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. 

In Residence: Shoe Odes

Buon giorno a tutti!

I'm dipping my toes into regular life after a whirlwind visit to Rome and Salerno, Italy. While there, I picked up a little of the language, ate a LOT of amazing food, and made friends with poets from all around the world.

Trading books with my friend, the poet
Richard Paa Kofi Botchwey from Ghana.

Special thanks to Michelle Heidenrich Barnes for hosting me at Today's Little Ditty while I was away. Please visit TLD for a summer poetry activity that families can do together, poetry postcards!

Sharing poetry in a community was the best part of the poetry conference for me. And that's what we'll be doing today at Northfield Elementary. This afternoon, the third grade poets will invite visitors and family members to school for a poetry reading and celebration.

The last workshop we did during Northfield's poetry residency was writing odes. (You can read the full lesson at this post.)

The model poem for this lesson is Gary Soto's "Ode to Pablo's Tennis Shoes." Because I like to give younger writers something concrete to write about, we all take off a shoe in order to write this poem. We create a simile for what it looks like (fast animals are great for sneakers), reinforcing the simile skills we used on Day 2. We think about places where we have been or dream of going in our shoes.

Odes are all about tone. Show enough enthusiasm for even a simple object like a shoe, and a poet can convince the reader of the object's value, that it's worthy of attention. That is what Chilean poet Pablo Neruda did with his Odes to Common Things, a book which still influences poets today.

Find it at IndieBound

Here are shoe odes from third grade poets Ilana M., Nicole C., Dylan L., Linnea J., and Ben K. Thanks to the poets and their families for giving me permission to share these odes. I will post more shoe odes later this week.

Ilana M.

Ode to the Shoes

My shoes look as bright as

a shooting star in the midnight sky.

And they smell as minty as my

breath used to be.

When I wear them, they feel

as velvety as a dove’s feathers.

When I walk, the

sound reminds me of my friend knocking

on my door on a summer day.

I go to school in my

shoes, where we learn our knowledge.

They bring fun and joy

to my day, which I can’t

live without.

"The sound reminds me of a friend knocking on my door on a summer day" -- I love the way this line suggests that Ilana's shoes are taking her to a place filled with fun and friendship.

Nicole C.

My Shoe

Oh shoe, you are like nature on a bright

sunny day. You smell like a garbage truck on a

hot summer day and feel like a puffy cloud. You

were with me when I did a front

handspring for the first time. That was a good

moment. If you didn’t travel from Vietnam,

I would have to wear other shoes that are

7 out of 10. In the halls, you sound like a

stealth ninja and deadly silent.

Ninja shoes (called Tabi) for kids!

Dylan L.

Ode to My Shoes

Oh, shoes, I couldn’t live without

you. The bottom looks like a relief

map. It smells like a newly caught

fish wrapped in seaweed. It feels like a

scaly lizard on the outside and

a rubber mat on the inside. When I

run, I’m like a stealth dragon going

100 miles per hour. If I didn’t have

my shoes, I would never be able to

jump 2 ½ foot hurdles and I’d get hurt

a million times a day without my

shoes.

Dylan, that is a vivid smell simile. I can picture it in my mind.

Linnea J.

Ode to My Shoes

Shoes, you are as purple as freshly grown lilacs.

You look as good as new, though you are over a year old.

Your colors is still bright,

And your bottoms are still smoothly patterned.

And you smell like those lilacs too.

You are as quiet as breaking down.

You stop my feet from making noises,

Like squeaking, squelching, bumping, and stomping.

You are smooth and warm inside,

Just like new, unwrinkled cloth that is cushy.

You still have all of your wondrous feelings.

In some places you are as smooth as silk,

And in others,

You are as rough and bumpy as a very old blanket.

In you, I have run and won many races,

And you helped me a lot the whole way.

I’ve gone to fun places,

Like amusement parks and water parks and playgrounds,

And we had fun together the whole time.

I could not live without you because you take me everywhere.

My feet would be sore without you,

And I couldn’t run.

You keep my feet comfortable inside you.

I don’t know what my life would be like without you.

You make me happy.

Great use of onomatopoeia words in Linnea's poem: "squeaking, squelching, bumping, and stomping."

Ben K.

Ode to Ben’s Shoes

My should look like a red devil

And they let me run as fast as a cheetah. My shoe

Feels like a fun trampoline so they

Make me jump high. My shoe sounds

Like the “click” of a teacher

Writing on the chalkboard. Whenever I go

To recess, my shoes are covered in gravel

As if I just climbed a mountain with

No snow. I can’t live without my shoes

Because my shoes are my feet’s

Best friends.

Ben's class especially loved the line, "My shoes are covered in gravel as if I just climbed a mountain with no snow." Can't you picture it?

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

Poetry Friday: Voices Fly

My new book is in!

It has the fabulous title Voices Fly -- so fitting for an anthology of student poetry. The subtitle is a bit more weighty (but important): "Exercises and Poems from the Maryland State Arts Council Artist-in-Residence Program." The Artist-in-Residence program funds my schools visits and those by other Maryland poets and artists.

Fellow MSAC artist-in-residence Virginia Crawford and I have been working on the book for about eighteen months. It includes a foreword by Maryland's Poet Laureate, Stanley Plumly!

When the arts council asked me and Ginny to edit a book of student poetry from the program, we were feeling a little more ambitious. What if we designed the book so that it was more than an anthology? What if we invited Maryland's poets-in-the-schools to share their favorite lessons? This way, teachers could actually use the book to teach more poetry in their classrooms.

Christine Stewart, our wonderful administrator at MSAC, agreed to the plan.

Inside Voices Fly, you'll find eight chapters. Each one features a MSAC poet-in-the-schools describing one of her favorite residency workshops, ranging in age levels from kindergarten through high school. Each workshop is followed by student poems written in response to the lesson. The book includes some back matter -- resources recommended by the eight Artist-in-Residence poets.

There will only be a limited number of copies available from the Maryland State Arts Council. However -- GOOD NEWS! -- MSAC's website will have a PDF of the book. In other words, anyone can download Voices Fly for free and make use of the lessons. The website is www.MSAC.org (be patient, the link may not be up yet).

Today, I am sharing a portion of my chapter on writing odes:

Chapter 6: Simple Odes

Laura Shovan

Upper Elementary through High School

Tone is an elusive concept, yet it crosses over two areas that educators are often required to teach as part of their writing curricula – voice and word choice.

When I began doing school workshops on simple odes, my focus was on use of simile, hyperbole and sensory detail. In working with students, I saw that they also understood the concept of tone as it works in a simple ode.
 

I like to pick up something random in the classroom. It might be a blackboard eraser, a paperclip, or a tissue. Together, the class brainstorms all of the things we can do with that object. We exaggerate -- a good time to introduce hyperbole -- in order to highlight the object’s value. With the eraser, all of our mistakes can disappear. The paperclip is like a secretary for our school work, keeping it organized and making us efficient. The tissue comforts us when we are sick, dries our tears when we are sad.

At this point, we read and discuss Gary Soto’s “Ode to Pablo’s Tennis Shoes.” We look for similes, hyperbole and description.

Elementary children need the structure of a specific prompt, so we all write odes to our shoes. Middle schoolers still need to have something on hand to write about but are ready for more freedom. My students have written odes to their desks, binders, a bookmark, even the EXIT sign over the door.

The key in an ode, as the children quickly pick up, is that we are making a persuasive argument. The words, similes and descriptions we use – the tone of the poem – needs to convince the reader that these sneakers are the best sneakers in the universe. Through tone, simple odes remind readers to stop and pay attention to everyday objects that deserve praise.

I recently did the workshop on odes with a group of fifth graders at Swansfield Elementary. Here are two of their poems. I bent the rules about having something on hand for Fahd, because he was itching with enthusiasm to write this ode:

Ode to Firefighter

by Fahd K.

Strong and brave

Fights fire with

Cool water

Gallons and gallons

of water coming

from a hose

like a black snake

A big, hard helmet

protects a face

mighty like a god

of fire

Happy as a winner

for saved children

Tired, happy, good

Back to the

fire station.

Tyler understood that odes can easily go from praising an object to over-the-top rhapsodizing. I love his sense of humor in this simple ode:

Ode to My Pants

by Tyler D.

Dear Pants

Thank you for

Protecting

my legs and

knees from

scrapes on the

sidewalk.

You protect

me like armor

in a war and

steel on a vault.

And for giving

me good style!

Pants you

have the

Biggest meaning

on my body.

I hope you'll all stop at the Maryland State Arts Council website and download a copy of Voices Fly for your classroom or your library. Thanks to Swansfield E. S. and the poets' families for allowing me to share the students' work.

Carol at Carol's Corner is hosting Poetry Friday today. Please stop by Carol's blog for more poetry news and reviews.

Poetry Friday: "Don't Go There" Odes

Happy Poetry Friday, Friends! I've got something for your high schoolers this week. It's not elementary-friendly.

I missed last week, but I have a doctor's note for the teacher.

It turns out that the pain on my lower right side is not a wonky appendix, but an ovarian cyst. I felt so ridiculous being gurney-wheeled past the ER nurse's station that I had to give them my best QEII Royal Wave. The nurses thought I had been given too much morphine. "No," I said, "I'm just naturally funny."

Little known fact: My middle name is Elizabeth, after the Queen.

There has been a trend in Poetryville over the last few years. I call it "Don't Go There" Odes. The trend has its roots in Pablo Neruda's Odes to Common Things -- socks, a tomato for lunch, laziness.

Lately, poets are taking the simple things to mean "things we don't like to talk about." At the last few Dodge Poetry Festivals, I have heard odes to television (Robert Pinsky), pork (Kevin Young), and toilets (Sharon Olds with a nod, I think, to Ferlinghetti's poem "Underwear").

Like an overbooked radiology lab, the Internet would not give up any information about ovarian odes. Nothing about blisters growing on that little jellyfish-head looking thingy on your insides. (Side note: my doc drew a lovely picture of the uterus and ovaries for me. It resembled an elephant wearing ovary earrings.)

The next best thing to an ovarian ode is Sharon Olds' "Ode to a Tampon." I happened to be at the Dodge Festival for this reading. You'll see her toilet ode first. Be prepared for some toilet-appropriate four-letter words. Or you can skip ahead to about 3:02 for "Ode to a Tampon." I've got a prompt after the video, so stay put!



WRITING PROMPT (HS and up):


So, brave educators. Do you dare to go there with your high schoolers? Pablo Neruda used the ode form -- not to write about grand emotions like love, or monuments (isn't there an ode to limestone) or Grecian Urns -- but to draw our attention to everyday things.

The natural next step in the life of this form is to draw our attention to so-called unmentionables and show why they are worth mentioning, even celebrating. (Odes are a great place to practice hyperbole, BTW.)

In these poems, television is a channel (!) to the past and a window to memory, we can talk about where meat comes from and why we love it, toilets and tampons -- where would we be without them?

I challenge you to write a "Don't Go There" Ode today. Maybe my cysty ovary and I will join you.

Myra at Gathering Books is our host today. Do go there, to Gathering Books, for more Poetry Friday.