The Giving Tree - The Chicago Poetry Center

The Giving Tree

We dug right in to examine William Carlos William’s minimalist Imagist style poem, The Locust Tree In Flower. This poem is inspired by William’s interest in minimal / abstract art of the day (1930s). A very insightful discussion followed our reading as students mulled over the idea of structure, meaning, and care. How does this poem describe a lifecycle? Would William’s, who was a doctor by trade, understanding of life and death be more empathetic because of what he may have seen day in and day out? Lesson Note: I like using this poem as a starter. As students juggle words and grammar line by line to describe an object, their attention is turned ‘inside the box’ of a simple poetic form. How do we describe something using minimal words/language. What words do we use/make up?

Ms. Taylor 8th Grade, 1st Period

Walking in a Winterland Tessa M.

Snow

Slowly

Falling

Winterland

beautiful

Very

White

SNOOPDOGE Natalia C.

Flakes
Lightly
falling
graceful
snow
snoopdoge

lonely tree Allysa C.

snow
fell
slowly
except
the
green
tree

Don't Drink and Drive Brian P.

Slowly
Driving
while
drinking
hot
coffee

Swings Go High Alexander Y.

Starting
Frosty
Fluctuate
enough
Woodchips
quite
Beginning
just

Ms. Taylor 8th Grade, 2nd Period

Cars Through the Window Marc B.

Cars
angerly
beeping
driving
as well as
shiny
loud
colorful

Gravity Thomas F.

gravity
Jump
in
The
Pond
elegantly
kershrunk

Untitled Ben G.

cold
quickly
walking
Among
snow
softly
stepping
creating
footsploshes

Nugs Mayson L.

Chicken Nuggets
chicken butt
like
fluffy
pillows
quickly
falling
into mouth
perfectly

The snow through the shoes Leyla T.

Walking
through
calmly
snow
platinumwhite
shoes
cold
whilst-still

Ms. Taylor 8th Grade, 3rd Period

Weird School Bus Ride Haley S.

Slowly
Bus
Felkcold
Rarely
Tarovoo
Tissueful
Drive
Deerelk
Stupid
Almost

Busy Street Maggie T.

Of
runoverorg
and
stupidly
big
cars
I’m
tempted

M&M Poem Honne B.

Generously
yeetefus
on top of
clumsily
yesn
unlike

Snowy Ellis W.

Falling
Quikcly
Coldly
Till
Frozen
Beauticold

Trees Sherlyn C.

Very dull
Very…dead
On ground.
Under the sky.

I Missed The Bus Lauren H.

Stop
Fast
Car
Bummpy
Drive
mad
Mom
pulled up
to school

Ms. Taylor 8th Grade, 5th Period

Dirty Snow On Irving Maya S.

Overnight, stuck, gray slush. Trudge. Frozen. endlessly

Untitled Matthew L.

Quick
squirrels
always
run
swiftly
in
white
silky
snow

Snain Natalia D.

Early
white
falling
snain
quickly
suddenly,
everywhere
standing
snain

Whitescreams Kara L.

Snow
Falling
towards
the
ground
quickly
whiteflakes
whitescreams
loudly
from
the
flying
blue

Birds Kamil S.

Trung
Birdss
slowly
yeet
Ding
sran
Fqueit

Cold Yasmin A.

Fridge
cold
delightful
gentle
beautiful
snow
shovel

Ms. Taylor 8th Grade, 7th Period

Untitled Sebastian R.

People
Cool
Cold
Shiny
Walking
Slowly
fast
Warmly
around
Far
Close
Awesome

Unliving, but living in my mind Dehne S.

Small
Sprouting
Pink
as
candy
very
fuzzy
Baby
Cactus

Fun Luca N.

Around
playing
friends
Athletic
equally
energtic
schlosh
school

Brown Nests Emily R.

From
yellow
slowly
swaying
hurted
trees
brown
nests
lay
peacfully

Snow Covered Tree Olivia H.

bare
among
around
cold
snow
resting
tree

Winter Beauty Robert S.

Brown
Tall
White
Above
From
Snow
Always
Perfect
Beautiful
Crystals