In Residence: Day 2 in the Simile Zoo

Greetings from the Simile Zoo!

Find this vintage postcard on Amazon.

The third graders at Northfield Elementary are continuing to write about animals, and how they can symbolize emotions and personality traits.

Teachers: I posted instructions for this lesson a few years ago.

The Simile Zoo: Lesson Part 1
The Simile Zoo: Lesson Part 2

Today's zoo tour guides are Allie, Makaela, Parker, Matthew, Vincent, Lila, Naomi, and Julia.

Allie L.

When I feel clever,

I am like a green fox.

When a predator comes close to me,

I stay calm

and then I think of a plan

and my eyes flash and look innocent.

Then I trick them with my cleverness

and scamper away with a smile on my face.

Vintage postcard from Zazzle.

Makaela M.

When I feel frightened,

I am like a squirrel.

I run up the nearest tree. The food that I

stuffed in my mouth stays there.

I stare… and stare… and stare.

I run to my burrow like I run to my room.

Should I run or should I freeze?

Parker P.

When I am brave

I am like a wolf.

My face looks mean

with sharp teeth. My body

is not scared. I go out at night.

I’m a good swimmer, like

I’m trying to eat a seal.

Matthew L.

When I am thinking,

I am like a raccoon.

I am great at problem solving,

as raccoons can lift the lids

off garbage cans. I am agile

and steady as the raccoons can

climb up walls and steal food.

I am like a raccoon in

many ways when I’m thinking.

From Postcard Locker

Vincent T.

When I feel smart, I am like a

raccoon. I finish problems quick as if

I was running through the night. I work

slowly and carefully like I am taking a

lid off the trash can. I work my way

slowly down like as if I was a raccoon

lowering myself down a wall that’s

coming down from the attic.

Lila R.

Turtle

When I feel embarrassed,

I am like a turtle.

I hold my head low, as if

I had a shell to hide

away in. I walk away

slowly, as if I was as slow

as a turtle. I try to hide, as if

I was blending in with my

surroundings. I draw attention

to myself and feel like I need

to hide, but I can’t run away.

I really feel like a turtle when

I’m embarrassed.

This vintage postcard is from Russia!

Naomi C.

When I feel happy,

I’m like a bird.

I feel free like a baby bird that just learned

how to fly.

I fly with my flock and make my

friends crow with laughter.

I watch with joy as my little sister

hatches.

Even though I’m a blue jay, I still feel

bright as the sun.

When the sun rises, I rise with it.

It seems as though it’s singing, so I sing with it.

The sun is fading, it’s like it’s going to sleep,

so I must go to sleep with it.

Julia J.

When I feel tired,

I am like a sloth.

I climb into my bed like a

sloth climbs into the trees

after a long day.

I try not to move.

My body hurts. I lie in bed

all night.

I fall asleep to the sound of

swaying trees outside my window.

I hear the sound of owls hooting

and the sound of bats’ wings flapping.

Sloth Valentine postcard from Zazzle

In Residence is 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.

In Residence: The Simile Zoo: Poems by Sabine S., Asher, Cecelia D., and Evelyn D.

Than 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 simile zoo. More animal poems are coming soon.

Next week, I'll be posting the third graders' opposites poems. But first, a special poem and interview for Poetry Friday as we look at the stunning new anthology, Poetry in Medicine.

In Residence: The Simile Zoo

It's Poetry Friday. I'm late to the party, because I've been spending the day at the Simile Zoo.

Diane Mayr is serving today's
poetry posts. Visit Random Noodling
 for some tasty words and poetic company.

"The Simile Zoo?" you say. "Never heard of it."

My Northfield Elementary third graders learned about similes in the second workshop of our residency. Today, I'll introduce you to the angry beasts, lazy sloths, and happy birds they created -- all animals that represent emotions or feelings.

Teachers: I posted instructions for the lesson several years ago.

The Simile Zoo: Lesson Part 1
The Simile Zoo: Lesson Part 2

My warm up for this lesson is a Zen drawing exercise. We draw our hands without looking at our papers (eyes stay on the object we are drawing). It's not the drawing that's important. Instead, we put the focus on simile building. Look at those strange drawings. What do they resemble? The process is similar to finding a shape in the clouds.

Here are some hand drawings from Ms. Hilliard's class. Check out the similes students made.

It looks like a starfish flipping over.

It looks like a tooth with a chip missing.

It looks like a MONSTER!

Now, please join me and the third grade poets on a tour of the Simile Zoo.

Sabine S.

When I feel happy

I am like a penguin.

Penguins love fish, and I jump in joy for ice cream.

I slide on my sled down the hill

happily, while penguins slide down the ice

in joy. Penguins jump in their pool without a care,

and I’m in my bathtub, humming and

playing with bath toys.

Asher

When I feel lazy,

I am like a sloth.

My face is blank.

I don’t get off the couch. I stay in one spot.

I move very slow.

I hang of the couch.

I am very slow.

I feel very light.

Cecelia D.

When I am hungry, I am like a wolf.

I sneak food, but I must be quiet.

My face turns a grayish-pale.

My stomach grows like a wolf does.

I get VERY MAD because it hurts

to starve. And I do NOT sleep because I had

no food. A wolf feels this way, too.

Evelyn D.

When I feel scared,

I am like a cat.

I run away from my fears

as fast as I can.

I feel helpless with

my cute meowing,

for my fears are the

opposite of positive

to me. Sometimes

my running fails me

though, all I can do

is whine and cry.

People think I’m happy

though, because they

think it’s cute and

they don’t see tears.

I also may run away

to protection that loves

me like a mother.

From Cutestpaw.com

Than 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 simile zoo. More animal poems are coming soon.

Poetry Friday: I Am Formally Introduced to a Hedgehog

After years of teaching the poem below, I met my first hedgehog last week.

Hedgehog

by Chu Chen Po

He ambles along like a walking pin cushion,

Stops and curls up like a chestnut burr.

He's not worried because he's so little.

Nobody is going to slap him around.

Translated from the Chinese by Kenneth Rexroth

Everyone, meet Daisy. Daisy, meet the Poetry Friday gang.

Daisy is a pygmy hedgehog, smaller than my  hand.

My daughter and her friend -- Daisy's favorite person.

 I use the hedgehog poem to introduce similes. I usually bring a pin cushion and a burr (sweetgum burrs are plentiful here and stand in for chestnut). The students and I talk about why these are good comparisons for a hedgehog.

The quills won't prick you when she's relaxed, but petting a hedgehog is a strange sensation. They feel kind of like fingernails. Daisy likes to take naps with her best friend (above, on right), nestled in the crook of her arm. Big personality in a small package -- as noted by Chu Chen Po.

I hope you enjoyed the cuteness. More Poetry Friday at Marjory's Paper Tigers!