What’s New?

School
Skinner West Elementary School

Poet in Residence
Larry Dean

Date

Late in December, during the last week of classes before the holiday break, we read Jimmy Santiago Baca’s “It would be neat if with the New Year.” Students immediately noticed that this poem looked more unusual than many we had read during the residency, due to the poet’s use of both longer and shorter lines, and one in particular that was just a single word—”feet”—set off from other lines in its stanza. We talked about why he might’ve done that, and a connection was made to the “old pair of work boots” focused on in the poem. From there, I segued into defining and discussing metaphor. We’ve spent a lot of time identifying and talking about similes in poems, but metaphors, which serve a similar purpose, are not as easy to find. The 2nd graders then looked for any metaphors in the poem, and found Baca’s comparison of loneliness to the old boots. How is the speaker’s—or anyone’s—loneliness comparable to “scuffed, tooth-marked, worn-soled,” old, dirty work boots? We delved deeper into the poem’s language and imagery and came up with some interesting ideas.

Since this was our last class of 2016, the idea this week was to write a New Year’s resolution poem, about things students were going to do or change in 2017. Their responses were typically eclectic…

School
Skinner West Elementary School

Poet in Residence
Larry Dean

Date

Mrs. Haddad 2nd Grade

My New Year! Scarlet B.

Is it magic? No!
Is it love? Oh no?

What is it?
Las Vegas!

What?

I told you once I
told you twice!

What is it!

Oh oh oh
Las Vegas!

Yeah yeah Las Vegas!
Go along their streets
are made of gold!

Go on go on!

Wow!
Las Vegas!

$100 bucks
on every road!

2016 Almost 2017 Elijah C.

I would sleep over my cousin’s
every weekend and

sleep snore
sleep snore
sleep snore
sleep snore

it will get
me
sick

I can’t go
on if
it happens
again!!!!

Untitled Amaj D.

Glitter glitter where are you? I’ve looked and looked
but nowhere you are. You stayed away.
Come back. I need you we need you.

Untitled Sophia D.

Next year I am going to get money in red envelopes!
And I am going to celebrate Christmas I will get
100,000,000,000 presents! I will have
Thanksgiving! I will have turkey and I will
have macaroni!

Untitled Waris R.

If you stay up until
midnight on Jan 1st
you would be very
tired.

Mrs. Ward 2nd Grade

Next Year Krystian B.

What can I do next year?
Maybe I should run for
president, go to planet nine,
or turn my teacher into
a werewolf, and create a
robot.

A New Year Connor G.

I’m going to school next year. Do
you know why? Because I want to learn.
I hope it is going to be a good next year.
After new year I’m going to eat my
Christmas cookies. Have fun at Christmas
break.

Untitled Tanix L.

I am going to
a party.

Untitled Rileigh M.

Go outside and go to Target and buy
fireworks and pop them.

Pop! Pop! Pop!
Pop! Pop!
Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop!

Give New Books to K. Tori P.

I can make
books, write, draw,
title. When I
work with ah
it will be great.

Mars Russell P.

I go to Mars for 2 days
and 1 week and 0 years.
Like an astronaut.

Lego Noah S.

More Legos every
year I ask Santa
for Legos this year
I have too many things
on my list so I am
asking Santa for
one and I am seeing
Santa today

Mrs. Daigle 2nd Grade

In 2017 Lana D.

In 2017 I will invent
the first flying car
and you don’t have to
drive. I will also make
a floating parking
lot that has infinity
spots for only flying
cars. I will make
a robot that
can do anything
for you. I will
make a security
system that will
never break and
there will be a
laser gun. So if
you go through
the detector and it’s
not the right
person the laser gun
will shoot you. There
will be a computer
typewriter that
uses a robot hand
to type whatever
you want it to
type. So you just
have to hold the
voice button down
and say it out loud
and it types it.
I will invent a
machine that can
do all your
homework and it
does it all right.
I will invent
infinite day.
I will make
a money machine
that can provide any
dollar bill or coin you
want. I will make a
sewing machine that
makes any kind of
clothing you want.
I will make a
machine that makes
all the food you
want without paying.

Untitled Rhyian H.

I want to go to New Mexico
in 2017 and Jupiter and
Pluto and Earth. And California
to see my dad and play with
Flintstone pinball machine.

What I Want to Do Next Year and What I Want to Get Grayson K.

I want to go
on a rollercoaster that
goes upside down.

Next I want to eat
cake, watermelon, cupcakes,
and pie. I want to get
1,000,000,000,000,000,000
dollars and 1,000,000
puppies. I also want to get

2 pools in 2017.

Save More Money Sarah L.

Next year for 2017 I am going
to save more money
so I can
get to $1,000 so
I will be
rich

Untitled Jamier M.

When it is 2017 I want to be in the NFL.
Get better grades and make gold.
Make new friends.

Ms. O'Connor 2nd Grade

Get a Puppy Rylie J.

Puppy
puppy I
want
you puppy
I am going
to die without
you puppy

LEGOLAND Fun Cullen J.

I want to go to LEGOLAND
so I can build a mini figure
you can watch movies. It
will be fun also rollercoaster
rides are approved for
LEGOLAND you can go to skeleton
rides see ninja go movies and just
have other fun.

Trip to China Sarah K.

I went on a trip to China. China is my home country.
I live in Beijing, the capital of China.
I visit China every year for about 3-48 days.
I LOVE CHINA! (And I might go to the great wall
of China.) Let my happiness go free!

New Year Resolutions David L.

Within the New Year,
I would want to make a
new thing. Clone. I’ll send my Clone
to piano practice…….and I’ll go
upstairs and play on my iPad!

The Cow Eshaan P.

I want a cow!
That is blue, pink, purple,
green, red and yellow. My new
year’s resolution will be racing
the cow. SO I NEED
MY COW! Or else
I can’t do my NEW
YEAR’S RESOLUTION
I want a cooooooooo
ooooooooooooooooo
oooooooooooooooow

I Love New Years Adam S.

Every new year
I get a
present
every new
year I go
somewhere
every new
year is
fun!

My New Year's Resolution Nicholas Z.

On new year’s eve I will go to school then I will
jump in a pool and the pool will be cool then I will
drool in the cool pool

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