For their third week of poetry, Twain 6th graders learned the importance of speaking up. We discussed how using our voices can help us communicate our feelings, thoughts, and opinions with others. Which is very empowering.
Together we read Janet S. Wong’s two voice poem “Speak Up.” Two voice poems are poems that sound like dialogue between two people, that express contrasting views. In her poem Wong creates dialogue between two students. One student is Asian and the other is white. There are misconceptions from the white student who believes that since the other student has family from Korea that they aren’t truly American. The Korean student tries to defend their cultural identity and makes the other student question their own family origins. At the end of this conversation, they both come to understand that despite their different races, they both shared something in common, they were both born in America.
Inspired by Janet S. Wong 6th graders wrote two voice poems with interesting conversations between people, animals, and objects.
Mr. Burford’s 6th grade
Group 1
The Book Cover
By David A.
I want to be like Finn Wolfhard! I bet he is living
the life right now! You shouldn’t really be saying that.
Why? He is literally rich and famous so
I bet he is so happy!
Just because someone is famous and wealthy,
doesn’t mean they are happy.
Every rich and famous person must
be happy. I don’t know what you are
talking about.
Have you ever heard the saying “Don’t judge a book by its cover”?
No? Why?
It means to not assume someone just because of their looks and how they act.
Oh. I will still think that celebrities will
Always be happy! Just because
Fame!
Sun and Moon
By Nadira G.
I make the day I make the night
I’m heat and light I’m cold and only exist overnight
I’m a star Earth’s Satellite
Earth turns towards me I’m only bright when I reflect
Night fades away your distant light
I light the day I charm the night
Don’t Speak
By: Stephany G.
Huh?
Why? It’s bad and it can hurt someone.
Oh I’m sorry but why is bad?
It can hurt someone and just because their black doesn’t mean that they will like it.
Okay, well I’m sorry, can I still say it?
No, you can’t because since you white, people will say that you’re racist.
Well, I won’t say the word again.
Can I ask you a question?
Sure. Where did you learn the word?
From an app called Tik Tok
they say that if you say
it people will think that you are cool.
Oh, okay well I think that you shouldn’t say the thing that you see on the internet because it is not cool.
Oh well thank you for telling me that they n-word
is bad. I won’t use it again.
Lelani T.
Hey, how have you been since the last time I saw you?
What is that thing on your mind but have you been taking your pills?
Why do you feel that way and what do you think it could be?
Well first it is school, with the homework and my little sister and brother depending on me everything, i feel unhappy in the house with my parents always arguing. It’s too much and I should not be hearing, I don’t know what the whole point of them being together if they keep arguing.
Everything is so mess up at this time and the only people that i count to make me happy and that makes be alive and not kill myself is my two aunts and my siblings, If I was gone my siblings would be at home and would think it was their faults which it is not, I have to put on a smile just for them to thin everything is okay so they don’t worry.
Is there anything else you want to talk about?
Yea there’s more, I feel like my mom wants me to be perfect because if I miss one assignment she gets all mad then tells me if I don’t do it then I will be grounded and my grades have to be A’s and B’s but she sometimes let me get away with a c but if I don’t have A’s and A’s then I have punished.
I don’t need to be perfect, I just need to be me and my parents don’t see their stuck in their world back in the day and I have to be like them. I am just a child but they don’t get it because they never want to hear me say anything.
I am sorry you feel that way, but your parents need to understand that you feel that.
Mr. Burford’s 6th grade
Group 2
When Is Work
By Ahmed A.
When is work? I don’t know
What do you mean
you always know what time work is. Well I don’t know
Stop playing one of your jokes and tell me
we are going to be late! I don’t know when the Krusty Krab opens.
Well we are going to be late We can’t be late Mr. Krabs is going to be mad!!
Stop yelling!
We are here!
Finally
We are one hour early
What!!!
Mean Girls
By Ella S.
Look at her dress hehe stop don’t be mean
I am just saying the truth be a buddy not a bully
You cant lie her outfit don’t match hehe she looks like a highlighter
SEE I told you she look like a box stop hehe we are being mean
..its ok I guess..
OMG Her HEAD STOP
YOU KNOW IT’S TRUE JUST A LITTLE.
AW SHE LEFT GOOD.. I feel kinda bad
Me too… oh well oh well! Let’s go play games
okay
Pens vs Pencils
by Jocelyn U.
I can erase my mistakes.
Mines permanent
I could have cool wrappers
I Can have many different colors
You can do cursive in pen
Well you can do the same with pencil
mine is prettier
But I can always redo it if I mess up
There is multiple ways you can write with both pencil and pen
BUT MINE WILL LOOK NICER!
You can probably prove that but I can draw
YEA but I can OUTLINE
ok but you can’t shade
WELL mine is still BETTER EVEN if I can’t do ALL that STUFF
I think mine is cooler
I’m SAYING this ONE MORE time MINE IS BETTER
ok fine
OK
Mr. Barr’s 6th grade
Group 1
Look at Yourself
Mia R.
You know you’re ugly why to try making yourself pretty?
Why are you being so mean I just wanna look good.
Because you need to realize how ugly you are.
Leave me alone please let me feel pretty!!
Never… Your face is ugly, your teeth are messed up, and you are fat.
I know, I’m ugly stop trying to remind me I just wanna
live my life finally trying to be pretty.
I will never let you be.
Yes, you are.
Dancing, Cheer, Gymnastics are sports
By Nikola T.
Person 1 Person 2
Dancing, cheerleading, Gymnastics are not
Sports.
Yes, they are sports.
No because they are so easy, all you do jump around an do nothing
That is not true, These sports are very risky and people have to be fit and and flexible. It takes very hard work to get into these sports.
Still they aren’t even that risky, in soccer, basketball and more you get an injury.
In dancing, cheerleading, and can break a leg or get an injury. Gymnastics you can also break a leg and get an injury.
So? It’s their fault for falling from
jumping up and down.
It’s not their fault. They have to leap and do flips every time.
If they are that dramatic then why
Then why are they still doing
Gymnastics, Dance or Cheerleading?
First of all they are not dramatic and Second of all they are doing this because it’s their passion.
That’s just dumb
It‘s not because let’s say you do basketball and someone might ask why do you do basketball.
Because I want to and I’m good at it. It’s like part of me
See
See What?
You want to do Basketball because you want to So same with Gymnastics, dance and cheerleading. They do it because they want to It’s like a part of them
OK?
Gymnasts use both their arms and legs, putting them at a risk for injury to almost any joint in the body. Some gymnastic injuries such as such as Bruises and scrapes, are inevitable Cheerleading, the repetitive tumbling routines place a great deal of pressure on the spine and can result in stress fractures. Dance, dancing for too long or overuse too often can lead to a wide range of overuse injuries Shin splints and stress fractures in the feet are common dance-related overuse injuries.
oh…
Rock and Scissors
Miguel V.
How do you beat me Because I’m the best
No you’re not, you lose to paper and
I beat paper but how a rock can rip paper
wait you do have a point see
But still how can you beat me If a rock continues to beat scissors the scissors will break.
No, it doesn’t Yes it does
You still lose to paper bro stop with that
Nope I will never stop I’m still the best
In your dreams You wish
Mr. Barr’s 6th grade
Group 2
Where’s your work?
By Elisa B.
Here is the math assignment. Where is the work for it?
I wrote it there. No, you just wrote the answers. How did you get those answers?
But I wrote the problem there
and I solved it. It’s there. Look, you just wrote a bunch of numbers on each problem.
That is the work that is shown. But you weren’t supposed to write it your own way
This is my own way to solve it. You had to write the way we did it in class.
But I did do the work. Go. I am not taking it.
Why. I did what I had to do.
Nope, I am setting it down here!
I Still Love Her
Madison C.
Are you guys friends?
No, we’re sisters.
Oh. Yea! My parents adopted her when I was 2!
I can tell…
Excuse me?
Oh nothing it’s just you guys don’t look
Like sisters. I don’t see any similarities.
Maybe because your looking on the Outside and not inside…
Did this girl hurt you? I already said… she is my sister! And no, she didn’t hurt me!
Well little girl, just know I wasn’t trying to be rude 🙂
Sure.
Who is the Favorite?
By: Jaylanie F.
(dog) (cat)
I’m the favorite.
No you’re not.
I am because I get the most treats.
mean anything because I get more toys than you.
That’s a lie.
stuff than you. I even have a bed and you don’t.
All you do is sleep in boxes.
I think boxes are more comfortable. I have a tower that is bigger than your bed.
I’m the favorite because I go on more walks
And I play outside more.
Well guess what… I get more belly rubs.
Well guess what…
I don’t care.
Wait, do you hear that?
Yea I think our owner is home.
No, I’m talking about the chirps.
Oh yea I hear it.
Let’s see who is the favorite right now.
Yea.
(The owner comes in with a box and a lot of bags and opens the box. The cat and dog see a bird come out of the box. The dog and cat got mad and went to their bed.).
