Last semester I had the pleasure of working with 3rd grade students at Twain, and this Wednesday I returned to begin a residency with 5th graders. It was an inspiring day. Between the four groups, we talked about singing and song lyrics, rhyming, haiku, stanzas, lines, and narrative poetry. While discussing figurative language, one group broke out in a song about personification! 😁 When I shared that poets often write poems not because they have answers, but because they have questions, students shared some of their own questions, including:
*how was poetry created?
*who was the first person to do a poem?
*what makes a poet a poet?
*when was poetry most popular?
*what is the most famous poem?
*do poets re-write?
*do poets draw?
*do you have to go to school to be a poet?
Two classes had already written “I Am” poems with their classroom teachers, so they worked collaboratively to write “We Are” poems. Enjoy!
Mrs. Respress
5th Grade – Group 1
Our Poem
We are smart, young, and strong
We wonder what we will do in the future
We hear a lion’s roar, and cars beeping, and
planes soaring through the wind
We see our friends, a whiteboard, the moon at night, the night sky and
shooting stars
We want to be rich
We want to go to heaven
We want to go home
We want to pursue our dreams
We are smart, young, and strong
We are successful in school
and video games
and sports
We think about going to lunch and what we will do for recess
We think about our dreams
We enjoy sleeping, getting good grades, and playing sports
We are scared of our parents, bugs, getting embarrassed, and
getting killed
We are smart, young, and strong
Mr. Masiasz
5th Grade – Group 2
Magic
by Samantha M.
I am magical
I wonder is magic real
I hear magic
I see sparkles
I want people to understand
I am magical
I pretend to not care
I feel hurt
I touch air
I worry too much
I cry about animals
I am magical
I understand sometimes things are hard
I say random stuff
I dream in sparkles
I try to not be weird
I hope to give smiles around the world
I am magical
I am from Ukraine
by Olesia H.
I am from Ukraine
I wonder if I would be there
I heard the sound of bombs
I see what’s happening there on the news
I want to be in peace
I am from Ukraine
I feel like I’m in danger
I touch my mom every day
I worry about my grandparents
I cry when I see that on the news
I am from Ukraine
I understand what’s happening there
I say that I’m safe here
I dream to be there with peace
I try to help my grandparents
I hope the war will stop
I am from Ukraine
Breaking the 4th Wall
by Jesus O.
I am breaking the 4th wall
I wonder if pigeons are government spies
I hear the wind blowing
I see trees of green
I want to know the meaning of life
I am breaking the 4th wall
I pretend I am a superhero
I feel my snoopy plushie
I touch my pencil while writing this
I worry if I will ever get student of the month
I cry when I am sad
I am breaking the 4th wall
I understand math
I dream I am the best
I try to always be happy
I hope to finish this on time
I am breaking the 4th wall
Life
by Samantha H.
I am Polish
I wonder how life works when you’re dead
I hear that if you try to kill a dog it will come back
I see a dog having its life right now
I want to be happy and healthy
I am Polish
I pretend to be a cat person
I feel like no one would like me if I was weird
I touch my dogs fur when it falls off
I worry about my family alot
I cry in my sleep
I am Polish
I understand how it feels to be bullied
I say to my brother I wish he would be a dog person
I dream of being rich and healthy and happy
I try to be nice
I hope that my day goes really great
I am Polish
Ms. Bell
5th Grade – Group 3
We Are: The Poem
We are people who learn
We wonder if this is a good class, how school was invented, and
when math is going to be fun
We hear people talking and the 6th graders changing class
We see teachers grading our papers
We want good grades, comfier chairs, to learn more, and
to be organized
We are people who learn
We are all smart
We always study hard
We dream to go to college
We dream to become teachers, hair dressers
and zoo keepers
We are people who learn
Ms. Fernandez
5th Grade – Group 4
Mila J.
I am innovative
I wonder will the stuff I do make an impact
I hear the birds quirp
I see the animals in the morning
I am innovative
I pretend my dog is there when I need him most
I touch the grass after the rain
I worry about the future
I am innovative
I understand that everything that happens happens for a reason
I try my best to get better at drawing
I am innovative
Delilah O.
I am intelligent and compassionate
I wonder what people actually like about me
I hear God telling the path for my life
I see people who love me
I want to be important to my people
I am intelligent and compassionate
I pretend to feel God’s hugs for me
I feel God’s love for me and my family
I touch God’s hand and let him lead the way for my future
I worry about my family
I cry when I think about people that don’t have enough
I am intelligent and compassionate
I understand the difference about fake friends and true friends
I say prayers for everybody
I dream about better stuff for my grandparents
I try to think about the positive
I hope people have my back when I’m feeling down
I am intelligent and compassionate
Erick C.
Erick y soi ijo de Muissey de Jenni
I wonder si pasare de año
oigo a mi abuelita
yo deo mi futurociendo military fudbolista
yo quiero ser futbolista
I am yo independiente
I pretend yo soy muy cuidados con misomas
yo siento que soy requerido por familia
yo to el piano
yo me preocupo por mi familia
I am yo independiente
A musician
by Denzel G.
I am a musician
I wonder if I make good music
I hear people say I do good music
I see people happy when they see my music
I want everyone to say I am good at my job
I am a musician
I pretend to cry when I am sad
I feel happy with the music I make
I touch the world with my music
I worry if people like my music
I cry when I make sad music
I am a musician
I understand if people don’t like my music
I say to people that have a sad day
let the music carry you away
I try to make the best music I can make
I hope to make people happy
I am a musician
