For our last workshop in the month of May, I wanted to introduce Shoesmith 4th graders to the 5th/6th grade poet-in-residence, Joy Young. We read Joy Young’s poem, “3rd Grade Field Trip to the Silver Stallion Ranch,” about a field trip she went on when she was a Shoesmith student. Reading her poem gave us a chance to discuss what it means to feel “wild & free,” and what it means to be tamed. Students loved the poet’s use of sensory details and figurative language. Group 1 only had time to get as far as the brainstorming, while Group 2 began to draft poems about memories of their own.
Ms. Lehner
4th grade – Group 2
Minahil A.
I could see the flashing light from
the camera. I could hear my parents
calling my name again and again
I could feel my hand exhausted
like I had clapped my hands 24 thousand
times
I could feel my dizziness.
my excitement felt like
how when a teen gets their own
car. I could touch the ticket
falling like snow flakes
My Memories
Elizabeth G.
I remember when we went to
a garage sale and I was looking
at a stuffed animal and the owner saw
me and gave it to me for free
I was feeling so excited the car ride
home and I keep hugging my stuffed animal.
and I was playing with it every
day and it became my favorite.
I named it Cherios
I slept with Cherios every night and
hugged it and brought it everywhere
I went, even in the stores and the park.
I remember when I almost dropped it
in the dirt but I didn’t and if I did
I would probably have started crying.
Rainy Warm Day
Latasha B.
a day that’s rainy is warm
by the fireplace. the crackle
from the fire is like twigs
snapping as I walk through dirt.
Just a cup of tea on a
rainy warm day is all I need.
when it is cold out
the rain tapping on my window
is like my nails tapping
on my phone, birds chirping
is what I can hear as far as
I can see that tiny blue
bird on a rainy warm day
as I hear the thunder
dark gray clouds form
in the distance
To the Water Park
Jalen L.
I saw a rollercoaster
that was bigger than my
house but I could not get on
I was with my mom,
my little brother, my friends,
and the daycare lady.
when we got to the waterpark
it had this little park
and it got a giant bucket
of water on you and
I saw these big slides
they were red, blue, and green
I went to a wave pool and the
wave was big.
Memories
JaMarr N.
The day I learned how to ride
a bike. When I was learning
how to ride a bike my
big brother helped me and
told me how to keep
my balance on the bike.
next, he taught me
on how I should not think
about falling off because
when you go faster it is easier
to keep your balance and
then he let me go
then I got the hang of it. next thing you know
I was riding a bike.
Zoe S.
In the hot summer sun me and my brother run
around. one of our uncles asks if we want to go in his boat
with our mom. as the two bored kids we were
we said yes. we put on the
lifejackets and get in the boat.
our uncle brought this thing with him,
it was like a long cutting board.
he said that it was something we could get on.
my brother and my mom got on first
it seemed like lots of fun! they went
2-3 more times,
then me and my mom went.
this is when it happened…we got on and
my uncle started moving the boat super
fast. the waves were sharp and hit my face.
I looked over to my mom
she was falling off.
but I knew we were safe right?
the next thing I knew, we were
2-4 feet in the air. my mom fell
off and splash! go the waves
I fell off, too and screamed
I was really scared and won’t ride boats because of
this memory.
