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
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Week 15: HELP WANTED: POET!!!
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.
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
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.
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
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
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
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
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
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.
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
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.
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
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.
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
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.
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
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.
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
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.
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.
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