THE LAST FIFTH GRADE OF EMERSON ELEMENTARY

THE LAST FIFTH GRADE OF EMERSON ELEMENTARY
April 12, 2016

Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Dishes for a Poets' Tea

High Tea at www.whatscookingamerica.net
Today is our Poets' Tea at Northfield Elementary. The third graders get to share their residency poems with visiting family, friends, and with each other. It's always cool to watch a student read a classmate's poem and say, "Wow. She's a good poet." The residency can change how kids view themselves and their peers.

I've got some tasty poems on the menu! One of our workshops was on food memories. You can read the full lesson here. It features Sandra Cisneros' "Good Hotdogs" -- a poem just meaty enough for elementary schoolers to dig into.

For this workshop, we spend a lot of time talking about the students' traditions with food. Some go out for ice cream with their soccer teams after every game. Other children like to talk about special holiday foods their families make. I have had students tell about everything from stewed goat's head to candy-corn coated cinnamon buns. The point made through this discussion is that food is more than food. Just as in the poem "Good Hotdogs," food can reminds us of people, experiences, and memories.

Thanks to Northfield's wonderful third grade team for another year of poetry, our sixth! And thanks to the students' families for allowing me to share their fine work.

We are serving breakfast, a traditional Jewish treat, and dinner out at the Poetry Cafe.

Pancakes
by Lily S.

I woke up to a buttery smell.
I get up and put on my robe
When I walk down, I see a sign that says,
"Happy birthday, Lily" in big letters.
Right when I go in the kitchen
my dad is making my favorite,
Pancakes! for me and also my family
was there to hug me. Then they
put it on a special plate that says
all of my friends on, even my brother
and sister. Then in the middle it says
Lily's 8th birthday and the 8th is in
a birthday cake. Then my dad
puts the pancakes on with melted butter.
Then syrup goes on and looks
like snow falling down a mountain.
Then mom puts the candles on
and lights it.



Apples, Crunchy and Honey, Sweet

by Ariela P.

For Rosh Hashanah celebration
Thick and syrupy in your  mouth
In a house with lots of kids
And parents all over the place
Honey made by bees in jar
To sell in the stores
Apples crunch in your teeth
Gloopy and sticky
Shiny, coming in all colors
Slippery, holding it in your hand
Sweet, tender smells with tints
Of sourness and bitter


Chicken Lo Mein
by Max K.

Mom asks me where we
can go for dinner. I say
Pei Wei. Everybody agrees.
When we get there, I
eagerly go inside. I wait
patiently to get my chicken
lo mein. When we sit down
edamame is served. I have
some with sauce, some with
nothing. Then, the main
course arrives. It tastes
better than chocolate. Maybe
a little hot at first. It smells
a little like steam. It looks
like a salad. It feels pretty
hot. It sounds a little like
bacon. I eat it as fast
as a train. Then we get
fortune cookies.

www.kraftrecipes.com
Sunday Treats
by Anya R.

I leap up from my chair,
my homework done and packed
away. Sunday is today
and that's always a treat.
We get to go out to dinner
and tonight is my choice. We're
at the Japanese restaurant
in not time. We order.
Our drinks hit the table
with a clink.
My hot, steaming rice
comes second. It tastes
so hot and nice
in my mouth with  my favorite
sauce on top. Then I see our
waitress coming our from
the kitchen as my dad's
soup comes to rest right in
front of him, I breathe in
the sweet smell of my noodles.

I'll post more food poems after this afternoon's tea. See you there!

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