From T.S. Eliot to Chicago

We read T.S. Eliot's first section of the "Preludes" to get a sense of setting in poetry. Eliot gives concrete and vivid details of a particular place at a particular time. We discussed the way he described a winter evening in the city at 6'clock. The students found it to be an interesting assignment to write about their own neighborhoods at an exact time in a specific season. Look at their work:



Ms. Cole 6th grade
Week 6



4 O’Clock
Starcy F.

In the summer time after school
kids get out of school be
loud then when they go home
it is quiet out there when
I go to the store I smell
lots of pizza, steak
Chinese food, shrimp,
burgers, fries when I walk
the streets going to the store
I see the CTA bus going by cars
going by lights change people
going to the gas station to buy
gas I watch them as they
go to church going to
the Laundy-mat.



Setting
Markeesh M.

The summer evening heats up
when kids come home to play
3:00 in the evening
the boring old day ends.
And here comes all the fun.
The playful little children.
People come to get wet.
And water coming down on you.
The water splash.
They get hungry and
smell of chicken and of fries,
everybody rushes to
the restaurants. And the
summer of fun.



Poetry
Rahkeen O.

3 o’clock on a summer day.
Kids out of school run and play.
Racing home to take off bookbags,
but a little tired from the work they had.
Going to union jumping in the pool,
but wait, the next day they still have
school. Racing home before too late.
Get home do homework while they shiver
and shake. Eat dinner and get in bed.
Now they can rest their heads.



Ms. Harris 6th grade
Week 6


Summer
Jasmine P.

The summer evening settles down
I smell BBQ fill the air.
5 o’clock hits and all the kids
come out to play. While roses bloom
all around, the cars on
the corner honking horns, cars
going by all four ways. As
the streetlights come on they
all go away. Hope wakes
up the next day.



6 O’clock
Alexis G.

The summer evening. 6 o’clock.
I hear birds chirping and dogs barking
and cats meow. I smell BBQ chicken,
ribs and lots more stuff. I see
out the window girls jumping Double
Dutch. I see people outside moving
their stuff in a moving truck.
I go outside and look up and the
sun is going down. Then in the
morning the sun shines again.




3 o’clock
Porsha T.

during the summertime
sun rise hot day
kids out playing
running school out
summer school’s
still in kids having
fun swimming staying
up late sleeping late
doing what they
want to do because
school’s out



Ms. Kessinger 6th grade
Week 6


6:00 p.m.
Rae L.

Winter is here and it is
so beautiful. 6 o’clock
on the dot. The tall while
snow formed into a hill.
there is so much snow
you can hardly feel
your fingers and toes.
People get robbed walking
down the street. As you
walk you see your feet
prints. You go in the house
and get a cup of hot cocoa
with 6 marshmallows. Get
under a blanket nice and
cozy. All at 6 o’clock on the
dot.




The Best Night
Jasmine W.

10 o’clock at night on
a winter night I hear people
walking and taking in the
snow, laughing and having
a good time with one
another. I see darkness
sparkle snow on the ground
mixed with hail, street
lights and on cars driving
horns beeping. Next thing
you know it it it . . .quiet.
No sound, just blank. I smell
hotdogs, cheeseburgers, waffles
hot wings, popeyes, perfume,
flowers, mac and cheese, I smell
everything in the book.




The Fun Day
Marissa M.

It is summer time. 1:30.
Kids are running around, kids
play jump rope. People are cooking.
The food smelling good, boys
playing basketball, boys and girls
are running around in the
park. Kids going to the
store. The ice cream truck
driving around. The kids are
fighting. Some kids are going
to the beach. Some kids are
going to the water park. Some
kids are going swimming.



12:00 At Night
Terry C.

12 o’clock at night colder than ice
lightning flashing with the moon
glancing from the night snow
falling from the sky like
the white moon at night
clouds bright as no light
weirder than fright

Miss Rosie

We read "Miss Rosie" by Lucille Clifton. This lesson focused on mood and concrete details that give us cues about mood. The students were very close readers noticing how Lucille Clifton changes the mood midway through the poem from sad to victorious. The students wrote really interesting poems.




Ms. Cole 6th grade
Week 5



The Man That Lives on the End of the Gas Station
Terrence S.

When I watch you fight people for no reason
surrounded by all these people.

Or,
no one is around because of you.

When I watch you in your box house on the end
of the gas station
waiting for someone to say something to you.

I say
that man is slow and needs help.








Crazy Dave
Kenya W.

When I watch you come down the street
surrounded by my classmates
or
when I watch you in your black jacket and colorful clothes
waiting for you to come to the gate
I say stand up for what you believe in






Crazy Man
Jameena S.

When I watch you walking down the street talking
to yourself and taking people’s
things out of their backyards
surrounded by little kids just watching
and talking about you and the things you do

or
wearing two different kinds of shoes
with bleached clothes

when I watch you in your baseball helmet
washing people’s care without them knowing
you are doing it

waiting for people to come out of their house
and pay you for washing their car

I say look at him doing things
he has no business doing
that is what I say




Ms. Harris 6th grade
Week 5



Crazy Dave
Dequan B.

When I watch you picking
through garbage
surrounded by garbage
and alleys
or
when I watch you in your 2
different shoes with different
color clothes and nuts and fake
jewelry
waiting for your mind like next
Christmas
I say
you used to be the quietest boy
on earth
I stand up
through your craziest
I stand up



Ricard and His Big Coat
Cleorra G.

When I watch you carry big bags
of garbage around on your bike
with a hole in your shirt
and small tight pants
surrounded by dead grass, leaves
and insects and wet garbage
sitting by dumpsters and cans
or
when I watch you in your big coat
and gym shoes with no strings
and holes in your coast
waiting for the sun
to come out
I say I would buy you food
and tell you to get
a job



Quarter Man
Omarr B.

When I watch you go around and put
your hand in a circle
and ask for a quarter
surrounded by dumpsters and rats
and possums
or
when I watch you in your mind you are lost
thinking about quarters
waiting for someone to walk by and
put a quarter in your can
I say wake up and realize
that you are somebody get up
and get a job and you maybe will have
quarters, even dollars





Ms. Kessinger 6th grade
Week 5



My Story
Shaquita B.

A man named Crazy Davide
they call him that because
he is crazy he is tall and skinny
a black man walking up and down
the block he always dances
and talks to himself
he goes in the garbage and gets
coats and shoes, red, green, blue
black and all other colors. If
I was to stand up for him
I would take him to get some clothes
and shoes. I will give him food
to eat and then he will be cute
and people will like him when
he is fixed up. I forgot
he smells like old greens.




The Crazy Young Lady
Lyneisha F.

When I watch you
come outside after school
with your schools dirty
surrounded by a whole group
of people saying get her
get her with dirty punks
waiting for someone to fight
or
when I watch you in your little
position in the middle of the street
waiting for someone to come so you can push
them around
I say
stop!
no more!
I had enough of your bullying
stop!!!




Ice Cold
Malcolm M.

When I watch you saying hello to people
that are not there
surrounded by old clothes
and eating old food out of the garbage can
the ALDI people throw away
or
when I watch you in your shoes
telling me to go to school
and get and education
waiting for a job
and some new shoes and clothes
and I say I am going to stand up
and be proud
I will stand up and help