In Residence: The Words We Carry

My Northfield 3rd graders have finished the first drafts of their list poems. Before we move on to the next lesson (animal similes), let's evaluate the list poem workshop.

This was a new workshop for me. I appreciate the third grade team at Northfield. They're always willing to let me try something different! So, what went well?

From Steve Vernon, Storyteller

1. This was the first lesson of this residency. The children liked being able to focus on the basic element of a poem: words. Of course, we always focus on words in poetry. But Naomi Shihab Nye's model poem is about the words we carry around in our heads. She asks us to think about words we love. Starting with something so basic and important on Day 1 provided a strong foundation for future writing.

2. This is the first time I've encouraged students to plug into a model poem. Some of the third graders took the model poem "Words in My Pillow," crossed out the lines and words they wanted to change, and wrote their own words into those spaces. They responded well to having this structure for our first day of writing together.

3. "Words in My Pillow" can adapt to any topic! Because what we're really talking about is language -- words -- the poem could be called "Words in My Dinosaur," "Words in My Garbage Can," or "Words in My Suitcase." We have the structure of the poem, but also the freedom to come up with a topic the poet cares about.

Read on for the final two "Words in My..." poems from my students. As an extra treat, stop by educator Margaret Gibson Simon's blog, Reflections on the Teche. Her students wrote some wonderful "Words in My..." poems last week too!

Words in My Swim Bag

by Arielle L.

I hide words in my swim bag,

words that are WET

GOGGLES

SWIM CAP

TOWEL

All of these

words help me

win a race.

I have sounds

in my bag.

BEEEP!

GO!

SPLASH!

I have memories

in my bag too!

MEETS

HEATS

WINS

SCORES

But when the season

is over, my bag goes away

but all my words stay!

Retro swim cap, anyone?

Words in My Backpack

Aditya B.

I hide words in my backpack,

words that taste good.

PENCIL

MESSY

HOMEWORK FOLDER

No one can see them,

but I find them waiting for me.

like my brain hiding inside my body.

No one can see it,

but I know what is in there.

MATH

READING

UNFINISHED WORK

VIDEO GAMES

The words are playing together

when I’m saying or thinking them.

WRITING

NEAT

BLACK

is in my backpack.

My friends, the words

stay in my backpack longer than I do

but they never go away.

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

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.

Thank you to the Northfield ES community for what I think is our 9th year together. Wow. I appreciate having the permission to share the third graders' poems.

Readers, my third grade poets love hearing feedback from you. Please leave a comment about our list poems. (Thanks to all those who sent us a compliment on Poetry Friday!)

In Residence: Poetry Friday Words

Words for Poetry Friday

by Laura Shovan

I share words on Poetry Friday.

Inviting words--

ONOMATOPOEIA

LYRICAL

REVISE

Everyone can see them.

You'll find them waiting for you

like the FELINE that shares your home.

She sits by the window

waiting for party guests, then--

MEOW

RUB

FURRY

FOLLOW

LAP

PURR

A GARDEN is there, in the back.

LEMONADE, to cool you off.

The words play together

when we gather for poetry.

RHYTHM

HEARTBEAT

JUICY

ALLITERATION

is at the party.

My friends the words

never want to leave.

They like to stay up

all night, talking.

Magical Michelle is hosting
Poetry Friday this week at
Today's Little Ditty

Hey, Poetry Peeps.

My third grade students are finishing up their list poems. I thought I'd write with them today. 

I'm pleased with how this lesson turned out. Since this was the first workshop of our residency, the model poem provides a frame that young writers can plug into, but still adapt to their own topics.

Check out their poems, modeled after Naomi Shihab Nye's "Words in My Pillow."

Words in My Lunchbox

by Jason Y.

I pack words in my lunchbox,

words that taste good.

Fruit by Foot

Ice cream

Popsicle

No one can see them,

but they wait for me in my

lunchbox,

like the fruits waiting

inside my lunchbox.

Peaches

Grapes

Berries

My sandwich is in there.

The words are playing

together.

Chomp

Slurp

Lick

My words are all blending

together,

but the most important

word is MUNCH.

I loved Jason's use of onomatopoeia. Sound words add an extra layer to a poem because the reader can hear the sound in addition to the word.

Words in My Garden

by Jeffrey G.

I plant words inside my garden,

words that look good –

FLOWER

LEAF

PETAL

No one can see them,

but I find them waiting for me,

Like the SEED under the surface.

No one can see them

but I know what’s under there –

WATER

ROOTS

WORMS

COMPOST

VEINS

ROCKS

Good NUTRIENTS are under there.

The words are growing together

when I am watering or planting them.

VINE

POLLEN

STEM

LAVENDER

are in my garden.

My friends the words

go to rest before I do,

but they never

go away.

Jeffrey did a great job using the idea that words are hidden inside us (from the model poem) and connecting that to the hidden workings of a garden. 

Words in My House

by Isa L.

There are words

in my house. Words that make

me happy.

NOISY

CLEAN

NEAT

No one can see them, but they’re

there.

HAPPY

EATING

DRINKING

My words get along well.

PETS

BIRD

DOG

FAMILY is in my house.

I leave my house sometimes,

but I never leave my words.

Isa's poem creates a portrait of her family, because the words she chooses characterize what life is like in her house.

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

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"

Thank you to the Northfield ES community for inviting me back again this year. I appreciate having the permission to share the third graders' amazing work this month.

Readers, my third grade poets love hearing feedback from you. Please leave a comment about our list poems.

In Residence: List Poem Workshop

May the Fourth be with you.

Star Wars poem from www.funnyand.com

I am spending the month with third grade poets at Northfield Elementary School. The annual poetry residency is sponsored by the school PTA's cultural arts committee, and by an Artist-in-Residence grant from the Maryland State Arts Council. Thank you!

We kicked off our month of poetry last week with a list poem workshop. You can read my initial plan for this lesson at Today's Little Ditty. The third grade teachers at Northfield fell in love with Naomi Shihab Nye's poem "Words in My Pillow," so we decided to use that for our model list poem.

Naomi Shihab Nye's poem
"Words in My Pillow"
is in the list-poem anthology
Falling Down the Page.

I wrote my own "Words in My ___ Poem" to close out our National Poetry Month series on poems about clothes. It was titled "Words in My Closet." You can read it at this post.

Because the model is really a poem about words and language, the third graders and I spent a lot of time talking about juicy words. A poem called "Words in My Dog" might include specific nouns (TREATS, WATER, TONGUE), descriptive adjectives and verbs (BARK, FLUFFY, FAST, LICK), but it might also have "states of being" -- things we can't really see (LOVE, COMFORT, KINDNESS).

Because this was our first lesson, I encouraged the students to stick as close to Naomi Shihab Nye's poem as they wanted to. I am SO excited for you all to see what the third graders did with their poems. They hit it out of the park with their list poems.

Words in My Pet Goldfish

by Rachel S.

Words live in my pet goldfish.

Words that are watery –

SLISHY

SLOSHY

SWISHY

No one, not even you can find them,

only me, but they wait for me, and

I know it. Just like the food swishing

around in the fishy’s bowl. Now one can see it, but

I know when it’s there—

WATER

PELLETS

SCALES

FLIPPER

FILTER

WAVES

TANK

Water stuff is in there.

A fishbowl is in there.

The words are doing the backstroke

in water, when I’m thinking

them.

WHISK

PADDLE

SWIM

WAVY!

is in my goldfish

My friends the words

Go to snooze before I

Go to sleep.

But they never swim

away, to practice the fishy stroke.

Don't call him "common," Wikipedia.
We love our goldfish.

Words in My Bed

by Alexis K.

I hide words in my bed,

words that like to sleep.

PILLOW

DREAMS

STUFFED ANIMALS

No one can see them, but I find them

waiting for me, like the inside of my head is hiding

inside my body. No one can see it,

but I know what’s in my head.

SLEEP

ZZZZ

YAWN

NIGHT

READ

The words are playing together

when I am saying them or thinking

them while I sleep

BLANKET

ENERGY

SLEEP

YAWN

are all in my head at night.

My friends are the words. They go to

sleep before me. But in the morning

I know they are there waiting for me.

The Sleeping Gypsy, by Henri Rousseau

Words in My Life

by Paige R.

I hide words in my life.

Words that are

my best friends.

VACATION

BLUE SKY

WARM

No one can see them, but I find them

waiting for me. Like the smarts

hiding inside me.

No one can see it, but I know what’s in there.

FUN

SCARY

EXCITING

SURPRISING

DISAPPOINTING

SILLY

Emotions are in there. Questions are in there.

The words are playing together

when I am saying or thinking them.

PLAYGROUND

KITE

SPORTS

FUN IN THE SUN

The words go to sleep before I do,

but when I  wake up they are ready to go!

Thank you to the Northfield ES community for inviting me back again this year. I appreciate having the permission to share the third graders' amazing work this month.

Readers, my third grade poets love hearing feedback from you. Please leave a comment about our list poems.

NPM 2015: What Are You Wearing? It's a Wrap Dress

Tomorrow, we say farewell to National Poetry Month 2015. Thanks to all of you for following what's been an amazing series on poems about clothes. Why clothes? Read this post.

National Poetry Month may be ending,
but you can eat poetry anytime.
It's as easy as opening a book.

We've looked at everything from underwear to topcoats, from rainbow skirts to muddied white sneakers. I've learned so much from all of the guest bloggers. 

Clothes -- and poems about them can:

help us express our individual style,
make us feel connected to the person the article of clothing belonged to,
represent a season, a mood, or a longing,
be descriptive of a battlefield or a shared experience between parents and children,
create a sense of comfort and warmth,
be intimate, because they are held close to our bodies in a way that few other things are.

I am beginning a third grade poetry residency. This week, we worked on list poems. Naomi Shihab Nye's "Words in My Pillow" from the anthology Falling Down the Page was our model.

You'll find "Words in My Pillow"
in this anthology of list poems
from MacMillan.

Several students wrote a "Words in My Closet" poem. I decided to join them.

Words in My Closet
by Laura Shovan
after Naomi Shihab Nye

I keep words in my closet.
Words that make me look good.

CASHMERE
QUIRKY
PONCHO

No one sees them
until I put them on.
but I know what's in there--

DENIM
SNEAKERS
PURPLE
BATHROBE
STRIPES
ELEGANCE

UNDERWEAR is in there.
JELLYFISH SOCKS are in there.

The words plan outfits together
when I'm not looking.

This BLOUSE and that SKIRT
like hanging around together.
FLOWERS brighten up my closet.
RAVENS cheer "TOUCHDOWN!"
in my closet.

My friends the words
know better than I do
what fits me well.

Next week, I'll begin posting some of the third grader's list poems. They have been doing an awesome job.

Thanks again to all of the wonderful bloggers who let us into their poetry closets this month.

A skirt-full of flowers from me to you.
You'll find this and more floral skirts
at Polyvore.

ICYMI: In our poetry closet, you will find...

• Introductory Post
• Jane Elkin looks in her childhood closet. Poems by Mark Irwin and Ron Koertge.
• Tabatha Yeatts shares an ensemble of clothing poems by Greg Pincus.
• Margaret Gibson Simon tries on orange high heels. Poem by Ellen Bass.
• Robyn Hood Black borrows Alice Schertle's "Hand-me-down Sweatshirt."
• Jone MacCulloch wears her Grandma Mac's aprons.
• Heidi Mordhorst pulls on some big, black boots.
• Linda Baie's outfit would not be complete without a poem in her pocket.
• Catherine Johnson getting dressed with Alexander Resnikoff.
• Robyn Campbell is showing off her favorite vintage clothes with a poetic picture book from Mary Ann Hoberman.
• Donna Smith twirls her poetic skirts for us.
• Jan Godown Annino treasures a rainbow skirt worn by her mentor.
• Linda Kulp's shoe poem lesson gets muddy.

UPDATE: Thanks to all those who have posted a clothing poem on your home blogs and shared a link to AuthorAmok.

Read Irene Latham's ekphrastic poem "Yellow Dress."

Read about Carol Varsalona's vintage pantaloons!

And be sure to stop at Space City Scribes. The blogging team out of Houston (thus their cool name) is hosting Poetry Friday this week.

*Your suggested clothing poem prompt for Friday, May 1: Personification

If an article of clothing could talk, what stories would it tell? Whether it's a thrift store find, or an item for your closet, let your clothes speak for themselves. Has that black fedora traveled with you to Mexico? Was your daughter wearing that dress on her first day of kindergarten? Have your white Keds become mud-streaked from your hours spent in the garden? Maybe your jeans are tired of being patched and mended and would love to be retired.

Send your poems any time. I'll post original work and recommended poems on Friday.