In Residence: Imagine That

Today, I meet with the Northfield third grade team to evaluate our residency. We ask ourselves:

• How did it go?
• Did we meet the goals of the grant?
• Did the students enjoy the workshops?
• What could we do better or try out next year?

My favorite part of the evaluation meeting is sharing anecdotes about what the teachers observed. I love hearing about students who aren't seen as strong writers, but who have a chance to shine during our poetry workshops.

I get to share my favorite moments of the residency also. I'll never forget how excited Chris became when I showed his class the non-fiction picture book GREECE! ROME! MONSTERS! illustrated by Calef Brown. 

Mr. Poe and Mr. Shakespeare are fans of
Greece! Rome! Monsters! -- a picture book
encyclopedia of creatures from classical mythology.

Chris could not wait to get his hands on this book and was thrilled when I loaned it to his classroom for a few days.

I brought the book to third grade for three reasons:

1) Our model poem for the day was by author/illustrator Calef Brown.

2) Our workshop prompt was to focus on the imagination. GREECE! ROME! MONSTERS! allowed us to talk about how creative the human imagination is, and has been for thousands of years, to think up all of these cool creatures.

3) Mythology is enjoying huge popularity with elementary and middle schoolers, in large part due to two series of books: Harry Potter and Percy Jackson.

The imagination lesson has four basic parts:

1. Read and discuss "Eliza's Jacket" by Calef Brown (from POLKA BATS AND OCTOPUS SLACKS). You can read the poem at this post.

2. Imagine -- if you could put anything in your jacket pocket, what would it be? A super power? A magical object? A sunny day? (Two rules on this step. No money. No wishes. Anything students want to buy or wish for goes directly in that pocket.)

3. Write the pocket poem.

4.  When students have finished drafting their poems, there is one more step. Make pockets!

The pockets are designed to look like the back pocket of your jeans, with the poem on white paper to look like a hankie. The teachers put up a display of the pockets.

Our students *love* interacting with poetry in this way. They get to look at the decorations on a pocket, pull out the poem, and what they read is a surprise -- almost like cracking open a fortune cookie to read the message.

Here are some of the Northfield third grade poets' pocket poems, with a few highlights of Friday's open house celebration. Each of today's pocket poems contains an imaginary creature.

Pocket Poem
by Chris W.

I have a jacket,
a jacket made of pockets.
In pocket #565
I have a mini to giant mammoth to
help me survive in the northern
part of Canada and Alaska.
I would take it out when I reach north Canada
and Alaska in winter by
magic passageway from U.S.A. to
Canada and Alaska,
so I could explore northern
Canada and Alaska during
the cold, frigid winter and
use it [mammoth] to carry my survival
kit and to ride on and to
snuggle with to keep me warm.

Pocket Poem
by Ellie R.

I have a jacket,
a jacket made of pockets.
In pocket number 2
I have something blue.
It has glowing red eyes.
It likes to eat pies.
It looks kind of weird.
It has a long beard.
But he's my best friend
and that won't end
because he's very kind.
Sometimes I'm not, but he doesn't mind.
He comes out of my pocket when
I'm feeling sad
and if I start to get mean
he won't get mad.
I have a monster in pocket
number two
and he likes to eat
lollipops -- ones that are blue.

Reading pocket poems.

Pocket Poem
by Julia L.

I have a jacket,
a jacket made of pockets.
In pocket #29
I have a robot that can do anything!
He's made of metal, square head.
He looks well fed.
He only listens to me,
and I bet he can even sing!
He doesn't smell, so my mom won't care.
He can eat too, he also shares!
He smells danger,
has X-ray vision.
Getting a robot, it's a good decision.

I ask him to come out when my homework is hard.
He even gave me a birthday card!
He can sew, clean, and even book.
He reads me my favorite book!
He cheers me up when I'm feeling sad,
and he calms me down when I get mad.

He makes my life better.
He's my best friend.
He's the awesomest robot in the world,
I'm pretty sure.

These poems were posted with permission. Look for the final three Northfield poems -- we have a few more pockets to share -- on Poetry Friday.

Anything You Want

Yesterday, I gave the Northfield third graders magic pockets. They could put anything in the pocket -- the only limit was their own imaginations. (Find the lesson, model poem and poetry prompt here.)

I love using this writing exercise, because it often reveals what a child is passionate about.

For Sarah S, it's art.

I have a jacket,
a jacket made of pockets. In pocket
199, I have a magic art
studio. It is stacked and
packed with art! Art
supplies, famous artists and
Ms. Kramer! I can take
them out and they
can teach me art!
I would LOVE that
because I LOVE
Art. I would make
a plaster sculpture
that would last a
MILLION years!

Adam L's passion is sports. I love this magic football helmet, that grows with him.

I have a jacket,
a jacket made of pockets.
In pocket 86 I have
a magical football helmet.
It fits on my head
no matter how big my head gets.
It is a Ravens helmet with stripes.
It includes a face mask.

My football helmet makes me throw
super far.
I set world records.
I am better than any pro.
The Ravens invite me
onto their team.

If you're trying this lesson, and your students are stuck, try this frame:

First three lines:
"I have a  jacket,
a jacket made of pockets.
In pocket ___, I have a..."

Followed by:
a description of what is in the pocket, use all five senses if you can.

Then:
what does the object do?

Finally:
Why do you want this thing? You can begin this section with, "I take it out when I..."

Tomorrow is Poetry Friday. I have a BIG announcement to share! See you then.

Leaping off the Cliff

As writers, sometimes we have to leap off the imaginative cliff and trust that something will be there to lift us. A magical cloud? A boy with wax wings? A talking bird that wants a strand of our hair for its nest?

My last workshop with the Northfield third graders was all about imaginative leaps.

We use the fabulous Calef Brown's poem, "Eliza's Jacket," as a model. (Go to youtube to find some of Brown's poems set to music. They're so much fun!)

Eliza’s Jacket 

 

Eliza has a jacket,

a jacket made of pockets.

The pockets all have numbers,

numbers on the jacket pockets.

Pocket three has bees inside,

sixteen contains their honey.

Number eight has cracker crumbs

and wads of Turkish money.

Twenty-three is filled with gum

(all unchewed I hope),

while right next door in twenty-four

is kept a one-inch piece of rope.

Thirteen is packed with useless facts,

and four has melted snow.

What’s in the rest you’ll have to guess.

It’s not for us to know.

 

Used with the author’s permission.

 

The poem is deceptively simple, but get kids talking about why Brown said Eliza has "melted snow" in her pocket instead of "water," and you'll be amazed at their insights.

For one day, I let students have a jacket like Eliza's. The pockets hold anything their imaginations can create. Two rules -- no money (just write what you want) and no wishes or creatures who grant them (again, just write what you want.)

Here is Michael D's cerebral response:

I have a jacket,
a jacket made of pockets.
In number 197,
I have a miniature brain.
It has 9,999 IQ,
and it goes into my head.
When it does,
I don't have to think.
So when I have a test,
I get an A plus.
And I won't have to do things like
take days to invent a time machine,
and my Reading homework too.
I'd get invited to somewhere
with people asking me how I'm so smart.
I'd live a great life,
with luxury at every place.

Quentin B's poem is tactile and powerful:

I have a jacket,
a jacket made of pockets.
In pocket 3,000 I have
a magic tornado that's the
size of a skyscraper.
It makes the sound
of an  airplane zooming
in the air. If someone
is being mean to you
the tornado will
suck them up and
trap them in my
pocket until I
want to take
them out.

I'm fond of magical clothing. Once a class and I invented a magic coat that changed with the weather. It grew fur in the winter, air conditioned in the heat, and at night it could glow in the dark.

If you try this prompt in the classroom, the Northfield teachers and I developed a fun craft to go with it. Write the poems on a square of white paper. Then give each child a blue "pocket" to decorate. Post the pockets with the poems loose inside. Kids and parents love lifting the poems out to read. Enjoy!