"Be Strong, Stay a Poet" - The Chicago Poetry Center

“Be Strong, Stay a Poet”

Today was my last day meeting with Nettelhorst 2nd graders this school year. Students looked through their poetry folders to select a poem that they needed to finish or look at with fresh eyes. We talked about reading poems aloud to ourselves to find if they sound the way we want them to be heard. We also considered other things such as (1) checking the spelling of words, (2) deciding if there should be line breaks and where to put them, (3) looking for misspelled words, (4) and the possibility of adding sensory language, comparisons, rhyme, or repetition. After that, each student who wanted to share a poem gathered their courage and did just that! Congratulations 2nd grade poets!

Thank you to Nettelhorst 2nd graders and teachers who had me feeling emotional to receive parting gifts that included a bouquet of fresh flowers, poems, artwork, and personal notes. One of these notes, from Penny W. encouraged me to “Be strong, stay a poet.”

Mrs. Barbeau and Mrs. Kari 2nd Grade

Poetry Party Lila

Poetry is so
fun
you imagine stuff and
play
you have fun
playing with words
to create a poem
that’s why poetry
is
so fun!

Mrs. Rodriguez 2nd Grade

Recipe for Writing a Poem Group Collaboration

in order to write a poem
you will need 500 pounds of words
words you may find in your brain,
on the ground, in a dumpster,
maybe a junkyard.

pour 15 commas into a pot of
spaghetti made of
repetition and line break meatballs

add 10 tablespoons of haikus
boil it down, but we’re not done, yet

make sure to add 10 pounds of
saucy similes
don’t forget to season with sal
and a sprinkle of emotions

serve with happy bread

Ms. Froman 2nd Grade

I'd Like to See Sienna U.

I want to see
crystal caves
I want a beautiful world
of nature miracles
coming true, magic
filling the air. I want
to see my friends
every day, animals
in the park free to
go anywhere.

Crystal clean air
Clean turquoise water,
no garbage anywhere,
smiling faces all around
happy people, animals,
and souls, clouds fluffy
as cotton candy and
white as marshmallows

a beautiful world
to see

Recipe for a Good Dog Nola

First add two teaspoons of
cuteness then add
a bowl of
obedience. Stir it well!
Then add some
silliness and belly
rubs! Next add
a bowl of training,
cook for 20
minutes!
Sprinkle fluffiness!

Serve with a
dog bowl with a
side of
cheekiness. Now
you have the
best dog EVER!