Evanston Arts Poetry Camp, Summer 2009!

How To...

2009-07-08T07:35:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday, the student writers tackled the age old problem of giving directions on how to perform a complicated task. I asked them to come up with interesting and/or unusual tasks, and be as creative as possible in their directions. They did a terrific job! We also worked for much of class on revising our previous work, ordering it, and creating covers for individual poetry books. The results of that work will be ready for the students on Thursday at the reading. Hope to see you there; until then, enjoy learning how to eat donuts, take care of dragons, and stay up all night.

How to Raise a Dragon
by Jules A.

First, start with a fire, and put the egg in, but keep it going! After weeks of this, the egg will hatch. Caution: this is the tougher part. You’ll have to get mice and rats to feed it. Give it attention and love. Be careful also because when they are just hatched, they can breathe FIRE! If you’re raising a dragon, you will have to give your life up for it. No more shopping malls, new clothes, parties, roller coasters, and doing what you like. It’s always going to be burnt clothes, fire, no malls, no parties, and yada yada! Another caution: when it grows older, it might want to eat your neighbor’s dog, sheep, cattle, and even you, so be careful!

How to Steal a Piece of Candy at Night
by Cassie A.

Make sure everybody is asleep. Check if the coast is clear. Wear cool black agent clothes (make sure they blend in to your house). Tip toe silent as a tiger does to stalk its prey. Keep on going! If one of your parents comes out to go to the bathroom, blend into the wall, hide behind a door… make it seem like you’re part of something. If you have a dog or a cat (any type of pet) avoid them, you will just make them bark and meow. Any type of noise they make will give you away. Creep up to the place where all the sweets are. Take some! Follow the first steps up the stairs. Go to your room, hide them. You can risk eating it, or save it for tomorrow. Remember if you took chocolate, it is best to eat it when you get it.

How to Live Longer
by Maple C.

Laugh your heart out.
Do not eat your broccoli.
Do eat your sugar.
Run up and down the block about 10 times.
If you see a good climbing tree, climb all the way to top and jump.
Use all your free time eating (but not the healthy stuff).
Think about your dance teacher in sweat pants.
Think about going to the beach or park and playing your heart out. Laugh about it long and hard. After all this, get a cup of candy hearts and go for a run.
Only one exception; eat anything healthy that YOU want to eat. Don’t let your mothers, fathers, or siblings make you!
That is all of the advice I can give you.

How to Eat Donuts at Midnight
by Ronni L.

Pretend to go to bed. Go downstairs when your mom and dad have already gone to bed and are asleep. Go into the kitchen and climb on twenty chairs and grab 5 donuts. Then eat them. Then grab ten more donuts and eat them. Then climb back up and grab fifteen more donuts and eat them. And climb back up and grab twenty-five more donuts and eat them. And then climb back up and grab forty more donuts and eat them. And then you put all the chairs back and rally go to bed because you are full and fat.

How to Make Someone Else Do Your Homework
by Zinnia S.

Start by calling over to your friends to see if they want to play or by giving them money or a treat of whatever they want. Then after, ask for help with your homework or say I’m stuck, will you help me with just one little problem? Then, they will get so wrapped up in it that they will finish it. Then say thank you or I enjoyed your company. Then turn in all your answers to your teacher, but be sure to double check it before you give it to her. She will probably say you’re wrong!!

How to Stay Up all Night Without Your Parents Knowing
by Cecilia G.

First, pretend to fall asleep.
Then talk to your imaginary friend.
If you half to, stick your head in the freezer.
Then, have something to eat.
Finally, read your favorite books and turn the light on.

How to Eat A Donut After Midnight
by Caelen B.

First, put on a pair of socks, then take the railing of your staircase and tuck your feet behind your knees and use your hands to edge your way down. Put your feet SOFTLY on the ground. Take tiptoes as light as you can go to the pantry/fridge. Cover up the crack with your hand. Take the donut box and SLOWLY close the pantry/fridge. Select the donut you would like. Make sure the box does no, I repeat does not crackle when you flip the top open. Take a donut that doesn’t have any sprinkles or solid topping, then put the donut in your mouth and tuck your legs behind your knees again and edge your way up with your hands. Make sure that the springs on the mattress don’t make any noise. Then take the donut out of your mouth and eat it!

How to Get Out of School
by Nicholas M.

First, say to your parents that your stomach hurts, and they will say don’t lie. They will say go to school! Tell the Director that the President said that he needs to go to a meeting with his underwear on his head. Then you will be the Director because the real Director didn’t know that was a trap. Now, what do you want to say? You did it!

The Forest of Doom

2009-07-06T19:37:00.000-07:00

On the final Monday of Poetry Camp, coming back from the long holiday weekend, we jumped in with both feet, looking at two types of poems with rules included in their making. The first was an abecedarian, a poem where each line starts with the letters of the alphabet in sequential order. We wrote an incredible fairy-tale abecedarian as a group:

The Forest of Doom
by Cassie A., Jules A., Maple C., Ronni L. & Cecilia G.

Alice walked into the dark wood
brining nothing but an apple and some crackers, and
clinging to a dead tree, scared, Alice watched as
dead plants started growing out of the ground,
eating all that was in their path.
First she tried to pull them out by their roots.
Grossed out, she just started pulling off the leaves.
“Help!” she cried. “Help!” but heard no response.
Irritated, a pig ambled into view and said, “Oink! Stop it!”
Just then, the dead plants started coming to life, and the pig said, “Oink! I’ll do it!”
Killing them with a weed whacker, the pig started dancing,
leaving Alice in the middle of the forest as the
moonlight cast shadows and Alice smelled something stinky.
Nineteen skunks were spraying their smell.
“Oh no!” cried Alice and ran as fast as she could, crashing into
ponds of pink persons, all swimming.
Quietly and quickly, and freaked out, she slipped away and decided to take a nap. When she woke up,
Rose, her friend, came along and said, “What did you do with your lunch?”
Suddenly, slithering snake-like plants gripped onto Rose and Alice like leeches.
Their teeth sank into the girls’ skin, tasting like chocolate while
under the moon, a giant dead plant rose over the treetops.
“Violet vermin!” shouted Alice. “We’ve got to get out of here!”
“What in the world?!” said Rose, paralyzed, trailing off as she looked at the sky.
EXtremely scared, Alice because paralyzed too when a giant hungry troll came up and said, “MEAL”.
“Yum! Children! My favorite!” and
zoom the children were taken to his hut and met their DOOM.

After the doomed adventure story, the young writers tackled playing card poems. Each writer chose two cards, and after making a list of as many words as they were inspired to write by what they saw on both sides of the cards, they wrote short, evocative pieces that start to bring together all the skills we've been working on for the past three weeks. Please enjoy them!!

6 Angels
by Cassie A.

Out of the 6 angels, four of them with tails, two of them with pogo sticks, bouncing on grass next to the ocean. The angels with tails watching them, hiding in ivy and vines with flowers growing on them, hiding in bushes shaped like hearts with leaves, music notes on the leaves, pebbles so small they look like dots surrounding the angels with pogo sticks. In the center of the ocean are lines sprouting out from a circle…a portal.

Nine
by Cecilia G.

Nine hats.
Nine boys riding two bikes.
Nine three leaf clovers.
Nine graceful angels.
Nine cool designs.
Nine dish towels
and two birds flying.

Things on Cards
by Cecilia G.

A two headed queen
who has diamonds on every wall.
Trees with threes for leaves
in a field with lots of grass.
Hears with stems and the heart
has threes.

Weird Things
by Ronni L.

Ten heart shaped
balloons floating in
the air, and big gigantic
balls of love.

Clovers lying out in rows
on the grass, one
thousand letter x’s
in big long lines coming
out of nowhere.

A Sneaky Way
by Jules A.

In the morning the bees
are careless, but in the morning
three bear cubs sneak into their hive
and eat honey while the bees
are busy with the Queen. Suddenly, the sky
turns white and the bees are
back from giving a tour to the
Queen. They attack and the cubs
fall, running away.

Dog Park
by Jules A.

Two angels rest on the
clouds by the park while
angel dogs bark heavenward
and play.

Untitled (playing card poem)
by Maple C.

Four twinkling lights
wood sorrel mountains
diamond oceans.
Red and black flowers,
mermaids and angels crossing the street.
Circles of glowing suns and stars coming together.
Four eyes and two noses pressed
against window panes.
Five clover clubs
a head on a neck
a face in a body in a 100 year old house
snow and bikes
Morse code.
Red and blue pie covering
crossed hearts all over the
world. Love, sadness, reminders of war,
Mermen.
Old times and new ones
tales of new lives and old sorrow
people. New and old.

Why Does Ice Cream Melt?

2009-07-02T16:41:00.000-07:00

On Thursday, the writers at Poetry Camp played all their favorite games, and then learned a new game I call "question and answer". The writers were asked to pair off, and then write questions and answers separately, sitting back to back, thus not knowing what their partner was writing. The results were hilarious!

After writing time, I handed the students typed versions of all the poems they've written so far, and we had a mini-reading for each other. It gave several of our shyer students a pressure-free chance to get some experience reading with the chairs in an "audience" configuration. After writing our own snappy jump-rope chant, we headed outside to practice! We hope to perform it for you next week! Enjoy some questions and answers...

Why do numbers never stop?
Because blueberries fell on the sky and they cracked open to make the sky blue.

How does ice cream melt?
By looking at the price.

Why is water wet?
Because babies don't like to eat french fries on Sunday.

What are stars made of?
They are all big, fat, fuzzy pigs named Stan.

Why does ice cream sing when mad?
Because tulips are flowers.

What is ice cream?
It is slimy teddy bears with pink swimcaps.

How does your blood flow?
By kicking frogs off their lilypads.

Why do Princess Ponies eat rainbows?
Because aliens love human tacos.

What is sand?
It is regurgitated tin cans.

How does the earth turn around?
By burping out frogs.

Poems Written to Music!

2009-07-01T10:16:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday, the amazing writers working with Mollie & me played games, including their new favorites "YES" and "Pass the Ball". Both these games require intense amounts of concentration, trust, and pattern work. They are getting really good at working as a group, and it is amazing to see them work together in these more advanced games.

For our writing projects, we worked on Concrete Poems, poems that make a shape or pattern on the page (these are not completed yet, so I'll post them later!), and Poems written to Music! This is a favorite activity wherever I teach, and I always love bringing it in. First, we looked a strange surreal fragment called The Domestic Stones by Hans Arp, and then we read Krishna Denies Eating Mud by Elizabeth Alexander. The students marveled at both poems, and had lots to say about them! Then, I asked the students to listen to music, and write whatever images and strange stories popped into their heads. We listened to Dizzy Gillespie's version of Manteca, Zoe Keating's Sun Will Set, and Rusted Root's classic Drum Trip (you can listen to all three of these by clicking on the links! The Last FM links are in the player in the upper right corner of the page, and the Z. Keating is about half way down on her first album listing). The writers were enthusiastic, concentrated, and wild, exactly the kind of energy I wanted them to bring to the activity. Please enjoy their poems!!

The Fight of Man vs. Lady (after Manteca, Dizzy Gillespie)
by Zinnia S.

A fire knight on a horse
made of lava jumps on
a lady who is riding
a giraffe. She brings
out a bucket of red paint
and throws it on him.
He dodges and it hits
a butterfly who’s dancing
in the sunset.

An Evening in the Forest (after Sun Will Set, Zoe Keating)
by Zinnia S.

A ladybug crawls on the floor
of a forest. It’s dark out
and the moon is full and bright.
An empty gondola sails past.
The sun starts to rise just
a little bit. Then a monkey
swings overhead. The forest
comes to life, as a
strawberry drops.

A Weird Party (after Drum Trip, Rusted Root)
by Zinnia S.

A band of monkeys play the
bongos for a five year old’s
trial. The conversation
spreads, “get rid of him!” they
say. They start getting tired
when a bulldozer runs
over them and only one
monkey survives. He is still
drinking his wine like
nothing had happened.

A Battle (after Manteca, Dizzy Gillespie)
by Cassie A.

A great big battle between Pegasus and evil forest creatures. Pegasus is clashing his mighty hooves. The creatures are running away for some reason, so Pegasus flies away to look for people in need. He spots another case of trouble. He flies down, but a troll captures him!

All By Yourself (after Sun Will Set, Zoe Keating)
by Cassie A.

A lonely boy walking down the street, walking between traffic. Then, lonely people start to follow him. He looks and sees a playground full of kids. He watches them enjoying their friends, having fun. He sits on a curb all by himself. The lonely people sit with him. He starts to cry and huddles inward. People start to laugh at him.

Spy Mission (after Drum Trip, Rusted Root)
by Cassie A.

Agents are going to Dr. Phantom’s lair, but first they have to get past security. They do backflips and don’t get caught. They knock out the security guards and they cling to a wall and climb up and retrieve what they were looking for.

A Fun Party (after Manteca, Dizzy Gillespie)
by Cecilia G.

A fun party going on
in a forest
with lots of shimmering lights
the kind you find
at a fun party.

Playing in the Jungle (after Sun Will Set, Zoe Keating)
by Cecilia G.

Little kids running around
in the jungle and
swinging on vines
and playing tag
and hide and seek.

A Loud Storm (after Drum Trip, Rusted Root)
by Cecilia G.

A loud storm with
lots of thunder and
flashing.
A police car tries
to get through the storm.

Fat Toucan (after Manteca, Dizzy Gillespie)
by Jules A.

A big pink fat toucan dancing on a pink bubble with five bows on her head. She is now on a green bubble and is a skinny toucan with shells all over her. Now she is on a blue bubble in Paris eating elegant food happily. The restaurant is completely yellow! Even then, the food is very good. She now red and viney.

Age of War (after Sun Will Set, Zoe Keating)
by Jules A.

Pegasus flying through the mist, shaping into a green duck and splashing in a pond, getting ready for the greatest battle, horse vs. reptile! The great dragons fly above, smacking the sunshine! All the baby horses are being taken to safety and fly away in the sky with Pegasus. The battle begins!

Mission Guinea Pig (after Drum Trip, Rusted Root)
by Jules A

A secret spy guinea pig on a top secret mission. Dogs are on his trail. The evil gang leader Wolf is on the speaker, alerting the dogs. The guinea pig squeezes through the gate bars! They are now almost caught up to him. He reaches the gang Wolf’s window doing a back flip before the guards reach him.

The Way I Think of this Music (after Manteca, Dizzy Gillespie)
by Maple C.

Man and woman tangoing.
Music and a park trumpet is the lead instrument.
Jazz dance and hip-hop dance.
Stream flowing.
Egyptian dance.
Out of the blue thinking
Native American dances around camp fires
a rich lady in a puffy coat –
I am in a limo driven by a chauffeur.
A really happy birthday or a wedding.

Sad Drizzling (after Sun Will Set, Zoe Keating)
by Maple C.

Rain in the country
stream flowing through the mountains
rainbow being discovered
ballet dancing
chords on a piano
bag pipes on a sunny day in England
cars rumbling by street music
horror movie coming on
a surprise waiting to be revealed
a really sad funeral
someone slowly dying
someone thinking about sad things

Untitled (after Drum Trip, Rusted Root)
by Maple C.

Stampede of horses
hunt of Africa
drumming party
ambulance on the way
to the hospital
train station
a roaring wind
chaos at a band or orchestra practice
living drumsticks beating drums

Pink Worms Over the Lake (after Manteca, Dizzy Gillespie)
by Caelen B.

A pink worm going
across a deep lake
a tap dancer sitting on
a seat, sitting on is
favorite chair kicking his
legs up and down
a tango dancer dancing
fast, like 50 miles per
hour. Five shower curtains
with dogs waving them to the top of
the white house.
Someone slippery sliding
around a pool
full of bugs.
Men sliding around
the floor in New York
city doing each other’s
make up.

Pencil Lead on Markers (after Sun Will Set, Zoe Keating)
by Caelen B.

Soldiers searching through
triangles of goo.
People resting on a
violin. Blue gongs
banging. Everyone joining
hands dancing and
singing.

White Pipes and Sprinklers (after Drum Trip, Rusted Root)
by Caelen B.

People dancing faster
than ever, banging drums.
Africans raising their hands
shaking their hips
breathing in deep.
Lava pit with fifteen
pirates dangling, being
threatened to give up
their gold, ghosts
haunting people, waiting
to have their dinner.

Music (after Manteca, Dizzy Gillespie)
by Ronni L.

Jazz music and lots of girls in red and yellow dancing, kicking their legs. One of the girls by accident put on purple, green, blue, and orange.

Weird Music (after Sun Will Set, Zoe Keating)
by Ronni L.

A violin, a bongo, a ukulele, a bongo-uke, a guitar, and a drum set playing all at the same time in a park and a lot of children dancing.

Drum Band (after Drum Trip, Rusted Root)
by Ronni L.

An entire band playing up on stage at a park. They are playing so loudly that my dad can hear it at home. The park is in Indiana!

The Forest (after Manteca, Dizzy Gillespie)
by Madeline D.

Running through the forest, click. It’s right there. Right there.
Grandmother has captured something.
Cookies and milk being served. Praise it.
Clink! It’s still there. 11,000 villages passing me by.
Stay in touch.
My home passing me by. Over…and over… and over again.

Mid-Summer Days (after Sun Will Set, Zoe Keating)
by Madeline D.

Tip-toe…tip-toe, the air is wet and rainy.
Extraordinary things are about to happen.
I’m in a fabulous dream.
Jumping through the sky on big fluffy clouds on a mid-summer day.
In bed all alone. My mind is full of questions.
My mother’s bright blue eyes staring into mine.

Battlefield (after Drum Trip, Rusted Root)
by Madeline D.

Africa, full of elephants.
Being taken over by the British.
The war begins. Everything is silent, except for the rifles and the cannons shooting at the enemy.
Everything is lost. The world is silent. Africa has been taken over by the British.

The Frog, Dead (after Manteca, Dizzy Gillespie)
by Nicholas M.

A gun shooting in the sky
and a frog surprised
by noses and a man
practices ballet and kicks the
nose and big little stone
kills the frog.

The Fox, the Grape, and the Frog (after Sun Will Set, Zoe Keating)
by Nicholas M.

A frog with a grape
in the mouth of a hippopotamus
and in the small intestine
he got stuck because
the frog ate a fox
and he grew bigger and bigger
and bigger.

The Weird Tribe (after Drum Trip, Rusted Root)
by Nicholas M.

A buffalo with big
drums and a tribe wants
to kill the buffalo
and a wolf goes to a
reunion in the buffalo’s
head. And it is weird.

Dada & Surrealism

2009-06-29T14:21:00.000-07:00

On the third Monday of Poetry Camp, we jumped in with both feet, combining a little bit more sound work (alliteration) with the spirit of Dadaism. We started with tongue twisters to get our mouths around the alliterative feel, then read I Wake and Feel the Fell of Dark not Day for more alliteration warm-up. The student writers then put on their thinking caps, and came up with four lists of words that started with the same sounds. I then asked them to use their words to create Dadaist poems, focusing on sound, randomness, automatic writing, and interesting images. They collaged their words into some fascinating pieces!

After a quick break and game, we went back to work with surrealism. I showed them some famous surrealist paintings by Dali and Magritte and then we read Matthea Harvey's Bird Transfer. After discussing the strange images, and what makes surrealism special, I turned them loose with a strange list of words to create their own poems. The results are pretty spectacular. Enjoy!!!

DADA POEMS

Fast Fragile Fish
by Zinnia S.

Freckle fin feet finished
in February, fantastic fingers
faint. Fizzy feeling fib
face.

A Wacky Chat
by Cassie A.

Drag a dry wild witch.
Chair chance. Squash, squirm
chest chop willow wood.
Dream, draw, finger fly.
Blend blast square squid.
Chain a chick, moo milk mango.
Blow blue, famous fish.

The Little Mouse
by Nicholas M.

Mom mouse is going to Mars
and drinking milk saying more
milk and she is in the car
with a gigantic rabbit
and on the way she
buys a happy meal and
the rockets stops on the moon.

Squall Drag Black and Chalk
by Cecilia G.

Chopping chains chat.
Drop dry of drum.
Blue blush blow.
Squeeze my squirt of squawk.

Because of the Chat
by Caelen B.

Bleed black blame
drag squid chalk change
chance blend blind
draw a dream, dress block
blue blush blow a
squad of drip drop
squawk dry chairs
squirm blank because
squealing squash.

Squirting My Monkey
by Ronni L.

Writing the chair
changing black or
blue, blushing, a square
squirming, drinking wine,
winding, drying, dragging
drawing dreaming monkey
robbing, white winding moving.

Wonderful Mouth Wow
by Jules A.

Magic moo money makes
milk more fatty from fuzz
fizzy faboo freak finger
when water whistles wild
we wonder will worse
wallpaper warp forgets
fame? Feets from flap fin!

Minutes of Me
by Maple C.

The money monkey moves magic
mouth music marching a
million moons March – May.
A mountain man masked mummy.
The Mars military marks maple
mangoes. My mill.

SURREALIST POEMS

Oh the Things that I See
by Zinnia S.

A bathtub’s boots walk
along a planetarium wall.
The shadow of imagination
falls over a valley of
loud dandelions. A nest
of grapes in an elevator.
A spider’s mustache smells
like tangerines. A magnet
falls off a balloon glued
trampoline eating blue gravy.
A unihorn sits in
a cherry smelled sink.
The storm blinks.

Escape
by Cassie A.

Run and spread your wings.
Soar over cotton candy clouds,
and over the prison surrounded by
gravy so no prisoner escapes.
The prison you were trapped in is
over the good cherry fruitland.
Grapes, buildings. Tangerine, dirt.
Next, you soar over planetarium
valley! Trains the travel by
trampoline. Oh no, there is a
nickel storm! Rest here. Go inside
the unicorn bathtub to get clean.
Tomorrow you shall explore.
Get some rest, sleep in glory.
But wait! The dandelion lady barks
for money.

The Wars
by Nicholas M.

The big bathtub was filled
with yellow ice cubes going along
melting, and germs coming
and elevators taking
some tangerines. A stapler
stapling the tangerines
and some glue gluing
the stapler and a whale
and a military airplane
throwing bombs to the
sinks. Worms in the wind
flying and a boat
killing the whales
and the shadow of a vampire.

The Bathtub Parade
by Tilda S.

Start a bathtub parade.
A worm cotton airplane
flies in valley yellow
wings forest.

Crazy Things
by Cecilia G.

The yellow summer in the blue winter.
A magnet that’s a nickel of peace.
Some grapes in a kitchen in a nest.

Blinking birds with feathers.
An airplane of storm clouds.
Cherries on trees of coats.

Garden Unicorns in Ice Cube Bathtubs
by Caelen B.

Garden unicorns in
ice cube bathtubs.
Cotton feather boots
in a shadow.
Storm glue tangerine
dirt in the kitchen
valley wings wrinkled
up on a magnet.
Cherry germs on a
balloon nickel.
Whale ambulance
on a trampoline
mustache.

Crazy Words
by Ronni L.

I have cherry flavored
gravy. There was a
gigantic nest made
of cotton, planetariums,
whales, lots of
dirt, boats, people wings,
shadows from all over the
world, umbrellas,
blue wrinkled crushed up
nickels, loud staplers,
masked forests, and
ice cubes, balloons, and
old ladies.

It’s Your Day
by Jules A.

Ride cherry garden unicorns into
cotton worm airplanes.
Help a yellow tangerine whale into
an ambulance in the balloon parade.
Blink at the magnet nickel
in blue glory.
Sand the white
dandelion in the shadow of
the wind. Wrinkle the
mask in the sink of
germs. Hide in the summer
forest and ride the
magical grape elevator.

Cherry Worm in the Dirt
by Maple C.

Kick the cherry worm
in the dirt of dandelion
valley, shadowed summer
wings magnet cotton whales
in the glory of a blue
and tangerine storm.

Unicorn Bathtub Parade
by Maple C.

Unicorn bathtub parade
boat to the yellow
planetarium, gravy boots,
wind trains, sand ladder
and forest coat. White
umbrella lady bark
loud and clear – feather
mustaches the new mask.

More Bacon than Lettuce!

2009-06-26T10:31:00.000-07:00

On Thursday, we practiced all types of collaboration with our games and writing. After warming up with one of our favorite games called Two-Headed Expert, we sat down to play Caption-Picture-Caption, a collaborative storytelling game where one person writes an evocative caption like Ruby was shocked to find two giraffes in her bathroom one morning, and then the next person at the table illustrates that caption. After folding back the original caption, the next person at the table looks at the picture, and writes a NEW evocative caption to go with the illustration they observe. The picture is then folded back, and the next person creates a picture to go with the new caption. After 4 captions and 3 pictures, the students unfolded some pretty wild transformations of story and interesting illustrations! Here are a couple of the caption-flows -- to see the pictures, come on into room 106 as of Monday, and we'll have them up on the wall for viewing!

First Caption, Jules A.
A big princess pony went sliding down a rainbow.
The magical pony fell off the rainbow on top of a person.
A zebra ran into Pony Land, and the guard screamed, trying to chase him out.
A crazy boy with a dress chased a cat running towards a bush.

First Caption, Maple C.
Katie caught her best friend sneaking candy from the candy jar.
A woman got mad when her sister was eating a box of cow bones because she couldn't have them.
A very bossy Mom tells her girl "don't eat more bones!"
A kid wants more chicken, but her mom says NO!

First Caption, Tilda S.
My sister ran into the door because a bear scared her.
A girl had a bear chasing her to her house.
A giant bunny chased Lucy down the street, and Lucy screamed all the way home.
A gigantic bunny smashed a car while watching an old man's brain explode as the man tries to run to his house.

After our hilarity died down a little from the fabulous game, we looked at a poem called Exquisite Candidate by Denise Duhamel and Maureen Seaton. The poem was written one alternating line at a time by the two writers, and explores the promises and foibles of a fictional presidential candidate. The student writers were split into pairs, and each created their OWN amazing Presidential Candidate. Would YOU trust your government to any of these people? Enjoy!

Please Vote For Me
by Ronni L. & Zinnia S.

I promise to be the best
President ever. I will help the
environment, keep people
very healthy and help animals
get fed their correct food.
I will change lots of
things, like not riding in cars
so much. I think I should often
ride my bike instead.
You can count on me.
I live with my family. I have
lots of cuckoo clocks. I love to eat
televisions and other
people. I love to go shopping
with chipmunks. I really appreciate
getting eyeballs for birthday
presents. Thank you for listening!

Americans of America
by Caelen B. and Cecilia G.

America needs a lot of
people that have hope
for lots of toys, so vote for me! I want
more people who don’t pollute our
planet. Slinkies and yo-yos will be in every store.
Even bullies will get to keep food and always have peace,
a healthy meal every single day,
all of the workers will be on duty
and help our country become
peaceful. Some how we will change this world.
My fellow Americans, help me end
this war.
Help people not be MEN!
Give me a promise, we will become
AMERICANS!

When I Become President
by Maple C. and Jules A.

America, you should vote for me because
the beds in the White House will change,
and apartments will be more comfortable.
There will be no more cats, but puppies in shops
according to most of the people here.
No more broccoli, but candy instead.
Whole sections of shops will be
candy! Candy taffies, snickers, kit-kats!
Anyway, I’m from Tennessee, and I
have hillbilly country style for all!
My name is Dr. Woff, and I love my toothbrush.
A new fair called Princess Pony Land is now coming in Oklahoma!
So vote on Wednesday, and remember dreams come true!
Thank you, thank you, now you must know about me.
My favorite color is orange and my
son is named Tangerine. My daughter is named Citrus.
My favorite food is sugar, as you saw, and my
store is called Yim-Yam Cove. Our motto is: Where Jam is Sticky!
Anyway, thank you for coming. See you
in the voting booth! Do dreams come true?
Yes they do!

Me as the President
by Tilda S. and Miss Mollie

America, here’s what I promise:
That every summer, every one would get ice cream,
no more waiting in line at Disney World,
everyone will get a fan to wave in their hand,
and no more paying to ride on the train.
If you vote for me, I will plant more trees because
lots of trees are getting cut down,
and each seed I plant will sprout rainbows of jellybeans
and I will make the environment better by not
polluting. So vote for me!

More Bacon than Lettuce
by Cassie A. and Nicholas M.

It is I, your amazing candidate.
If you vote for me, I will give you
more and more bacon of your choice
and more lettuce and pigs from
Lamb’s farm! No more silly food like broccoli,
and we’ll have cars made of pig skin.
Vote for me and it’s a vote for America, look see
even South America loves me!
America too! And rainbow ponies!
And places all around Europe!
There will be more theme parks, and rollercoasters,
French bread and dogs,
princess pony rides, and the economy will change
and I will like lettuce, lettuce, lettuce.
Remember folks, vote for me and get a free t-shirt about me!

The Creak of His Bicep is Insane!

2009-06-24T10:37:00.000-07:00

Continuing our work with sound in writing, on Tuesday, we played more sound games, and then talked about what it means when two words rhyme. After establishing a basic definition, we warmed up with a cowboy-ish game called QUICKDRAW, and the kids LOVED it. After our warm up, we broke up into two groups and had rhyme races, coming up with lists of words that rhymed. I asked the students to write short, silly poems using their rhyming words, and you'll find those in their folders at the end of camp. We then moved on to talk about Onomatopoeia, when a word is spelled and sounds like the sound it is expressing. Good examples are whoosh, clap, shriek, and bang. The writers loved this concept, and so I asked them to create a story or poem that introduced a superhero to their readers using as many sound words as possible. Their results are inventive, silly, and all-together entertaining!! Enjoy!

A Cool Super Hero
Cecilia G.

This is Dolphin Girl.
She is a superhero
that makes a noise
like splish-splash
when she takes a bath
in water world where
she lives.

She makes a noise like
flip-flop when she walks
in her water shoes.

She makes a noise
like whish when she
zooms through the water.
The water goes whoosh
when she flies out of it.

Mark/Remarkable
by Maple C.

When I was five I knew a girl named Remarkable. I called her Mark. Everyone said that Mark was a witch. When she was a baby, her parents would take her out of the house on outdoor trips. When she cried out a certain way, instead of a wail the sound CRASH, SMASH, BANG, BOOM would come out. Her parents rushed her home and found three of their most beautiful plates in pieces on the floor. People in town used to say that when Mark was two and three, if she stared at things a certain way, she could make them rise off the ground and then she would take her eyes off them, and they would fall down on the floor and break with a CLING CLANG DING DONG BONK HONK CRUNCH BOING WOOSH CRACK WHAM SLAP. The object would live no more. When she was four and five, she has all of the powers I have told you about, plus she saved people all the time (including me). I know nothing more of her, since I moved away here, to Evanston, but I hear her sometimes even though I cannot see her. POP TOOT – oh, I think that’s her talking to you again. I’ll look for her, but I don’t think I will have much success.

Crazy McBottles Head
by Ronni L.

Here I am introducing you to my superhero. Her is Crazy McBottles Head. When she wakes up, she zooms into her hot tub. In the tub it goes clong-clong-vroom-zap-crackle. She says gurgle gurgle. She gets dressed. Creak-wham-crack-ching-clatter-pop-toot-sizzle-slap-cluck. When she flies, it sounds like this tick-tock-tick-tock-growl-ring-bloop-buzz-peep-cling-clang-ding-roar-bang-bash-smack-POW.

Strongo Person
by Caelen B.

He has the strongest muscles in the galaxy, and the biggest hands, in the galaxy of cookies and milk. He likes to snort when he clip-clops on his horse Pokone, who is a big fan of his hero. NEIGH says the pony! The creak of his bicep is insane! Smack. Psssst…Strongo Person! I got these cookies in the lobby! That was BOOM! HE\e is Strongo Person’s #1 fan. He goes on missions with him. Zap, vroom, clong – it’s time to go on a mission. Strongo Person fights all the basic goodies: Superman, Hulk, Fantastic Four… where were we? Oh yeah! Mission! Got it! Let’s go! Well, this time, Strongo Person lost, and now he’s in the hospital.

Freckle-Faced Three Year Old
by Zinnia S.

She is 3 years old and
can turn into a lizard.
When she wakes up, she
has a built in alarm
clock on her foot. It goes
buzz every morning at 8 o’clock.
When she eats a crunching
sound comes out.
When she brushes her teeth
a grinding sound comes.
She has curly blue and green striped
hair and a lightening bolt
on her forehead. When she’s
playing, her hair bounces
up and down. When she
goes on adventures, she
helps the world as much
as she can. When she
walks across the floor,
the floorboards creak and
squeak. When she drives her
car a vroom vroom sound
comes. When she sings
it burns our ears red
and makes us growl.

The Vomitating Hero
by Nicholas M.

A hero that when the villain comes, he screams like a girl. When he is done with his toilet, a crack is heard into two and then the villain crashes his head into the wall. A wham was heard. Ching all the money came out of his mouth and a crunch of teeth when out of his mouth and he vomitated on his face and he felt and got some worms. boing he takes the worms and puts them in his eyeballs then buzz the bees come. They went to his house and with a motorcycle vroom they go to the villain’s mouth. cluck he ate them up.

Big Foot
by Madeline D.

Big Foot is a little man with a big huge foot. He has long flowing red hair, and a stylish red mustache. When he walks, his big flowing red hair says, “wish wash, wish wash” and his big foot says “slap boom slap”. So when he walks, all together it sounds like: “swish woosh slap smach smach boom woosh.” Big Foot can control his hair to grab people and bring them to safety. And just in case, his mustache knows lip-to-lip CPR. Big Foot is also a psychologist. Once, he saved a platypus from food poisoning and another time, his big foot distracted someone from staring at the sun too long and blinding themselves. “Blam!” some army ants are on their way.” Big Foot to the rescue!

Why Do We Tell Lies?

2009-06-23T10:35:00.000-07:00

On Monday, the Poetry Campers started our week of Sound by talking about and practicing repetition. We looked at part of a praise poem called In Praise of the Local 100 by Martin Espada. In two small groups, we wrote our own praise poems for summer. They are up on the wall in 106 if you want to stop by and check them out! After some games, we read a poem by Yannis Ritsos, Because, which lists interesting, disconnected reasons a person has lied. I asked the students to create their own list of becauses, and told them they could borrow Ritsos's last line if they so chose. Enjoy their devious results!

The Because…
by Nicholas M.

Because I went to my cousin’s house
because I got punched by a horse
because the elevator was stuck in the middle of the day
because my head was stuck in a toilet
because my mom punished me
because my puppy kicked me
because my uncle paid me to buy him cigarettes
for these reasons, I lied to you.

Because…
by Madeline D.

Because there was a humongous traffic jam
on Ridge Ave.,

because my sister had
to decide what shoes
to wear,

because I needed to go to
the doctor’s office,

because I had to clean
my bedroom,

because my dad broke his
leg on the way,

because the car ran out
of gas

because I needed to go to
the library before we went…

Because, because…

Okay. I guess I lied.

Why I am Crying
by Maple C.

Because my father gave me the wrong directions,
because I am thinking of the worst things that could happen,
because I have no family or friends,
because I have nowhere to live,
because I have nothing to do,
because I have nowhere to go,
because I have hit my head on a corner,
because I know nothing of math, science, or reading,
because I have been kidnapped,
Now, I am sorry I lied to you.

Because I Lied to You
by Zinnia S.

Because the sink would not
run in Mississippi.
Because the spring time bunny
did not appear.
Because our neighbor’s cat is
not eating.
Because a new restaurant opened.
Because a bulldozer cut
down a tree.
Because my pencil was dull.
Because someone knocked
on my door.
Because I feel asleep on a train.
Because I ate a rotten pumpkin pie.
Because I saw a blue earwig.
Because a dinosaur picked up
my house.
Because a tear as big as
a round table hit my cheek.
Because a leaf fell on my noise.
For this, only for this reason,
I lied to you.

Because of this Very Special Busy Sunday Morning
by Caelen B.

Because my shoes slipped out the 25th window.
Because I lost your doll and I’m sorry.
Because the lawn had too much dry grass.
Because my lucky rubber band broke into pieces.
Because the cat ate cat food on Sunday.
Because my little brother ate my math report.
Because my lucky charm cereal spilled all over.
Because my dog licked my ice cream quickly.
Because you’re Mr. Potato Head’s nose broke off.
Because my flower grew way too darn tall.
And all this is very, very, very pretend.

Because
by Jules A.

Because the river was not full
because the girl cried on the staircase
because the wind hushed the mountain
because the autumn leaves rustled in the breeze
because the moonlight glowed slowly
because the pond water rustled in the twilight
because the no one smiled at home
because the dragonfly flew through the pink sky
because the hunter killed the deer
because the frog croaked the last croak.

Because of these things
I am guilty of what I’ve done.

Because
by Cecilia G.

Because I stayed up all night
because I like to wear dresses
because I remember things a lot
because I see my cousin who lives far away
because I have a pet
because I am not shy
because I hate my dad…

This poem is about lying.

Because of all these things, I didn’t talk to you on purpose
by Cassie A.

Because the healthy plants died
because the bratty girl lost her patience
because the bullies are cruel
because the homeless people suffer
because the hunter kills things that don’t deserve it
because the person died of cancer
because the family next door had a loss in their family

because of all these things, I didn’t talk to you on purpose.

When No One is Looking...

2009-06-22T10:04:00.000-07:00

On Friday of the first week of camp, thunder storms were rolling through Chicago and Evanston, so we couldn't go to the beach. Although we were disappointed, we were ready with games, writing, and a good book (The Day I Swapped My Dad for Two Goldfish). For our writing time, we looked at Andrew Fusek's Last Night I Saw the City Breathing, and talked about what he says happens when most of the city isn't paying attention. I asked the students to write their own stories or poems about one room in their house, and what happens in there when no one is looking! The results were magical; maybe even worth missing the beach!

This Afternoon, My Den Came to Life
by Zinnia S.

This afternoon, my den came
to life. The TV burst out
singing. This afternoon, my
chair walked its dog (the
couch) around a village of
people and magical
creatures. The door rocked
its baby Windows to sleep.
And the pictures on the
wall had a conversation. The
birds were watching the
radiator do hula hooping.
This afternoon, my den came
to life when I went to
camp.

My Bathroom Breathing
by Ronni L.

My bathtub would come
to life. A scary shark
would come out of my
bathtub. Potato
bugs would come
crawling out of the
toilet. Buckets come
running out of
the drain in the
sink. Water comes
pouring out of the
sink pipes. The shower
would automatically
grow a body!

At Midday, I Saw the Kitchen Laughing
by Caelen B.

At midday, I saw the
kitchen laughing, sinks spraying
water with joy, towels waving
in the air, the lights
flickering on and off,
off and on, and off and on,
the tiles telling jokes to
the legs of the island,
the PB and J spreads itself
on bread with giggles, the fridge
smiles at the microwave
the banana threatens
the apple with
laughs and tickles.

Last Night, I Saw My Bedroom Breathing
by Tilda S.

Last night, my bed was talking in a low voice and my rocking chair was talking back to it in a high and low voice. The chair that goes with the art table was spinning in circles, dancing. The table was sleeping. The little pink dresser on top of the dresser was opening its drawers showing what’s inside: in the bottom drawer, there are lots of fake dollars and coins; in the top drawer, there is my special silver necklace that my Grandma gave me; in the middle drawer, half of my friendship eraser. Danny’s bed was fast asleep. My pillows were bending and stretching. When I go inside my closet to hide, my clothes were dancing. The lights were talking in flashes.

If My Room Came to Life
by Cecilia G.

If my room came alive
my rocking chair would rock.
The bunk beds I share with my sister
would be dancing.
The pillows would be having
their own pillow fight.
The sheets would be waving
like the waves.

The closet door would be
opening and closing.
The dress up chest would
be popping up at the end.

My Bedroom, ALIVE!
by Madeline D.

It all started out when I was in my room with Marcy, my dog, on my bed. It was thunder storming. Then I went downstairs to get a snack. But everybody was gone. “Mom, Dad, Sammy – where are you?” I said, actually kind of yelled. “You don’t need ya old Papa, or ya old Mama,” a voice said from upstairs. “Who is that?” I said. “Your old bedroom door,” it said. I charged upstairs to see who it was. I thought maybe it was Sammy playing a trick on me. But it wasn’t.

It was my bedroom door. “Hi. I’m your uncle.” it said. “No, you’re not,” I said. My door had eyes and a nose and big mouth. “Angus, what do you think we should – oh, you have that little girl that always sleeps on me,” said my bed. “You talk too!” I said. “We can too! We can too!” said my pillows.

Then, I actually looked in my room. All of my things were jumping around! Even the dog bed! then my windows said, “They’re coming!” Everything was still. Absolutely still. The pillows stopped automatically pillow fighting. My desk chair stopped spinning. My dog bed stopped jumping around. the front door opened. It was my mom, dad, and Sammy. When I told them about the party in my bedroom, none of them believed me! Then I walked to my room, and my bedroom door winked.

Rorschach's Ink Blots

2009-06-22T08:14:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday, after taking in the Pineapple, the student writers in Evanston learned all about Hermann Rorschach, the man who created the famous ink blot test. We looked at some of the original 12 ink blots and then made our own! I asked the writers to create pieces that reflected what they saw in the art, using their best descriptive language, while really letting their minds go. Boy oh boy, did they EVER! I hope to add pictures to these over the next couple of days, but for now, please enjoy their poems!

Splattered Ink
by Madeline D.

An evil clown, a diamond shimmering
in the moonlight.
A penguin waddling around with
a bow tie. An Italian waiter that’s frowning.
Fireworks shooting up towards the
stars. A bee flying to its hive.
Two big feet walking along the road.
A big bow tie with two buttons
below it. A mouse sniffing some
cheese. An angry man with humongous ears.
A huge, pink butterfly fluttering through the
air. A pink hand with blue dots up
the arm. Two pink clothes hangers.
Two children bouncing a ball back
and forth. A big, pink mitten. Two
black dogs begging for a treat.

Splat Ink
by Caelen B.

A man flexing his muscles
in the rain, shooting missiles in the
World War I, boom BOOM lightening,
a pair of sunglasses in the sun,
a crab with pincers
the size of buildings,
a mouse with a
pink nose with his
hands on his hips,
a storm of clouds
blue stars falling from
the night sky, blue
lipstick kisses,
a bat shooting
all over, a storm
of darts in war,
an ink in funny
shapes,
face of a warrior with
his stricken face wiping against
a towel, a blue towel with
purple and pink stripes.

A Splat of Art
by Zinnia S.

A moose’s head. A lost
tooth. Footsteps on a
white road. Rain drops on
a summer day. A
man standing over a mouse.
A bear’s tracks on a winter
afternoon. Eyes looking into
me. A planet with a thick
ring around it. A cloud of
smoke from a factory. Bugs
crawling under
ground. Thought bubbles floating
in space. A dog barking
at his owner. A rainbow
forming overhead. Someone
sprinting down a
lonesome road. Big trees hang
over the cliff. A blue
butterfly. A bull diving
at its opponent. Volcanoes
erupting in mid-air.
A figure holding up a balloon.
A hot summer day. A cup
of sun being dumped on
a land.

Crazy Painting
by Maple C.

Black and white x-ray of someone’s hip bones, face, arms. Clouds blocking a rainbow. Two fat people standing on a rock. The bow and stern of a ship. Earth covered in land, the heads of two sheep, a girl with two long braids. The handle bars of two bicycles, a hole in the middle of nowhere, a bug with blue antennae, a spider with a million eyes, a girl with a gigantic hat, and a boat, turned upside down. A bloat of paint on the wall, a sprinkler spurting water in all directions. A person drinking water from a bowl that is leaking, colored disco ball, bucket at the Skokie water park.

What I Seen in Abstract
by Cecilia G.

A crazy old little man.
The puddles made only by the rain.
A little figure standing under a light.

Some crazy looking lips
on a crazy looking person.
Some crazy paths that make
me go in circles that roam in the jungle.

Paint on the wall that was
was drawn by a little kid.
Crazy looking seeds that I
never saw before.
Rocks that were washed
up by the water.

Rorschach Ink Blot
by Ronni L.

A little girl goes
on her way, walking
to school. A bell, ringing
for school. An
exclamation point. A
surprised bunny face.
A fairy soaring through
the dark night sky.
Little ducklings far off
in a pond. Colorful
dots on a piece of
paper.

The Big Talking Potato
by Nicholas M.

A mouth with a smile.
A moon in the sky, a boat floating in the water.
Two heads in the sky.
A potato talking on a boat.
Three falling lobsters in a circus
and two big smelly brains.
A big, big spider and fish
with a head upside down.

The July and December Circus
by Tilda S.

Two people standing at the top of the tower.
Two people watching fireworks all around them.
Fireworks went so high that they landed right in between two people.
Two people with fancy hairstyles, wearing dresses.
A big head on top of a little body.
Fireworks exploding close to the people.
A snowman wearing a floppy Santa hat.
Two kids having a snowball fight.
A big snowball smashed in the middle.

Two people on horses juggling in the circus.
A bunch of really messy people because of the snow fight.
An odd little table in the middle.
A person that only has his legs and a suit, who lost his head and arms.
A big pair of eyeglasses.

Two upside down cupcakes.
Two women trying to balance snowballs on their heads.
Big fireworks everywhere.
Two people on a donkey riding a unicycle on a tightrope.

Purple Cabbage Wrinkled Toughly

2009-06-22T07:52:00.000-07:00

On Thursday of last week, the amazing writers at Evanston Arts camp read Someone Puts a Pineapple Together by Wallace Stevens. We looked at a pineapple to see what we agreed with in his fanciful imaginings, and then I showed them a purple cabbage. They were asked to let their minds go, and write their own transformational poems about the beautiful vegetable! They observed it as a whole cabbage, as just a few leaves from the outside, and cut in half with the inside showing. They came up with some BEAUTIFUL work. Enjoy!

What a Purple Cabbage Could Be
by Madeline D.

A bat soaring through the night.
a bud of a flower, about to
bloom. An owl, whooing on it’s perch.
A ball, being bounced by a boy.
A painted Easter egg waiting to
be found on Easter morning.
A bowl full of cereal. A crown
for a queen or a king.
A baseball cap that’s been worn in
a Yankee’s game. A boat floating
down the stream. A doorway
of an old castle. The origins
of a child.

Purple Cabbage Wrinkled Toughly
by Caelen B.

Purple nightlight glittering
circular and slimy
your purple pig oinking
the cat’s eye
in the moonlight
a perfect layer of
silk lined up
with a purple
checkerboard, a bowling
ball with weepy
paint.

Crunch and sooth
in one peel
a crown for a queen
a bed for a cat
yarn for a kitten
a big black hole
as the portal opens
light goes into the hole
a doorway, purple wall
and a hall, a deep hall
to a bright door.

A Purple Hallway
by Zinnia S.

The glowing inside of a
body. A fat purple balloon floating
lost in the sky. A cold heavy
ice pack. A white piece
of skin. The world glowing
at night. A wrinkled purple nose.
A wrapped present tightly
sealed. A raindrop on a
sunny day. Someone
looking through sunglasses.
A hat on a purple head.
Eyes looking through a wall.
A bowl the cat drinks
from. A boat under a sunset.
A ribbon all wrinkled
up. A hallway stretching out
to an open door. A mirror
with you shining in it.
Rippling water with
a reflecting light.

Don’t Know What its Name is but, It is…
by Maple C.

Big purple ball caught up in a tree, huge purple puffer fish trying to swim in deep dark blue water, smells like old dirty fish, weighs a pound, looks like an onion. Size of a baby’s head or a small watermelon. Veins of an old man as clenches his fist.

Thick calloused skin on the ball of someone’s foot, bathing cap fitted and perfect, purple bowl filled with clear liquid.

Tubes or a sink or a toilet or shower or bathtub as they wind round and round underground, and a person’s brain. Yuck, looks gross, smells like cold broccoli, folded up skin of a baby’s arm.

What I See in My Head
by Cecilia G.

A big heavy purple bullet.
The ruffles of a little girls hair.

The curves of a turtle’s shell.
The depth of a cat’s milk bowl.

The wavy waves of a little girl’s hair
and the tops of broccoli.

Purple Seashell
by Ronni L.

Big heavy purple bowling
ball getting rolled down
the aisle. And it has
a big white spot on
the bottom. And it
is all mushy. And
it looks moldy.
It looks like an
icy popsicle. A big
two headed turtle
with a purple shell.
t could be a hat.
It could be a sea-
shell. It smells
really good. Half of
a purple coconut
with a white spot on
the bottom.

The Cabbage
by Nicholas M.

This cabbage looks like the back bone with the ribs in our body. It’s dark like the color of a rainbow. It reminds me of when I went bowling. It is soft like my puppy. One part is hard like metal. It is lighter than a ball, and bigger than a glass. It is like the large intestine. It is white like the inside of a potato. It is like a big bunch of broccoli.

The Purple Cabbage
by Tilda S.

A solid purple ball rolling with a white spot.
Purple balloon floating in the sky, far far away.

A big round hat that someone is wearing.
A bowl holding a little game like jacks.
A wet, purple leaf from a big, tall tree with a really thick stump.

Squiggly purple lines on a white piece of paper.
Purple sand at the beach with a white crack in it.
A smooth rock that I picked up from the dirt.

In the Morning...

2009-06-19T07:50:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday, the students continued their work with close observation. We read the poem Morning by Mary Oliver and the students discussed concrete language and detail. I asked them to write a poem about what happens in their mornings, what they notice, see, hear, touch, and smell. They produced some very vivid descriptions of those first moments of the day. Enjoy!

My Special Morning
by Ronni L.

When I wake up, I feel
a little it scared because
once I was thinking about how
scary the wolf in the
gingerbread man story
was and out of thin air
he appeared! Me and my
sister got really, really
scared! And the wolf even
talked! He said “I’ll be
back soon” and smiled. And
then he disappeared. and
then I started to get
happy again because
sometimes my mom
makes us pancakes!
That is how my
mornings are… BOO!
THE END. bye-bye…

My Bedroom and Kitchen
by Tilda S.

My bed, with tinkerbell sheets and a soft, warm blanket. It’s really big and it’s a canopy.
My brother’s bed, a trundle bed with a football blanket with all the teams on it.
Danny rolling in his bed.
The kitchen, square-like and curvy, mostly white, with a pattern of flowers.
A big round table with five green chairs with nothing on it.
Our separate table, square and blue on the outside.
The old rocking chair in my bedroom with dark brown wood arms, the legs are the same color.
The chair cushion covered with pink, red, and white flowers and the background is tan.
The art table, yellow and red, next to the rocking chair, with lights like on the ceiling of the classroom.
The square ceiling light, as big as a piece of lined paper, with white flowers around the edges.
The wood floor, yellowish-brown and shiny.
I stand in my bedroom, sort of sleepy.

Morning
by Caelen B.

I lie in my bed
and think about funny
things, goofy things,
weird things. I race
down the ladder of my
bed. I walk tiredly out
the door into the kitchen.
As I open the door
the chill breeze blows
against my robe. I tuck
my hair behind
my ear. I go and
stick my head out
the door and let
out a good morning
scream. “That felt
good” I say to myself.
My dog Findlay runs
up to me. I kiss him
on the head and take
a big breath.

My House in the Morning
by Cecilia G.

When I lay in bed a little bit
I think what I will play with.
Maybe I will play with blond hair Barbies
or brown hair Polly Pockets and I might
even play with my very own computer.

My House in the Morning
by Nicholas M.

I wake up from my room
and then I go fast to the
kitchen, excited to know what
to eat. My dad said
Pancakes! and I go
outside to play with my
dad and throw bones to Ipy. Then I
go to my parents’ room
and I watch Barcelona soccer on TV.

The Morning on Cleveland St.
by Maple C.

Alarm clock ringing, and the pages of my brother’s book turning. Splash – someone flushes the toilet. Pancakes crackling on the griddle. Kids on their way to school, my brother in pj’s walking past my room, my mom and dad cooking breakfast. Pancakes coming off the griddle, old water, as my mom empties my brother and my water bottles, and fills them with fresh water. Sweet, sugary pancakes drenched in maple syrup. Orange juice, milk in my cereal, water to wash down my vitamins. Homework that I am shoving into my backpack, my father’s beard as he kisses me goodbye, and gives me good luck on my way to school.

Untitled
by Tessa F.

The alarm with its annoying beep.
I stretch, yawn, and flump off
the bed.
I find that my
bunny is chowing madly at his cage
trying
to break free.
I finally shuffle like an old
man reaching for
the door of the cage, click
it
opens,
the bunny runs out.
The suspense in the air is strong.
I shuffle over to the door and
go downstairs to the busy kitchen
below.

Magical Morning
by Zinnia S.

I wake up to the brilliance
of the sun, an illusion spread
before me. I smell breakfast
a mile away down the stairs.
I follow my shadow down
the stairs. I hear a “clink
clink” as a spoon gently hits
the bowl. It’s
the
beginning
of
morning.

My Chaotic Mornings
by Madeline D.

My sister,
waking up and scream
ing for
sweets

My father,
telling her
that
if
she doesn’t stop
screaming, she won’t be allowed
to have a sweet
at all.

My mother,
telling her she
can have a sweet
after breakfast.

And me waking up to
a chaotic family feeling
grumpy and usually going
back to bed after awhile.

Outside Poems

2009-06-18T10:02:00.000-07:00

I asked the young writers to observe the outside world on Tuesday afternoon, and call out concrete details they saw to either myself or Miss Mollie. We acted as their scribes, and on returning to the classroom, the writers created pieces that describe the world they saw using the lists we recorded! Enjoy their work below...

The Outside
by Ronni L.

Sticks, girls wearing
skirts, a chipmunk
eating a red nut,
jugglers, tiny dog bowls,
a bouquet of cottonwood
covered sticks, two perfect
hid and seek bushes, rustling
leaves, fuzzy and sticky
dogwood fluff, green grass
with dew on it, dogwood
trees, helicopters on the
ground, hanging catepillars,
four loud rumbling cars
in the street, tree bark
on the ground, a group
of girls wearing orange
shirts and no pants, the
smell of dew and grass,
two kids barking at dogs
who were barking at them.

Stuff that I Saw Outside
by Tilda S.

I saw wet, soft cottonwood.
I saw dandelions that were
yellow. I heard birds singing.
I saw the red speakers.

The Outsider Leaf
by Caelen B.

The outsider leaf
is big, wavy, and
yellow with 3 perfect
holes, a BIG one
and a tiny one
and one medium
perfect size. How
it rustles in the
wind. I can almost
hear it whisper.
hum hum hum it
says. sshhhhHHHH
it’s getting bigger
as the wind blows.
As I drop it, it
blows away in the
soft wind.

What I Saw Outside
by Cecilia G.

The shiny blue bike.
The scratchy bark that tickled me on the cheek.
The pecking birds.
The wet slide.
The sun shining dandelions.
The lime green stalks of grass.

The black cars all lined up.
The other six very serious observers.
The think holed yellow leaf with wavy edges.

Outside
by Nicholas M.

There are trees, bushes,
a dirty playground, a man
playing basketball, a man across
the street, a train, helicopter
seeds, sticks and squirrels,
dandelions, cotton candy
caterpillars, fuzzy cotton
wood, sticky fuzz, and
tiny dog bowls.

Untitled
by Maple C.

When you first walk outside, you see a circle of bricks covered in white fuzz and helicopters from the maple and other trees. You see green grass, woodchips, a sandbox, a playground full of slides, monkey bars, and a big wooden train. The train is red with a black top and a big grey smoke stack. The playground is built so that you can get from one place to another in practically two seconds. Then you see stone benches. Then I see people practicing juggling, and a person on the basketball court. Then you walk out onto a plain of fuzzy cottonwood, green grass, and trees, helicopters on the ground, squirrels and birds collecting seeds, clover flowers, a red, yellow, white, and metal fire hydrant, wood chips from the playground scattered all around. Painted garbage cans, little pieces of paper scattered around the sparkling grass with a few yellow dandelions. Cotton candy caterpillars. Sticks. Girls in yellow shirts and skirts. Tree bark, four black cars rumbling by in the dirty street.

The World Around Me
by Tessa F.

The dirty playground was rusting
slowly
4 little squirrels chowing on food,
8 dandelions that
smell
like new wood
big birds soaring in the sky
the smell of
dew in
the ripe green grass
4 black cars rumbling on the street
the out
side world is all around me.

The Outside World
by Zinnia S.

The wobbly clunking bridge
gross, rotten banana peel.
The brown and white twisty
squares.
Sunshine yellow dandelions.
The squeaky teeter totter.
Thin, holed yellow leaf.
Rumply old cracks on the
basketball court.

I saw the blank cloudless
sky.

The Outdoors
by Madeline D.

Sparkling green grass, covered in cottonwood. The chilly afternoon smelling like the morning dew. Sticks and clovers are under the cottonwood. Millions of helicopters on the ground. Woodchips are scattered all around. The cottonwood looks a lot like snow. Sticks of fuzz look like cotton candies or caterpillars. Dogs barking in the distance. a big red train rumbling on tracks. A chilly afternoon on the field is the best feeling I’ve ever had.

First Day, Autobiographies!

2009-06-16T10:03:00.000-07:00

On Monday, the new Poetry Campers arrived full of words to share! We started out learning names and playing a few games, and then we listened to a couple of poems about how we used to be versus how we are today. We wrote group poems using the phrases I used to be... but now... and the poems are posted on the wall in 106! After a quick break, we chose our group name, and the students decided to combine two animal names, the Platypus and the Monkey; herein, please feel free to refer to us as the PLATYKEYS! :)

For the last part of our first day, we looked at excerpts from a classic Lawrence Ferlinghetti poem called Autobiography. I asked the students to take a stab at introducing themselves to their readers through their own autobiographies, and their takes on themselves are lovely. Please enjoy below!

Untitled (autobiography poem)

by Maple C.

I live in a small sturdy house in southern Evanston in Illinois. I sit in the library, a huge pile of books at my side. I sing sitting in cushioned seats in a big building on Noyes.

I love reading. I make art whenever I can. I sing every Friday during the school year. I am a Girl Scout. I go to Sunday school. I love to do gymnastics and ballet or dance.

I have seen children reciting parts of the bible. I have watched teenagers playing in the street. I see people running along the beach, diving into the water and coming up with balls and Frisbees and then throwing them to friends.

Untitled (autobiography poem)

by Tilda S.

I live in an old house. It is blue and white. I love to eat chocolate. I have gone mini golfing.

About Myself

by Cecilia G.

I am Cecilia. I live in Illinois. I like to

lay in beds when I think.

I have seen cars going by when I sit in my

neighbor’s tree.

I heard the rumbling of rocks in the alley.

I have a special friend. Her name is Win.

She lives far away.

Untitled (autobiography poem)

by Tessa F.

I am waking up and my

bunny pushes out his

arms and stretches.

I sit up on my bed and turn on the light.

I pick up a book and read.

When I get to the next

chapter I slide off

my bed and crawl to

my bunny’s cage and

reach for the

bars; plop my

book

hits

the

floor.

I make my bed and get dressed and go to

school.

It has been 7 hours and I get home.

I open my bunny’s cage and he leaps

out onto my lap.

We go on my bed and snuggle up together.

Ronni’s Autobiography

by Ronni L.

I am seven years old. My name is VERONICA C. L. I have been to the zoo with my whole class. We saw a warthog, and why, we even saw a cougar! I love running around with my uncle’s dog. My uncle’s dog is a miniature schnoodle. Once, I scraped my knee all the way open. And I was only three years old! I haven’s scraped my life yet, but I love my life so far. And bye-bye but… BOO!

A Life of a Girl

by Zinnia S.

I am a girl at the age of

nine with a flowing imagination. I

like reading, it exercises my

brain. I fall, drifting in a dream of

ice cream. I crave for pickles that

are sour. I once went to

Mexico and saw the sunset on

the beach. I’ve had a heart

filling milkshake in Mexico.

I do a dance called ballet,

it stretches me and my mind. A

waterfall forming my life with

beauty. I stand on earth

one.

The Morning

by Caelen B.

On a summer morning

I always wake up with

the sun bursting out

of the clouds, and

the big bright eyes

of my stuffed animals.

I wipe my eyes, it is time

to start the day! I take

a bowl of marshmallow oaties

then I go to work. I

take a pen and paper and

sketch some squiggles and then a circle.

I stop. And remember

I have seen the baby

gorilla nursing from its

mother. I have seen the

Mexico sunset. I have

seen the bright blue lake.

I never thought of it

that way. I have seen so much!

I have seen the lion

roar. I have seen the

black bear eating berries.

I have seen the scraped

knees of my younger sibling.

I can’t believe I have

heard so much! I have

heard poems, stories, fairy

tales, all sorts of stuff!

It’s amazing!!

My Life as a Writer

by Madeline D.

I am always sitting in my thinking place with my notebook and lucky pencil, thinking and writing plays. I have experienced lots of situations that I write in my plays. Then my sister Molly was born. My life changed a lot. When she could talk, I told her I need to concentrate. When my dog, Sisco, passed away, things changed even more. I didn’t have any dogs to sleep in bed with me at my toes for two weeks. My life seemed so gloomy in those two weeks. When my mother told me we were going to the shelter, I felt a little better, but not much. When the time came, we found the perfect dog. She was a little Rotweiller puppy. She was six pounds. When she came home with us, I started to write plays again and everything felt possible.

Untitled (autobiography poem)

by Nicholas M.

I am Nicholas. I have 7 ½ years. I like puppies. I have a boxer. I went to the Air and Space Museum. There were bubble heads upstairs, and my mom bought one. One day I saw a dinosaur fossil. One day, I went to Best Buy and I bought a PSP. I like the fame called Dexter. I go outside to play with my puppy.

Poetry Camp, 2009!

2009-05-19T14:14:00.001-07:00

Hello! Welcome to the Evanston Arts Camps POETRY CAMP BLOG! All year long I look forward to spending time with campers in Evanston writing poetry, playing theater and performance games, jumping rope, skipping stones in hopscotch grids and chanting all the old-school rhymes, Library Wednesdays and Beach Fridays, and most of all, reading and publishing their amazing work!

Camp begins this year on June 15. Three days a week, I'll be publishing their words, as well as photos from our outrageous adventures. Please check back frequently to be inspired, amazed, and simply blown away by the creativity of these young writers. Until then, feel free to cruise the work that's still posted here from our last two years of camp!

What We Know

2008-07-11T08:43:00.000-07:00

On Thursday, our last day of class (before our final day at the BEACH!), we finally wrote Truth poems to contrast with our poems full of lies. We based them on Ballade by Francois Villon, which uses the repetitive phrase I know... The students took this idea and ran with it. I am missing three poems, as several of the girls decided to read their poems on the open mic we held last night.

Zinnia S. read about Skunk Princesses and Dainty Ladies.

I know everything but you
by Tess D.

I know cats and string
I know shoes and laces
I know pencil and paper
I know toothbrush and toothpaste.
I know everything but you.

I know bed and blanket
I know feathers and birds
I know petals and flowers
I know one and two
I know everything but you

I know mouse and cat
I know spoon and fork
I know flap and fly
I know eat and starve
I know everything but you.

Grace J. kicks some funny poems, including a line about a "zesty mango"!

I Know But I Don’t
by Maddie L.

I know the rich from the poor,
I know the homeless from their cup,
I know the dog from his master,
I know the stereo from the microphone,
I know sparkle from glitter,
I know but I don’t.

I know love from hate,
I know Shakespeare alone,
I know me from you,
I know mule from horse,
I know gerbil from hamster,
I know but I don’t.

I know a dog from a cat,
I know a girl from a boy,
I know myself –
I know but I don’t.

I Know Not
by Grace F.

I know my friend has black hair.
I know the cats by their fur.
I know the Mountain Lion by his scratchy fur.
I know the cougar by her spots.
I know about everything but fish.

I know the poisonous viper.
I know dandelions from clover.
I know brown from blue.
I know about everything but fish.

I know about sports.
I know about jeans.
I know about everything but fish.

I Know
by Allison N.

I know cats and catnip.
I know how to have confidence.
I know how to do math and how to read.
I know good from bad.
I know everything but how nothing happens.

I know the clock and how it ticks.
I know a paintbrush and paper.
I know what to hate from what to love.
I know Abraham Lincoln and his life.
I know everything but how nothing happens.

I know what to do.
I know leaves and trees.
I know birthstones of August.
I know everything but how nothing happens.

We have had a wonderful month together -- writing, playing games, and jumping rope. Thanks to all the parents again for sharing their amazing daughters with me!! Have a great rest of your summer -- Cassie

Music to our Ears

2008-07-08T15:31:00.000-07:00

Today, read a few poems inspired by music, including Two Guitars by Victor Hernandez Cruz. Then, we listened to three pieces of music (Rodeo by Aaron Copeland; Ai Du by Ali Farka Toure; and Witches Brew by Miles Davis) and wrote whatever strange images and stories came into our minds. This is one of my favorite projects to present to the students, and as usual, these poets rose to the challenge beautifully!

Spy Time
by Allison N.

A boy spying on his older sister,
tip toe, tip toe,
he walks up the stairs.

Suddenly, his sister sees him…
BAM!
She chases him down the stairs,
and back up, he hides in the
closet and rests, snapping his
fingers. It is a long time.
She gave up.
He steps out, and there she is.
They fight for a long time.
Soon, they just forget about
it and go away.

Western Desert
by Allison N.

It is the Western times.
A cowboy rides through
the desert, on a black
stallion.

Sunset, and the wind
blows dust in his face.
The horse gallops hard,
and fast.

He chews on a piece
of hay like old cowboys
once did.

No one else is close by.
It is a quiet journey,
lost and trying to get
home.

The only sound is the
gallop of the horse.

Scorpions are hiding in the
Texas dust.

World Fair
by Allison N.

It is the World Fair.
Everyone is excited,
carnivals, and games.
Everyone is happy.
Kids run around.
Far away people
are having a normal day,
doing chores.
Suddenly, a man takes
them to the fair.
Now everyone
comes so it is the real
World Fair.

Day Dream
by Maddie L.

An electric guitarist
playing at a prom with
a blue background.
He gets down and
a blues artist steps up
lip syncing.

A boy in the background
daydreaming about the
music.
An African American man
sitting on a porch
during the time of the slaves
in tattered farm clothing playing a
saxophone
stopping every once in awhile
to sing in gibberish.

The Chase
by Maddie L.

A man on a black stallion
chasing bandits clomp, clomp
clomp, clomp.
He rides over a meadow, over a
river, over a mountain until
BANG he shot one!
One man down, 4 more
to go!
BANG miss
BANG miss
they ride like rodeos or a bull
BANG BANG 3 down
one more to go!
He got the bandit
cornered,
the man’s hand was
shaking with anger
but guilt as he held the gun
he could not
shoot this man without
him having a chance
he turned around
and rode
off.

Big Bang
by Maddie L.

A marching band on the 4^th July
with those white feathers
on their heads.
An Irish dancer on the side of a beach.
A Spanish tango dancer at a Spanish prom.
A young girl dancing through
a meadow.
An old man playing the flute at a
porch on a
hot summer day.
An old time teenage girl chasing bandits
over a river,
a man playing a
marching drum
with a big
BANG!

Hearing Jazz
by Tess D.

A jazz band playing in front of
lots of people.
Driving past a farm in Michigan.
Sitting on a porch playing
your banjo.
A rooster waking you up in
the morning. One person
from a rock band practicing.

Excited Gentle
by Tess D.

One horse galloping in a parade
2 people Irish dancing
People building a building
A marching band
A waterfall with
a pretty lady sitting
by the pond,
a little excited boy’s birthday

Nice and Messy
by Tess D.

A band messing up on stage
in front of a crowd. The King coming out
on a red carpet with trumpets playing.
Jazz music that’s about to
mess up.
People snapping to a tune.
Music playing at a fancy
restaurant. Kids playing
music having stage fright.

One Swing in a Park Alone (after Ai Du, Ali Farka Toure)
by Zinnia S.

Someone sitting outside and
playing a banjo to the stars up
high. A settler traveling the
world of dreams. The moon shines
full of smiles. Two people
sitting on a glass. One swing in
a park alone. A radio sitting in a
kitchen drinking tea and smiling.

Horses Pounding Earth (after Rodeo, Aaron Copeland)
by Zinnia S.

One thousand horses pounding the earth.
10 chickens squawking. People dancing
in a town. People sneaking out at
night. A parade marching down the
street. A person coming out
of bed. Jumping up and marching
again. People at a circus cheering.
A bowl of apples.

A Shadow Following Down a Path (after Witches Brew, Miles Davis)
by Zinnia S.

A woodcutter in a gloomy forest.
An ice piece falling down and echoing.
A stretchy piece of rubber falling.
Soldiers walking in a straight line.
Frogs feet leaping from pad to
pad. An ice cream cone being
smashed to the ground. A shadow
following a person down a stone path.

BANG!
by Grace F.

The World War 1
People just off a carousel
A very excited person
Music during the depression
A horse trotting
Trumpets in a band
Birds soaring
a Kong in China
and a Rodeo

Abstract
by Grace F.

A jaguar
An owl, soaring at night
Someone singing the blues
Someone reading in a tree
A professional drummer
A poisonous viper
Abstract paintings lost in the ruins of a museum
Swimming from sharks
Somebody screaming

Batman
by Grace F.

A super hero fighting a bad man
a detective
a king riding in his carriage
a witch, trying to catch someone
a robber stealing a girl’s precious jewels
a person who does not know
how to play the trumpet but
insists on doing so anyway
a spider who caught a bug
and a person who just
ate a lemon.

Lies!

2008-07-08T07:32:00.000-07:00

On Monday, the student poets looked at Lies by the poet Eva Skrande. The poem tells her life story as a fantastic tale that couldn't possibly be true. We talked about whether or not WE'VE ever told lies, and why one might choose to lie. Though they were hesitant to jump in and start spinning stories, once they got started, the lies flowed pretty easily! They created some truly beautiful poems -- enjoy!

Lots of Lies
by Grace F.

I was born a tiger.
I had no Mother, no Father.

I LOVE global warming.
I know people who only told lies.
My best friend had blond hair.
When I was 62, I jumped out a window.
I hate peace and harmony.
I am a mean cat.
I do not have stage fright.
I breathe fire.

I do not write a write a newspaper.
I am on the last page of the book I’m reading.
I’ll do your homework.
I am a liar.

My Life of Lies
by Maddie L.

I was a baby born in a basket,
floating over roaring water.
I had no clothes to keep me warm
or parents to love me.

I was a tree with no
leaves, branches, or limbs.

I was a river
I would not let one boat
float over me.

I became a wife,
with 10 children.

I became a rainbow
with colorful stripes.

I became an old lady
with no more
lies left to tell.

Lies that Could Be Truth
by Zinnia S.

I was born as a cat curled up
on a blanket.

I was an annoying beast of a chicken.
I was a walnut hanging from the sky.

I became a fussy poodle making
coffee in a kitchen.

I became a nuisance sitting
in a crumpled chair.

I became a T-Rex
in a dead field.

Lots of Lies
by Grace J.

I was born on a bus.
I was shipped to Canada.
I was a milk jug.
I was Canadian Bacon.

I was Hawaiian pizza.
I was scrambled eggs.
I was a donut, I was tasty.

I was purple,
I was a dancing monkey.
I was a Roman God.

Lies
by Allison N.

I was a baby who lived in the stars.
I had no way to get home,
I was lost.
My home was one of the
trillion stars with no difference.

I was an explorer who traveled
down-down-down
on a planet where I saw
the reflection of myself
for the first time.

I was a beautiful mosaic
hanging in an old abbey
with no title.

I became the waves
traveling all over.
I was a home to
all creatures.

I became a clover,
lucky,
and a hunt.

I became a book
with thousands of
pages but an end.
A dull and broken pencil never going
to be used,
again.

So Many Lies
by Tess D.

I was a baby born by nothing.
I had no family.
No parents, no grandparents,
no brothers, no sisters,
nothing.

I was a blade of grass.
I was smaller than your thumb.

I was: a huge rose
very red, a tall building,
a 14 year old dog.

I became a glass
vase cracked and old
waiting to break.

I became an unsteady building
block tower about to fall.

I became a dead
tree on a cold winter
day being cut down.

Sweet Like A...

2008-07-07T10:07:00.000-07:00

It was a short week at Poetry Camp, especially for Cassie -- she was gone on Thursday, July 3, but luckily, Miss Annie was able to step in and have poetry fun with the student writers! The campers played their usual array of get-started-games, and then looked at Sweet Like a Crow by Michael Ondaatje. The poem is simile-to-the-max, so they talked about comparisons, images, and how things can sound like they smell. They wrote their own teriffic simile poems -- enjoy them below!

Sweet Like a Flower
by Allison N.

Your voice sounds calming like
a fresh, juicy summer strawberry,
like a purr of a cat when somebody
subs its head. It sounds like
a sweet chirp of a robin during
sunrise, or the quiet flap of
a butterfly wing fluttering past
a magenta flower.

Like a shining sun above the ocean
on an August afternoon, like a
warm cup of sweet hot chocolate on
a snowy December day. It’s like
a sweet aroma of lilies in a beautiful
glass vase. Like a calm koala sitting
in lime green trees, or twinkling
stars on a spring night. Like
cold gelato on a summer day.

Sweet Like a Camper
by Grace F.

Your voice sounds like rustling paper,
like someone singing poetry,
like a rose just sprouting.
Like leaves in a tree rustling in the
wind. Like abstract in a museum,
like a sun, shining down on Earth.
Like an emperor wrapped in a warm
gold toga, like sweet cupcakes
covered in frosting. Like the elaborate
colors in the pictures of a newspaper.
Like sweet chocolate in a candy
factory. Like a cartoon character on
Cartoon Network. Like a poet writing
Dada. Like a cat sneaking up to
a mouse. Like the clouds floating
in the sky. Like fresh-baked sugar
cookies. Like a dog playing with
a human. Sweet like a camper.

Untitled
by Grace J.

Your voice sounds
like the heartbeat of the world
like a little girl screaming
like a calm day on a mountain trail
a baby bird’s first flight
a zesty mango
a beautiful butterfly in a big belly.

Sweet Like a Dainty Lady (for my bird Pearl)
by Zinnia S.

Your voice sounds like
my neighbor’s high singing
voice. Like a sweet tasting
lollipop just out of my
mouth. Like a tiny crack
in a doorway in a
restaurant. Like the smell
of apples sitting in a
bowl. Like a storyteller
telling a story to my
dog. Like a candy cane
on a Christmas tree.

What Do YOU Love?

2008-07-02T08:58:00.000-07:00

Yesterday at Poetry Camp we did two cool writing projects. First, we talked about Abstract art, the Dada movement, and alliteration. We had spent a few minutes on Monday making substantial lists of words that began with B, T, and M. I typed them up, cut them up, and put them in bins for the students to choose from. I then gave them each a few words like "because" and "of" and "is", and set them lose -- they were to lay out the words as they chose them from the bins to maintain the true random Dada aesthetic. Several students had poetic catastrophes, with words flying onto the table and the floor, but the further chaos only led to even more interesting poems. Second, we read They Loved Paperclips by Lisa Jarnot, and the students wrote some amazing pieces detailing what THEY love! Enjoy their work below!

They Love Popcorn
by Grace F.

They love Fridays, they love
movies, they love weekends,
they love gum, they love Thai food,
they love Chinese, they love
being a reporter, they love the
4th of July, they love peace,
they love reading, they love
computer games,
they love fruit, they love animals,
they love armadillos, they love
looking at the stars, they love
popcorn, they love ME!

They Love
by Grace J.

They love juice pouches,
pizza, and dessert.
They love the lake
and building sandcastles.
They love each other.
They love music and soccer.
They love a forest and dunes,
they love dogs and monkeys.

They Love Now
by Allison N.

They love the pool on Sunday night.
They love the peaceful world.
They love to plant light purple flowers.
They love to read and eat.
They love gardens with plain white
snow, they love popcorn on
Friday nights. They love to
help the earth. They love to
play in tree filled parks.
They love to chat everywhere
we go. They love to go to
California and Australia.
They love sports and
animals. They love Door County’s forests.
They love now.

They Love
by Maddie L.

They love the beach. They love the
pool. They love helping people
on Sunday at AA. They love
birds chirping. They love going to
church, they love their friends, they love
pandas, they love koalas, they love
popcorn and movies, they love music
and peace, they love church and helping
people, they love jewelry and
pop. They love salad and fruit. They
love Webkinz and Scooby Doo.
They also love the earth.

They Love the World
by Zinnia S.

They love the sound of someone
who stomps through leaves in
a forest. They love banjos singing.
They love scooters that roll down the
sidewalk. They love nature we see
around us. They love peace in the
house. They love friends to play
with. They love apples to eat.
They love each other. They love
wrestling on the bed. They love fashion
to dress up in. They love body
parts to study with. They love
reading to pass time. They love zebras
to watch running. They love
swimming to get exercise.
They love handstands to have fun.
They love flowers.

Show Me!

2008-06-30T17:29:00.001-07:00

Today, we looked at the first section of Give me the Splendid, Silent Sun by Walt Whitman, and talked about repetition. We wrote our own poems using a repeated phrase, "show me". We took our favorite lines outside for a sidewalk chalk drawing extravaganza. Enjoy their work from this splendid, sunny day!

Untitled
by Grace F.

Show me the splendid, silent moon;
Show me the stars shining above;
Show me the blasting fireworks on the 4th of July;
Show me the waves on the beach;
Show me the rainbow with colorful stripes;
Show me the trees, pine, oak, and maple;
Show me the dalmation riding in the fire truck;
Show me the humans helping each other;
Show me the way to make a starry sky;
Show me again and again.

Show Me the Farming Fields
by Allison N.

Show me the fresh wheat that sways in the wind.
Show me empty skies on sunny days.
Show me where to be undisturbed and on my own, perfectly quiet.
Show me sweet smells of fresh summer fruit.

Show me nature surrounding me.
Show me a dog chasing a cat through the unmowed grass.
Show me the countryside, so beautiful and radiant.
Show me shady trees that I will climb and sit in after a busy day.
Show me my dreams come true.

Untitled
by Grace J.

Show me ice cream.
Show me pizza in a big pizza oven.
Show me pain to the big toe.
Show me a blind monster.
Show me red, blue, yellow, and the rest of the colors.
Show me a big flower.

Show Me
by Maddie L.

Show me a river riding down a mountain;
Show me a black sky with painted stars;
Show me fireworks soaring through the sky;
Show me the sun rising like a pearl in the sky;
Show me an owl flying over Montana;
Show me a tornado trashing a field;
Show me waves splashing over the seaside of Hawaii;
Show me an iceberg breaking off Greenland;
Show me a mermaid swimming through roaring water;
Show me again and again.

Show Me a Spinning Solar System
by Zinnia S.

Show me a spinning solar system.
Show me stars gathering at dinner to eat.
Show me the moon rising overhead, it’s bedtime now, get into bed!
Show me the sun, its face red with madness.
Show me a rocket ship parting the stars and sending them flying.
Show me aliens invading planets.
Show me colors spinning around.

Wait - is this a cooking camp?

2008-06-27T06:57:00.000-07:00

On Thursday, the student poets looked at recipes, both in their real form (from Nigella Lawson's latest book), and in poem form. We talked about what you have to have for a recipe (ingredients, directions), and then set to writing recipes for all KINDS of amazing things. See below for their final poems of the day -- they also created art projects for these on large pieces of paper that are unfortunately too big for my scanner, but you'll see them at the end of session!).

Recipe for Saturn
by Zinnia S.

1 swirl of a red heart
3 yellow bananas
14 green owls swirling around Saturn
5 red stripes dancing on the swirl
100 families huddling close
10 beams of light coming into the center
32 cardinals all striped different
15 peace bombs coming down

Mix all ingredients together
in a bowl of night. Look through
a telescope and see your masterpiece!

Recipe for a Summer Sunset
by Allison N.

Outside
1 wavy ocean
1 summer sun
7 cups of glow
a blob of paint in the following colors:
pink, red, orange, and yellow
1 mirror

Go outside and set down your wavy ocean.
Throw in your summer sun, with all the glow.
Now, lay down mirror atop the ocean.
You should have a reflection of the sun.
Last, paint your colors in the sky.

Recipe for a Jungle
by Tess D.

10 monkeys
20 parrots
90 tree frogs
126 palm trees
68 vines
3 ponds
1 swing
1 moraca
2 Explorers
1 dirt platform

Put the trees and dirt on a platform.
Place tree frogs in the trees.
Place parrots in the trees.
Put monkeys on vines.
Put ponds on dirt platform.
Place swing and maracas to the side, making noise.
Put explorers on the dirt platform exploring.

Recipe for Red
by Grace F.

2 cups of blood
3 bonfires
9 red convertibles and pickup trucks
1 cup of pomegranate juice
7 shades of red
4 pieces of red paper
9 red crayons

Put the 9 pieces of paper
the 1 cup of pomegranate juice
and
3 cups of blood
into a blender.
Use the 9 crayons to
draw
9 shades of red.
Pour the juice from the
blender and the shades
in a bowl.
Preheat the oven to 100 F.
Bake 10-12 minutes.
Serve immediately.

Recipe for a Rainbow
by Allison N.

1 pot of gold
1 ¼ cup of orange dandelions
1 ¼ cup of purple violets
1 ¼ cup rosy red roses
1 ¼ cup yellow tulips
1 cup of light green grass
3 clouds just emptied of water
1 HUGE sun

Get out 1 bowl. Pour the 1 ¼ cup orange dandelions,
purple violets, red rosy roses, and yellow tulips in.
Mix well. Then let sit for 5 minutes. Then add
the 1 cup of light green grass. Mix well.
Squash the clouds in and bake HUGE sun
into the bowl. Bake at 100 F. Go outside
and put the pot where you want your rainbow
to start. Pour the baked rainbow in the pot
and wait. Rainbow will appear in 5-10 minutes.

Odes to Interesting Animals

2008-06-25T08:52:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday, the student poets wrote Odes -- first to animals that are, to say the least, pretty unpopular, and then to animals that they created! See below for their great work...and scroll down to see the pictures of the animals! (Grace J.'s Oustrage to the right!)

Skunk Sprayer
by Zinnia S.

O black and white stinker princess
climbing on the ground, spraying people
in the face and stinking them up.
Skunks are so beautiful but they stink!
I love skunks so much I die from their smell!

Ode to a Wasp
by Grace F.

O beautiful wasp
with your yellow and black stripes
you are so small but fierce
using your “beautiful” black stinger
helping your friends, the honey bees
make honey.
Very “loved” by humans.
Playing tag with people,
tagging using your stinger.

Ode to a Worm
by Tess D.

O worm,
how slippery and slidey
you are.
You are
a root
of a tree,
a small snake.
O worm,
you have
a dull
color but you are
shiny.
O worm
I shall
cut
you in half
but now
there are
two of you.
If I cut
your head
you have two heads.
O worm
how wonderful you are.

Ode to the Snail
by Allison N., Grace J., and Maddie L.

O beautiful snail,
you have a hypnotizing shell that draws attention.
Though slimy,
you’re still super.
You leave a slimy trail
to tell me I missed you…
O how sad I am!
You’re an Aryballos
of gems.
You squirm in a sweet way.
How did you get so round,
like a ruby?
O snail!

Farina
by Maddie L.

O lovely Farina
your bat ears can hear the
tiniest bug flying past you at dawn,
like we would hear a roaring waterfall,
your big puppy dog eyes can see over a mile away.
Your eyes are big, brown, and beautiful.
Your tiger head and body are
beautifully striped,
with huge roaring teeth.
Your silky butterfly wings can carry you miles away.
Your beautiful designs on your wings draw attention.
Your bunny tail makes everyone stare.
You look like a giant running rabbit
stripes, teeth, wings, big eyes
and a bunny tail…
make you wonderful.

Ode to a Frig
by Tess D.

O frig
such a strange animal.
You are a
fish, a frog,
a bird.
O frig,
you are
embarrassed in
the sea but in front
of me you are beautiful.
You can
walk on the bottom of
the sea. You can
swim very well
and you breathe
underwater.

Ode to a Tearb
by Tess D.

O Tearb,
how beautiful
you are.
You can
hear amazingly
well.
O Tearb,
you can fly
out to space.
O Tearb, your
tail is so feathery
your stripes are wonderful.
You are a
rabbit, a tiger, a butterfly,
a bird, and a bear.
O Tearb,
how I love you
so much.
You’re such a
lovely fellow
O Tearb.

Ode to a Buafog
by Zinnia S.

O Buafog you are so great.
I love how you move so cool
with a hop of frog legs, and
a flap of wings, and a good
sense of sound. You will live
a happy life. I think you are
so tremendous. I love you Buafog!

Ode to a Quaiger
by Grace F.

You fly to catch birds,
chasing your tail,
just don’t eat it!
You live in jungle ponds drinking nectar
and water.
You are
fish, butterfly,
bunny rabbit,
tiger, carnivore.
Nectar, leaves,
I really
don’t know
what fish
eat. Quaiger,
striped
polka-dotted
and grey
fur, Quaiger
walking on
silent feet.

Ode to a Tortaque
by Allison N.

O Tortaque,
you have super hearing like a bat,
you can hear all around the world.
Yet,
the things close,
are not too loud.
O Tortaque,
you have silky wings
that help you fly all over,
high in the sky,
or just to be fast.
O Tortaque,
your clear blue eyes
help you see ants
when you fly.
O Tortaque
slimy, scaly, and rough
skin,
is an awesome feature.
I want it.
How did you get it?
Please tell me!
O Tortaque,
your legs help you balance
so well,
that you’re a professional yoga instructor.
O Tortaque,
what is it like to
be you?
With colorful wings,
you fly.
O Tortaque
with big eyes
you see.
O Tortaque
with rabbit’s ears
you hear.
O Tortaque
with a colorful
shell you can
hide your face in the
worst moments.
O Tortaque!

Tree Mania!

2008-06-23T14:47:00.001-07:00

Today was so beautiful, it turned out PERFECTLY that I had planned a whole day writing about TREES! We looked at poem by William Carlos Williams about a Locust tree. Williams, in just 13 words with one word on each line describes the tree perfectly. I brought in several photographs of different trees, and we wrote poems describing them, first with one word per line, then two, then three. Finally, we went outside, chose a giant old tree to observe, and with only 30 words at their disposal, the students wrote stunning poems. Each poet wrote FOUR poems today, so this post is big! Enjoy the work!

Aspen Tree
by Grace J.

Tall, big,
the biggest
tree in
the world
touching the
high sky
stiff giant
surrounded by
small trees
like grass.

Dogwood
by Grace J.

Big white blossom
short thin tree
white, mint, yellow
pretty, perfection sweet.
The old west,
spring, April, May.

The Cherry Tree All Green
by Zinnia S.

Young
colorful
nice

love
dreams
peace

puppies
friends
sky

April
happy
tunes

lollipops
moon
sun

come

Aspen, Tall Sky Scraper Tree
by Zinnia S.

Sky scrape
never chopped
peace tree

tree roots
dig sky

love hearts
peace friendship

ear sounds
hearts beat

floating tree

Love Bloom Tree
by Zinnia S.

Tree love lock
of friendship ashore
peace dock.
A heart with
a sun shining
in its face.
A splatter of
colors.

Peace Tree
by Zinnia S.

A hunch back
in the wilderness.
Big branches hanging
over the world.
Leaves shattering down.
Hard stiff hearts
feeling through the
world of my
dreams in tree
land. Sun shimmers
through the leaves.

The Cherry Blossom Trees
by Grace F.

dark
violet
fresh

sprouting
cherries
red
and
pink

dropping
purple
flowers
and
pinkish
colors

again

Aspen Tree
by Grace F.

Aspen Tree,
tall white
thin and
interesting. Nesting
birds, bird
watchers down
with binoculars.
Stands high
above all
other trees.

Dogwood Trees
by Grace F.

Blossoms like pearls
and sapphires during
April. Sweet smell,
butterflies are attracted
to its nectar.
A very sweet tree –
white, purple, yellow.

The Mystery Tree
by Grace F.

Dark
green
leaves.

In
June,
very
mossy.

Sagging
brown
broken
branches
stubs
dandelions
growing
around
hard
bark

Twisting
summer
sun,

eating
me
up,

climbing,
climbing,
a
gentle
breeze
blows
again.

The Cherry Tree in Washington
by Maddie L.

Among
of
grass

thing
young
pink

cherry
all
come

dark
red
sweetness
April

again
and
again

Tall Aspen Tree
by Maddie L.

Tall white
trunk and
branches, like
a bud
of a
white tulip.
Short light
green branches
huddled together
unlike others.

Small Dogwood Tree
by Maddie L.

Small white buds
thin dark brown
branches and trunks
snowflakes in the
shape of a
reindeer or white
bird flying high

My Tree
by Maddie L.

My tree it’s
a mystery a
riddle that no
one knows how
to solve. It’s
heartbeat I feel
thick, different colored
bark, sturdy still
beautiful and loved
is my tree.

The Cherry Blossom Tree
by Tess D.

big
pink
blossom

like
the
spring

wide
thin
branches

tall
but
short

April
and
May

The Very Long Aspen Tree
by Tess D.

Tall thin
twisty branches
like seas
striped trunk
like tigers
giraffe neck
forest leaves
sit straight
like school.
Can’t bend.

The White Dogwood
by Tess D.

White like snow.
In the spring
big white ball
only in April
nice and gentle
circle of trees
reaching out branches

The Tree
by Tess D.

Nice smooth bark
leaves
sway in wind
sad branches
split trunk
over your head
with bark armor
protecting itself
kids knock
people climb
crunchy bark
circle triangle leaves
above

The Cherry Blossom Tree
by Allison N.

among
of
new
dark
pink

fresh
young
and
colorful

blossoming
nice
magenta
April

stands
out

forever

Aspen Tree
by Allison N.

Tall, towering
high above
the grass,
reaching out
to clouds.
Its own
spot to
sit and
see the
wonderful world.

Marshmallow Dogwood Tree
by Allison N.

White silk buds
blossoming early April
stands out among
bare trees. White
as a marshmallow,
like a queen.
Everyone bows down.

The Tree
by Allison N.

Bark that looks
like boney fingers
reaching down. Heart
shaped leaves, green,
swaying in wind.
Home to animals.
Squirrels and spiders
crawl up. Providing
shade on a
humid summer day.

There Once Was a Man Named Rorschach

2008-06-20T08:12:00.000-07:00

On Thursday, the student poets read Tulips by W.D. Snodgrass, and we looked at our own pictures of strange flowers. We talked a little bit about description and comparisons, how to make someone else see what we as writers are seeing! We wrote group poems about the flowers (come to the room to see them!). Next, we talked for a few minutes about Rorschach, and looked at some of his original ink blots. We made our own, and the students wrote amazing poems about what they saw as the entire pictures developed. Enjoy their poems!

Splatter

by Grace J.

a baby bird
on first flight
a mom’s kiss
a diamond in her ring
a bear frowning
a blue x and its baby
2 blue flowers swaying
a duck saying
quack! quack!
a giant marching
a wii guy’s face
running in a race

Endless Race
by Allison N.

A smiling woman’s face, looking at you.
Turn around, and it looks like the headless horseman.
It’s raining, with a huge cloud in the middle.

A four-fingered hand smacking a face,
or maybe a butterfly flying high.
Now it’s an endless race between two men
and a rollercoaster flipping around.

A royal crown on top of a King’s head.
If you look close, you see veins pumping blood,
or maybe a flamingo splashing in a swamp.

Paint Picture
by Tess D.

A sad troll because it lost
its dinner. A mad dragon,
because someone entered it’s
territory. A puppy, sad because
its lost. A strong wrestler
who just won a match
and a car on the high-
way, or a dining room table.

A butterfly in a picture
or a woman in a ball gown.
A face of an embarrassed bear.
And a toad about to hop.

a bear and a moose just
meeting. Mickey mouse very
surprised. 2 brains on the
top. A strawberry very
ripe. Or a crocodile’s
head, and a butterfly
mask. A ladybug about to fly.
A bird asking for food.
The antlers of a deer
hanging on a wall.
Man against mouse in a
wrestling match. A sucker
fish on the bottom of
the sea. The wolf in Little
Red Riding Hood pretending to cough.

A Heart Beating in Love
by Zinnia S.

A kingdom of wisdom,
a palace of gold. Bird wings shooting
in the air and once landing again.
A dead moose hanging from a wall.
A big pot sitting on a front porch,
and stars flying to the universe. Tree
roots growing deep down under the earth.
An emperor’s chair shining in the sun.
Puddles of purple rain drops all put together
in a family. Footprints all down the path.
A heart beating in love.

A Colorful Painting
by Grace F.

2 girls in dresses turning cartwheels
or, two fairies flying towards each other about to crash,
girls ducking 2 birds flying towards them,
or a photo of 2 girls in black and white.

A person with make-up on,
or 2 girls caught in a rainstorm,
a U.F.O. flying to earth,
or a black and white and blue rainstorm.

A spear that an Indian threw,
a blue, black, and violet crab,
colorful hieroglyphics that an Egyptian
named Black Stallion wrote.
A heart pumping blood,
a monster trying to eat you,
or a person sticking their tongue out.

Violet, Blue, and Black
by Maddie L.

A buy with only two legs or
a face lost in its imagination,
two camels walking in Egypt or
a dog waiting for a treat.
A man smiling over a gondola with his loved one
or a gun held safely in a police officer’s belt while
he is giving a speeding a ticket.

A robot shooting beams out of his laser or
Polar bears hunting for food.
Wolves nursing their cubs and
children fighting for a toy.
A man hugging his child or
a four eyed spider.

A totem pole carved by an Indian named Little Creek and
flowers scattered on the grass,
dogs guarding a chest of gold or
a flamingo standing in a pond and
swans swimming in a pond surrounded
by frogs on lily pads.
A man crying because he just lost his wife,
his children, and home.

Inside a...

2008-06-17T14:33:00.001-07:00

Today at Poetry Camp, we had a blast. We warmed up, then learned a new game that the student poets decided is called "Clap Factory" (this is much better than the name I learned with it -- pass the clap). Today, we read the poem Stone by Charles Simic, a terrific piece that talks about what he imagines is inside a stone. We wrote group poems, one about going inside a Germ, and one about going inside a Diamond, then the student poets wrote their own "Inside" poems! They did a great job. We spent the last hour telling a winding story about a man who left his house to buy a shirt, and ended up a frog who killed a cook, and more jump rope time outside! Please enjoy the poems below!

Seed
by Zinnia S.

Go inside a
seed, that would
be my way. Let someone
else be a scrap of paper
falling to the floor, or
a lion climbing a hill.
I am left alone when I am
a seed.

From the outside
it is soft and woody and scwooshy.
From the inside
all clumpy like you are locked in a chamber.
The seed is my world.

Flower
by Maddie L.

Go inside a flower.
That would be my way.
Let someone else be a bug
or a planet.
I am glad to be a flower.

From the outside the flower is a question.
“Where did it come from?
Why is it here?”
No one knows.
Yet inside, it must be sunny and colorful.

Even though men pick them for women
runners smush them
the other flowers know that’s life
they stay unannoyed
until it happens to them.

I have seen many colors
when flowers have bloomed
so perhaps it is sunny and colorful on the inside too.
Perhaps there is a sun shining through
rainbows, stars all dancing on the inside
so light it could blind you.
That’s why no human has tried.

Helicopter Leaf
by Grace F.

Go inside a helicopter leaf
that would be my way.
Let somebody else become a bird
pecking on a worm.

I can see clouds, other leaves, and
then, I land in the grass.
I move towards the middle,
OUCH!!!!!!!!
I hit my head on the seed.
Um, can somebody call 911?

20 Q
by Tess D.

Go inside a 20 Q
that would be my way.
Let someone else be a battery
getting put in things and dropped.

On the outside, a 20 Q has
buttons that people push
and kids break them,
people yelling at them
but on the inside, there’s
an arcade and the game
of the day is “don’t
let the person win 20 Q”.
There’s a big screen, all
the games you could possibly
think of.

Go inside a 20 Q, something
fun to do.

Seashell
by Allison N.

Go inside a seashell,
that would be my way.
Let someone else be gum
chewed and gnashed.
I’m happy to be a seashell.

On the outside it can be smooth or rough,
each one is different.
Even though it can be covered in sand by the wind,
it is patient and waits.
In the sand surrounded by rocks,
it is the queen worshipped by the stones.

Some curve, some swirl, what makes it that way?
There must be some kind of magic.
When you put it to your ear you can hear the sea.
Perhaps there is a babbling ocean.
It could curve because it is a wave.
It could swirl because it’s the wind.
It is a Mystery.

Today and Tomorrow!

2008-06-16T14:33:00.000-07:00

Poetry Camp is BACK! Today, the students came up with a mouthful of a name for our group (just six fantastic poets!!) -- We are the Aquamarine Thimbleberry Meercats. Feel free to ask us for our shout-out!! We learned our daily warm up routine today, wrote poems, performed for each other, decorated our folders, learned a game called "do this, do that", and then started our work on jump rope chants!

We started with a poem called Magic by Dahlia Ravokovitch. The poem gives a series of comparisons that describe her feelings about who she is in the world. Below, the poems the students wrote describing themselves. They turned out beautifully!

Untitled
by Tess D.

Today I’m a gerbil.
Tomorrow I’m a tiger.
Yesterday, I was a sloth.

Today, I’m a kitten.
Tomorrow a bear.
Yesterday, I was a lizard.

I dream about fairies pink, purple, and blue.
When I wake up in the morning, I hear birds.

Today I’m a butterfly.
Tomorrow I’m a tree.
Yesterday, I was a cow.

Today, Tomorrow, and Yesterday
By Grace F.

Today I’m a mouse,
tomorrow I’m a giant
listening to birds singing.

Today I’m a horse, galloping.
Tomorrow I’m an ant,
trying not to get stepped on.

Yesterday a bird.
Tomorrow
I will be yesterday.

Untitled
by Grace J.

Today I’m a sky so high
and so big.
Tomorrow a Clementine,
sweet but sour.

Yesterday I was a daredevil
and with the night,
I dream of a pirate
and the sound
of high seas.

Today, I’m a dog
rwoof, rwoof!
Yesterday a cat,
meow, meow.

Tomorrow, I am gold
and green,
a tree and
the rest of the world.

Untitled
by Maddie L.

Today I’m a hyena,
tomorrow a mouse hiding under a bed,
always changing like a butterfly,
always lost like an ant that’s just been picked up.

Last night I dreamt
I was on a beach.
The waves took
me away
on an island far away.

In the morning I woke with a
start. I heard my hamster on his wheel, squeak, squeak.
Birds chirping quietly, chirp, chirp.

Today I’m a businessman always stressed,
tomorrow a baby, careless and free.

Yesterday a bird flying south,
today a tree planted firmly in the ground.
Tomorrow, I’ll be what I want to be.

Untitled
by Zinnia S.

Today I’m
a frog
jumping
into a stream.

Tomorrow a bird
singing its heart
out.

Yesterday I was
a dog yapping
at the moon.

Tomorrow a
mouse jumping
on a chair.

Today
I don’t know
what I am.

Untitled
by Allison N.

Today I’m a chocolate bar,
tomorrow a carrot.
Not too sweet,
not too sour,
just normal.

At night I dream about
flying in space –

In the morning, I’m a cat meowing,
a dog barking.
Today I’m a butterfly,
tomorrow a rushing wind.

Today a carrot,
tomorrow… I don’t know.
Yesterday a lion.

Camp Starts June 16!

2008-06-02T08:09:00.000-07:00

Hello Poetry Camp Friends!

Just a quick update to this blog after a nearly year-long hiatus -- Poetry Camp is back for summer 2008 and will be better than ever! New poems! New art projects! New rhymes to learn and create! New outside games! And a whole new performance of fabulous words at the end of our four week session...

Please stay tuned. Camp begins June 16, and I'll start posting photos, poems, and audio files by June 18!

Cassie Sparkman, Camp Director and Lead Teacher

Last Day of Poetry Camp

2007-07-08T13:22:00.000-07:00

On Thursday, July 5, we had a final day of work and rehearsal in Poetry Camp! We wrote Music poems, and rehearsed for the reading. The reading at Celtic Knot in their private room The Snug went wonderfully. Check out a picture of the students working, and four sweet snaps of our student writers reading!

Zinnia rocks the room.

Raina spins a magic poem.

Steph hypnotizes the audience.

Allie tells tall tales.

Music Poems

2007-07-06T09:56:00.001-07:00

For our last writing day at Poetry Camp, I brought in a selection of interesting music. We talked about how music can really present an image in your head, and then move that image into a tiny story, and how sometimes, it is just a series of images that may be weird and not necessarily make any sense at all! I asked the student writers to close their eyes, listen to the start of the music, and then open their eyes when they had a clear image, start writing, and not stop until the music was over. Each piece was only about three minutes long, except for the The Wings, which is a minute and half, so they wanted to hear that one two times. We listened to:

Rodeo by Aaron Copeland (just the opening 3 minutes)
African Drums from a World Beat CD
The Wings by Gustavo Santaollala (the Brokeback Mountain theme, Oscar winner!)
Witch's Brew by Miles Davis

The student writers wrote FOUR pieces on their last day, and they were all stunners. I chose two from each set to type. Enjoy!

Juggling a World of Art (after Rodeo, Aaron Copeland)
by Jasper D.

An army of artists
painting an enormous
picture.
An army comes
and
destroys the picture.
A rainbow comes out.
We come to a circus.
People juggling,
riding bulls.
Now, people politely spar.
In the dead of night,
a robber comes.
Now, artists again,
hanging an enormous picture
in the circus.
A rainbow comes out.

A Moment of Sad Times (after The Wings, Gustavo Santaollala)
by Jasper D.

A snug family
all together
having a good night.
All sipping mugs of evening tea.
Playing a banjo.
Nearby there is a river flowing calmly.
Calm rain is pouring outside.
A boy is sitting outside
thinking sad thoughts.
He is different, so he is sad.
The rain keeps pouring.
Dark clouds come in.

A Dance (after Rodeo, Aaron Copeland)
dedicated to Miss Annie
by Zinnia S

Marching soldiers. A ballerina.
A loud party. A beautiful
ball. A lady sitting at
the bar. A waltz.
Miss Annie and Miss Cassie
dancing.

Katherine (after Witch’s Brew, Miles Davis)
by Zinnia S.

Getting a trumpet.
Calling for help.
A person escaping.
Sitting in a dungeon
and crying.
And we run away
so we will be safe.

The Across Country Dancing (after Rodeo, Aaron Copeland)
by Raina F.

A band marching across the country
playing drums and saxophones
and cheerleaders stacking up on each other.

And ballerinas start dancing
on top of castles.
A band plays jazz.

They start playing the piano very slowly
and getting loud with the band.
And they play jazz once more

and they quiet once more
and ballerinas dance to the music.
Everyone across the country starts dancing.
A lady starts throwing ribbons all over
in a black limo.

Lovely Times (after The Wings, Gustavo Santaollala)
by Raina F.

Two couples running across water
slowly.
They hop on a train
taking them to the airport
then splashing them with water.
Then they watch movies in bed
staying for free.
One starts crying in joy.

Family Peace (after The Wings, Gustavo Santaollala)
by Stephanie F.

A man
playing an
instrument in
a peaceful
meadow with
his sister
next to
him singing
a calm
Spanish lullaby
to their
little brother
and telling a
story about
how Mother
would tuck
them in
and sing
this song
to them
when they
were his
age.

Mystery Jazz (after Witch’s Brew, Miles Davis)
by Stephanie F.

A family
watching a
mystery movie
at home.

Someone dancing
the swing
in a
night club.

A woman
walking and
being followed
by a
mysterious man.

War (after Rodeo, Aaron Copeland)
by Robert M.

A war with soldiers going to China and everyone’s dancing and the soldiers come in and all is silent, but the Chinese have won. They have a big festival. The maid is washing dishes. They have more festivities and end with big fireworks.

Stranded (after The Wings, Gustavo Santaollala)
by Robert M.

I hear someone crying because they’re stranded on an island. A plane comes over and rescues him. He has a beautiful view of the ocean.

The Horse Race (after Rodeo, Aaron Copeland)
by Honor A.

A horse race.
Now the horses go slow
then fast then
many men and women
dance and dance country-style, fast
and loud and friendly.
The horse passed them. Ballet
dancers. The friendly dancers.
The horses are getting
to their end. Now
the horses are resting and
sleeping. The friendly dancers
dance and dance and jump.

The Guitar Player (after The Wings, Gustavo Santaollala)
by Honor A.

A man playing guitar in an empty room, but people start to come and listen. And the man smiles. He plays louder and brighter. People start to dance. The children come closer to the man. Soon he is famous and is on the front cover of every newspaper. But soon he misses playing in an empty room. So he does only that.

The Tango (after African Drums)
by Katherine M.

In Africa, a lion is doing the tango with a girl lion and then the monkeys are doing it too. Then they form a dance group. Then they make a sound, all the jungle animals enjoying doing the tango there.

Zinnia (after Witch’s Brew, Miles Davis)
by Katherine M.

Zinnia and I are at a night club and then we are being chased by bad guys. They get closer and closer and we almost get caught. We take a taxi to the city where we will be safe.

Wild Horses (after Rodeo, Aaron Copeland
by Grace F.

Wild horses running across the prairie.
Cowboys traveling across the prairie.
Birds soaring.
Fairies.
Dancing.
Doing the Virginia Reel.
Ballet.

Rockstar (after Witch’s Brew, Miles Davis)
by Grace F.

A rockstar
blues
learning how to play the trumpet
a family watching
a scary movie
trombones
someone who is scared
going in the attic
going in the attic
a witch making a spell

A Happy Moment – Not (after Rodeo, Aaron Copeland)
by Allie D.

A knight. Horses riding fast. People run quickly to get away from a dragon, fire breathing. People dance because they killed the dragon. Somebody not included. She gets included. They dance. The dragon comes back alive.

One Sad Moment (after The Wings, Gustavo Santaollala)
by Allie D.

Somebody playing guitar. Somebody crying. Somebody is dead. Crying loudly. So sad, nobody left in his home. Just nobody alive. Crying his heart out. His family’s done. The saddest moment of his life.

The Lucky Guy (after The Wings, Gustavo Santaollala)
by Ippei T.

The unrich guy is very poor. Some people give him money then he gets a little bit rich and happy and he has more friends and more richness and more happy and more rich and more happy and he is so happy that he cries.

Trouble (after Witch’s Brew, Miles Davis)
by Ippei T.

A hamster gets out of his cage and makes trouble like being under a chair and making Mom scream and the hamster is having trouble too!

Day Sky-lines

2007-07-04T17:32:00.001-07:00

On Tuesday, July 3, the student writers created lines that describe the daytime sky. Many focused on clouds, rain, and rainbows. Check out some of the beautiful results!

Rainbows are stair exhibits

Ippei T.

The yellow dandelion is in the blue sky

Raina F.

Rain is like gumdrops falling

Katherine M.

Portrait Poems

2007-06-29T10:45:00.001-07:00

On Thursday, June 28, the young writers read Abuelito Who poems by Sandra Cisneros. This poem uses objects, places, actions, and sayings to describe the speaker's Grandfather. We asked the writers to choose a person they knew really well, and we brainstormed some ideas in each of the descriptive categories Ms. Cisneros used. The writers had a difficult time wrapping their mind around this kind of metaphor, but the poems still turned out beautifully. Read and enjoy.

Mom
by Ippei T.

She is a wedding ring,
a purse, a watch. She is
her son.. She is the car to bring
me to school, she is the kitchen
that makes food. She is
a visit to the doctor. She calls
me Ippei and she laughs.

My Grandma
by Raina F.

Grandma Netta who always keeps her house neat
who always babysits my cousin Aliya.
She always waters her plants,
never has time to answer the telephone.
She wears her silver necklace.
When she answers the phone,
she says, How are you?
When are you coming to visit?
I am babysitting Aliya.
Grandma who waters her plants.
Who does her hair and wears
her wedding ring.
Every year she plants her smelling leaves.
Grandma who tells me she loves me.

Karyn Morris
by Jasper D.

Karyn Morris, a brown-shirt-lady.
She is contacts and
a video camera.
She is also
a cat
named Milly.
Karyn Morris
who sometimes babysits me.
Who is a good actor.
Who picks me up this Friday.
We are going in her car, on an errand
to pick up vegetables.
She says, We’re going on an secret mission,
and off we go.
Once we go back home
she says, Let’s go outside!
and we go.

My Sister Abby
by Allie D.

Abby who loves dogs and animals.
She plays Webkinz every day!
Can I borrow those earrings?
I want to play!
She sends me gifts on Webkinz.
She plays Nintendo every day
and she plays dogs with me.

Uncle David
by Robert M.

David is a glass of Pepsi with ice in it.
He is a colorful painting on a wall.
He is Ecco shoes, hiking.
He is a sled, sledding a hill.
He is a never-ending argument
who calls me the Robster
who tells me Yes
who says Hello.

Sundus
by Zinnia S.

Sundus is silk
and a ballerina.
She is cats.
She is sleepy.
Now she says
I will miss you.

Christopher Who
by Stephanie F.

Christopher who wears a gold chain
is dark chocolate melted on his head
as hair, and skin like cookie
dough with only one chocolate chip in it.
Who asks, Do you want to play over
and over again. Who wants to play all day.

My Best Friend Dana
by Katherine M.

Dana acts like a cat
and jumps like one too. She loves
her pets and sometimes she
dances with her dog. When
I am at her house, we play
on her dance mat every time.
She calls me Friendy,
I call her Friendy back and I
have known her since Preschool.
That’s why we are best friends.

Ian
by Lily S.

Ian is a bed. Ian is
a book. Ian is food.
He is a frog.
He plays and
reads and listens
to the radio and says
I love you.

Concrete Poems

2007-06-28T16:00:00.000-07:00

On Thursday, June 28, the students looked at a couple of concrete or shape poems, and then created their own! Some of them turned out magically...even Miss Annie's!

The Dolphin
by Zinnia S.

The Road
by Robert M.

Fireworks
by Jasper D.

The Car
by Ippei T.

The Dog
by Allie D.

The Rollercoaster
by Miss Annie

Dream Poems

2007-06-28T15:58:00.001-07:00

On Tuesday, June 26, We read In Your Wild Dream by Richard Hugo, and the young writers wrote their own Dream poems and stories. Enjoy their night-visions!

In a Crazy Dream
by Grace F.

You were in a bed one night and you fell asleep immediately. BANG! You were in space! ON PLUTO! Bang! All of a sudden there were aliens all around you…Bang! Something shot you off Pluto! Bang! Where were you? Bang! Phew, you were on… oh yeah… Venus…. Ahhhh! Not phew! It’s too HOT! Bang! Ahhhhh. Oh no! You are on an alien’s spaceship! There are aliens all around you! But wait! You remembered you knew how to speak their language. Finally, you hissed. That meant hi. They hissed back. That meant they liked you. Then to carry on the conversation, you growled. That meant you had to go now. But they said Wait, we want you to have this, and they gave you a strange coin from outer space. You accepted it and said Good bye. But at that exact moment, you woke up and realized it was just a dream. But when you looked on your desk and found the coin… so was it a dream or not?

A Dream
by Grace J.

You are on a pirate ship.
You are the Captain
of the ship. You are planning
to be on an island and find
treasure. Then, all of a sudden,
you’re on deck at the
island. The treasure is yours.
It is time to go back to sea.
One of the crew members
rushes up and says
There’s a tiger on the
sail. What should we do?
You say: Just stab it.
Now it is time to decide
who will stay on
the island. You have
to decide who it will be.
Then, you wake up.

A Crazy Dream
by Katherine M.

You were walking in the mall. You walk by Limited Too. You look at the doorway. There is nothing there but shiny shoes. You turn around. A girl says, “Look behind you!” You look and there is an alien with a Santa hat on, smoking. Then the shiny shoes say, “Run before it gets you.” You say, “Go away.” Then, you poof into a dressing room in Limited Too. You see a dress. You zip into it. You say, “Cute!” You poof to a wedding on a yacht. A tear falls on the ground. You poof into outer space. You are still wearing the dress, though you didn’t buy it. You are fading away till you are a speck in the sky.

Your Dream
by Allie D.

You start off at the pet shop looking at an adorable kitten. All the sudden, you’re in outer space. People and animals start looking at you. Look! You see the adorable kitten from the pet shop, then you see your friend, Grace F. Her parents said she was lost. And look! She’s an alien. All the sudden, you’re in Candyland. And there’s Grace F. the human, and the adorable kitten from the pet shop. You’re starving. You decide to make a jump in the melted chocolate river. You drink some melted chocolate. You’re stuffed. All the sudden, POOF, you’re back at the pet shop. You run inside to buy the kitten. You have a sleepover with Grace F.

A Bizarre Dream
by Stephanie Frost

You are riding in the car
when you hear a loud sound.
You wonder what it is. You
hear it coming from the
driver’s seat. You look at
the driver and the front
seat passenger, when you
notice they’re clowns! The car
stops. The car door opens. You
end up in clown camp
for the summer. During your
lesson, you see a red and
white striped dog. You sneak
out of camp and follow the
dog to Candyland. You see a
“missing dog” sign on a plum tree.
You go to the owner’s house.
You give the dogs to the Peppermint man.
He introduced himself to you and
asked if you could stay for dessert.
After dessert, you leave. But you fall
off a cliff and land in the
North Pole. The snow is soft as a
pillow and you see Santa standing in
front of you. You go inside his house.
You have hot chocolate and
chocolate chip cookies. You go to
the guest bedroom to sleep. You go
to bed and wake up again to
get leftover cookies. Mom and Dad
ate them all!

Trip to Dogasia: Overdream
by Jasper Davidoff

You are asleep. Suddenly, you are in Dogasia! Now, a dog, black, comes along. “Bark!” you say. “What the…” you think. You bring up your hand quickly. You are a black dog! Another black dog comes up to you. “Hey, aren’t you and employee for the annual 4th of Dogly Parade? You should be at the meeting!” He pulls you along. “Wait! You see, I’m…” “Quiet, we’re there!” he says. “Where is this place?” you think. “How did,” the black dog interrupts your thought. “All right everydoggy – time for the parade!” Suddenly, you are in Evanston. You are now a lion! “Ahhhh!” screams the black dog, “Call the police! Army! Murder! Help!!” the UVAS (Unwanted Visitor Army Specialists) come. You find yourself fighting them. Suddenly, a voice drifts in. “Honey, wake up!” says the voice. Suddenly, you open your eyes and find yourself in your own room!

A Weird Dream
by Robert M.

You’re on your motorcycle in Boston and you go over a bridge. Suddenly, you fall. You fall on the sidewalk. A man walking a hot dog comes and says, “What do you like to buy?” “What?” you say. Then suddenly, you fall into Club Penguin town, and you turn into a penguin. Then, you are in LA, watching TV.

In Your Tooth Dream
by Zinnia S.

You went to the
galaxy. You jumped
on a star.
The star turned into
a tooth and
walked away.
You ran into
the solar system.
The tooth
disappeared into
Jupiter.
You wake up
in the morning
and the dream
is gone.

My Dream Poem
by Lily S.

You are on the moon fishing in outer space.
You are fishing for light bulb fish.
You use a small light bulb to catch them.
You are all alone.
All of a sudden, you are on a baseball field.
There is an alien hiding behind the trash can.
You don’t notice him. You don’t know he’s there.
The alien jumps inside the trashcan and
you remember you have a piece of trash
in your pocket.
Then you go over to the trash can the alien
is in and you throw the trash out and
the alien jumps out.
The alien says, “Do you have a tongue? I don’t!”
You say, “Yes, I do have a tongue.”
Then he says, “Where do you buy them?”
You say, “I didn’t buy it!”
You are back at home, making a bracelet
for Mother’s Day for your Mom.

The Weird Party Dream
by Raina F.

You are sitting on a border in front of a grocery store. You see an apple in front of a taste test. You pick it up and see if it’s clean. Suddenly, your apple is cut. Ten bumblebees come out. You opened the jar that held the bees. When all of them came out, they popped into one. One of your bees gives you a piece of apple! So, you give him a giant piece of apple. He eats the whole thing in one bite. Then, your one bee disappears into nowhere. Then, another pack of bees comes out of the jar, and turns into two gigantic bees and ask for one giant piece of apple. Then, it splits into two pieces! More bees come out, and there is no apple left. They are furious, and sting you, but it doesn’t hurt one bit. Then, the go up into thin air like the rest. Suddenly, a pile of sea animals come out of the water. Snakes come along and make a big pile of soft beds out of themselves. The sea animals float up to the top of the clouds. Then, you go on top of the grocery store and yell out, “What are you sea animals doing?” They say, “We are having a party.” You say, “For who?” “Mr. Hippo.” You say, “But all you have are a pile of snakes and you guys are up in the clouds. Why ARE you up in the clouds?” “To surprise the Hippo!” “You guys need more party stuff,” you say, “I will help you.”

The Sneezing Dream
by Ippei T.

Achooo, achooo, achoooo.
Hey! I’m in
the Southpole!
Wait… Europe now?
I see the Diamond dragon
and monsters, talking sandwiches?
I must be in the future! But…
Now I’m in China! I see
the Great Wall of China,
bad guys, cats in jail,
a sign: Booo for cats
Go go for dogs!
Hey, I must be in a Time Machine
because now I’m in Alaska.
Achoooo! Am I in Alaska?
Then, you wake up.

Night Sky-Lines

2007-06-25T17:38:00.001-07:00

On Monday, June 25, we also created descriptive lines about the Night Sky (part of our look at the "Outerspace" theme). The student writers then each chose a line they liked (not necessarily their own!), and we transfered them with chalk to the sidewalk outside. The students also drew some really beautiful pictures. Here, some photos of our work creating the "Sky Walk". Also, the original lines below.

Night Sky-lines

The night sky is a dark purple plum.

The constellations glow in the night like lamp posts.

The midnight zone has lots of unusual creatures.

How white and glowy the stars are.

The little stars are like little night suns.

The night sky looks like a dark library with fireflies inside.

The moon is a vanilla ice cream scoop.

The sky is black but the moon and stars light it up like nightlights.

The moon in the night sky is a lighthouse.

The stars look like miniature nightlights glowing on the ocean.

The midnight sky is a black Labrador puppy.

The night sky is black paper going for miles.

Odes

2007-06-25T17:35:00.000-07:00

On Monday, June 25, we continued our work with description and comparison, creating some really beautiful Odes. We followed the traditional form in part: the student writers were limited to writing an Ode to anything that was NOT human. The results are beautiful. Enjoy!

Ode to a Car
by Robert M.

O beautiful car
how you transport us
such a great way
you run on gasoline
sometimes diesel.
Henry Ford invented you
other inventors too.
If we didn’t have you,
how would we get around?
You go up to 125 mph.
Your cool and fast wheels.
How glamorous you are.

Ode to Cats
by Allie D.

Oh fluffy cats
I love you
cuddle against my face.
Your eyes stare, happy at mine.
I love how your mouth seems to talk to me.
You are like a big fluffy marshmallow
that I want to cuddle with.
All day I want to play outside with you.
You smell like fresh watermelons,
big, juicy, and delicious.

Fairyland
by Grace J.

O fairyland, how pretty you and
your fairies are. Flower fairies,
rainbow fairies – too many types
to count. Beautiful colors all over.
Some in Neverland.
You have the Hometree,
the flower meadow,
and much more.
I wish I was a fairy.

Ode to a Horse
by Grace F.

O beautiful horse
you are so soft, so pretty, so beautiful.
I love you so much, as much as I can love.
You are very fast,
I love riding you.
So sweet,
so wonderful.
I wish I could ride you away
from here.
Because
you are so fast,
and that’s what’s wonderful
about you.

Ode to Sniffy the Guinea Pig
by Lilly S.

O Sniffy,
how soft and cuddly you are.
Black and white like an Oreo,
you are silent
and scared
but used to my scent.
Your fur is soft and warm
like a cat in the sun.
I love the way you
run across my room
fast like a dog
looking for a place to hide.
I love how close you are to me
under my bed.

Ode to a Flower Fairy
by Katherine M.

Oh flower fairy, how silky
and smooth your wings are.
Oh flower fairy, how you enchant
flowers that hope to come up and shine.

You take my breath away when
you flutter like a butterfly and
soar like a bird. You are soft
as a pillow and calm as a swan
and how graceful you land.

You are polite as a horse,
how gentle you are.
You like to have fun with your friends.
You are beautiful as the Queen.

Oh how I love to watch you
sleep so silently.

That’s how you are, day or night.

Ode to Dogs
by Ippei T.

Dogs, you
are smart
very, very fast,
and also
very cool!!!

I like
you
because you are
my one
favorite
animal.

You look
like a cool
monster
for a pet,
a ruler
of cats.

I don’t
have a pet
of you,
and I
want you.

What ever,
I still
like you.

Ode to a Rainbow
by Stephanie Frost

O colorful rainbow
so bright and so
big with colors
of joy and delight.
I love your colors
so dear, and so
clean. You are
the trail to gold
and shine like
the sun so
hot and bright
shining it’s precious
light all over the
world. You make
every day shine.
You are a Frisbee
half way in
the dirt and
the father
of half of
all spheres or
half of a
flat circle.

Ode to Fairies
by Zinnia S.

O I love you fairies.
Your wings are
shiny as glass.
You are so beautiful.
You are so small I
could just step on you.

Ode to a Water Fountain
by Jasper D.

Oh shiny water fountain,
when I am thirsty,
you of great use.
You are a box full of water.
When I am next in line,
I can never wait to
push your black button to have you
quench my thirst.
Your silvery shining outline
makes me smile.
Oh water fountain
when you are working
you are great.

Ode to Dovy (the dog)
by Raina F.

O how great the name is: Dovy.
You are so soft and black and white,
so calm and sweet.
You are a boy who never barks
and can lift your paw.
So skillful and flexible.
You get the ball nice and fast.
O, how you blend in with the snow
and the dark sky.
O how fine you can hear, so clear and well
and go up and down the stairs,
both ways so well.
How fine you behave and eat so well,
licking up your crumbs.
You get so warm on sunny days.
You are the greatest dog
that I have ever seen.
On cold days, you are so soft.
You never make noise
when it is time to go to bed.
I could not have anything
better than you.
I wish you were ours,
but every time you visit,
you have to go back to the neighbor’s.

Confessions!

2007-06-22T10:40:00.000-07:00

On Thursday, June 21, the young writers read a poem called This is Just to Say by William Carlos Williams. We talked about lines and line breaks, short lines, and rhythm a bit. We also talked about confessing to something you did that was wrong, and how sometimes, we don't really feel sorry for it! See below for a few of the poems.

Being a Guilty Santa Claus
by Honor A.

I was in the bathroom.
I spotted
your shaving cream.
I always like
being
Santa Claus.
I’m sorry
but
it was
rich
creamy
and inviting.
I lost
my mind.
It felt
squishy in my fingers
gooey on my palms
and smooth on my face.
I’m sorry
but
it was gooey and smooth
at the same time.
It smelled good.
It was fun pushing
the stuff out too.

The Pool Problem
by Lily S.

When I was at the pool
it was time for us to go.
I was dried off
and I jumped
back in the pool
because my brother
was still in the pool.

My dad got mad
and he said,
“It’s time to go!”
Then we got out of the pool
and we went home.

I’m sorry but
my brother was still in
the pool
and the water was
so warm.

This is Just to Say
by Grace F.

Once when my sister
had my locket I saw her and I got really
mad because my locket is very special.
I lost my temper and hit her. After
a long time of crying my sister bit me. I
yelled but when I did I remembered to say
I’m sorry. So I did. The end.

My Popsicle Crime
by Allie D.

On Saturday I
stole two popsicles.
I know you
said one was
enough but
I was hungry.
I’m sorry
I stole it.
Please
forgive me.
I know
I shouldn’t have
but they
were crying
for me
and they’re
so
delicious.

Clap Rhymes

2007-06-22T10:35:00.000-07:00

On Thursday, June 21, the students broke into two groups and wrote their own chant games for the Hawaiian clap, a game we have been playing using "Down by the banks of the Hanky Panky...". They are pretty sweet!

The Parrot
by Raina F., Honor A., Zinnia S., Allie D., and Grace J.

A bird was flying in the trees
with Cat who thought he was Siamese.
They jumped and played from branch to branch
until they found a pair of pants.
In those pants they found a snake.
He hissed, “I’d like to see you baked!”
Cat said, “Leave the bird for me!”
Who will eat the bird?
Cat or Snake?

Lily Pond
by Ippei T., Robert M., Katherine M., Stephanie F., Lily S., Grace F.

Down by the banks of the lily pond
where the birdies sing a silly song
cat bein’ chased
by a dog
The went
Meow, woof
Down to the lily pads
Meow, splash!
Dog wants food, got upset
Cat was scared, she got wet
Who was one to be upset?
Dog or Pond?

Magical Creatures

2007-06-21T06:30:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday, June 19, the young poets created magical creatures that never were. We looked at Eric Carle's Dragons, Dragons, and then the students drew their own creatures, borrowing body parts and powers from all over the animal kingdom. We created their origins, then wrote poems and stories about actually meeting them in the world! See below for some of the fantastic results.

When I Met the Lagisa
by Honor A.

I walked around a ghost town, not knowing what to find. I went into a store and there! Behind the counter the Lagisa. It bowed to me politely and said, Excuse me dear lady, I can’t find my manners but matters do turn all to tatters. I nodded my head, too shocked to think. The only thing I could manage was a wink. I stood there shocked – for a while, the Lagisa said, Did the… the Lagisa struggled to say Hippogrif… get your tongue today? He sniffed, turned around, No good day at all then. All of a sudden I started to fall, down and down and down again. The Lagisa caught me then said Good day and politely turned away.

The Unicacquack
by Katherine M.

Oh Unicacquack, how sweet you are, standing there oh so polite, standint there so quiet as can be. If you meet one, it will be friendly. It will play with you, it will eat with you, it will sing to you, and when you leave, it will give you a hug and a present (usually a feather from its tail), and say good bye.

The Dolphin Bird
by Grace F.

Once I was at the beach
and I saw a dolphin, It had three
heads and three tails. It was being
chased by a sea monster. It said,
Help Me! I jumped into the water
and when I got close enough, I bit
the sea monster, it sunk down into the
water. The Dolphin Bird swam over
to me and yelled Hooray!. I was
glad I saved the Dolphin Bird because
it was the only one left
because all the Sea Monsters
had eaten them.

The Interesting Meet of a Zigzagger
by Raina F.

The Zigzagger has zigzags
all over its body. It likes to sleep
under a tree, and then underwater.
Its predators are lions, and it doesn’t
like to hear the sound of Elephants.
It likes whales and sharks who
are its friends. She likes to eat big fish.

One day the Zigzagger was on top
of a mountain. In the night, we met.
I said, “How come you don’t go to sleep
right away?” Then the Zigzagger said,
“Because I like to see the white of the moon
before I go to sleep under a tree.”
Then I said, “WOW! You sleep under
a tree?” The Zigzagger said, “Yes,
I do sleep under a tree. Thank you
for saying it was amazing. Sometimes
I sleep in the water too!” Then
I said, “That’s even MORE amazing!”
“Thank you,” said the Zigzagger.
“It has been fun talking to you.”
With a wave of her leash,
The Zigzagger was gone.

The Horseel
by Lily S.

This creature is scary. It has the body of an eel and the mouth of a horse. It lives in the Pacific Ocean and hunts for Blue Hays, Robins, and Goldfish. During the day, it hunts for food by lifting its head out of the ocean.

One day, at the edge of my island, I saw a Horseel. I was excited because no one else on the island had ever seen one before. The Horseel came closer to the island. Then it turned its head and saw me. It swam as fast as it could towards me. It came one inch away from my face. I saw its teeth, and I was scared. It whispered to itself, “Food at last.” I said, “Why?” He said, “Because I’m hungry and I don’t want to have any birds right now!” I took two steps back. He stretched his neck to try to bite my toes, barely missing.

I ran all the way to my friends’ house and told them, “I met a Horseel!” But they said, “We don’t believe you.” I went back home and told my parents the same thing. They didn’t believe me either! After school the next day, I told my teacher, “Yesterday, I met a Horseel!” And guess what? She believed me!

Dolphpegasin
by Allie D.

Years and years ago, I took a ship to Cat land. I was looking out at the ocean. All of a sudden, something pushed me into the ocean. SPLASH! I feel in. I opened my eyes and I was on a dolphin’s back. Hi! I said to the dolphin. She answered Hi! She said, Thanks for rescuing me. Then a killer whale peeked out of the water, and reached to eat me. All of a sudden, something magical happened – we were flying in the sky!!! I turned to look at my dolphin friend. She wasn’t a dolphin, she was a Pegasus. Oh! My! Gosh! You used to be a dolphin! Who are you? She said, I promised to keep it a secret, but I can tell you: I’m a Dolphpegasin, and here’s my castle…

Putting a Beet Together

2007-06-20T06:30:00.000-07:00

On Monday, June 18, the young writers read Someone Puts a Pineapple Together by Wallace Stevens. After talking a little bit about imagery, comparisons, description, and what objects can make us think about, we wrote "Someone puts a Cabbage Together" poems in two groups. These poems turned out beautifully (check out room 106 for group work on gigantic Post-it notes!). Then, the poets in the room took over individually, and observed a large, purple beet. These are pretty amazing -- enjoy!

Someone Puts a Beet Together
by Grace F.

It looks like an alien with lots of arms.
A rocket that is blasting off.
A person with funky hair and lots
of eyes. A tree with a purple trunk.
A squid. An octopus. A pink marker.
A mermaid. A pencil. A motorboat.
Bitter licorice. A plucked apple.
Purple lettuce.

The End of the Day
by Zinnia S.

A tornado swirling
around a tree.
A rainbow arching over.
And rain about to
fall. A shooting star
going across the sky.
A rocket blasting
through the sky.
A dark forest.
An old fashioned
pen. A spinning
driedle. It reminds
me of an octopus.
A little piece
of salad. It looks
like a heart
cut in half.
It looks
like the sun
going down.
And it looks
like the
end of
the day.

Beet
by Grace J.

A small tree
growing in my garden.
A head.
A spine with fun red hair.
A witch’s broom.
A maraca
with leaves.
A lettuce bunch.
A mushroom.
A raspberry color.
A turnip.
Whipped cream.

Someone Puts a Beet Together
by Stephanie F.

A Hershey kiss with soft, wide spikes on straws popping out of the bottom. A large, oversized pencil with a soaky lead in it with no eraser. Half beet, a broken nightlight in a dark room. Celery, with half a Hershey Kiss on it. A flying boat with turbo jet boost. Half of a spinning top with four levers.

The Beet
by Lily S.

A tree starting to sprout.
A candy with a long wrapper.
A rocket gliding through space.
Plants growing out of a plant in the ground.
Smells like cold uncooked broccoli.

A large red Hershey Kiss that
somebody sucked on.
The tip of a dirty carrot.
An octopus losing its legs.
The inside of somebody’s heart with veins.
Inside feels like a washed
carrot, slippery and sweet.
When held, it feels like a heavy ladle.
A sea shell and licorice put together.

A Beet
by Honor A.

A strawberry with very long leaves. A ruby hanging on purple and green ropes. A tree coming out of a seed that is shaped like a ruby. A flower with lots of stems. A tiny red house, a tree behind it. A rocket6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, BLAST OFF! Yum, an icing bag! A ruby so special, I make it look like a beet. A pen, bulging with ink. A forest, all growing on one seed. A cray pas drawing of a radish, a pastel strawberry with lollipops stuck to it.

The Red Dark Beet
by Raina F.

A baby red parrot with hundreds of leaves. A strawberry apple with a rainbow stem. A plumped apple with red skinny bones coming from a dark strawberry. A walking strawberry with long hairs and very skinny legs. On top of the dark strawberry there is a dirty little hair sticking out and dirty little crusts coming out. Many fat roots sprouting a strawberry with loose bones that can break off easily. Light, purple bones inside. Long leaves and one baby leaf sprouting a smooth end. A curve like a rainbow.

The Bad Beet
by Ippei T.

A top with sting and leaf
Hershey kiss
a line with lots of long legs
a squid
an octopus
a rocket
a short carrot
a pointer
a tree with big roots
rotten carrot
shooting star
lots of families hugging together
mushroom with roots
a heart with trees
a forest
smells like a bad vegetable
a moon
a sweeping tool
a skinny baby
a heart shaped tree potato

Beet
by Allie D.

Land with trees blowing on it. A rocket about to land on Mars. Ripe licorice from Candyland. Holes with a prairie dog in it. An eraser erasing mistakes from paper. Land cracked in two pieces from a hurricane. A man with four pieces of hair on his head. A land with only sand on it.

The Beet
by Robert M.

An island with tall trees.
It looks like a Hershey Kiss.
It looks like a fancy rocket,
a rocket ship landing.
An animal with a big nose.
A genie popping out of a bottle.
A family hugging while doing ballet.
A mushroom.
A heart.
An island cut in half.
An evil weapon,
it makes my finger angry.
A wet mop ready to kill.
A nice baby.
A creepy alien.

Spoons, Forks, and Amazing Sea Creatures

2007-06-15T14:51:00.000-07:00

On Thursday, June 14, we started working on description, using details and comparisons. We read The Spoon, by Charles Simic. The poem describes a spoon and transforms it into a "kennel bone sucked thin" and "a living thing". The kids worked in groups, checked out some forks, and wrote poems together describing their forks. Several turned out really well, so those are below. Then, I have a collection of photos of amazing sea creatures, both those you could see an aquarium, and those only a few people on earth have seen in person. Recently, Claire Nouvian brought back pictures from The Deep, taken in a sea trench. She captured images of creatures that no one had ever seen or named before. (For more information about her amazing book, and to see a slide show of her work, go to: http://www.thedeepbook.org/) The students chose a photo they liked, and wrote a poem describing and transforming their creature. See below for the amazing results!

Forks!

The Fork of Many Things
By Jasper D., Robert M., and Ippei T.

Scratched, pointy, it feeds us.
Finger printed, it picks up food.
Hypnotized and monogrammed,
sharp but in a way,
dull.
If you move it on something,
the surface will get scratched.
Clanging, it will flip, if you
flick it in the air.
This weapon, back scratcher,
a rake on fire, a drumstick.
A fork of many things!

The Fork
By Allie, Grace F., and Lily S.

This used fork, nearly 10 years old.
Scratches all over.
Reflecting like a key waiting to open a lock.

This pitchfork digging into my plate
this fork is tired and dull.

Forks
By Honor A., Raina F., and Zinnia S.

Pointy, skinny, with the
four pointy edges.
Smooth, looks bumpy.
Shiny as silver, looks
like a traffic light
turning green. Clip, clop
someone dancing while
you eat. A wobbly boat,
bounce, a seesaw, the
tongue of a snake, a
bone, a scratched foot,
banged to metal, loud
bell, sounds like a car crash.
A bird’s claw landing
on my food, a paint
brush, a mirror at the
table, a balance beam,
a cactus, a pitchfork
curved, a hill, a
flagpole, a gate, a
long sled with loops,
a balloon bursting away.

Amazing Sea Creatures

Potato Man
by Robert M.

It looks like a blob of potato skin,
it’s mouth looks like a finger
almost invisible ears,
big round staring eyes,
six stubby weird legs,
it goes walking on the ocean floor.
It might make a sound like o-o-o e-e-e.
It can maybe hear sharply,
it probably steals food,
it’s nose comes out of it’s mouth.

The Seahorse
by Stephanie F.

A Seahorse
happily or
frighteningly through
the ocean
hitting its
tail against
the rock
formation in
the deep
blue sea.
He fiercely
runs away
from the
hammerhead
shark trying
to catch
him. He
finds a
yellow sea
bush and
hides. The
shark
can’t find
him so
he lives.
He is
a camouflager
because his
wonderful color
and texture
is a
flexible way
to hide
from predators.

The Orange Seahorse
by Raina F.

The Seahorse is orange
and in the sun there is yellow on him.
He has little dots on his body.
There are points
like a shark’s teeth all down his spine.
Where the points come together,
there are holes. His eyes
are black with orange at the center.
His fins are yellow, white,
and a little black on the sides with grey
at the edge. The body swirls
and curves. The nose is skinny,
the cheeks are fattish and the neck
is medium. The body rests
on a rock with little hairs on it
and his tail is dark.
He sounds like a soft giggle.
All day, he moves his body to swim.

The Green Moon
by Zinnia S.

It looks like a green
moon. And it looks
like little kiwis.
It has many holes.
It makes oooooo sounds.
I bet you didn’t
know that it has
little red dots.
There are little green
lumps. And it
looks deep down.
It is beautiful!
P.S. It shines.

A Weird Jellyfish
by Lily S.

This creature
like Jupiter
swimming in the water.

A tomato in a bubble
with red claws.
It glows in the dark
like a flashlight.

Snatching seaweed
swallowing it whole
hunting all night.

Hiding in a cave
it sleeps
waiting for the seaweed
to come floating by.

Ping-Pong Tree Sponge
by Honor A.

A white cucumbery
ball – without the green.
Out of the ball
comes the same color
sticks. Out of the sticks
come blue bubbles
that I don’t think
will pop.

A flower. Many
balloons on a heavy
object to keep it down or
in this case, on a
tree or on a stem. Look: blue
ice cream! Bubble gum
making a million bubbles
YUM! AAAAA! Some
King of a Germ.
The middle of the
whitest, white pearl.

Ming Mong
Ping Pong
Me sponge
Tree sponge
Ping-pong Tree-sponge

My Poem About a Seahorse
by Grace F.

A seahorse’s tail is like a piece of curled up
ribbon. And it’s fins are like wings. It’s body
actually does look like a horse, and it’s nose
is sort of like J. And the one I’m writing about
is red and it looks like it has glasses on.
And when I looked at it first, I thought it looked
strange, but now it doesn’t.

The Sea Devil
by Ippei T.

It looks like fat and furry, one
antennae, angler fish. It also
looks like the
bad guy’s fish.
The fish
has like a
cavity teeth.
And it is probably
shaped like a
smushed toy ball.
It is fat.
It will probably move like
the boingy way.
It will eat
large fish.
It lives in
the midnight zone.

The Hammerhead
by Katherine M.

The shark is like a hammer
it bangs things into the wall
like fish. They say, “The hammerhead
has stuck me into the wall.
Help!”

The hammerhead roams the
rock to make him strong so he
can hammer some more
fish in the wall and that’s
his favorite hobby.

My Odd, Pointy, Blow Sting Poem
by Allie D.

It stings, it bites, it blows in your
face. It’s odd, it’s strange. But it
is so odd, you can’t find one because it’s
at the bottom of the sea. It crawls
really fast. It’s pink and red. It’s pointy
and spiky.

Starfish
by Grace J.

They are red and dotty.
They look like chicken nuggets.
Its ends are pointy. It rests on small rocks
like the ones you put in your fish tank.
They are red like fire. Sharks
and big fish eat starfish.

See it Once in a Lifetime
by Jasper D.

Whooosh! A strange dolphin zooms through the water! It has never been seen. Unlike regular dolphins, it has bumps around its nose! This, a frowning, one-side-finned, bump finned, mad, glaring, kinda spiky, fast, (shhhh, it’s a little fat, isn’t it?)… HEY! An all-of-the-above dolphin, a little strange, glides around. Blue and shiny, around it streams. But wait! It’s not frowning. I think part of its body is puffed out. This kind of sea creature is seen once in a lifetime.

Letter Poems

2007-06-12T16:28:00.000-07:00

We were all about description and detail today! (We will be working on description skills for a few more days, and continue to talk about detail...) We read a poem called Vowels (after Rimbaud), which takes each vowel and describes how the author thinks it smells, looks, what animals it makes him think of, what he sees the letter AS. We thought about the letter, pictured it in our minds, and then wrote what we saw the letter as. We did group poems using DOLPHIN as our word (come by the classroom to see group work up on the walls!), and then the kids were asked to write their own poem, either using their name, or choosing an animal. The only rule was it had to have at least FOUR letters! The poems turned out wonderfully. See below for five great examples.

STEPH

By Stephanie F.

S is a smooth snake sliding through the desert on a hot, burning day.

S is a caterpillar moving through the cold dirt in winter.

T is a thin, tall, bald man with a board on his head.

T is a teeter-totter sideways with someone laying on it.

E is a flag pole with someone laying on the bottom.

E is a gate with three down bars sideways.

P is a round flag on a flag pole in the hot sun.

P is a piece of popcorn with a stick in the popcorn.

H is a stick between two poles.

H is a wooden, smooth gate.

IPPEI

By Ippei T.

I is a magic letter because when it turns it turns into H.

I is a skinny man just standing.

I is a crossing road.

P is also a magic letter because when you cut the line it turns into D.

P is a race car road.

P is a broken wheel.

P is a wood that is bug eaten.

P is also a magic letter because if you add one more line, it be R.

P is a weapon.

E is like a laughing face.

E is a wiggling face.

E is also a race care road.

I is a bug and its antennae.

I is the Sears Tower and a cloud.

I is my first letter and my last letter.

What's My Name? Allie!

By Allie D.

A is active in gym.

A is an apple, crunchy and sweet.

A is as soft as a pillow.

L is a lollipop as sweet as can be.

L is as wet as a lake.

L is a lamb, cute and cuddly.

L is stronger than a leopard.

L is a lion roaring with fear.

L is a pencil tapping against the paper.

I is a book with its pages flipping.

I is as icy as an icicle.

E has an expression as funny as a joke book.

E is exercising a lot, getting very sweaty.

E is an orange, juicy and sweet.

Apple C.

By Raina F.

A is Aliya turning 1 in June.

A is a soft apple.

P is a pig on top of a tower.

P is a horse carrying two people.

P is purple like grapes.

P is pink brushes, all styled up.

L is markers all stacked in different rows.

L is a fresh squeezed orange.

E is grass, all standing up.

E is licked apples all red.

C is a DJ playing Jazz.

C is black and white frizzy zebras.

The Puppy isn't always a Dog

By Jasper D.

P is a waterfall, rolling water down.

P smells like marshmallows roasting above the fire.

P is a car, speeding on a road.

U is a boomerang, flying around in the sky.

U smells like cookies, fresh from the oven.

U is some fireworks on the 4^th of July.

P is a spaceship orbiting the moon.

P is an iguana standing in the desert.

P smells like chocolate covered raspberries.

P is a city hall, standing proudly above the city.

P is our nation's capitol, where the president lives.

P smells like clay in a kiln.

Y makes me dizzy, rounding in a fast circle.

Y smells like pink sitting flamingos.

Y is a door, opening into a theater.

Magic Boat Poems

2007-06-11T20:20:00.000-07:00

On the first day of camp, we wrote poems about where we would go, what we would see, and what we would do if we had a magic boat that could take us ANYWHERE!

Magic Boat
by Robert M.

Me, my friends, and our camp counselors were on a boat. Sparkling water clear skies -- it was the perfect day to sail. But inside, it was different. 1/4 as small as the Titanic. There was an unusual map because it was electronic. Little green lights all over the map were blinking. With a pen, I pushed the button on Boston. Out of a speaker, it said Engaging to sail to Boston. In only a couple of minutes, we were there. We got out of the boat . As we walked around, Hot dog vendors, ice cream vendors, were everywhere. We got food and left. Just a quick stop. Home We got back on the boat, and a few minutes later, we were home. I went to sleep.

Fairyland
by Zinnia S.

I want to go to Fairyland
with Grace. When I get
there, the trees are going
to be covered with fairies.
I walk through the forest.
I can't keep my
eyes open. It smells like
honey and chirping.
I feel like I want
to sing. When I sing,
the fairies sing along.
We make a chorus.
I swing from
branches. We have lots
of fun in Fairyland.

Magic Boat
by Honor A.

Gwen, me, Maya too
What do you want
to do, say moo?
On the boat
we'll have, we'll write
how to get it. Then
map our way to the
places we want to go.
Let's go to Ireland
where everything's green.
Let's go to Scotland
make our boat a sub-
marine. Let's look for a
sea serpent or two.
We can go to Neverland,
meet Peter Pan.
Let's invite Mila, Annika
too. Let's go back in time
and see our Ancestors.
And let’s then go home,
hide the boat, leave the
map. Mila come let's
go to Narmendee. Let's
tell of the inns, the friends
we'll meet. And let's
always keep our magic boat.

Welcome!

2007-05-30T08:57:00.000-07:00

Hello! Below, please find some of the information from the Week 1 Newsletter for the Half Day Poetry Camp. Mostly, these are reminders about shoes, clothing, and a quick view of our first week's schedule. Please check back regularly starting June 11 for poems!

Clothing, Shoes, and Water
We will be spending quite a bit of time outside. EVERY DAY, we will spend some amount of time outside, playing games, running around, and walking to places like the library and the beach. Your child should dress in clothes that are OK to get dirty, and that are cool in the heat. I plan on teaching the students some traditional jump rope games (rhymes!!). PLEASE DO NOT send your child to camp with FLIP FLOPS ON!!! Tennis shoes or other shoes that will STAY ON THEIR FEET are appropriate. Finally, if you would like, you can send your child to camp with a personal water bottle. YOUR CHILD WILL BE RESPONSIBLE for this bottle when we go outside. No juice, pop, or other drinks are allowed during camp.

Library and the Beach
Wednesdays
We will be going to the Library on Wednesdays. The Library is a 15-20 minute walk. PLEASE do not send your child to camp in flip flops!!!!

Fridays
We will be going to the Beach on Fridays! It is a 10-15 minute walk to the beach (remember the shoe advice). Please remember a bathing suit, towel, and their camp t-shirt on Fridays!!!

WEEK 1 SCHEDULE (this is just a general overview)
Mon: 6/11
Intro Games
Magic Boat Poems and collages
Outside time

Tues: 6/12
Intro Games
Letter poems
I Wish poems
Outside time

Wed: 6/13
LIBRARY

Thurs: 6/14
Comparisons
Transformation
Poem Performance
Outside time

Fri: 6/15
BEACH DAY