Senses In The City - The Chicago Poetry Center

Senses In The City

For our third week together Hale after school 3rd-5th graders used sensory details to experience different places. Sensory details is when a poet uses their five senses (feel, taste, smell, hear, and see) to paint a picture in the reader’s mind. On Tuesday we read the poem “Navy Pier” by 8th grade Haugan Elementary student Kevin C. In his poem Kevin uses sensory details to describe a popular place to visit in Chicago. I smell the clean blue water from Lake Michigan/I could hear the seagulls flying over the pier, flapping their wings. Together we used sensory details to write a class poem about what we love about Chicago.

On Wednesday students read “Knoxville, Tennessee,” by renown poet Nikki Giovanni, who describes her childhood visit down south. You can eat fresh corn from daddy’s garden/ and go barefooted to the mountains with your grandmother. Inspired by Giovanni students wrote their own individual poems about the places they have visited in the past.

Please explore these poems below and don’t forget to bring a map!

Ms. Degiulio's After School Grades 3-5

Sensing Chicago Grades 3-5

I see photos on a live wire
I smell the nice smell of pizza from the pizzeria’s
I see the park
I hear my teacher talking to the birds
I hear the loud roar of the trains
I can smell the flowers
I can feel my feet walking on Navy Pier
I can smell the lake by me
I can hear the birds
I taste candy
I can feel the water in the lake through my feet

The Disney Poem Ava F.

I feel my hands touching the rides.
I taste the churros like strawberry.
I smell the crust on the pizza.
I hear the ride starting.
I see Mickey Mouse.

New York, My New York Jayce L.

I feel the hard feeling toys.
I taste steak.
I smell MC’d’s
I hear traffic.
I see the buildings.

Mexico Alexcia S.

I feel the warm sun.
I taste the delicious pozole.
I smell the meat tacos.
I hear the Mexican Music.
I see my mom and dad and family.