Students read Gwendolyn Brooks’ classic poem, ‘We Real Cool’ before crafting their own ‘cool’ poems using their own words and ideas for what is cool, rhyme, repetition, and the short form.
We Real Cool
by Gwendolyn Brooks
The Pool Players.
Seven at the Golden Shovel.
We real cool. We
Left school. We
Lurk late. We
Strike straight. We
Sing sin. We
Thin gin. We
Jazz June. We
Die soon.
Lesson Note: “Well, I’m a poet, but I’ve also worked in libraries and in institutions like the Schomburg Center that seeks to understand and convey the power of Black culture. Poets are often making connections between things, and that’s also what a museum does. It connects us to conversations, it confronts us with artifacts and history in ways that poetry does. And it also reminds us of our roles in the world and with each other. In other words, it asks us to think about our humanity. Great museums and great poetry do that in different, but complementary ways.”-Poet, Kevin Young, editor of ‘African American Poetry: 250 Years of Struggle and Song’ to Oprah Daily, April 30th, 2021.
Ms. Romano, 7th Grade
Untilted
by Keith C.
I think Gucci is cool!
I went to the pool.
The next day I went to school
and it’s not dull.
Untitled
by Javante S.
I think books are cool I went
to get some tools the next day I
went to get some noodles.
Ms. Turner, 6th
What Makes You Cool
by Demijah
What makes you cool
is it the clothes you like?
Maybe it’s the songs
Maybe it’s the shoes you wear
or how you don’t care.
Or maybe it’s how when you go to school you
follow the rules and know you’re not a fool!
Untitled
by Deaundre
Money stack is TALL
and when it FALLS
before I go to school, I fill up my car with fuel
I hang out with my friends because we cool
Ms. Romano, 7th Grade
Cool School Poem
by Kamari W.
The pool was looking cool
And the school was looking cruel
But our school went to Africa…
and we saw mules.
Why Life is Cool
by Hope W.
I’m such a fool to not see life is cool
Only a cruel person can hate
school. I feel like people hate school
but school is the only way to our
fate. So many things to love
like good smells and doves and I still
think, why is life so cool?
Ms. Turner, 6th Grade
My Fashion Cool
by Ayana N.
My fashion is
kool, others
look like fools
they see
me they
drool, don’t
worry I’m
kool I get
in the
pool my fashion is
still
kool,
yea, my fashion still kool
Gucci
Fendi
and Chanel
I’m dressing
cuter than
you ever
will.
My Sport Cool Poem
by Jestlin
My cool sport
has a pool
with some
tools. If you
stop, you’ll look like
a fool.
