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. 

NPM 2015: What Are You Wearing, Linda Kulp?

Words zip along the front of my jacket,

hide with lost pennies in my pockets.

Ink nestles in the space between my toes

and the tips of my shoes.

There is no coziness like mine.

I have been wearing poetry.

It's the last week of National Poetry Month 2015. Throughout April, guest bloggers are dressing up in their poetry finery as Author Amok features poems about clothes. Why clothes? Read this post.

In addition to the guest bloggers, every Friday in April I posted a round-up of original and recommended clothing poems. (Send those via email to laurashovan at gmail dot com or leave them in the comments). You'll find this week's writing prompt at the bottom of this post.  I'll post any final poems this Friday, May 1.

Today's guest blogger is poet and educator Linda Kulp of Write Time. 

In middle school, the type of shoes someone wears is a big deal.  Shoes are part of their identity.  As part of our “Who Am I?” unit, I created a lesson in which my students write a poem about their shoes.

I begin the lesson by bringing in a variety of shoes I purchased from a thrift store.

I hold up each pair of shoes and ask students to describe the person they think might have owned these shoes.  We make predictions about the owner such as: age, career, personality, lifestyle, etc.  Next, I read “Ode to Pablo’s Shoes” by Gary Soto. We talk about Pablo’s shoes and what we learn about him. Then we read “Grandpa’s Shoes” by Deborah Chandra.

Grandpa’s Shoes

Lying by the back door,

Grandpa’s shoes

speak in a husky

whisper:

            “Step inside,” they say.

            “We’re big and bruised

            and scuffed, but

            down past the tough

            we’ve worn ourselves soft.”

“We’ve been somewhere.”

               -Deborah Chandra (all rights reserved)

We discuss what our own shoes might say if they could talk. Then I tell them that every summer since I was a teenager, I buy a brand new pair of white canvas sneakers.  I love them because they are so comfortable and practically live in them all summer long!

I read them the poem I wrote about my sneakers.

Used

Lying on the laundry room floor

my old canvas sneakers

speak in a lonely voice.

“All summer long,” they say,

“you wore us during long walks

around the neighborhood

and on trips to shopping malls.”

“Now,” they sigh,

summer is over

and here we sit

worn and dirty,

waiting—

to be washed and worn

again.”

“Have you forgotten us?”

“We feel used!”

-Linda Kulp Trout

Finally, my students write a poem about their shoes. Of course all of this happens over several class periods. We review poetic elements such as structure, personification, sensory details, etc., but mostly, I try to keep it fun so students are free to use their creativity without too many “rules.”   My sixth grade students will be writing their poems next week. I’m looking forward to seeing what their shoes say about them.

What do your shoes say about you? 

Thank you for posting today, Linda. I love the idea of using thrift store shoes as inspiration for portrait poems. 

My shoes say that I am ready for spring.

Linda Kulp Trout is a middle school reading intervention teacher and poet.  She has taught reading and writing to students in kindergarten through adult. She is the author of an early reader and articles for children. Her poems have been published in children's magazines and anthologies. She is currently working on a middle grade novel-in-verse and a collection of poems for young children. Her two sons and grandchildren are the inspiration for many of her poems. She lives in PA with her husband and very bossy cat named Daisy.You can learn more about Linda Kulp at her website.

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.

*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.

Kicking it up for Poetry Friday

My Northfield ES third graders had a great time yesterday, taking of their shoes, examining them (one boy had the word "raptor" on his trainers), looking at the pebbles they'd picked up.

Kids' "Odes to My Shoes" tomorrow...for Poetry Friday, here's a shoe ode from Charles Simic.

My Shoes Shoes, secret face of my inner life: Two gaping toothless mouths, Two partly decomposed animal skins Smelling of mice-nests. My brother and sister who died at birth Continuing their existence in you, Guiding my life Toward their incomprehensible innocence.

The rest of the poem, and an article about shoe-poetry here. More Poetry Friday entries at Picture Book of the Day. I'm home for the day with a sick kid. Glad to have poetry to keep me company!