Rainbows and Crayons, Part One

For our 12 sessions each class engaged poetry uniquely. I brought in books of poems and Swift students and teachers took turns reading aloud in both English and Spanish. In one classroom students danced and move interpretively to the poems their classmates read aloud.

From there we talked about colors and read Jane Yolen’s poem, “Crayons: A Rainbow Poem.” We brainstormed lines for color poems, and worked collaboratively and individually on first drafts. Next week we will continue with color poems, so stay tuned!

Ms. Urquiza 2nd Grade

Ethan R.

Using the 5 senses, Ethan R. came up with the following ideas for the color yellow:
sight: the sun
sound: a trumpet
smell: minty
taste: mango
touch: crossing deer sign
feeling/emotion: excited

Angel S.

Using the 5 senses, Angel S. came up with the following ideas for the color blue:
I see a blue pigeon in my window
The sound of blue cars beeping
I smell blue jolly ranchers
I taste sweet blueberries
I feel the soft cover of my blue folder
feelings/emotions: happy

Azul Alexa M.

yo veo mi mochila azul
yo escucho los ninos

Ms. Pendola 2nd Grade

Orange Collaborative Class Poem

the sight of an orange cat in an orange box
a radio that plays medium-tempo music
the sound of a mother or a father pouring a glass of orange juice
the taste of sweet mango
and the earthy smell of crunchy carrots
writing and making art with an orange pencil, orange marker, and
orange paper
curry and squash soup
a shy girl reading a poem out loud
the smell of orange flowers in the morning

Ms. Reed 3rd Grade

Red Collaborative Class Poem

Red is the juice of pomegranate seeds
on my fingers

It is the spicy
taste of crunchy, dusty,
takis

Red is the color
in some national flags, like:
USA, Austria, Togo, and Japan

A red hat is
red as a smoky rose
or a car that breaks at a stop sign

It is the chaos
of homework
the salty sweet water of an apple
and someone asking your heart
to be their valentine

Ms. Herlo 3rd Grade

Blue Collaborative Class Poem

The sky is blue like blueberries
you can taste blueberries
like you taste sweetness
and the sweet blueberry-flavored
powder that melts in your mouth

the blue paint on the wall
in our classroom reminds us
of calmness
the color of your tongue when
you eat chewy sour patch candy

The sky tastes like
blue cotton candy, and the icing
on a cookie
the classroom wall is a blue sky

rainbow/crayon box Collaborative Class Poem

the soft brown fur on a monkey
the sound of the alarm
of a red firetruck
the pink scent of perfume
the spicy brown taste of pepper soup
the lumpy white of spoiled milk
a relaxed light green feeling
the yellow happiness of winning