THE LAST FIFTH GRADE OF EMERSON ELEMENTARY

THE LAST FIFTH GRADE OF EMERSON ELEMENTARY
April 12, 2016

Thursday, May 28, 2015

In Residence: Opposite Poems

Happy Poetry Friday!
Who's hosting this week's
Poetry Friday party?
It's one of our sound poets!
Margaret Simon
of Reflections on the Teche.

I have a lot to celebrate this week.

Tomorrow, our son will graduate from high school. I'm so excited about sharing Robbie's milestone with family and friends. Of course, there will be cake.

On Monday, I fly to Salerno, Italy for the 100 Thousand Poets for Change international conference. Poets from more than 30 countries will be in attendance. I promise to bring back lots of great information for a future Poetry Friday.

Before that, let's check in with the Northfield third grade poets. They were working on their opposite poems. You'll find links to the opposite poem lesson at yesterday's post.

Taking the blog stage are poets Andrew V., Matthew L., Nathan W., Aly A., and Joanna B.

Andrew V.

Delicious and Disgusting

Delicious food is great: the smell
of milk chocolate is tempting me to eat
faster, the candy tastes so good in my mouth,
the ice cream is so cold on a hot summer
day, the ham is so warm, and the sandwich tastes so good
on the inside with the bread outside.

Disgusting food is horrible: sweet
potatoes aren’t supposed to be sweet so I hate
them, carrots are too hard or too soft, tomatoes are
way too soft, spinach is not filling, and kale
doesn’t have good texture.

Kale Apple Cake, anyone?
From Veggie Desserts
Matthew L.

Baseball

I like being safe:
You could get hit by a pitch
or 4 balls, a walk,
or line drive to third that
brings you to first, or a
pop fly to the out field for
a double … or triple,
a slow HOME RUN, or four
run GRAND
SLAM as you slide into
home.

I hate being out:
Like three strikes, strike out!
Or the ball beats you to first …
or second … or third,
or you got tagged out from
the opposer’s glove
OR IT’S CAUGHT IN THE
AIR or a 2-out
DOUBLE PLAY
as I say darn

in this great
baseball game.

Matthew *really* wanted to write about baseball. I was impressed that he found a way to write an opposite poem about his favorite sport. Didn't you get caught up in the action with this poem?

Nathan W.

Teachers and Kids

Oh, man. Teachers
are so strict. They yell at so much.
They are so boring.
They make us sit in a chair all day.
They’re bossy and mean, but they can
also be nice and fun if you are good,
and they even sometimes let you have
extra recess.

Kids! Kids are awesome
and nice. They let you borrow stuff.
They are very funny. But they can be
annoying and loud and they
sometimes tease you and call you
names sometimes.

It often happens... student poets set out to write a teacher vs. student opposite poem. Along the way, they realize they have empathy for their teachers, and that kids are pretty complicated people.

Aly A.

The Wonderful Things about Day and Night

Day is wonderful.
I see things alive and clear.
I feel happy and free.
I play and explore and find
things I never saw before.
But when day ends…

Night is wonderful.
I feel like the world is asleep.
It is peaceful and quiet.
I hear the sounds of the night
like the owl hooting
and lightning bugs buzzing
and then I fall asleep.

Aly's poem reminds me of "Let Evening Come," a poem we often talk about during this lesson. There are lines from our model poem "Swift Things Are Beautiful" that read:

And slow things are beautiful.
The closing of day.

If you like this image, I recommend reading Jane Kenyon's "Let Evening Come."

Joanna B.

School Supplies

Messy is bad.
If you are messy, you can’t find things.
You might have bent folders, notebooks all over,
broken pencils, and binders shoved in your desk.
All of that is bad.

If you are neat, you might have an organized
school box, larger things on the bottom and smaller
things on top, and your ruler not bent or broken.
You’ll be able to find your things. That’s what

I like and that’s the way I am.

There's a cake for that too, Joanna!
DIY project from What's Scrapping

Thank you to the Northfield ES community for hosting this annual residency. I appreciate having permission to share the third graders' poems. Readers, the students love hearing feedback from you. Please leave a comment about our opposite poems.

When I get back from Italy, I'll share our final poetry workshop from Northfield: writing odes to our shoes.

In Residence is an ongoing series this month. If you missed previous posts:

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.

6 comments:

Linda B said...

It's a clever lesson that obviously had some of the students inspired, Laura. Fun poems all. I like the way that some wrote the "hate" part, but seemed to want to make it not so bad anyway. Baseball with the disappointment of being "out" is terrific! Have a marvelous trip. It sounds like quite an experience. And, most important, congratulations to your son. It's a big step, for him and for his parents!

Margaret Simon said...

Your lessons are such great mentors for me. I'm tucking this one away for next year. Can't believe you are going to Italy. Will you pack me in your suitcase? Poets and Italy sound like a perfect combination. I have to say after reading The Crossover, I have a new appreciation for sports poetry. Matthew's is great! Thanks for sharing.

Michelle Heidenrich Barnes said...

I can tell how much thought and insight went into these poems. Well done, all of you! I may want to introduce my 9th grader to Joanna B., though, for a few pointers. And speaking of high schoolers, congrats to Robbie! Enjoy the wilds of Italy, Laura... looking forward to hearing about your overseas mischief-making!

Tara said...

Such fun to read these! Love the one about teachers and kids - that's how we are seen in the month of June. And, congratulations, Robbie - here's to cake and a great celebration!

Heidi Mordhorst said...

So many things to celebrate, Laura! These opposite poems (perhaps like all poems) show so much of each writer's personality. And I'm so glad you get to experience this fantastic Italy trip--a great end to a hardworking month. Be sure you bring back a List Poem, words in your suitcase, a simile animale, due stanze, and an ode to your shoes!

Mary Lee said...

I like Nathan't double opposite poem!

Italy...wow! So much fun that the Kidlitosphere will be represented! Can't wait for news!!