Rosario Castellanos Elementary School Poetry

Week 20: When my words were... Poetry!

2008-05-22T10:39:00.000-07:00

I cannot believe this is our final week together at Castellanos. The students have been amazing, and have improved immensely. I am so impressed with the work they have done, and today is no exception. The poem this week was suggested to me by another poet-in-residence, Rachel Javellana. The poem is Psalm 3, by Mahmoud Darwish. The students took variance of Darwish's form and lets us know what their words are all about:

From Ms. Gonzalez's Class:

Poem of Mine
by Daniel B.

When my words were woods
I was lonely

When my words were annoyed
I was a statue

When my words were happy
I was a party

When my words were titled
I was a drawing

When my words were sore
I was a bat

But when my words became
little...
Ants came
and covered me...

When
by Sara B.

When my words were Ms. Sampson
I was happy

When my words were excited
I was a country

When my words were school
I was worried

When my words were paint
I was a brush

When my words were writing
I was poetry

When my words were books
I was reading

But when my words became
sad...
tears covered
my face!

When
by Stephanie A.

When my words were Miami
I was sizzling

When my words were exhausted
I was reckless

When my words were excited
I was unstoppable

When my words were loving
I was too sweet

When my words were hatred
I was impossible!

But when my words were too
caring...
I was a giving tree.

From Ms. Formisano's Class:

When
by Kevin L.

When my words were slow
I was Japan

When my words were broken
I was a wall

When my words were quiet
I was a door

When my words were rough
I was running

When my words were loyal
I was the floor

But when my words become
loud...
I was the ocean

When
by Nailha S.

When my words were flames
I was the darkness

When my words were fear
I was impossible

When my words were orange
I was the graveyard

When my words were depressed
I was a roller coaster

When my words were life
I was a bird without wings

But when my words were dead
I was the world
Without love!

When
by Esmeralda Q.

When my words were stars
I was brilliant

When my words were Jupiter
I was far

When my words were heart
I was love

When my words were the sun
I was shining

When my words were the moon
I was day

But when my words are comets
My love
was fast

From Mr. Lukas's Class:

I became...
by Andrew Y.

When my words were dark
I was thinking

When my words were famous
I was stuck

When my words were silent
I was in the center

When my words were cold
I was lonely

When my words were green
I was feeling blue

But when my words became
warm...
I became crowded.

My Mind
by Asucena L.

When my words were waterfall
I was a lion

When my words were pink
I was loved

When my word was fun
I was exhausted

When my word was school
I was stressed

When my word was drama
I was famous

But when my words became
love...
hatred floated in my mind...

My Own
by Heriberto

When my words were Chicago
I was windy

When my words were red
I was annoyed

When words were plain
I was boring

When my words were black
I was the sky

When my words were anger
I was a fire

But when my words became
lost
I was gone.

Week 19: Your Neigborhood

2008-05-21T21:19:00.000-07:00

This week the students and I looked at an exerpt from T.S. Eliot's Preludes, where he discribes a scene at 6pm. The student wrote a poem discribing one part of their neighborhood, in a specific season, at a specific time of day. Here are some fabulous examples:

From Ms. Gonzalez's Class:

26th Street
by Carlos S.

It's 8:30am and windy
but fresh.
There are students walking
to school. Their laughter
fills the streets with life.
There are loud cars
beeping, I see people opening
the stores. When
I pass through a restaurant
the aroma of pancakes
fills the room.

Spring
by Sammy C.

Spring noon rising
with the smell of burgers and steaks.
12pm.
This hot spring day
kids go outside and play
behind their houses under a tree
and into a pool.
The hot sun is burning.
Eloteros and paleteros are outside.

Afternoon
by Hector P.

The summer afternoon almost ends
with the smell of barbecues in the houses.
Five O'clock.
It starts to get less sunny
but you can still feel how hot it is.
Gangbangers hanging outside
with the smoke coming out of their mouths.
Kids are playing outside
having a good time with their friends.
You can see a lot of houses
and you can see a lot of cars.
As a car passes by throwing gang signs
the ganbangers chase, yell, and throw objects at it.
When the car leaves it is all back to normal
and everybody returns to what they're doing.
You can feel the sweat and how scared you are.

From Ms. Formisano's Class:

Maria B.

At Homan & 24th,
spring settles down
to the smell of corn and mangoes.
Three O'clock.
The chill air comes,
students coming out of high school
talking and laughing out loud,
cars zooming down the streets.
Tall building all around me,
the chill air feels cold on my face.

Nailha S.

The outside of summer
5:30 afternoon clear blue skies
Hot, sweaty kids laughing and shouting
The dogs barking while being walked
You could smell the fresh cut grass being watered
House windows open, all kinds of loud music pouring out:
Chaos walking down the street .

Lazaro

Spring's bright light
it's 4:45 pm
raining, people running
inside their house,
wind blowing bags
in the air, cars moving
slow dirt soft as a
pillow. People on the
corner watching their
neighborhood, kids chatting
on the porch. Shadows in
alleys. My neighborhood is like this
every spring.

From Mr. Lukas's Class:
Asucena L.

The fall with colored leaves.
falling side to side
and everywhere around.
Eight in the night,
A lot of people
walking, talking. Some
are kissing; enjoying
the calm weather.
Cars go by, some even honk.
Smell of a cool breeze
with a nasty smell;
the smell you get when
you're outside. Stores
on every side.
Groups of people
walking by.
You feel the
breeze run through
your hair.

Steven G.

burning summer hot
5 min before 1pm
traffic car's honking
aggressively kids out
side screaming in joy
generous boy opening
the pump teenagers on
their bikes and the street
hanging around, living their lives.

Kimberly R.

The summer day has started
with school out and the
sound of kids having fun
It's four O'clock
the starting of fun days.
Now, a shower of pure
excitement as kids get
ready to go out and play,
the sound ringing down the street,
the bikes and skates
and the grass at it's full bloom.
With the street vendors
out and the sound of
families spending time
together, it's just one
of those warm summer days.

Weeks 17 & 18: Ex-Basketball Player

2008-05-21T20:06:00.000-07:00

This week we read Ex-Basketball Player, by John Updike. The students and I diagrammed the stanzas of the poem to examine how Updike structures his story. Then, the students picked their own characters, their own story and used Updike's structure to write the poem. Here are some great examples:

From Ms. Gonzalez's Class:

Ex-Soccer Player
by Jenny Romero

Karlov Avenue walks past
an elementary school lot, still
walks 2 blocks away from
the school, then stops, cuts
off in a restaurant and walks
1 block more, to Karlov & 28th
Avenue. The Three Brothers
Carwash building, it's on
a corner facing south, and there
is where most days, you'll find
Antonio, who helps Ruben out.

Antonio always sees cars, sponges
and hoses. Their hands always
going so fast, he always makes O's
on the windows to clean them. He
also plays with sponges--more of a
soccer type.

Once Antonio played for the
high school team, the Red Bulls.
He was so good, in fact he was the
best player on the team. In twenty-
five minutes he'd already have
kicked 2 goals in a row. He was
the only one that the team
trusted in kicking goals. Antonio loved
the ball and the ball loved him, too.
His feet were like wild cheetahs.

He never learned the meaning
of a car wash, he just cleaned
the cars as if nothing and makes
the cars spotless as if he was
playing with the ball. When he
cleans cars he just plays with
the windows.

Poem
by Marnee O.

Stewart Avenue will do the trick,
Just go ahead until you hit 12th street,
Make a right turn 'til you see Samroad,
Then you'll see Jimenez Hospital
And there you'll find Dr. Higgenson.

He's right there in the tall, sad building
With sick people everywhere
Passing nurses and doctors attending
Illed patients.

He once played in an underground band,
He was happy playing guitar and
singing. He would impact everyone
With his amazing chords and his
Sweet angel voice.

No he's grumpy and sad. Of course
He feels some comfort in helping people out,
Although he wanted to become a star.
He checks in patients and operates,
He sings to his patients and they applaud.

In off-work time he teaches kids to sing
And play. He makes a song shows
it to them. He imagines they are
his screaming fans.

Poem
by Sara B.

Fernando walks down Cermack Avenue,
past the high school. A little further
there's a power plant, and even further by
Marin Luther King Drive, 1/2 block
to the north, there's a door
in front of a street, covered up.

Where he works you must wear a suit.
No slppy dressing and the food
is very expensive, if you have a lot
of money, sit down and eat.
But be aware that it is very
expensive.

Fernando used to work in a factory
doing plastic carpets and other things,
fixing machines and making them
work faster. At the end of his
shift he already had six machines
working fine and neat.

Fernando picks up cups from tables
and cleans up all the mess, he serves
drinks at this job, it is very hard:
With all his experience with machines
he is used to caring for non-living things
not for people.

Fernando reads outside on
the stairs while petting the dog.
The dog may bite but he takes the risk.
Outside, while he is looking at the cars
he imagines all the machines he fixed,
working perfectly.

From Ms. Formisano's Class:

Tony
by Aniceto D.

Cicero Street past the gamestop lot
Bends with the trolly tracks and lights shut off
Before it has a chance to go to A. U. Wright.
Cicero Avenue Gamestop store
Is right next to Office Depot and there
you will find Tony, who sells video games.

Full of video games and magazines,
Eight on a side, all kinds of video games,
The green, black, and gray boxes.
Some counters have PS2 and PSP games,
Game Informer magazines on the register,
And features of all new games.

He used to play professional football,
He was good, in fact, the best. In '54
He scored more than 40 touchdowns,
A county record, still. The ball loved Tony,
I saw him make 4-5 in one game.
His feet were like wild cheetahs.

He sells games, magazines, and trades games
As a gag. He trades an X-Box game
But most of us remember anyway.
His hands are big and nervous on the cash register,
It makes a difference to the football, though.

Tony goes to La Chiquita and eats some tacos,
Delicious and great, he eats Tacos,
Smokes thick cigars, drinks Agua de Orchata.
Tony seldom says a word to Rosa, just nods.
Tony imagines a thick jalapeno
Is a small football.

Ken
by Servando R.

Passing through Pulaski or Kedzie,
right past the stoplight,
driving into the parking lot, into Walgreens,
getting out of the car and putting on his uniform,
Ken begins his day at his lame job.

Signs filling the entire store,
Sales happening, leaving,
Ken saying, "That'll be $25.38 for
that pair of shoes."
All alright except for a little boy crying
over the toy he didn't get.

Ken remembering his loyalty to the Don,
never getting caught or suspected,
always on the move, patrolling, inspecting,
never on his own supply, always giving
to some broke guy.

Ken watches his cashier
stand with ease,
never knowing when he's gonna mess up.
He tries to count the change he gives back,
but realizes since 7th grade he's
never quite understood math.

After work Ken goes to his mom's
basement (where he lives).
Feeling tired, he goes to his closet
opens the secret door never seen,
and disects the animals he
catches, on his screen.

Ken never had anything or anyone,
always spends his time alone,
he imagins life as a movie star,
like Johnny Depp he wants
star in a pirate film.

Rapper
by Patty E.

His work is in a
studio with people
and more people who
are perfection.

The life of the rapper
is great because he
has a nice house,
cars, and money.
That is great.

His work is writing
songs or making up
raps so we can
listen to the songs.

He could work in
a different place,
even the city of
the famous rappers.

From Mr. Lukas's Class:

Adrian
by Andrew Y.

Adrian works in Oak Park,
near the bowling alley. He goes
to work in his car. He goes
past the bowling alley, right
to the factory.

The factory he works at
is filled with many
different sized boxes as
well as cranes, fans, desk
chairs, metal and machinery.

Adrian used to be a center fielder
on a baseball team. His arm was like
a rocket. He can catch anything.
And every at bat was a homerun.

At work all he does
is sit in the crane and
lift really heavy ofbects.
He works on the assembly
line and works with paper.

After work he rides to Jewel
and buys some beer. Then he goes
home and plays poker with
his family. With the kings, queens,
and jacks, he pictures defensive
players while he's at bat.

Poem
by Omar A.

There he was, going to
work ,the best soccer player
in the world. Driving downtown
to work he sees a soccer
stadium. He gets to his work
which is a sports store
that's right on the corner
next to a music store.

He goes in the
store and gets right to
work. He gets a soccer
ball and starts to do
tricks, his boss sees him
and tells him, "go back to
work."

He sees a guy in the store,
he goes and helps him out.
The guys tells him he's seen
him before.

Ex-Football Player
by Dulce C.

Walking toward work Juan see
Discount World at Drake and
Semskey's next to it. He sees
and Elotero at the corner across the
street.

At work he sees people walking
in, ordering meat, picking out the
fruit and checking out.

He once played football for his high school.
Everyone remembers when he would
tackle other players. He remembers
himself making the winning touchdown
eight times. He would jump up and make
the catch and the crowd went wild.

He works at the meat section.
He cuts the meat, he separates
the good and the bad.

Week 16: Acrostic descriptives

2008-04-24T15:41:00.000-07:00

This week the students and I looked at a number of acrostics to discuss the differences between those with just adjectives and those that tell a story. We discussed which ones they thought gave us the most information, which ones were the most evocative, and why. Then the students tried their hands at writing different versions themselves.

From Ms. Gonzalez's Class:

Oscar

Oh no, police
Struck again
Crazy is what people feel because they
Are losing their families and
Rights because of immigration

Marnee

Motherly (with children)
Annoying (sometimes)
Rocker (punk)
Nice
Excited (all the time)
Electric guitar (she plays)

Rosario

Rosy is
Odd,
Sits on a rock all day
And never says much,
Restless and hopeless,
Innocent and getting
Old.

From Ms. Formisano's Class:

Kathy
All the time having fun
Tuesday a tired day with practice
Having fun and always happy
Yells when she's really mad

Maria

Makes
A lot of
Roses
In
Art

Amor

Always screams at a sight of a
Mouse and
Other
Rodents

From Mr. Lukas' Class:

Kimberly

Keeping the
Importance of
Moving on
Beyond
Everything
Regardless of the obstacles in
Life and
Years to come

Susi

Silent night
Unlike other
Stories,
It barely starts.

Edwin

Excited at night
Done with school
With homework
In the house
Nothing to do

Week 15: HELP WANTED: POET!!!

2008-04-24T15:33:00.000-07:00

Just as we had done with our revision day, I wanted to the students to take this milestone (week 15), and reflect on how they have grown as writers. Naturally, the best way to approach such a serious subject, is to be playful...

Instead of traditional poems, the students and read help wanted ads I had chosen out of a local paper. We studied the (very specific) language of the ads, and then got to ourselves. I asked the students to pretend they were muses, disastified with they artists they have worked with of late. They wanted not just any poet, but the best poet!

So then, what makes the best poet? I asked students to think of themselves, and what they ideally wanted from their own poetry, while I asked them several questions. What kind of poems do you want to write? Are they tragic, romantic, sports only? Are the poems long or short? What kind of person is your poet? And so on.

The assignment then, was to write a help-wanted-ad-poem, looking for the ideal poet of their choosing...

From Ms. Gonzalez's Class:

Help wanted: Poet!
Cristina V.

Inspire others and have fun: A beautiful inspired
poet that writes sad love poems about teen
couples. Short poems with about 4-6 stanzas
and two lines each. The poems have to rhyme
and must have a good rhythm to it.

It should also contain similes and
metaphors. Most inspired poet will
get the job!

Help wanted: Poet!
Omar F.

The Chicago Sun-Times is looking for
a poet with five years experience. You will
write a funny poem each day about
current events. They will need to
be short poems and have a good
rhythm. The job pays $950 for each poem
written. For more information (773) 222-5555.

Help wanted: Poet!
Jesus A.

Help wanted in the school of Rosario Castellanos.
Desiring the best poet of the city, a poet that
writes happy poems about cities and humans
and animals. A poet with a lot of intelligence.

From Ms. Formisano's Class:

Help wanted: Poet!
Pablo G.

I want a poet
who writes
love poems.

Must write
long, short,
and sweet.

Has to be a girl.

She must be
sweet, nice, kind,
and hardworking.

Help wanted: Poet!
Guadalupe V.

I’m looking for a poet
that says things about
love, about how important
it is to those people who
don’t like you to see you
with that person you love.
And looking for a poet that
is more important to my heart.

Help wanted: Poet!
Gustavo G.

I am looking
for a poet

That is kind
and can make
funny poems
and likes
to work.
From Mr. Lukas' Class:

Help wanted: Poet!
Omar A.

Dissatisfied muse
seeks poet.

Poet must write
about nature.

Poet must use
animals in it and
must make it
funny and
intelligent.

Poem has to
be short.

Help wanted: Poet!
Edwin G.

Dissatisfied muse seeks poet:

Poet must talk
about death.

Must write a
long poem.

Also have to write
about evil animals.

The poems have to
sound manly, smart
and amusing.

Help wanted: Poet!
Martin M.

Dissatisfied muse
seeks poet, must write
crazy poems poet must
write short poems
poet must write about
the world poem must
be crazy, cool, and down.

Week 13: Complete the metaphor

2008-04-24T15:28:00.000-07:00

Metaphor has been a main focus for us at Castellanos, and this week I wanted the students to push the metaphors a little further, and embed them deeper into poems. I created a sheet with 20 sentence/metaphor "starters." The students were required to complete them all, as fast as possible, and to let it come naturally, not over think it. They were then asked to circle their three favorite metaphors of those they had created, and use them at the beginning, middle, and end of a poem.

From Mr. Lukas' Class:

Untitled
Asucena L.

He held his life in his own hands,
as if it were gold.

But soon the flog plumed through
gunshot holes in the train windows
like the bullet going through him.

Beside him the dice rolled out of the cup like ice.

Untitled
Alejandro P.

Nothing was the same now
that it was all the same.

Everything looked alike,
sounded the same,
and tasted the same.

Untitled
Dulce C.

If I should wake before I die, I shall
die before I wake.
I shall be with him until I
pass away,
he held his life in his own hands
as if it were to fall from a mountain,
and he shall guard both our lives
from bad and evil.
His love is like our past put in a box.
Love is to open sky as loathing is to
flying to his arms.

Week 14: Haiku

2008-04-24T15:22:00.000-07:00

Spring had finally sprung, and what better way to celebrate the seasons than with Haiku. The form allows the students to continue expanding techniques including the weaving of metaphor, description, and idea, while getting a little relief from the longer poems we had been working on recently. Haiku is also great for teaching the students how to get the most from a few words. We read classics and modern "urban haiku." As a class, we brainstormed key words for each season. The students were then asked to write their own haiku for each season:

From Ms. Formisano's Class:

Winter
Adolfo

Winter is white and
the snowflakes are falling down
with pressure and shine.
Summer
Jamal M.

Meet me at the Inn,
We can kick it in the pool,
It’s cool like a lake
Summer
Egben M.

The water is hot,
you want to see your girlfriend:
You go to see her.

From Mr. Lukas' Class:

Winter
Bernadino V.

Another winter,
cold and full of bright white snow,
let’s drink hot cocoa.

Winter
Edwin G.

A cold morning day
A boy making a snowman
He asks friends to join
Winter
Kimberly R.

Christmas melodies
people singing with delight
waiting for presents

Week 12: Idea into Image

2008-04-24T15:08:00.000-07:00

This week the students and I worked on what continues to be a challenge to poets at any level: Taking those vague yet complex idea and feeling words and finding a concrete and relatable way to describe them. This involved a several step practice before writing good begin.

First I asked the students to close their eyes. I told them I was going to say a word and I wanted them to picture it in their mind. For instance, I might say "Love" and remind them too keep their eyes closed while I asked them questions about their word picture: Are there people in this picture? Who are they? What do they look like? What are they doing? What is the setting? Is it light or dark? What colors do you see?

After one minute, I'd ask them to open their eyes. For the next minute they were required to write as much as they could about their minds picture, in the greatest detail possible. We repeated this 5 different words.

Next I asked the students to pick their favorite. It could be chosen because they liked the image the best, because the association was the most bizarre, or it seemed like the best one to write about.

I then wrote eight words on the board. The students were required to write a poem about the "idea word" they had chosen, using their mind's image plus six of the words on the board. They were only given ten minutes.

The results were spectacular, here is a sampling:

From Ms. Gonzalez's Class:

Love
Daniel B.

Love means to be with someone, a girl.
Taking her out to the park or
McDonald’s as fast as a buzz.

Grab her hand like you grab a pen.
When you grab her hand it feels like a cloud.
When see her, think of her like a blueberry.

When it’s over, take her home and say Hi!
to her mother. You need to use your voice,
to talk in nice ways, so you can be loved.

Heaven
Jenny R.

Heaven is like all white
all over you. You hear
voices all around when
you enter heaven. There
are so many clouds, beautiful
white clouds, soft as a
pillow. Some beautiful
angels are talking to you.

Beetles enter another kind of
heaven but with the same
buzz in them. Some insects
get killed by biting people. The
people get itchy and the insect
gets killed and goes to heaven,
the insect heaven.

Some people enter the blueberry
heaven if they like blueberries
so much.

Death
Oscar P.

Me in a hospital looking at my mother
and father, hearing their voices. Me
looking out at the clouds thinking
it is going to be the last time I see them.
Buzz the bees go as I look outside. A
blueberry pie next to me. Then in the
blink of an eye death came. I see my
family crying and I see myself falling
from a cliff.

Heaven
Omar F.

Heaven is a great place
with clouds all around

You hear a booming voice
from God and you get
a great feeling of excitement
like a buzz through your
body or something like that

You can have as many things
as you want, like blueberries,
or whatever you can use in heaven

You never feel pain in heaven,
if you lose your mother
she can be on her way to you
in a matter of moments.

Heaven is a place you want to be at
when you pass away and leave
everyone you love by doing something
stupid like diving off a cliff, but
God will forgive you and you will
be happy here .

From Ms. Formisano's Class:

Love
Esmeralda Q.

Love to a person
on a cliff, the
ups and downs.

Holding hands and
his voice saying
I love you.

Walking down
the street together
your skin itches
because your with him.

And in Fall your
alarm buzzes.
Flowers and leaves
and you’re still in
the clouds.

And a pen that
writes love notes
and poems.

That’s how
love feels.

Heaven
Rene M.

In Heaven the clouds
look like blueberries.

In heaven there is
no buzzing voice.

Self
Manuel M.

Right now writing with a pen,
thinking of my mother,
her giving me a voice
Manuel be careful.

Because I’m going to the mountains
for a cliff.

I was going to buzz my hair but then
I thought about it.

Me, going to the mountains, looking
for a cloud that looks
very white.

Me, myself, walking, eating
blueberries.

But then a beetle kept
following me.

From Mr. Lukas' Class:

Guilty
Steven G.

A car made of real gold.
I drive the car off cliff
my car like a bee (buzzzz)
I drove right into the clouds
(I squashed a beetle)
I heard a voice
It was my mother
(go home)

Love
Jocelyn A.

In the rain…

It’s you and me, baby
holding hands and kissing.
Talking to each other while walking
Your voice buzzes in my ears
each time you talk to me, baby.

Grabs a pen and gently he writes
in the palm of my hand
“True love is you and me.”

Wow baby!

Death
Andrew Y.

Falling off a cliff
Mother is crying
A rotten blueberry
A scary squeaky voice buzzing by
Deadly beetles everywhere
Dark grey clouds full of rain
Pen that signs your death certificate

Week 11: Revision

2008-04-24T14:59:00.000-07:00

This week I asked the students to look over their poems of the first ten weeks. To think about where they had improved and what they still wanted to improve. To note their favorite poems and consider why they picked it. Then, the students were to pick a poem that they felt they had not fully finished, and create a revised and expanded second draft. It worked well, and I was very impressed with the students' results.

From Ms. Gonzalez's Class:

We Real Cool
The Gang bangers
On the streets

We real cool. We
hunt that blunt. We
buy that beer. We
driving and flagging. We
striking and shooting. We
dislike and fight. We
jacking then packing.

We die before we even
say goodbye.

Cristina V.

Ain’t We Real Cool
Da Gang bangers
10 on the corner.

We skip school
We stick to streets
We smoke strings
We sing sin
We behind bars
Or 6 feet beneath
Ain’t we real cool

Christinea L.

We Real Cool
The 4 Players
11pm on the streets

We real cool. We
ditch school. We

own the streets. We
steal treats. We

even make our own beats. We
party hard. We

beat up geeks. We
go to jail soon.

Oscar P.

From Ms. Formisano's Class:

We Real Cool
The gangster kids

We real cool. We
lift laws. We

steal smoke. We
skip school. We

dress cool. We
gangbangers. We

drink ‘til drunk. We
behind bars.

Amor D.

We Real Cool
The people
On the streets

We are cool. We
skip school. We

stay late. We
break bonds. We

swear back. We
smoke stone. We

party all night. We
die fast.

Esmeralda Q.

We Real Cool
The gangsters
Walking down the street

We real cool. We
party cool. We
drink too. We
smoke cool. We
lurk late. We
swear. We wear
rubber bands.

We die soon.

From Mr. Lukas' Class:

We

We toke smoke. We
drink and don’t think. We

ditch, school is for fools, and
stealing is cool.

Fighting is tight,
hanging on the corner,
getting high.

Making decisions is killing
each other.
Have these problems gets
you in trouble.
One day we’ll die
next to each other.

Cynthia R.

We Real Cool
The Kool Boys
5 in the hood

We sip smoke, We
dare swear. We

skip school, We
don’t care. We

lurk late. We
drive straight. We
get dates.

We kill,
just to pay our bills.

Amber L.

We Real Cool
The Players
Three on the street

We real cool, school
is for fools. We

earn when we burn. We
toke smoke. We

stealing the ceiling.
We jamming July. We

hustle the streets. We
sleep soon.

Eric S.

Week 10: We Real Cool

2008-04-24T14:51:00.000-07:00

This week students explored controversial issues while learning rhyme and meter by reading Gwendolyn Brooks' We Real Cool. We discussed issues of "being cool" in middle school today and the problematic conflicts therein. We read the poem out loud and then listened to a recording of Gwendolyn Brooks reading it, to see if that changed our reading. The students reacted very strongly with this poem, and it is definitely one of the favorites so far. Each student was asked to write their own We Real Cool.

From Ms. Gonzalez's Class:

We Real Cool

We skip school. We
stuck to streets. We

smoke strings. We
sing sin. We

lurk late.
Ain’t we real cool

By Christina L.

We Real Cool

We real cool. We
dress different. We

break bars. We
skip school. We

do drugs. We
pinch parties,

and die soon.

By Karla F.

Troubleside

Hang around
Have a drink
Snitch, ditch
Police arrested
“Sing sin”
Sent to jail.

By Anai V.

From Ms. Formisano's Class:

Cool

We smoke smooth.
We drive drag.
We ditch days.
We deal drugs.
We tag tall
And rob rule.
We trouble soon
We go to jail.

By Anna M.

From Mr. Lukas' Class:

We Real Cool

We sip smoke. We
link drink. We

skip school. We fight fools. We
Still cool. We

think we’re better than you.

By Kimberly R.

We Real Cool

We real cool. School
is for fools. We

earn when we burn. We
toke smoke.

Stealing the ceiling.
We jamming July.

We hustle on the
street. We

Sleep soon.

By Eric S.

We Real Cool
8th Grade dropouts
At the hood

We toke smokes. We
think drinks. School

is for fools. We
good with the hood. We

take for our sake. We
chillin like villains.

By Bernardino V.

Week 9: Imaging the future

2008-04-24T14:43:00.000-07:00

Students read Afternoon by Dorothy Parker this week. Next I asked the students to imagine themselves twenty years in the future. The students were required to answer a number of questions about their future selves: What kind of job will you have? Will you have a family? What will it look like? What kind of transportation will you use? What will concern your thoughts? And so on. We ended up with some great futures...

From Ms. Gonzalez's Class:

When

When I am thirty years old,
I will be a football player.
I will have a wife
and two kids.

I will have a big house
with a lion as a pet.
My cars are going to
be a Lamborghini and a Bentley.

I will have a happy
life with my two kids.
When I am hungry
I will go to my restaurant.

I will make my
dad the owner, because
he always wanted
to have his own restaurant.

By Carlos S.

When

When I am old, I dream me
with my two babies, one girl and
a boy. I want to get married.
I want to be a fashion designer.

My babies, I will love them
with all my heart. They are my babies
to take care of. I will cry for
all the happiness that dreams

they do come true (but not everything).
I want to get married.
Then everything will change,
married to the man I love.

My big dream is become a fashion
disigner and have a big store by me.
I have dreamt this since I was thirteen.
I have my dream that it will be true.

By Daisy C.

When

When I am happy and old
I will be a doctor,
I will buy my house when its cold
I wont be taller.

By Salvador R.

From Ms. Formisano's Class:

When

When I am in U.S. Cellular Field,
I’m beating the cubs.
I’m playing shortstop using my glove as a shield.
Cubs’ pitcher is letting Sox players do homeruns, his name is Chubs.

Crowd cheering high and low.
I’m coming to the plate with my bat,
I hit the ball hard, the crowd says to the ball, “Go!”
The Cubs’ coach felt sad so he sat.

I’m on the defense playing shortstop,
A Cubs player hits the ball,
The ball is coming to me, it hits my glove making a loud sound
like something hitting a pot.

By Jose D.

When

When I’m thirty, and I own my bakery,
my kids will be filled up with sugar and
candy. I’ll be the rock n’ roll/mom/owner/lady
who ownes the bakery on the corner and who
lives in a nice cozy home with two puppies.

I’ll be driving a mini cooper it will be
so small not all my kids will fit! (Yes!)

By Nailha S.

When

When I am thirty and a lawyer,
and making lots of money,
with four kids boys,
and with my honey,

I’ll be dresses in a suit,
I’ll also be bald,
and with cool Timberland boots.

By Steven V.

When

Here I am at age thirty
working at Burger King,
minimum wage no breaks,
not even on holidays.

By Servando R.

From Mr. Lukas's Class:

When I’m Thirty

When I’m thirty
I will study
about germs
and cures.

I will have a lab
suit and glasses
to help people
and kids

I will have a
car to go to work
and I will find
germs that they
never had names for,
and never had heard of.

When I come home
I will go to sleep
but first I will tell my husband
about my crazy week.

By Juana R.

Afternoon

When I’m twenty six and older
and have my own business
and make my own money,

I’ll wear all kinds
of clothes like
bright colors because
it makes me shine.

I would like to have
a Mercedes in my future
or a cool car that I
will like, because
every year they make
a new car.

For me all that
I am chasing is
my career that I
have ahead of me.

By Cynthia R.

When

I want to be a firefighter,
To be married and to have
a baby boy.

I would look like a man with a moustache
and wear casual clothes everyday.
I would use my Ford Mustang to get around
and the fire truck.

My future self would think
of my wife and my child,
if my wife was okay and also my son.
And think, can I help people
get out of a burning building.

My wife would be smart and would
know how to cook and she would
always love me and she caring and
she wants our son to have a great
education.

My Mom and Dad would live
in Mexico and they would be
healthy and they would live
to see their grandchild graduate
high school and college.

By Heriberto P.

Week 8: Emotion and Sense

2008-04-24T14:38:00.001-07:00

This week the classes read Hope is the thing with feathers by Emily Dickinson. Each student was asked to brain storm several emotions and animals that might match them. Then they were asked questions about their animal for each of the 5 senses: What does it feel like? What colors is it? What sounds does the animal make? Plus many more. The students were asked to use their descriptions of the animal to write a poem about the emotion they matched it to.

Ms. Gonzalez's Class:

Mad

Mad makes you run away from him
Mad roars very loud, you can hear him far away
and never know when he will stop at all.

By Jose C.

Exited is a bird
It is loud and brave
The color is light green
It whistles like a heart singing
It flies high to the sky
The feathers are soft as a soft blanket.

By Ana R.

Mad is a thing with
big teeth with huge
paws and with a
long tail he roars
and attacks until
he hunts you down
all you see is the
color of brown on top
of you and biting you
and you will
always fear him.

By Leonardo O.

From Ms. Formisano's Class:

Anger is the stripes
and long tail.
Angry is the black and orange colors.
Angry is like a roar
And running very fast,
Angry is looking for pray.

By Eric C.

Happy is a soft thing
happy and brown and
runs on 4 paws he is
always active and
waiting for fun he
barks and that means
he wants to play and because
he is so small he hides anywhere
he is always happy and
friendly to me.

By Jose B.

Stress

Stress is the thing that moves in slowly.
It eats your soul.
It clings to you with it’s claws.
Stress is the thing that has black eyes and is gray.

By Amor D.

From Mr. Lukas's Class:

In Love

In love is a puppy.
In love is cute and small.
In love barks,
In love walks and runs.
In love is soft.
In love sleeps and plays.

By Carmen A.

Sadness

Sadness is a scaly animal
that cries in the lonliness,
it bubbles to talk but
no one hears.

It’s so depressing to see this
lonely fish crying without
seeing its tears.

Talking but no one hears, screaming
for a friend but cannot find one.

A fish is so lonely it swims
back and forth looking for someone
but all it sees is water and rocks,
no communication, no happiness.
Sadness depression, stressed out
is what this poor creature feels.

Sadness is a scaly wet
animal, a fish, a fish, a fish.

By Dulce C.

Brave

Brave is rough and stomps
ROARS and ROARS to
everything it spots.

Its all about force,
never shows fear.

Even though it bites
it can be lazy
through all that it runs
you could even be the prey.

It’s yellow and brown
and furry all around
Get to his/her mouth
you’ll regret it!

By Asucena L.

Exploring metaphor, simile, and personification--Week 7

2008-04-24T14:31:00.000-07:00

This week the students read Fog by Carl Sandburg. Each student wrote their own poem using an animal to describe a force of nature.

From Ms. Gonzalez's Class:

Tornado

A tornado is like a cheetah,
Running rapidly around the earth,
Ripping out trees and blades of grass.

You see it for a dew seconds, like a quick
commercial. It spies on it’s prey then leaps out
of nowhere and disappears after it has left a mess.

By Stephanie A.

A Tornado Is Like a Bull

Get in it’s way it will
know you out.

It is big, scary, and
moves really fast.

Tornado is a bull you
won’t know where
it will charge.

By Jose M.

Hurricane

A hurricane comes in like a burglar
A burglar comes in when you don’t know.
The hurricane washes off
all your stuff like when a burglar
comes and takes your belongings away.

By Nayeli O.

From Ms. Formisano's Class:

Snow

The snow comes
on like pieces of a white paper
blown onto your face.

It falls down
like a white bird’s
feather
onto the ground.

By Maria B.

Earthquake

An earthquake comes like a
stampede of rhinos.

They come really fast and they
leave the same way.

By Gustavo M.

Tsunami

The tsunami comes
fast like a lion.

It grows over
little islands
on loud shores
and then moves on.

By Aniceto D.

From Mr. Lukas's Class:

Wind
Salvador A.

Wind like an
elephant
blows hard
into the air.

Hurricane
Esteban G.

The hurricane
twists you like a
bull full of fury.

The furious bull
swings you place
to place like a
hurricane, they
do the same
damage.

Sunny
Eduardo R.

The sunny day comes
on a little yellow bird.

It sits looking at the
beach on silent sand
and then moves on,

To make the rest of
the day just as sunny.

How an image can tell a story

2008-04-24T14:14:00.000-07:00

For week 6 we read Spoon by Charles Simic to explore how intense descriptive language can create a whole history. Then we looked at pictures from The Deep, and each student made their own descriptive story.

From Ms. Gonzalez's Class:

Spookfish

So blue and bright

Broken fins as if someone grabbed
them and tore them apart

Only leaving the bright bones
that look like x-rays in the
dark.

Lives deep, deep down and

Doesn’t want to come out
because of the light that’s so big

And bright and kills the spook-
fish eyes, those big round things

That could help it see through

That dark, dark world

Around the sea!

by Rosario H.

Glowing Sucker Octopus

It stares at the sea
with it’s scary eyes,
it has two horns that
make it look like the devil.

He goes on a hunt
and opens his eyes wider,
he hopes to be the predator
and hopes not to be the prey.

Glowing through the water
it floats with it’s tentacles
they pop up in surprise,
and the other fish try to
disappear in the dark ocean.

by Hector P.

Spookfish

It’s funny how
it looks on the
big blue ocean
and it goes.

It has big eyes
like a sad owl in the night
it will shine, shine, and shine.

It’s head is big
like a dog in it’s
dish.

by Veronica G.

From Ms. Formisano's Class:

Creature

Cock-eyed, dangerous, scaly,
sharp teeth and horns.

This creature has the smartness
of a shark.

There is no doubt that this
creature is like a piranha.

Spookfish

Deep down in the sea
its swims fiercely
searching for food.

It swims silently
and his skull and bones
are a sign of death.

He can see in the dark
with his big bubbly eyes.

He glows in the dark
like a ghost.

A spookfish!

The Dumbo Octopus

A fat sea animal
with two small ears,
likes to eat a lot.

He makes sounds
like pi-pi-pi.

It also has one eye
and a funny looking
nose.

From Mr. Lukas's Class:

The Creature

from the deep sea
it kills it hunts
to eat

The creature is
strong, rough, rugged
and tough, eats all
the sea stuff

The creature defends
it’s property and kills
with no mercy, trust me.

By Inocente B.

The Spookfish

It’s deep
blue
stare, with
it’s light bulb eyes,
a grin
from eye to eye.
400 to 2,500
meters under
the sea,
size 20 centimeters.

It’s dead
movements
swimming through
the sea
the
deep book
is where it’s
at.

by Alejandro P.

Spookfish

Blue, white, and scary
The blue eyes would spook you
It spooks it’s prey
It has wings
To soar the sea
The blue eyes
hypnotize you then when you
least expect it Wham!
You’re in it’s stomach.

By Eladio V.

Odes & Special Projects

2008-02-18T19:25:00.000-08:00

In the two weeks leading up to the winter break, we had a blast at Rosario Castellanos, writing poems and making gifts. In our fourth session together, the students learned about odes and we read Ode to a cluster of violets, by Pablo Neruda.

Because many of my students have Spanish as their first language and English as their second, a poet like Neruda is invaluable. I found a copy of the poem where the original Spanish version was side by side with an English version. We read the poem first in Spanish and then in English. Students who had previously struggled really shined this week in our discussion.

Next, the students wrote an ode to a family member, or their family as a whole. For the special project portion of lesson, I typed up each of their poems, and brought them back the following week with construction paper and supplies. Students framed their work on the construction paper and decorated. Many students took a cue from Neruda and translated their own poems into Spanish!

The students left for the holidays with a beautiful and personal handmade gift for a family member.

Some of the many great examples:

Ms. Gonzalez’s Class:

Ode to My Family

My family is fun, because they do things with me.
My family is smart, because they help me with my homework.
They are cheerful because they cheer me on.
They are beautiful, because I get all my looks from them.

Things I like about my family
Are that they play with me,
They are also very careful with me,
And they take care of me.

By Maria A.

Ode to My Family

My family is beautiful, kind, thoughtful, helpful, and generous.
My family is beautiful because they always dress nice and smell good.
My family is kind because they buy things that we really need.
My family is thoughtful because they always think of others.
My family is helpful because they always do things to help others.
My family is generous because they give things to those in need.

I like my family because they are good people.
I like my family because they dress like they are at a party.
I like my family because they have taught me to respect others.
I like my family because they are generous.
I like my family because they want me to get a good education.

by Sammy C.

Ode to My Mom

My mom is sweet like sugar.
She is kind like people who are kind to me.
She is helpful like a good friend.
She is understanding, like understanding life.
She is funny, like watching funny movies.

She is kind by helping me with my problems.
She is fun when she plays games with me.
She can help me understand why life is so hard.
She buys me things when I’m nice to her.
Sometimes my mom makes me laugh with her funny jokes.

by Ruben P.

Ms. Formisano’s Class:

Ode to My Family

My family is fun like when we
Go outside to play soccer.
They’re very dependable
When I get hurt or need help.
They care when I’m sick,
They care when I’m sad,
The make me happy,
Even when I’m mad.
When I need help
They’re the ones I turn to.
Even if it takes all of them,
They’re here to help me.
I love it when they act kind
Like when they clean up after me.

They’re always there for me,
When I fall down they’re
All there to help me back up.
They take care of me,
They’ll go out of their way
To get me feeling better.
They’re very kind,
Like when I busted open my nose.
No one pointed,
Instead they tried to be kind.
When I busted open my nose,
They all tried to help.
The thing I love most about them
Is that we’re always together.

By Kevin L.

Ode to My Sister

My sister is pretty,
with long hair,
with dark brown eyes.
Very smart, very kind,
always helping me climb.
She is playful, she is tall.

But most of all she likes
To go to the mall.

She and I are always together,
Trusting each other,
Like a baby and its mother.

We are sisters, we are friends,
In fact...
We are best friends ‘til the end.

By Sandra R.

Ode to a Father

Who is helpful and loyal
to his family. He’s giving
to charities so he can
make a difference.
He’s a spender
to give.
I like my dad
because we try to
play Beethoven
but there’s always
one note.
We cook pastries
for other relatives
we travel far but
not too far from home.
We see Andy Warhol’s
art because it speaks for
itself.
Ode to my father.

By Denise B.

Autobiography: Self-Expression and Getting to Know Each Other

2008-02-18T19:23:00.000-08:00

In classes sessions 2 and 3 the students and I focused on getting to know each other and learning how fun and easy it is to write a poem. I wanted my students to start thinking about how they can (and already do!) express themselves through language. To begin, we read Theme For English B, by Langston Hughes. This is a long one, which was a bit overwhelming for the students at first. Thus, we went through piece by piece; the students were very excited to see that something that seemed so daunting could be tackled with a little time and patience.

For the writing part of our lesson I asked the kids to write their own autobiographical “Theme for Poetry Class.” We started ours just like Hughes, but this time it was “Ms. Sampson asked me to sit here and write a poem today.”

Because the dissection of the poem and thinking about the project took a great deal of time, we spent two classes on this project. We started our next session by re-reading Theme for English B and re-writing the main biographic points covered by Hughes on the board, and got back to writing for the bulk of the class.

This turned about to be great fun for the students, and a great way to get to know each other!
.

THEME FOR ENGLISH B
By Langston Hughes

The instructor said,

Go home and write
a page tonight.
And let that page come out of you---
Then, it will be true.

I wonder if it's that simple?
I am twenty-two, colored, born in Winston-Salem.
I went to school there, then Durham, then here
to this college on the hill above Harlem.
I am the only colored student in my class.
The steps from the hill lead down into Harlem
through a park, then I cross St. Nicholas,
Eighth Avenue, Seventh, and I come to the Y,
the Harlem Branch Y, where I take the elevator
up to my room, sit down, and write this page:

It's not easy to know what is true for you or me
at twenty-two, my age. But I guess I'm what
I feel and see and hear, Harlem, I hear you:
hear you, hear me---we two---you, me, talk on this page.
(I hear New York too.) Me---who?
Well, I like to eat, sleep, drink, and be in love.
I like to work, read, learn, and understand life.
I like a pipe for a Christmas present,
or records---Bessie, bop, or Bach.
I guess being colored doesn't make me NOT like
the same things other folks like who are other races.
So will my page be colored that I write?
Being me, it will not be white.
But it will be
a part of you, instructor.
You are white---
yet a part of me, as I am a part of you.
That's American.
Sometimes perhaps you don't want to be a part of me.
Nor do I often want to be a part of you.
But we are, that's true!
As I learn from you,
I guess you learn from me---
although you're older---and white---
and somewhat more free.

This is my page for English B.

Introductions & Exquisite Corpses

2008-02-18T19:17:00.000-08:00

First Visit, November 12, 2007

We’ve certainly gotten off to a great start at Castellanos. The seventh graders in particular were extremely enthusiastic about the day’s project. After a brief introduction we read I, Too, by Langston Hughes and used it to discuss some poetic basics: What is a poem? What are stanzas? Line breaks? Then we talked briefly about the poem itself, what it means and how powerful its message is.

The bulk of the lesson was spent writing and reading our own exquisite corpse poems. Each class was already grouped into little tables, so that part was easy. Each table got a piece of paper on which I had written the first line of the poem. The first line everyone received was “The first thing you should know about this place is…”

Watching each poem evolve was great. It was amazing to see all the wildly different directions each group took the line in. During writing time, problem solving was a lot of fun, too. If someone couldn’t think of a place to start the poem, I would sit with them and we’d come up with lists of cool or scary places, real or imaginary. If a writer was stuck in the middle of the poem I played a word association game with them to give the idea a fresh start. The students really responded to the word association games, and were quite excited with their results.

By the end the kids didn’t want to stop writing. I had one student exclaim, “Wow, now I can write a poem!” Quite a few of them seemed very excited to teach the process to friends and family and keep writing collaborative poems outside of school.

Here are some fabulous examples:

From Ms. Gonzalez’s Class:

Exquisite Corpse

The thing I love about this place is that
it is a magical place of different colors
and a kid likes a magical place.
You can go to different parts of the world just
by turning the corner
and the ocean is the only thing far away
full of millions of magical fishes
and the fishes dance all the time.

by Sara B., Karla F., Veronica G., Christinea L.

From Ms. Formisano’s Class:

Exquisite Corpse

The first thing you should know about this place is...

That the clouds are crying for
suffering too much in this world.

The people who live here, suffer
of gunshots and pain.

My family is going through a rough time gunshots
rough stuff suffering tears and pain.

Hoping tomorrow the difference shows.
A whole new day a whole new world.

by Maria B, Anna M, Sandra R

From Mr. Lukas’s Class:

Exquisite Corpse #1

The first thing you should know about this place is…
that it’s beautiful and a nice place to be on
a place to sing along
somewhere where its peaceful
a park
a place that you can be by yourself and relax
a place you can be with one another and chat.
Somewhere you could meet new people
someone special
someone that cares about you
someone that loves you!

by Heriberto P, Angelica J, Dulce C, Esteban G