthia B., and Perla A.
Sugar and spice and everything nice
Everything nice comes in threes
1, 2, 3
Failing the test together
Dumb, Dumber, and Dumbest
Eating that food like Nikocado Avocado
Finishing it up like it’s an avocado
Thing 1, Thing 2, Thing 3
Born to be sisters, forced to be friends
“Hating Poetry“
by Rayan A. and Hasnain V.
We hate poetry!
Poetry is too hard
You have to overthink just to come up with an idea
Analyzing it is such a hassle!
It’s always too frustrating and confusing.
Why does poetry even exist?
Deep down we all hate poetry!
Ms. Karas (Group A)
“Our love for Horror Movies”
by Zobakiah Z. and Srushti N.
We love Horror Movies.
I love getting jump scares.
I watch them twice a week.
We hide under our blanket in an intense scene of the movie.
I remember screaming and pushing my brother off the bed
when a jump scare came.
I remember clinging to my cousin when an intense scene came
and squeezing the heck out of her.
We would like to have a sleepover together and watch a
Horror Movie.
“Biking Poem”
by Faizal F. and Josue O.
We love biking on the hill.
We bike with each other five times a week.
It is really chill and stress-free
It is better with music
“Untitled”
by Rahman K. and Suheyb L.
It is the strongest religion.
I go and pray at M.I.C.C.
I go and pray at Bagydid
It is the fastest growing religion
I do 3 prayers a day
I do 2 prayers a day
If you combine the gdp of all countries that celebrate
Islam it will be the most out of all religions.
Ms. Macmillan
“Green The Best”
by Yasmin A. and Ismat S.
Lime green, Pistachio green, and olive green!
I wear a green hijab 2 times a month!
I see green every day!
Lime green, Pistachio green, and olive green!
I drink matcha boba tea once a month!
Green, Green, Green!
Just like the nature!
“Tall”
by Brandon E. and Tasal K.
We can dunk in Basketball
it makes us feel nonchalant
We can touch the sky
We feel taller than a giraffe
“Untitled”
by Hafiz and Hamza
Real Madrid is the best club.
My favorite player is Bellingham
My favorite player is Vini Jr.
Our favorite players are Jude Bellingham and Vini Jr.
“Mr. Diedrich the best”
by Ayleen V. and Liana V.
Mr. Diedrich is our favorite teacher
He helps me in all my work
He gives me snacks
He is getting married in 6 days
He is very funny
He is tall
He makes our days fun
Ms. Karas (Group B)
“Beach”
by Lenny A. and Hanin H.
We love the beach!
being on the beach makes me feel like a horse running
seeing the blue light sky makes me feel like a free snake
EATING SEAFOOD MAKES US FEEL LIKE MERMAIDS
I love walking in the water
warm water makes my body cold
We love playing beach volleyball.
“School Lunch”
by Jair G. and Yasin A.
School lunch is not edible!
95% of school lunch goes in the
trash
School lunch is dry
School lunch is soggy!
The cheeseburger is nasty
You can pay for school lunch
but nobody buys it.
School lunch is overall nasty!
“Rights of Refugees”
by Khunsuma A. and Aman A.
We left our home country because of conflicts going
on between government communities and religion we follow.
My country Pakistan had become so unsafe for
me and my whole family because if we don’t
follow the community that the government says to
follow we get arrested and could never ever come
back home.
My country Myanmar Burma was safe until
other countries started to attack us and started
to burn houses and had almost finished
half of the country because of the religion
we follow.
Now that we have left our unsafe countries
and have come to America for a better life, we
still hope to go back to our home countries.
