Loud and Proud - The Chicago Poetry Center

Loud and Proud

Today was the 4th and final day of workshops with Shoesmith 4th graders. It has truly been a pleasure to return to Shoesmith’s hallways and Ms. Lehner’s classroom these last four weeks. To set the tone for a day of sharing-out, we looked at and discussed a number of illustrated poetry anthologies, noticing how different poems appear on the page. Students flipped through to select poems they wanted to read aloud, and practiced projecting their voices -reading “loud and proud” – lifting their eyes from the page, and reading with rhythm and emotion. I loved how students listened: picking up on personification, similes, alliteration, and repetition, while also commenting and building-upon the meanings they found in the poems. We talked about techniques for revising poems, and then students signed-up to read their favorites of the poems we’ve written together. A few students were inspired to pen brand new poems, shared below. Enjoy!

Ms. Lehner 4th Grade

I Wonder Kalani

I wonder can dogs fly? BUZZ
do I hear a bee? it flies so high
all must be in the clouds
all must be in heaven
I wonder can cats fly? BOOM
I’m hungry but me and my BFF
are going to get ice cream
I wonder do I like school?
I wonder

My Own World Neleh

I am black and beautiful and kind
I wonder why do people die
I hear people talk about people
I see God protecting the earth
I want life to be easy so I can feel free
I am black and beautiful and kind

I pretend to dress like other people
I feel brave because God is around me
I touch th cover on my bed and touch my bed set
I worry that I will die in my family
I cry because people fight and yell
I am black and beautiful and kind

I understand why people act the way they do
I am me, black and beautiful and kind
I try to understand others sometime
I hope that the world will be a better place like Neverland
I am black and beautiful and kind

My Future Life Charlie

I hope I can get better
in math in my future
I hope in my future life
I can travel the world
In my future life I want to
help the homeless
In my future life I
want to be an actress,
a model, an artist,
a clay sculptor and painting artist
To be special in
my future life
I want to complete all my goals
In my future life
I want to move in with
my favorite cousin
and adopt a pug