Since Groundhog Day happened this past weekend, animals were the focus this week. We read Emily Dickinson‘s “A Bird came down the Walk” and focused on what happens in the poem to begin. Students understood that a bird was central to the poem, but some of the odd language required clarification. I then asked them if the use of capital letters was unusual? Deciding that it was, I asked why the poet would capitalize such words as Bird, Walk, Dew, Grass, and Beads? Is that something they would (or could) normally do when writing in class? I also introduced them to the dash, and explained what the difference was between it and a hyphen. We also spent some time discussing the lines, “And he unrolled his feathers / And rowed him softer home- // Than Oars divide the Ocean, / Too silver for a seam-.” What is the comparison Dickinson makes here, and why does she make it? This was our most in-depth conversation yet.
For the prompt, I asked students to write a poem about an animal, saying that it could be big or small, and include fish and insects. Check out these samples of some of the best writing from each class!
A Fluffy Panda
MacKenzie B.
Furry as a feather.
Giant claws.
Big paws.
Makes a loud noise.
Eats a lot.
Goes to sleep.
And doesn’t weep.
The Chipmunk
Ryan B.
I saw a chipmunk
running past and they
were playing. I saw a beehive not a hive
a tree with bees and he’s and
she’s
The Little Shark
Justin G.
I saw a shark
it looked so little he
wagged his tail until
it saw a moving thing
I heard a tune it
was like a bee.
Hamster
Jermiyah P.
I like a pet it is a hamster.
It’s cute I want a hamster!
It is a great pet I want one!
Dogs
Karis W.
The dogs run
they run faster
one was fastest
then the older
one dog won
the race.
The African Speed of Hope
Nathalia G.
The African speed of hope.
Dreaming of a show,
with a gazelle on a crooked slope. Speed of hope.
I’ve never passed by her.
She’s snoozing silently.
What will she do if I touch?
Or if a storm occurs.
She’s a sensible cheetah.
Very, very, nice.
But snoozing peacefully under the
sunlight.
But then, she wakes up and
spots a pair of antlers. She squints
and sprints and catches that gazelle.
We eat it together, forever.
I Open My Eyes
Miles G.
I open my eyes I look
at my guinea pig I feed
it I go eat breakfast
he gave me some.
Cat’s Eye
Max K.
Cat, cat some are skinny
some are fat.
I looked into his eyes
and then there he sat.
So deep, his eyes. Like
looking into endless deep
with a little black puddle.
Swim
Maya L.
I swim so fast I pass by my
friend he says gulp gulp
and swims again he goes
under water and I say
bye then he swims again
and cries whyyy!
Untitled
Benjamin M.
I saw a bat eat a mosquito.
It swallowed it whole.
It went back to his tree.
I saw something he flew away.
He went to hide in the bushes.
Birds Happiness
Abby R.
Birds were watching from the trees.
Chirping happily and chirping loud.
I had no idea what kind it
was. I read a book and it was
a robin.
I fed it crumbs and fed it well.
I kept it in my home.
My mom said no
but the life cycle began.
On my window edge.
Untitled
Caitlin T.
My favorite animal is a snake.
I saw him when I went out to rake.
I got small,
and rode him to the mall.
I ♥ Bugs
Kaitlyn B.
Bugs are tiny and big
and some are fat I know
that for a fact.
Bugs are creepy and cool
and one bug eats poo.
I just love bugs.
Bugs creep people out
too.
I love bugs.
If I Saw a Horse
Rebecca F.
If I saw a horse I would follow
it. when it starts to gallop I would
gallop along.
Once I start to gallop for a
minute, I don’t want to stop!
When the horse stopped, I started
to complain for her to do more!
After she gallops, she comes to see
what her pony was doing. Her pony
was nice I patted her as well,
so after the visit I waved
good-bye. A tear drop fell off my
eye sadly.
As I went by, I wished I would
visit them again soon another day.
Dogs Are Good Pets
Dashiell K.
A dog doesn’t know I’m watching him.
He’s like a bird—
like a hawk.
When the bird flies—
away.
The dog barks.
He sees me with a treat.
I give it to him.
He stops barking.
And plays with me.
Monkeys
Vincent P.
I like monkeys.
They are cool
they can swing on vines
they are my favorite animals.
They live by the sea
and like to eat bananas.
I want two pet monkeys so
I would have fun.
I like monkeys!
The Fish
Dahlia T.
Look how it glides
look how it glistens
look at the gleaming scales
oh, it seems to listen
Oh how it swims
They are so beautiful
My, those fins
The beauties of
a Fish
A Small Small Mouse
Joshua Z.
A mouse so small
trying to take a piece of cheese.
It tries to find more
but it can just find a small piece.
It goes home and puts the cheese
away but it comes back out and
runs back in.
The Snake
James A.
It slivers with scales.
You may not know
It’s there.
There are many
Different kinds.
It sometimes
Makes sounds
It’s sometimes
silent.
You never know
which kind is there.
Most have the same
hissssss!!! some
are big some
are small.
They are the
most fierce of all.
Untitled
Bella B.
The monkey went to
the ocean to cool
down
The monkey fell asleep
laying down on her long
chair she slept there
for 3 hours
I swam when I woke
up and had lots of
fun doing that
Then I had some yum,
yum lemonade and pizza
Beetle
Amir D.
A beetle is big
A beetle is scary
A beetle is bad
A beetle is small to
see.
Untitled
Ava J.
Once I saw a bunny
mustache in a pet shop
he was sad because
everyone
laughed at him
no one liked him and
he looked special so
I adopted him and
for once I saw
a little smiling
face forever
Crazy Monkeys
Dash M.
monkeys
monkeys
swing
swing
swing
in jungles
like the
rain forest
jaguars
come
and
monkeys
hide they
hope their
family is
fine
Untitled
Joaquin N.
I saw a tiger—
with big yellow eyes—
they seemed to get wider—
I saw them full of greatness.
I went over to it—
didn’t know what to do—
I saw it starting to hit—
I still didn’t know what to do.
I finally got to it—
I pat him on the head—
I didn’t see it hit—
I knew I made a friend.
The Shark
Devontay W.
One dark night a shark
awoke he grew a big flappy
tail, his head was as big
as a bed.
He told his other fish
friends he was going to
a show.
He said that he was going
to light fire!
Untitled
Janiah W.
An elephant has big ears.
He is grey.
He is big.
The elephant eats grass and peanuts.
All day he plays with a ball.
He has fun under the big top circus.
The people cheer for the elephant.
And he feels happy.
