In Residence: A Book Filled with Poems

Happy Poetry Friday, Writerly Friends!

This week's Poetry Friday host is
Mary Lee Hahn at A Reading Year.
Thanks, Mary Lee, for kicking off our summer!

On Monday, I said arrivederci to the third grade poets at Northfield Elementary School. They held a poetry open house with readings for families and friends. Thank you to all of the parents and poetry supporters who filled the third grade classrooms. It was quite a celebration!

There was a big surprise for me. While I was in Italy, the students put together a book of poems.

The poems inside are odes and lists and extended similes. Each one is about what the students like about writing poetry, why they enjoy working with me, and their favorite parts of the residency.

I was overwhelmed by all of the third graders' amazing cartoons and equally amazing poems. But even more so, I love their generosity of spirit. So many students have come to love poetry as much as I do, and they're loud and proud about it.

I will post some poems from this book next week. For today, I have a few more third grade shoe odes to wear ... I mean, to SHARE.

Here are shoe odes by poets Julie B., Kayla K., Alexandria D., Brianna C., Arif V., and Rowan C.

Julie B.

My shoes smell like chocolate.

They keep my feet comfortable and warm when

I walk the mall.

My shoe is black as night.

It’s soft like a memory foam pillow.

It’s squeaky like a rubber duck.

I don’t want to be barefooted because

I don’t want my feet to be hot

like a fire breathing dragon

or cold like an ice bear.

Dragon Shoes at SheFinds,
they're hot stuff!

Kayla K.

The Ode to My Shoes

I couldn’t live without my shoes

because they’re so comfy, it’s like

putting your feet into bags of fluffy

marshmallows! My shoes sound like

“thump, thump, thump… click, click,

CLACK!” Like a clock ticking as

I walk around the whole day. My shoe

smells like green grass and dirt

mixed together. My shoes look like

a rainbow parrot flying in the blue

sky. I’ve been to North Carolina,

on the deck, to the store, at

the beach. But now they’re very rough

and worn out from taking me everywhere

I go.

Shoes for time travelers from Fanboy Fashion.

Alexandria D.

Ode to My Shoes

My shoes look like a pink butterfly

fluttering through the air.

My shoes smell like the taste of an unwashed apple.

My shoes feel smooth and squishy on the inside.

My shoes sound like a bear’s claws

walking through the smooth floors.

I have been to the mall in my shoes. I dream

of going to Paris in my shoes.

I can’t live without my shoes because I

walk around in them and they help me

run.

In these shoes, your feet will have wings. From Etsy.

Brianna C.

Ode to My Blue Vans

You look like the blue jays swiftly

flying across the blue skies.

You feel like petting the soft blue

feathers of a blue jay.

You feel like a handful of marshmallows

when I slide my foot in you.

You sound like the kids of the

marching band in a parade.

I would even dream of bringing

you with me to Hawaii.

I can’t ever live without you

because you keep my feet

comfortable and cozy when I

wear you.

Hand painted blue-feathered Vans from Pinterest.

Arif V.

I can’t live without my shoes

because I would’ve gotten 5,000

blisters.

You look like a cheetah and

help me run faster.

My shoes are as stinky as

a garbage can full of bad caramel ice cream.

This helps my opponents cover

their noses and I can defend

myself.

You have helped me to score

six goals without getting six

blisters. You gave me confidence

to score them.

You are really fuzzy like a

cat and help me keep calm.

You are like two hands and

one clapping the floor at a time.

Cheetah kicks from The Shoe Game.

Rowan C.

Ode to My Shoe

My shoe, like a jet black comet soaring

through the cloudy gray sky, a major, exciting

unpredicted thing for the day. It smells

like a garbage disposal, bad enough for all the

bullies to keep at least twenty paces away

from me, and feels like hard rubber. It sounds

like a mouse squeaking when I got down the halls. They

have [walked] all the way through Philly, from Walnut

Street to Independence Hall. I couldn’t live without

my shoes, because my feet would fall off.

You'll feel like a shooting star in these flip-flops.

Thanks to my wonderful third grade poets at Northfield Elementary for making my day, my week, my year with their poems. It's amazing to watch all of you grow, experiment with, and share my enthusiasm for poetry.

I'll be back next week with selections from the Northfield E.S. book of poetry.

In this series:

Planning the List Poem Lesson at Today's Little Ditty

First Student Responses: "Words in My Pet Goldfish," "Words in My Bed," "Words in My Life"

In Residence: Poetry Friday Words: Poems by Laura S., Jason Y., Jeffrey G., and Isa L.

In Residence: The Simile Zoo: Poems by Sabine S., Asher, Cecelia D., and Evelyn D.

In Residence: Day 2 in the Simile Zoo: Poems by Allie L., Makaela M., Parker P., Matthew L., Vincent T., Lila R., Naomi C., and Julia J.

In Residence: Due Stanze: Poems by Avery,  Setutsi, Jen, Anlan, Arushi, and Johanna.

In Residence: Opposite Poems: Poems by Andrew V., Matthew L., Nathan W., Aly A., and Joanna B.

In Residence at Today's Little Ditty: Poetry Postcard Summer Activity for Kids and Families

In Residence: Shoe Odes: Poems by  Ilana M., Nicole C., Dylan L., Linnea J., and Ben K.