As promised, here are some of my students’ poetry inspired by Lee Bennett Hopkins’ City I Love. (For more details, check out this previous post.)
Even before pulling out City I Love, I launched the idea of writing about place by reading All the Places to Love by Patricia MacLachlan and Where Am I From by Yamile Saied Mendez. Students then created heart maps of the places they love (ala Georgia Heard). By this time students were excited about the places they love, eager to tell each other and me all about them. But instead of diving right into the writing, I asked students to “map” themselves. I tried to keep this direction pretty broad, letting students take it in any direction they wanted. These watercolor and black sharpie marker masterpieces are the result!
This map is a wonderful map creature by H.
And his poem:
Morro Rock I love
Looking at the dormant volcano
The fish swarm in the water
The sound of the sea gulls
The smell of the salty sea.
Casting a line
Getting the bait
catching the fish.
It’s just sitting in place
Day after day
Year after year
For hundred of years.
Walking on the beach
looking at the fish and crabs
and looking at the ocean scenery
Sitting on a dock waiting for a fish
like waiting for a train.
And a pineapple map by I.
And her poem about a very special bench that honors her grandmother:
The Bench I Love
On the bench I sit at
Bench I love
I watch the flowers flowers flow
As the birds glide slow as they pass by their home
Through the palm tree garden I go
Past the great sun’s glow
On the bench I sit at
Bench I love
I sit down and watch the tide curl
Up & down it will go
On the bench I sit at
bench I love
The breeze flies past my hair
And chases the ocean’s salty waves
On the bench I sit at
bench I love
I sit down and inhale
Look up and exhale
And a horse map by S.
Accompanied by a barn poem:
Barn I Love
Barn I go to
barn I love.
Horse smelling wonder beyond city.
Gallops of emotion. Races of hearts.
Barn I go to
barn I love.
Each morning a sweet smell of hay .
Each night a thankful nay.
Barn I go to
barn I love.
Morning wet covers the arena.
Full of playful horses running.
Barn I go to
barn I love.
Stardust black mares galloping in the cold moon.
Sunset colored butterflies leave at the end of the day.
I told my students that I would use my blog to amplify their voices (our vocabulary word from last week!). I know they will appreciate your comments. And know that these are just a glimpse of what my students created as they thought about the places and activities that matter to them.
How are you celebrating writing in your classroom, in your home, in your life? #writeout
Thinking Through My Lens 