About Hands on Stanzas

Hands on Stanzas, the educational outreach program of the Poetry Center of Chicago places professional, teaching Poets in residence at Chicago Public Schools across the city. Poets teach the reading, discussion, and writing of poetry to 3 classes over the course of 20 classroom visits, typically from October through April. Students improve their reading, writing, and public speaking skills, and participating teachers report improved motivation and academic confidence. You can contact Cassie Sparkman, Director of the Hands on Stanzas program, by phone: 312.629.1665 or by email: csparkman(at)poetrycenter.org for more information.

Saturday, May 24, 2008

Summer Break

My 2007-2008 residence at Luther Burbank is now over so there will be no more posts on the blog for the summer. Check back in the Fall for a new year of poetry to begin.

May 16 & 23 Hybrid Animal Odes

In our final two weeks I brought in a project borrowed from fellow Poet in Residence Eric Elshtain. In the first week the students were given various pictures of animal sketches from which they cut up parts of the animals and pasted them together to create completely new creatures. In the second week we looked at John Keats's poem "Ode to a Nightingale" and discussed what an ode's relationship is to its subject. I then had them bring their new creatures out and write odes to their creations. I hope you enjoy imagining their creatures!

Mr. Stasiak

Ode to Fishbunny

Edgar T.

Oh, the fishbunny, who could swim fast
and jump fast. It’s eyes that can
see far distances from him.
It finds carrots and worms for its hunger.


Ode to Ribattri
by Ambrielle P.

You fly, you run, and you screech.
You eat interesting things like meat, bugs
and other things.
You have the habbits of a tiger, bat and rhino.
Your name is Ribattri.



Ode to Bertafly
by Justin V.

A cannibal searching the jungle for food.
The Bertafly
it will eat anything.
A bear’s face
A turtle’s body
Butterfly wings.
It could fly
go after its prey any time.
Lifes in the jungle
eats fish
Never leaves the jungle.

Ms. Mays

Oh Butterfishfrog

by Carmen S.

Oh Betterfishfrog
ho coud you do
all that swimming

You could swim
all around the
pond you could
search all your food

How could you
hop and hop
all around

You could
fly like birds
You are
an expert

You are born
to be an
expert doing
what you do.


Tibatbearhy Fish

By Ismael O.

Oh Tibatbearhy Fish I like
how strong you are. You could
break a tree with your big
pointy horns. With your big rhino head.
With your big soft body you
could run as fast as a car
can go. With your tiger body.
You can swim as fast as a
submarine could go. WIth your tail
fish. You could fly higher
thatn a jet can. With your bat wings
you could get tired so fast
with the tongue of a bear.
That’s why I like Tibatbearhy Fish.

Ode to Tirhino
by Jovanny O.
Oh! Tirhino, how you hunt for
other animals to eat. You have the
head of a rhino and the body
of a tiger. You have the power
to kill with your horns and
the power to run fast and
attack wth your claws. You also
have the power to communicate
with other tigers and rhinos.
Oh Tirhino how you hunt for food.

Ms. Jaurgue

Ode to the Tigersnakerab

by Anthony M.

Oh Tigersnakerab I
like the way your
ears can her so you can
not get hit by a car
and run if someone
tries to take you.

Oh Tigersnakerab I like
the way your neck can
stretch long to bite
the perfect
meal Oh Tigersnakerab.
I like the way your
tail can grab stuff and
bring it to me and grab
stuff.

Oh Tigersnakerab I like
how your fur is so
soft.

Brat

by Husna A.

Oh brat, how nice
of you to have a
pointy nose to protect
yourself froim your
enemies. How helpful of
you to have wings to
give bugs rides. Your eyes
have double eyesight and
your wonderful legs to eat
your food with.


The Bruni with the Beetifly
by Rafael V.

The Bruni walks around will
he jump when he saw the great
beetifly flying here and there.

The beetifly has seen them
all. Will it fly? It sees how
two of the Bruni on the ground
when the Beetifly fly away.

When they’re both playing together
their playing pingball where the
Beetifly is the ball and the Bruni
hand is the big stick.

Thursday, May 15, 2008

May 9 Collaboration

This week I brought the students a poem called "A Small Park" by Joshua Beckman and Matthew Rohrer from their collaborative book Nice Hat. Thanks.. We discussed the value of working with another person to create poems and I explained the process of Beckman and Rohrer writing lines back and forth. I then gave a first line to one student in each group of desks, asked them to write the next line, then pass the paper around the group, each of them writing one line at a time. Here is the result of their efforts.

Ms. Mays

Unknown Creatures
by Jocelyn C., Jorge S., and Adalyz M.

Deep beneath the bridge
There is water with different creatures
Different creatures that are unknown.
Unknown creatures flow in the big water.

The Crash
by Richard D., Maria G., Jovanny O., and Taneisha G.

He heard a crash
by a park
There are flowers
And there are lots of trees
There are lots of kids.

From My Bed to the Floor
by Yesenia J., Giovanni S., Carmen S., Ismael O., and Alicia H.

Beside the dry creek bed
The cold air from my window
Hitting my face
Falling down the bed
The same way it starts to rain
Nobody knows

The Floating Flower
by Miguel O., Daisy M., Oscar P., Ruby T., Joey B., and Yahaira C.

The lake needs friends
The lake needs flowers
The lake needs love
Flowers bloom in the air.
And daisies float in the air.
As the daisy floats away it looks like a small bug.
And the small bug looks like a daisy going away
because it is scared.

The Abandoned Building
by Felicia D., Fernando P., Elizabeth P., and Pablo R.

Beyond the distracted building
the building is old
Who lived in the building?
An old man with a cat.
Also, with his old wife.

Seasons
by Itzel F. Andrew R., and Kimberly S.

The june bugs return
to summer and play
And spring to play
with happiness and cheer.

No one looks the same to each other
by Alex S., Michael A., Brenda B., and Yadira A.

Why does everyone look different?
They look different because they didn’t want to be the same.
They don’t want to be the same cause they want to be different.
They want to be different so they don’t get mixed up with each other.
But at the end they’re the same inside but not outside.


Mr. Stasiak

[Deep Beneath the Bridge]
by Dominique P., Nicholas R., Arely G., Allen B., Natalie C.

Deep beneath the bridge
the river runs through the bridge
then meets up with the lake
see the lake and animals.
And eat under the trees and ride on a horse
eat a candy with water.

[We had a good idea]
by
Pedro G., Oscar C., Justin V., and Dylan A.

We had a good idea
we went to the zoo
we saw a lion and a cheetah
they ran with tremendous speed
By only one winner


[I was cleaning]
by Jamilah Z., Daniel G., Nancy V., Eric C., and Diane T.

I was cleaning
and found something amazing
It was something cool to see.
It was really bright like a diamond shining bright.
Day light dark bright I see a cool sight
the night sky with bright stars the sun so bright just like a big bright star.

[No one remembers]
by Jorge S., Maria U., Edgar T., Yasmine M., and David J.

No one remembers
The little trees that grow in the park.
The trees and the park disappear in the day and in the night
as the dog looked for the park in the night
he finds a bone
It was an ancient dinosaur bone.


[The wind blew the door open]
by Ambrielle P., Andrea M., Jessica N., Alan F.

the wind blew the door open
then the wind pushed too hard and opened the windows
papers flew into the air
and with the graceful wind it made a rustling noise
also the flowers blew into the ground.

[there are two kinds of people]
by Jeremiah E., Luis O., and Alex O.

there are two kinds of people
one loving, one not
the caring and sharing of what the parents have taught
one loves and not one


Ms. Jaurigue

In the lonely field
by Patrick T., Maria B., Ivan P., Tania B., Deivies R.

The june bugs return
Spring is coming again
with those pretty flowers
comes a yellow sunshine
Then the park disappears
In the lonely field


The picure of joy
by Amber A., Leo B., Elizabeth R. , Raul D.

The picture of baby
is the cutest picture
I’ve ever seen.
It reminds me of my baby cousin.
They look just alike.
They are so twins.

The Crash of Group 1
Jonathan S., Julian S., Karina B., Fatima T., Alfredo R., Yesenia S.

He heard a crash
At the corner of the street
The sound was so hard it
made people deaf.
Which made them all want to eat.
And made every living thing deaf come alive
Then people don’t know what people are saying.

It could be a problem.

Looking for the bell
by Leticia R., Alex B., and Jasmine R.

The police have come
what should we do he is going to get us.
We should go and hide somewhere else.
Let’s go hide behind a big bell.
But where is the big bell?
We don’t know, we should find it.
It is behind us.


The amazing displayed building
by Husna A., Isabel P., Rafael V., Anthony M., Celena B.

Beyond the distracted building
comes a crowd of people
screaming out loud to see a display
hearing out loud she saw the new display
seeing the display, she said “cool”
but she got mad.

Friends Are Gold
by Antonio R., Stephanie M., Miriam H., Lucy T., and Alberto R.

The lake needs friends
Friends are gold
Friends will be with you until you grow old.
Friends are always there for you
When you need someone to talk to.
So lets hang out lets go play
it’s a beautiful day.

Monday, April 28, 2008

April 25 Cross-outs

Picking up where we left off in writing new poems we came back to the idea of working from existing texts. I brought in Jen Bervin's net 97 (a cross-out of Shakespeare's Sonnet 97). We discussed how Bervin may have made poetic choices in deciding which words she selects for her new poem. We did some examples on the board where together the students chose which words we would cross out and which we would leave. I then gave the students various poems from William Blake's Songs of Experience and Songs of Innocence and they created new original poems by crossing out parts of Blake's. Despite working with the same poems, the students all came up with very different work themselves. Here's a sampling of what they did:

Ms. Mays

Burning Bright
by Daisy M.

1.
Burning bright
Of the night
What immortal hand or eye

2.
What distant deeps or skies
Burnt the fire of thine
What wings dare he aspire
The hand dare seize the fire.


Such a Flower
by Brenda B.

Such a flower
I’ve a pretty rose tree
I passed the sweet flower o’er

I went to my pretty rose
tree turned away with
jealousy, her thorns were
my only delight


The Rhyming Fly
by Ruby T.

Thy summer’s play
Has brushed away
A fly like thee?
A man like me?
Shall brush my wing.


Untitled
by Yahaira C.

Weary of time
the step of the
sun
sweet golden clime
journey is done

away with desire
shrouded in snow
from their graves
sunflower wishes
to go!


Mr. Stasiak

The Sick Rose
by Andrea M.

Rose that flies in the night
Has found out thy bed and
his dark secret love.

The Sun’s Journey to My Wishes

by Maria U.

Time of the sun that sweet golden
journey is done. Arise where my
wishes go.

Thee Sick Rose
by Oscar C.

O Rose, sick! invisible worm that flies in the
howling storm, Has found out crimson Joy
for a place to stay, shall not leave place
for its crimson Joy Shall enjoy it, O Rose get
better soon, Also if dark secret of love will
destroy its life, Before soon the rose holds its
peace.


Ms. Jaurigue

The Sick Roseby Dievies R.

O Rose
invisible
in the night
storm

has found
his dark secret.

Sunflower
by Maria B.

Sunflower weary of time
Seeking after the sweet golden clime
where the travelers journey is done;
Arise from their graves and aspire
where my sunflower wishes to go!

Sunflower!
by Miriam H.

Sunflower weary of time
The steps of the sun,
After that sweet golden clime
The travelers journey is done

The youth pined away,
The pale virgin in snow,
Where my sunflower wishes
to go!

The Fly
by Leticia R.

Little Fly,
plays
thoughtless
brushed away.

Am not I
A fly
not
A man like me?

I dance
drink and sing,
some
brush my wing.

Thought is
strength
want
of thought is death;
Am I a happy fly,
If I live,
Or if I die.


The Rose
by Elizabeth R.

O Rose, thou art sick!
Invisible night howling,
crimson joy, dark secret
destroyed

Special project weeks 15-16, March 28 & April 18

In week 15 I brought broadsides that I have collected in the past few years and talked about how each features a single poem. I talked to the students about how each one has visual art inspired by the words, images and ideas of the poem. I then had the students go through their work from this year and find their favorite or best poem. Next I had them closely read the poem and decide what kind of imagery they could use to complement their language and had them sketch some ideas. In the mean time I went around the room discussing with each what color of paper they feel would best suit their work and distributed the paper.

In week 16 we continued the broadside project and I briefly reminded them where we began so they could get to work. I reminded them to neatly write their poem on their paper and then incorporate the images they sketched. Some used literal imagery, others used designs, and some included borders. All in all they turned out wonderfully. They will be put on display in the classrooms, featured in the student's annual portfolios and some will also be featured at parent's night.












March 14 Newspaper Cut-ups

This week I borrowed a lesson from Danielle Aquiline, fellow poet in residence. In this assignment we examined the poem "Rock Singer Dies Onstage After Acrobatic Leap Gone Wrong" by Christine DeSimone. We discussed how the title of the poem was taken from a newspaper headline and then looked closely at the language to discover what parts might have been lifted from the article itself. Additionally we talked about how one might use an existing text to spur an original idea for narrative. Here is a sampling of what they wrote:

Ms. Jaurigue

Fresh Kills
Elizabeth P.

They are the young guns and at the end of
a winter they spent showing off their skills they
are all the rage. But why do they call themself
“fresh kills?” How are they special?

The Three Piggies Move Out
Ivan P.

The three not
so little piggies
move out of a
center.

A woman moves out of her $3.3 million colonial-
style mansion
because of financial
problems.

The reason
the piggies moved
out of the center
was because

they were noisy
smelly and dangerous.

Retro Rap
Karina B.

Cool kids say “You
judging me dawg?
You shop at the mall?”

They are too slow and
they have steady flows
and their beat that
doesn’t sound nice.

Fat boys, Run DMC, a Tribe
Called Quest, De la Soul, EPMD,
and 2-Live Crew walked the earth
pretty cool, huh?

But, for now they remain one
of the more promising groups
that emerge.


Mr. Stasiak

Good-Bye Wolves
by Kashmere J.

These beautiful
dogs will no longer be
protected.
Why are they becoming
extinct now? I mean
they have been protected
since 1973.
Hunters are now able
to hunt wolves it’s not
right.
Can we afford extinction
with wolves, global warming
is already happening!


**
Andrea M.

Two rival groups in Kenya reached an important
peace agreement, why rival, when thy lord
brought natural peace in the world in Feb-
ruary after more than 1,500 people were killed
in violence when the love can surround the
air all day every day.


Peace Signs Birthday
Edgar T.

Oh peace sign, peace sign, turned out to
be 50 years old.

The peace was out February 21, developed by a
British man.

His name was Gerald Holton. He designed
this flag with the combination

of the letters N and D (nuclear disarmament)

Peace sign, peace sign, it’s your birthday
you were used in protest against

weapons and spread around the world.


Ms. Mays

Where is the Money?
Alicia H.

What would it be like if you
were born and lived someplace
else in the world?

Half of the world’s population,
3 billion people, are considered
poor.

How much do you need to be
among the world’s wealthiest?

They might even be very poor.

There is great inequality in
wealth and resources in the
world.


Shooting Satellites
Richard D.

Their are spy that
use spy satellites but
we saw that so we
were shooting it down
with a missile and bombs.
Then it was destroyed.
Now we will get better
weapons to keep so we
destroyed many evil
things.

What’s in that bottle?
Joey B.

Given that reality, it might seem like a
good idea to hit the bottle--as in bottled water--
instead.

The bottle had its own standards but the
bottled has its own thing to do.

But there’s a catch, the federal standards
for acceptable levels.

Thursday, March 27, 2008

February 29 Alphabets & Acrostics

Still experimenting with generative practices I took in "Alphabet" by Lisa Fishman. The students really enjoyed this one and they knew right away where we were going for the day. I challenged them to write Abecedarian poems and take the alphabet as far as they could. Some of the students also used this method to write acrostics. These are some of the pieces they put together.

Ms. Mays

K.I.M.B.E.R.L.Y.
by Kimberly S.

Kite flying in the park
In the hot burning sun
Making a loop-te-loop with my kite
Burning in the heat
Entertaining myself, lonely and hot
Requesting and wishing I had ice cream
Looking at the sky I see the day has ended.
Yanking and wondering will I come tomorrow.


A.L.I.E.N.S.
by Andrew R.

Aliens
Like
Igloos
Even
Near
Snoring men.


Acrostics
by Yadira A.

Yogurts
Are
Delicious like
Ice-cream and a lion likes and
Roars like an
Animal


Mr. Stasiak


Alphabet

by Dominique P.

Apple
Ball
Car
Dominique
Fat
Great
Hat
Ice Cream
Jump
Kangaroo
Leap
Money
Natalie
Oppose
Park
Queen
Rat
Snake
T.V.
Us
Vail
Way
Xylophone
You
Zoo


Flowers
by Destiny D.
Apples are red
Blossoms are white
Colorful colors
Destined to be bright
Every
Flower is pretty forever they stand
Growing in large fields and
High lands.
I adore them
Just the way they are
Kind of like the way people like people for who they are.
Lillies are white and many colors too
My favorite color is aqua and blue.
Nothing can stop me from liking flowers
Open your heart and you’ll see my colors.
Probably you might not listen when I
Question as you stare but
Remember without flowers your life is bare.
So listen
To your life and your dreams you will
Understand just wait and see.
Violets are pretty even when the
Wind blows them.
X-cited as I am.
You might not like flowers and colors but you might like animals so try going to the
Zoo. I’m pretty sure you’ll like it too.


Alphabet
by Jamilah Z.

Apples are red rubies are too
Blue is a beautiful color as
Cats are too. Guess what?
Dogs are my favorite as
Eagles are not. Skinny is my type but
Fat isn’t. I think I’ll go lay on the
Grass in my backyard. It
Hails outside it looks so cold as
Icicles do too.
Jamilah is my name as Zayas is my last.
Killing is a bad thing for everyone to learn.
LOL means laugh out loud
Marie is my middle name and I have a
Nintendo Wii.
Outside feels cold I should go inside
Puppy Labradors are so adorable
Quiet they’re sleeping.
R you excited? Let’s go
Skateboard.
Tinkerbell is a girl as
Underdog is a movie
Very quiet they’re still sleeping
Wait, I’m not done.
X-rays are cool looking.
Yippy I’m going to sleep.
Zzzzzz

Peace and War
by Allen B.

Peace
East to West
Across half the world we know
Came good not
Evil
At the other side
Came not good, but hate and evil.
Death and fright
Was the only thing people saw
And to this day
Rage and hate still lives on.

Ms Jaurigue

ABC poem
by Isabel P.

After night
Blossoms rise
Children come out and play
Dogs and cats are put away
Every parent is put in bed
Friends but just like family
Girls and boys don’t get along
He never listens he never plays
Imagine the day he plays
Just think of it as a dream
Kites flying in the sky
Lots of love is what he needs
Moms need to just listen
Never sees never plays
Openers they will have to use
Parents waiting for their son. . .

My Cousin
by Dievies R.

After allergic reactions itching starts to happen
but people feel bad that my cousin is in the bed.
Crying was from family and some from friends.
Dead with no heartbeat, pale and still.
Everybody comes and goes it’s just the way it flows.
For years and years we loved you but we have to let you go.
I guess so.

My name

by Amber A.

Amber
Member
Blossom
Early
Remember

Jack-o-lantern
by Jonathan S.

Jack-o-lanterns
on sidewalks do
not walk
as monkeys
together like
Homer
and Stewie
need milk.

February 22

This week I took in one of my own poems which was published in MiPoesias last summer. It is a list poem titled "Toys." After reading this together I challenged the students to write their own list poems and exhaust their subject. Here's what they came up with.



Ms. Mays



Wrestlers I know
by Kimberly S.

Rey Mysterio
Eddie Guerrero
Batista
Undertaker
Kane
Big Show
Kurt Angle
Benoit
Jamie Noble
Chuck Polumbo
Chris Masters
Gregory Helms
Vickie Guerrero
Edge
CM Punk
Sandman
John Morrison
Mizz
Hardcore Holly
Cody Rhodes
Dusty Rhodes
Jerry the King Lawler
Tazz
Tommy Dreamer
Terry Funk
Lita
Torrie Wilson
Trish Stratus

The Best Games
Jovanny O.

San Andreas
Fight Night
Resident Evil
Super Mario
The Club
Bully

Scarface
Pinball
Tony Hawk’s Project 8
Lego Star Wars the game
Transformers the game
Need for Speed Most Wanted
Need for Speed Caribbean
Madden NFL 2008
NBA Live 2003
Spiderman
Spiderman 2
Spiderman 3
The Sims
Mortal Kombat
Smackdown vs. Raw 2008

Colors
by Jocelyn C.

Pink, blueberry,
Purple, peach,
Blue, melon,
Red, light green,
Green, dark blue,
Yellow, Strawberry red,
White, dark pink,
Black, Dark green,
Gray, Cherry,
Gold, Ocean,
Sea green,
Orange,
Brown,
Silver,
Baby blue,
turquoise
Yellow green,
Navy Blue,
Lavender,
Yellow orange,
dandelion,
Sky blue,
Red orange,
Orchid



Mr. Staskiak

Shoes
by Natalie C.

Nike
Heelies
Puma
Jordans
Converse All Stars
Boat
Reebok
Baby Phat
Phat Farm
K-Swiss
Timberland
Shag
South Pole
Skechers
Air Force Ones
2-pac
High Heads
Filas
Flat
Daddy ankee
High tops
Flip Flops
Sandals
Puerto Rican
Rock Star

Birds
by Daniel G.

Blue Jay
Raven
Sparrows
Eagle
Flamingo
Condor
Falcon
Owl
Ostrich
Penguin
Cardinal
Mallard
Quail
Pigeon
Woodpecker
Robin
Peacock
Toucan
Parrot

Baseball and Football Teams
by Nicholas R.

Cubs, Bears, A's Chargers, Angels, Patriots, Blue Jays, Packers, Astros, Giants, Indians, Texans, Yankees, Jets, Mets, Bengals, Cardinals, Panthers, Nationals, Jaguars, Red Sox, and Ravens.




Ms. Jaurigue

Games
by Alberto R.

Halo 3, Godfather 2,
Halo 2, Mario Brothers,
Devil May Cry 4, Paintball,
Congo live and reload King Kong game
08 Football, Zelda,
08 Basketball,
Halo 1
Fantastic 4
Starwars Lego
Blackhawk down the game
Black
07 Basketball
07 Football
Mortal Kombat
Hitman
Monopoly
Connect Four
Battleship
Clue
Sorry
Scrabble
Chess
Checkers

What I like
by Amber A.

My Movies: Cinderella, Man on Fire, Finding Nemo, The Eye, Cars, Charlotte’s Web.

My games: Speed, Monopoly, Sorry, Life, Rome, Uno.

My Toys: Bratz, Barbies, Hotwheels, Baby dolls, My little pony, Cheekers.

My T.V. shows: One on One, Half and Half, Martin

Name Brands: Phat Farm, Baby Phat, Chanel, Gucci, XOXO, Ecko, Sean John, Roca Wear.

Animals: Monkey, Dogs, Cats, Snakes


Movies
by Anthony M.

Epic Movie, Date Movie, Meet the Spartans, 300.

King Kong, ET, Curious George.

Step up, The Longest Yard, Stomp the Yard.

Dejavu, Constantine, Hostel 2, Wicker Park.

Star Wars, Ghostbusters, Cars, Spiderman, Last Day of Summer, Charlotte’s Web, Alvin and the Chipmunks.

Norbit, Superman.

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

February 15

This week I brought in Alice Notley's "I miss dinosaurs." We first discussed why Notley might be missing the various things she listed. From there we talked about litanies and discussed the value of repeated phrases in poetry. The students then took up the challenge of creating their own litanies and this is what they came up with:

Ms. Mays

I love
by Elizabeth P.

I love coming to school and hearing Ms. Mays
I love smelling the chiles rellenos my Mom makes.
I love remembering my sisters when they were 2 months.
I love playing with my sisters, Yasmin and Yesenia.
I love remembering my Grandmother.
I love my family.
I love my Mom.
I love hearing my favorite song Solo por un beso.
I love playing with my friends.
I love when there are block parties on my block.
I love bachata.
I love Spring.
I love smelling flowers.
I love remembering Mexico.
I love music, only Reggaeton.


I Miss
by Richard D.

I miss seeing wolves in Iowa.
I miss playing with my PSP.
I miss my old school in Iowa.
I miss my pet fish.
I miss hearing my mp3s.
I miss my old friends.
I miss my old house.
I miss my grandmother.
I miss playing with my cousins.
I miss going to the park.
I miss playing with my kite.
I miss my cousins in Iowa.
I miss visiting a ranch.
I miss riding a horse.
I miss swimming in a pool.


I like
Miguel O.

I like to play soccer.
I like to be smart.
I like to eat a lot of fruit.
I like to play my DS.
I like to read Diary of a Wimpy Kid.
I like to run a lot.
I like to watch The Simpsons.
I like to behave good.
I like to be clean all the time.
I like to get good grades like an A.
I like to play my gamecube.
I like to ride my skateboard.
I like to help other people.
I like to sleep a lot.
I like to read jokes.


Ms. Jaurigue


[I will do my homework]
by Julian S.

I will do my homework.
I will go to Mexico.
I will see a movie.
I will not drop out.
I will always play my video games.
I will be more patient.
I will play soccer.
I will eat pizza.
I will watch tv.
I will come to school every day.
I will go to the doctor.
I will get a pet.
I will play with my cousins.
I will take my pet to the veterinarian.
I will take good care of my pet.
I will always love my pet.
I will go to my friend’s house.
I will go to my cousin’s house.
I will not stop playing.
I will join the soccer team.
I will go to the movie theater.
I will eat more vegetables.
I will not bother my cousins.
I will go to a sleepover.
I will go to the zoo.
I will go to the aquarium.
I will visit my family.
I will be a good friend.
I will be rich.
I will get a mansion.
I will get a good job.
I will get a Ferrari.
I will get a Cadilac.
I will see a basketball game.
I will see a scary movie.

I love my mom.
by Tania B.

I love my mom.
I love my aunt.
I love my dad.
I love my bunny.
I love my games.
I love my earings.
I love my cousins.
I love my grandma.
I love my grandpa.
I love to color.
I love my computer.
I love my milk.
I love my glasses.
I love my music.
I love to write.


I remember all the cool stuff

by Alex B.

I remember WWF.
I remember the old school rap and hip-hop.
I remember my childhood.
I remember my pitbull.
I remember when Diego Corrales died.
I remember my old games.
I remember when my cousin made a guy mad.
I remember when Jeff Hardy beat Matt Hardy.
I remember the Raiders.
I remember Tupac.
I remember the hardcore life.
I remember the tough times.
I remember when Rey Mysterio went to ECW.
I remember when I lived in California.
I remember my first medal.



Mr. Stasiak.

I remember anything

by Erik C.

I remember having fun in a park.
I remember going to the movie
I remember having fun with my parents
I remember doing fun stuff in winter.
I remember doing something with my parents on holidays.
I remember having fun in school.
I remember doing my homework.
I remember doing my chores.
I remember having a great house.
I remember doing great activities in school.
I remember having something big.
I remember wanting to go to a big state.

I will

by David J.

I will walk to school.
I will walk to the big truck.
I will listen to music.
I will go outside and play basketball.
I will walk to my classroom.
I will use the bathroom.
I will do my homework.
I will play on my computer.
I will play my game.
I will play in the snow.
I will eat my food.
I will go to my grandfather’s house.
I will walk home.
I will put on my shoes.
I will put my books in my bookbag.
I will listen to the hard-working teacher.
I will put my brown hat on.
I will finish this test.
I will take out a blue piece of paper.
I will go to my friend’s house.


I miss playing games

by Alan F.

I miss going outside to play.
I miss playing snowfight.
I miss playing games.
I miss riding bikes.
I miss my parents during the day.
I miss my uncle Franky.
I miss goin to Mexico.
I miss playing board games with my family.
I miss playing soccer outside.
I miss playing basketball with my uncles.
I miss playing with my gameboy.
I miss playing bloody knuckes with my uncle Franky.
I miss drawing pictures.
I miss playing football with my dad.
I miss my dog, Magic.

Thursday, February 21, 2008

February 8

Mr Stasiak

[From my bed I see a pet over]

by Jorge S.

From my bed I see a pet over
there looking for food and shelter it needs to
survive and live. I help him and
from my head I think he is good.



Mysterious
by Edgar T.

From my bed I see my dog barking at the wind.

From my head I think of it as my friend.

I think of my soul to make it last.



[from my bed I see. . . dark clouds]

by Kashmere J.

from my bed I see. . . dark clouds
out my window
from my head I think it is a warning
for people to stay close.


Ms. Mays


[From my bed I see. . . somebody come]
Jonathan A.

From my bed I see. . . somebody come
from the hall.
From my head
somebody.
I think of “friend” to make it last.


[From my bed I see my]

by Alex S.

From my bed I see my
Campi, Sertha.

From my head I see a kangaroo jumping.

I think of room to make it last.


[from my bed I see my tv and]

by Pablo R.

from my bed I see my tv and
my brother sleeping by me

from my head I see a wall and my
hair on top of me.

I think of me playing a game to make
it last.


Ms. Jaurigue

Waterfall

by Alberto R.

From my bed I see my turtles
filter.

From my head I see a cup pouring
water.

I think of a waterfall.


From My Bed I See the Games

by Antonio R.

From my bed I see
the game on my
bed.

From my head I
see all the various
games fallen from
my bed.

I think of my
favorite game playing
all day down
in my universe.


Snow

by Celena B.

From my bed I see snow.

From my head I see snow from
my window that looks like sparkles.

I think of snow to play in
for life.

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

January 25

This week I took in a project borrowed from fellow Poet in Residence, Parry Rigney. This week's workshop began with a discussion about food and memory. We then moved on to the poem "From Blossoms" by Li-Young Lee. After reading the poem and discussing further the connection between food, the senses and memory the students went on to create their own poems.

Ms. Mays


Tacos

by Jocelyn C.

O, the great smell of tacos
how they look and how they smell.
With chicken inside a tortilla.
When you cook them you put cheese
and something else on top.
Then you eat and reminds me of my mom.

It reminds me of mom because she
cooks them. And taste so sweet and
great. They are great to eat. They are
great for parties too. Everything



Pizza
by Taneisha G.

Pizza it reminds me of Home Run Inn.
They have the best pizza in the whole world.
They make it so good. They
always have the right stuff.
That is what pizza reminds
me of. Pizza also
reminds me of my sister and everyone
in my family. That
is what pizza reminds me of.



From Pizza

by Andrew R.

From pizza comes
my friend each
hour or time I see
him eating pizza.

And mostly all the
time I call him
the pizza king.

Pizza reminds me of
my friend because he
eats pizza all the time.

Poem
by Michael A.
Pig reminds me of Puerto Rico
when I was in Puerto Rico
last year and ate pig with
mean in the pig. I cut it
with the knife and the
spoon in the bar cooking pig
cooking sauce in pig.


Mr. Stasiak

Memory Food

by Destiny D.

1.
The sandwich we eat with anything
you like tastes so good. The bread might
be hard but really soft like my dad.

2.
The donut we eat that’s sometimes
sweet is like my grandma.

3.
This person is a friend when I see
apples it reminds me of him, my teacher,
Mr. Stasiak.

4.
The yellow banana reminds
me of Edwin my cousin and my friend.


Chenas
by Natalie C.

Chena reminds me of my family in
Puerto Rico.
How I met half of my family.
The chena looks like my orange.
It is juicy and it tastes better than an orange.
I could eat chenas all day.


My sister Zittaly and the Oatmeal

by Karina B.

Zittaly, Zittaly what are you doing?
Why do you keep throwing oatmeal
at my face? Why won’t you stop? Why
won’t you throw it at our brother even
though he is older? Throw it at
someone else excepte me. That is why
every time when you are sleeping
mom makes oatmeal and it reminds me
of you.


Ms. Jaurigue

Tamales
by Rafael V.

Tamales remind me of
me and my family.
It reminds me of them
because we all make them.

My mom and sisters make
the masa and my dad, brother,
and I get the meat to make
the tamales.

When my family and I do them
we use our senses. When we get
hungry we touch to feel it.

Before we touch we use our sight
when we eat it, I could hear the
sound of the tamales.

Oranges
by Yesenia S.

Oranges taste juicy and good.
The oranges smell good and yummy.
Oranges feel squishy and soft.
They sound squishy and poppy in
your mouth.

I see in the oranges their seeds
and juice in the oranges.
The oranges are good and yummy
I wish I could eat them again today
at night.


Tacos and Chicken and Poems

by Leonardo B.

Tacos remind me about
my Grandma and Grandpa
because my Grandparents
make them. It’s so good
I wish my room was
full of tacos. And Chicken
reminds me about my
Aunt. It is good too and I
wish my Grandpa’s car was
made out of chicken but
that won’t come true.

Sunday, February 3, 2008

January 11

Today we looked at part of "13 Ways of Looking at a Blackbird" by Wallace Stevens. I gave the students some guidelines to writing a poem inspired by Stevens. Here's a sampling of what they came up with.


Ms. Mays

Bird
by Fernando P.

I.
I see this animal in their cage.
II.
It reminds me of my uncle being in jail.
III.
When it moves it looks like my uncle asking for food.
IV.
My uncle screams “ayudame” “help me.”
V.
The animal sounds as if someone was
losing their voice.



Turtle
by Daisy M.

I.
In the rocks
he goes
in the pond
he floats.

II.
It is like
moving grass
in a bright and
sunny day.

III.
It’s a slow
moving line
when I was at
the market last
Sunday.

IV.
As bright
as a tree
in the middle
of the day.

V.
The sound it
makes when
it eats is like
a moving empty
candy wrap.



Deer

by Kimberly S.

While hiking in the forest I spy with
my little eye a deer.

The deer I see reminds me of a
dirt hill beside a dirt road.

Deer look like a graceful gazelle.
Just dancing and prancing in the forest.

I’d like the deer to come to my
house. There a deer that looks like
a dirty rock.

The animals sound is like a horse racing
down the track.


Mr. Stasiak


Dragon
by Dylan A.

I.
Nothing on the mountain but a dragon.
II.
I think of flight when I see you.
III.
When you are moving you look like you want to hurt someone.
IV.
You take the sky and go where you want.
V.
You sound like a bear mad and growling.



Ratick
by Yasmine M.

1) A ratick, half rat, half snake
found in the alley all gray,green,
and dirty.

2) My animal makes me think of a rat and snake. Cool, isn’t it? I think so.

3) My animal looks like a rat in front
and snake in the back. It looks like
a rat with two feet in front and
a long tail in back, like a snake.

4) My ratick is beautiful for me.
It’s an animal that I will love.

5) The sound my animal makes sounds like a
snake and a rat.



Tiger’s Way of Looking

by Oscar C.

1. Among a jungle there’s a tiger on some trees.
2. My animal makes me think of perhaps oranges.
3. When it moves it looks like a zebra or like a striped animal.
4. Its strength from this animal is really powerful and strong.
5. It makes a roaring sound very loud.

Ms. Jaurigue



The Dolphin
by Stephanie M.

I.
On the beautiful ocean
the only animal swimming on the ocean.

II.
This animal reminds me of me swimming
along the water. Just like the dolphin
does.

III.
It looks like a snake moving
on the water, like the dolphin is
swimming.

IV.
Three dolphins swimming together.
Being happy and everything is silent.

V.
They make the sound of a baby
toy making that little sound funny
and cute.


The Eagle
by Rafael V.

I.
The eagle flies far far
away to the United States.

II.
The eagle reminds me of a state.
The eagle reminds the people
of their support.

III.
The eagle moves like a hawk.
It flies like a bird and his speed
is like a cheetah.

IV.
The eagles help one another
for their state and their people.

V.
The eagle makes a sound like
someone screaming for help so they
could help each other.


The Puppy
by Maria B.

I.
That puppy in the rainy mud
the only movement he has is wagging his
tail all day.

II.
I had thousands of precious ideas
in which there were thousands of beautiful
puppies.

III.
That puppy looks happy and keeps on
whirling his tail in the beautiful winds
of summer.

IV.
That puppy and a cat are one.
A puppy and a cat and a woman
are one.

V.
I do not know which to pick
they are all beautiful, the beauty, puppy
shining down the hall.

Wednesday, January 2, 2008

December 14

Today I brought in a poem by W.D. Snodgrass titled "Tulips." We once again worked on description, simile and metaphor. After discussing the poem I presented the students with vibrant photographs of Orchids and they wrote what they saw. They are really catching onto these concepts.

Ms. Jaurigue

An Orchid

by Julian S.

An orchid looks like
a bat flapping its wings,
or a cheetah running to
get its prey or monkeys
on a rope holding it
with its tail or a banana
with black spots, or a person
sitting down in a red chair,
or a cheese with black
spots, or maybe a starfish,
or maybe a pufferfish.


The Orchids

by Fatima T.

The orchid looks like a cheetah. It also
looks like a chocolate chip cookie. It also looks
like a small banana. The orchid is a necklace
from limbo. It looks like a bat. The orchid
looks like a tortilla from the petals.
It looks like a shoe. The orchid looks
like a woman that has a dress. It also looks
like a mermaid. The orchid that has stripes
from a tiger and a cat. The orchid looks like
an ornament from a Christmas tree.
The orchid looks like a ballerina.


Orchid
by Karina B.

A butterfly coming out
of its caccoon.
To find a new adventure

A cheetah getting
ready to attack his
prey.

A bunch of people
on a rollercoaster
screaming for their lives.

A tiny baby
that is barely born
Ready to look into the
world.


Mr. Stasiak



Orchids Are Great

by Pedro G.

Orchids are great, just like a gate
The green buds protect it. As monkeys
like to climb it. I have said it many
times, orchids are great. Its leaves like
potato skins, are as fruitful as its
green fins. Which leaves that later
on fly with ease. It’s a brige like
many people would cross. Its color
of green moss.


The Orchids

by Arely G.

Orchids you look like an egg. The egg with
black spots. The egg with black spots is opening
up.

Orchids you look like people walking
on the sidewalk. Orchids you look like monkeys
hanging in the leave of a forest only on color
yellow green.

Orchids you look like stars. Orchid you look
like a tiger with stripes. Orchids you look
like three stars in the sky.


Orchids
by Jeremiah E.

That flower looks like a giraffe inside
out. This flower looks like a pumpkinhead. This
flower looks like a Mario Galaxy or a
Donkey Kong vine

Ms. Mays

The Orchids

by Michael A.

It looks like
a zebra by
the color.
It looks like
ants that take
snakes. It looks
like mushrooms
that have color
of points. It looks
like a bird that
screams a lot. It
looks like a bat
with purple blood.
It looks like an
angel sitting down.
It looks like
a yellow pumpkin.


The Orchids

by Jonathan A.

1. Like a fish, star and flare.

2. Like orchids.

3. Seaweed.

4. It has points and with seed and flower.

5. Theres looks like a duck talking inside the flowers and ponds and it has feathers.

6. It looks like a bat and he flies.

7. It looks like people sitting down in the flowers.

8. It looks like a big rock inside.


My Mind

by Pablo R.

It reminds me of frogs climbing.

It reminds me of lots of bones.

It reminds me of a weird brain.

It reminds me of snakes trying to fly.

It reminds me of when bats were flying.

It reminds me of when I saw lava once.


The Scary Things

by Andrew R.

What I think about
the flowers that are
shaped like a star and
they are on vines, is that
they look like sea stars
that are on glass looking out.

What I think about
the flowers that are
shaped like an animal
is that it looks like a
bat and it also looks like
a scary monster.

What I think about the
flower that is shaped like
a person is that she isn’t
wearing ant clothes and she
is sitting on a chair.

Tuesday, January 1, 2008

November 30

This week I brought along an excerpt the poem "Someone Puts a Pineapple Together" by Wallace Stevens and we continued working on description, simile and metaphor. After discussing the poem I had the students close their eyes then reopen them after I pulled out an artichoke. They had to immediately write down what they saw. Then they closed their eyes and I repositioned the artichoke and they again wrote down what they saw upon opening their eyes. They came up with some really fantastic ideas.


Ms. Jaurigue


Ways to see how Artichoke looks

by Julian S.

It stands like a palm tree.
It sleeps like a bat with thousands of wings.
It looks like a turkey without the feet and back of its feathers.
It looks like a porcupine without its feet.
It looks like a fallen palm tree.
It looks like a volcano bursting lava down you.
It looks like a flame gun in front of me bursting.
It looks like a cactus.


Artichoke

by Melissa V.

Like a flower sprouting
Particularly like a coconut hanging from a tree
different kinds of shapes
It looks like a bunch of little bananas.
A lettuce open in half.


How does the Artichoke Look!!

by Fatima T.

It looks like a tree. It looks
like a banana peel that is closed as you spin
it. It looks like a flower that is
closed and you could only see the bottom
part that is green. It looks
like a rocketship that is going to blast off.
The vegetable looks like a person is
using it like soap. It also looks
like a cat closing his arm. It looks
like a lollipop. It also looks like a
flashlight.


Mr. Stasiak

Different Artichoke Ways
by Nancy V.

It looks like a tree!
It looks like an apple.
It looks like an arrow.
It looks like a rose.
It looks like the leaves of a flower.
It looks like a shooting star.


Untitled

by Alex O.

A green sun.
A hand with green hair and a green apple.
A small rocket with a green fire coming out.
A green nice rose for a girl.
A small pig’s nose.

Like a shooting star coming down for me.


Artichokes
by Diane T.

What I think it looks like if it is a tree with green leaves.
It looks like a toy that spins and its shape is like a nut.
It looks like it was pointing somewhere or showing you a direction to go.
It looks like a rose that is colored green.
It looks like the bottom of a flower.
It looks like a shooting star.


Ms. Mays

The Artichoke
by Jocelyn C.

It looks like a tree
with leaves coming out.

It looks like a pineapple
upside down.

It looks like a flower
opening and closing.

It looks like a bird with
its wings flying everywhere.

It looks like a four petal flower.

It looks like a palm tree sideways.


The Artichoke
by Fernando V.

It looks like a tree with big leaves
and it reminds me of my tree
at my old house.

Now it looks like bananas hanging from a tree.

Now it looks like a flower.

Not it looks like a rocket.

Now it looks like an animal
with its tongue out.

Now it looks like an animal in
different directions.


Artichoke
by Yadira A.

The tree with its leaves
pointy and green.

The acorn the squirrel
might eat.

Acorn barely coming out
of its seed.

The waves floating.

A beautiful green flower.

The leaves of a sideways pineapple.