Poetry Broadsides

For the last two weeks of the residency, students chose their favorite poems they wrote this year.  Then they revised their work and created a broadside that incorporated images from their own poems.  Finally, we took a "gallery walk" where students could see the amazing poems of their peers.  It was a great 20 weeks at John Hay Academy!

Check back next fall for new poems!!

What We Know

Today we read "Ballade" by Francios Villon. We talked about how we know things--how sometimes we know a whole thing by its parts. Or sometimes what we know reveals what we don't know. The students wrote some great poems. Take a look!


Ms. Cole 6th grade


I Know
Keegan O.

I know Chicago by its huge buildings.
I know spring by its flowers and sunny days.
I know sleep by its dreams and nightmares.
I know my mother by her voice when she calls me.
I know the parents by their children.
I know the land from the seas.
I know love from hate.
I know everything but the fear to move on.



I Know
Pierre M.

I know my mother by her smile
I know Rahkeem by his laugh
I know Ms. Cole by her walk
I know my brother by his walk
I know death when I see it
I know everything but my grandmother.

I know my friends when I see them
I know Antonio by his run
I know my mom when she calls me
I know my mom when she is
in a good mood or bad
I know everything but my grandmother.


I Know
Daveon J.

I know limes in Malibu
I know a dog by its ears
I know my TV by its color
I know y PS2 by the controller
I know my school by the auditorium
I know Super Jim’s by the people who work there
I know Ms. Cole by her glasses
I know everything but if I’m going to be
a billionaire


Ms. Harris 6th grade


I Know
Malik. T

I know crying by its tears
I know the orange by its color
I know morning by its sun
I know Medusa by the snakes in her hair
I know Pandora by her box
I know my grandma and the way to Vegas


I Know
Marquis S.

I know learning by the report card
I know feelings by the way you act
toward other people
I know a dog from its smell
I know when I’m near water
because of the way it starts to get cold.


I Know
Rayumos H.

I know my bike by
its brand
I know the rain by
the thunder
I know my mom by
the snoring
I know the music
by the songs
I know the clock
by its ticking
I know the sharpener
by its shavings.


I Know
George G.

I know my dad by his beard
I know a monkey by its tail
I know a zebra by its stripes
I know fire by its glow
I know Zeus by his thunderbolt
I know an angel by its wings

Ms. Kessinger 6th grade


I Know
Johnny B.

I know Chicago by McDonald’s on every corner
I know spring by the rain
I know Rae by her socks
I know my mom by her laugh
I know my room by my floor
I know my friends by their attitude
I know how to read because of books.

I know love by the touch
I know trees from buildings
I know John Hay from McNair
I know Chicago Ave. from North Ave.
I know everybody loves me
because I’m me.


I Know
Dawn H.

I know Keyonna by her walk
I know the winter by its snow
I know room 303 by its door
I know my teacher by her hair
I know when the sun comes out
I know a park by its swings
I know when a bus passes
I know when my dad is coming
I know everything but myself

I know when it is summer
I know when something bad is coming
I know when something good is about to happen
I know everything but myself.


I Know
Moesha T.

I know my mom when she is mad.
I know her by her size.
I know Ms. K. by her walk.
I know Rae by her voice.
I know Johnny by his laugh.
I know everything but myself.

I know Shaquita when she is happy.
I know streets when it is noisy.
I know Ms. Van by her smile.
I know spring when it rains.
I know everything but myself.

I know my friend Marissa when she’s silly.
Cynthia when she’s mad.
I know everything but myself.

So many summers

Today we read "Knoxville, Tennessee" by Nikki Giovanni. We talked about the music in this poem, and how it painted a vivid picture of summer in one particular location. I asked the students to write about their favorite season in a particular place. Like Giovanni, many of the students like summer best. See their work!

Ms. Cole 6th grade


Summer
Markeesh M.

I like summer because you get to go
out and play and get wet with
all of your friends and eat lots of
ice cream sandwiches we can
stay outside late and we don’t
have to go to school we get
to go swimming and riding
our bikes we get to jump rope
and play we get to eat water-
melons, freeze pops, oranges, cherries,
snow balls, icy cups I get to
eat a lot of good food and fruits
in the summer you can go
to the zoo and see lots of animals.



Memphis
Jameena S.

Summer, I like summer because
it is hot and you do not have
to wear a coat, boots and
hot pants. I like summer because
I love to eat the cold, sticky
ice-cream, you have no school,
the kids can go out and play
and jump rope, go swimming and
throw water balloons and do
much much more.



Summer
Starcy F.

My favorite season is summer
I like summer because of the warm
days relaxed go swim and go
on lots of vacations summer
is my favorite ‘cause kids playing
flower spouts no school and
stay outside late and have
fun get togethers a barbeque
and listen to some gospel music
and food, corn bread, macaroni, greens
cabbage, spaghetti, chicken, hot dog
and cake, ice cream, cheesecake, peach
cobbler, and juice pop that’s why
I pick summer.



Ms. Harris 6th grade


Summer
Alexis G.

I always like summer best
I can play outside and
watch the flowers grow
I can go to many fun places
I do not have to go to school
my birthday is in the summer
and barbeque outside
I can go to house parties
with my best friends and all
I can do is have a lot of
fun. But then it’s a time when
the fun stops until next year
or in the winter, fall, spring you
can keep going but
then it’s a time to have to sleep.

Summer
Porscha T.

I always love summer
best smells good
barbeque eat fresh fruit
love all the good
things you could do
outside you go
get in the pool have lots
of fun parties pool parties
no school stay up all
night.


I Like . . .
Briana J.

I like summer in
Florida and all the
rides in Orlando where
I can go on.
When it is a
church picnic I
have fun and
play with friends
and listen to gospel
music. But it gets
so hot I can
use a glass of
lemonade, and
going on tall rides
is scary, but
they're fun
wind going
through my
hair I like
it. But when
I come back
to Chi town
I hang out
with my friends
at the park.
Oh look! There’s
Micheal and
Latisha and Daymiss
and more friends
playing they see
me and say: heeeeeey
Briana then I
go play.



Ms. Kessinger 6th grade


Six Flags in the Summer
Tysheanna Funches

Rides, rides, rides!
Summer, summer summer!
Food, food, food!
Batman, superman, giant drop and much more
hot, no coast, swimming suits and much more
ice cram, hot dogs, cheesy fries and much more
summer’s the best
six flag’s the best
walking under mist when you get hot
screaming as loud as you can
no rules like no talking always wear a helmet
swimming all day facing big waves
looking at your mom screaming on rides
laughing when you drop on the giant drop
running around
hot band around your toes
barefoot running around
this is six flags in the summer



Summer in Chicago
Sherrell W.

As the remains of the rain clear
the sun rises from its home
waiting for this beautiful
season. As the sun hurries to
the sky it flashes on
beautiful Chicago. Kids are
coming grabbing books before . . .
Ring Ring the school bell rings
like a freedom bell for a war. You
smelling BBQ, corn, chicken, and laughter
as everyone enjoys the summer
awakening. Put away coats, boots
umbrellas and the thought of
spring. Summer has come to
Chicago. Time for fun.



Summertime in Joliet
Jasmine W.

I always like summer
time in Joliet because
I can eat
some good barbeque
I can sleep all day
I can play and
get more food if I
really need it. I drink
juice pop and other
kinds for my age.
That’s my favorite season.

History (in third person)

Today we read Tomaz Salamun's poem "History." We talked about writing in third person to gain some distance and a new perspective. We also talked about how imagining one's own history could be interesting, especially when the poet chooses vivid images. The students wrote great poems of their own imagined histories. Take a look!

Ms. Cole 6th grade



History
Andrea T.

Andrea is a sphere rushing through
the air. Andrea is a girl who, when
she walks down the street, people
look at her. She lies down in
twilight. Andrea has a dog and
is a girl. She likes the rain. She
likes to go to Miami. Andrea is like
the wind. Andrea likes hot peppers.
Andrea does not like snakes. Andrea
has never been in a tornado or hurricane
and sometimes she thinks she is
a refreshing person.

Rahkeem is?
Rahkeem O.

Rahkeem is a giant bowling
ball knocking down and conquering everything
in its path. He never gets afraid or
backs down from a challenge.
Or maybe Rahkeem is like a
cool summer mist. After a long day
it is refreshing to see one.
Or, Rahkeem might be a
Fierce Tiger, always ready and prepared
for anything.

History
Takayla J.

Takayla is a sun.
Takayla is a spotlight
shining on a superstar.
She lies down like a
sunset.
People and I look as if
our eyes are flashlights.
Maybe she’s a star
from the sky.
Possibly she should be a
highlighter.
Next year, she’ll be
in the Bahamas where
Takayla shines on people.

Ms. Harris 6th grade


History
Omarr B.

Omarr is a king.
Omarr is a sun rising
every 6:00 a.m. He hops like
a rabbit, and runs fast like it
too. People and I, we all look
at him shocked. We give him luck.
Maybe he is a bird. Maybe he is a
mouse or a dog that only bites
bad people. People see Omarr buying a car.
He buys it and thinks of history.

Poetry
Malik T.

Malik is a tree.
Maybe he is a thunderstorm.
Possibly he should be a pit bull.
Next year, he will be an angel.
Maybe he is a fast car.
Maybe he is a chair so that
you can sit.
Possibly he should have been a lemon
that is sour.

KeJuan the Invisible
KeJuan M.

KeJuan is a beast. KeJuan
is a monster. KeJuan is the air
that flows in the earth, that
people inhale and exhale. KeJuan
is the thunder that strikes a
tree falling on cars. KeJuan
is a beast. KeJuan is hurricane
Katrina that hit New Orleans. KeJuan
is like John C. You can’t see him. You
can only hear, smell or taste KeJuan
because he is like a burger flipping
in the pan. KeJuan is the energy
that you drink. That is how I explain
KeJuan and KeJuan is what you can’t see.

Ms. Kessinger 6th grade


What’s History
Eric. W

Eric is a king. A lion.
A block of sunshine a light
that doesn’t go off like a glass
star. Music. A clock that
doesn’t have numbers.
Eric is an Independent man
that loves his work,
going for his goals. That is
history.

History
Keyonna B.

Keyonna is goofy.
Keyonna is a shoe addict.
Keyonna is a tree climber.
Maybe she is a nice person.
Maybe she is a rude person.
She might only be kind.
She might only be cute.
Keyonna is crazy.
Keyonna is lazy.

Poem
Chaddrick M.

Chaddrick is a leopard.
He is a snowstorm.
He might only be
two dogs going at it.
Possibly he should be
waves when people
are surfing.
People will say: I am
going to get security,
because he is a
bad boy.

Crazy Adorations

Today we read an excerpt of Andre Breton's "Free Union." We talked about the power of metaphor and discussed the strange and surprising way Breton describes his wife. We made a list of unusual parts of the body that might go mostly unexamined, and created a list of unrelated nouns. Then, when asked to think of someone they adore, students came up with many exciting comparisons. Read their work!

Ms. Cole 6th grade
Week 14


My Friend
Daveon J.

My friend whose toes are a pack of string beans,
whose neck is like a big professional
football whose armpits are like a bush
of hair, whose eyeballs are like two
big bowling balls, whose ears are like
two airplane wings.



My Brother
William D.

My brother is a cricket then
a hill billy snail and has an elbow of
a goat. His voice is louder
than a lion’s roar. He has hair of
alligator skin and a body made
of bricks. And eyelashes of a horse’s
tail. He moves faster than the wind.
This is my brother.



Mother
Miguel A.

My mom whose hair is like a river of gold
whose mouth is like a rainy puffy clouds
whose teeth are white as snow
whose tongue is made of sharpened stainless steel.
My mom whose eyelashes are like the
Statue of Liberty’s seven spikes a little bit bent
whose eyebrows are not as bushy as kiwi.
My mom whose heart is a big open door
for everyone
and my mom’s fingers that are as
soft as stones on the beach.



Ms. Harris 6th grade
Week 14


Mom
Michael B.

My mom has eyes of roses
teeth like snow.
My mom has hair like a condo
ears like rain.
My mom’s nose is like trees
her lips like a sunflower.
My mom’s skin in like a condo
her breath like a fountain of chocolate.
My mom’s toes are a river
her forehead is like snow.



My Cousin
Dequan B.

My cousin smells like sunflowers,
she looks like a tree. My mom
smells like roses. My baby
sister’s cheeks smell like
sweet candy. She looks
like a baby lion when she cries.
It looks like she was in a puddle
of rain.



Crazy Body Parts
Latisha M.

I admire a person whose
forehead is like a river
whose hair is like a ball
of itchy grass whose
neck is like a skyscraper
whose shoulders are like chocolate
milk coming out of a fountain
whose waist is like fish swimming
in the ocean
whose hands are like waving
flags whose legs are tall as trees
and whose toes are like roses.



Ms. Kessinger 6th grade
Week 14


My Twin
Justina P.

My twin who has a mouth of birds
who has energy of a 3-year-old
who has skin of a baby
my twin who has legs of a model
who has moods of a mood rings
who has skin the color of light chocolate
my twin who has clothes of flowers
who has eyes of a brown star



My Brother
Johnny B.

My brother whose shoulders
are fountains of chocolate
whose belly button is a block
whose legs are long as
the numbers 1, 2, and 3
whose teeth are white as snow
whose tongue is longer than trees
whose stomach is full as chocolate
my brother’s forehead is smaller
than windex paper towels
whose fingers can write a
response in seconds
whose cheeks are shiny as
the sun
whose elbow is rusty as nails
whose tongue twirls like a cyclone
whose ankles twist like a screwdriver
whose eyes are smaller than pop cans
whose eyes can see like posters
whose face is on a dollar bill of money



Everything in the Body
Brianna D.

My mom has a face made
out of money.
She’s getting rich.
My mom has ankles made out
of chocolate, she’s
walking slow.
My mom’s toes are made of
blocks.
She’s falling down.
My mom’s ears are made of flowers.
She can’t hear.
My mom’s forehead is made
out of snow.
She gets a brain freeze.

Sweet Like a ????

Today we read Michael Ondaatje's poem "Sweet Like a Crow." The students really gained an understanding of comparison/simile and were very excited about the surprising and strange associations this poem offered. The students then began to imagine how a voice might sound and came up with comparison's of their own. They had many surprising images!


Ms. Cole 6th grade


Your Voice
Kenya W.

Your voice sounds like eight dogs
barking, thunder in the sky,
a bullet hit you in eye,
one hundred owls in tree,
a tornado heading our way, two
thousand firecrackers hitting
the y sky, people dancing in a parade,
a burning house, a scary movie, a car
out of gas, a bulldozer
knocking down a building, a phone
ringing, a girl lost in a desert
crying for help, five girls jumping
on a bed.



Your Voice
Keegan O.

Your voice sounds like a high-pitched
bird in a nest on a summer morning. Your
voice is like a slave being beaten. Your
voice sounds like a windshield wiper,
wiping snow off of the windows, your
voice sounds like a hurricane
in the sky picking up speed.




Voices
Damyiss M.

Somebody’s voice sounds like
it is on a cloud, it sounds like
a snake being fed to a killer whale,
it sounds like a squirrel being eaten
by a giant crow, it sound like a
little girl screaming for help it
sounds like someone being shot, it
sounds like someone in a blizzard,
it sounds like someone biting
into a fried green tomato, it
sounds like a girl being beat,
her hair getting combed.



Ms. Harris 6th grade


Your Voice
Marquis S.

Your voice sounds like a
bed squeaking, like a horse
eating hay, like a car
riding on a flat tire,
like a boy knocking over
garbage cans, like a car
rolling over, like a baby crying,
like someone biting a piece
off an apple.



Your Voice Sounds Like
Edward S.

Your voice sound like
a fish getting cooked.
Your voice sounds like
a monkey jumping up
and down. Your voice
sounds like a cat crying.
Your voice sounds
like a dog biting. Your
voice sounds like a
fat man eating.




Her Voice
Carisma F.

Her voice sounds like a piece of fried chicken
being eaten, a tornado being brought threw
town, like a chip bag being opened, like a bitten
apple. Her voice sounds like a bird being
choked, like a basketball being bounced, like
hail coming down and hitting the windows.

Her voice sounds like a loud TV. Like a ring
tone on a phone, like two cats and two dogs
fighting. Like a gun being shot in the air,
like a bird flying in the sky. Her voice
sounds like a rooster early in the morning,
like an ambulance, like kids running
through the halls of the school.




Your Voice
Laquesha B.

Your voice sounds like a
watermelon when someone is
throwing and dropping it. Your voice
sounds like a laughing dog that
is at a talent show. Your voice sounds like
a notebook when someone opens it and flips
the pages. Your voice sound like a
big bag of chips when someone drops it
and another person steps on it. Your voice
sounds like a paper wobbling front and back
and from side to side. Your voice sounds
like a piece of pie when somebody ate the
whole thing in one bite. Your voice
sounds like a Mama hollering and telling
her children to go to bed. Your voice sounds like
a lawnmower getting stuck between houses. Your voice
sounds like two dogs and cats fighting each other.




Voice
Arrion L.

I sound like a hand clap
going across someone’s face.
I sound like a rock falling
onto the ground. I sound like
a man running from
the police. I sound like a
dog trying to get a ball.



Ms. Kessinger 6th grade


Your Voice
Eric W.

Your voice sound like trees falling and the leaves falling off
and blowing sometimes like in the Windy City
and water hitting rock. Your voice sounds like a coat zipper
that is broken. Like someone getting married.



Your Voice
Dominique B.

Your voice sounds like a
lawn mower cutting grass.

Your voice sounds like a
clock going tic-toc.

Your voice sounds like a
whale eating a fish.

Your voice sounds like a
dog running from a bath.

Your voice sounds like a
hyena scaring a baby lion.

Your voice sounds like a
daddy lion roaring.

Your voice sounds like a
1-year-old saying his ABCs.

Your voice sounds like a
dice rolling on the board.

Your voice sounds like a
sick kid.





Your Voice Sounds Like
Amia R.

Your voice sounds like
a pig screaming for
help and a rain storm.

Your voice sounds like
an elephant blowing
his horn going crazy.

Your voice sounds like
a dolphin crying
for her baby.

Your voice sounds like
a clock saying
tick tock.

Your voice sounds like
a frog trying to sing.

Emotion Personification Party

This week we read "Shame" by Nancy Casteneda and "Fear" by Tracy Waldman. The students and I discussed personification, and then made a list of some emotions we might want to explore. We talked about how, if the emotion was a person, it would look, act, etc. A few student volunteers had a good time acting this out and entering the room as their emotion. Then, they used their own powers to transform their emotion into a person via words:



Ms. Cole 6th grade
Week 12
02/14/08


Rude
written by: Ms. Cole

Rude is flippant
and inappropriate. She
smiles slyly. She
bursts on the scene
loud and boisterous
not knowing what to
do. Rude red ridiculous
ready for everything
prepared for nothing.




Joy
Louise D.

Joy is a girl who
is happy all the time, loves
to play, loves to sing, she loves
to eat hot dogs. She loves to hear
the sound of a bird singing in
the morning. Joy loves to smell good.
Joy loves to see pretty clothes.
Joy loves to feel good. Joy is
a girl who loves to be happy.




Excitement
Arquesha A.

Excitement is a child
eating ice cream, running
down a hill, playing with
other kids, having fun
in the sun. Excitement
is making cookies,
cake and other kinds
of desserts. Going
to a birthday party and
is always walking in the room
with a smile on her face.




Joy
Miguel A.

Joy is a little boy who has fun all
year round. He comes out of the sky
every day you do something good.
He has been real happy these
past few days, because you succeeded.

Joy confronts you like a friendly
dog being sensitive to you.
Joy makes you be happy and excited.

Be careful! If you are not joyful,
he’ll hunt you down and get you
to be joyful.




Ms. Harris 6th grade
Week 12
02/14/08



Scary
Rayumos H.

Scary is a man who
creeps around like a
worm. He comes out
of nowhere scaring
kids when it’s night.

Scary has a mask on
and goes into people’s
dreams and makes them
into nightmares. Scary
demands to see people
get scared or he keeps hunting
you down.

Be scared! Scary is
after you every single
night between time
and future.




Grumpy
Cleorra G.

He comes in the room and is
mad at what you do. He eats
nails and makes you grumpy.
When he walks in, he looks at
everyone with a mean look. He
will say something mean to make
you mean. Grumpy also talks
about you. You can see him
and talk to him, but if you do
make sure to pray he won’t mess
with you.



Jealousy
Da’shana W.

Jealousy is a girl who
can’t stand to see
somebody looking better
than her. She’s looking
around and making faces
at everyone she can’t stand
to see people look at her.
she’s mighty, scary,
suspicious, shy, honestly
she can be grumpy at times.
She can have joy and happiness
too, but she’s jealous of people.



Suspicious
George G.

Suspicious is a man who wears
an overcoat and a mask. He’s very quiet
and doesn’t draw attention to himself.
He’s always quiet. He sneaks up on you
and it is like he isn’t even there.
He’s quiet as a mouse. Suspicious has
secrets in his pockets. He’s like
a ghost. He eats secret recipes.



Ms. Kessinger 6th grade
Week 12
02/14/08

Worry
Deandre M.

Worry is the name
and hating is not
my game. Worry
sometimes
I worry no
time. Worry
this that
this that.
Who worry
I sure did
I love you.



Anger
Jacobi D.

Anger is a man whose skin
goes to red. Anger stands like
a bear growling at something.
Anger tastes like hot peppers.
Anger feels like hell or heat.
Anger smells like burning
wood. Anger is just anger.





Scared
Rae L.

Scared is a woman at night.
It taps your shoulder and hides behind a tree.
Scared comes out and makes you scream.
Scared eats what he calls a good old scream.
It keeps in his pocket a book of new tricks.
Scared smells like fear. Scared looks frightened.
When he comes into the room, he jumps on you.




Regret
Dawn H.

Regret is a woman who sneaks up on
you everyday. She chases you down
the street and holds tight and never
lets go--puts pressure on your back
and pulls you back as you walk, and stays
in your mind each and every day.

Paint blot comparisons

To introduce comparison, the students and I read "Fog" by Carl Sandburg. We had a great discussion about how one thing can be/become another thing. Then, I made a few symmetrical paint blots to help the students discover their own "metaphor magic" to transform one thing into another. See their amazing poems:

Ms. Cole 6th grade


Paint
Kenya W.

This is a spaceship taking up
in the air.
A turkey to share.
This is some flowers in this
beautiful vase.
This is a person’s ribs.



Paint Blues
Lannell F.

The paintings look like a
rocket blasting off, and a robot
on a toilet and a baby looking
like a roach.



Pots Paint
William D.

First it was a plain
paper, then it was an
x-ray of the inside of
someone, then it was a
flower in a vase, now it’s
a skeleton with flippers.




Ms. Harris 6th grade


Heart
Michael B.

What I see is
two people taking
out someone’s
heart. The people are
blue. And the heart
is black and red.



Splash!
George G.

The paint is like
a man with a mustache,
big red lips, and a blue head.
Or an African mask, or maybe
it is a mouse with black hair
feasting on spaghetti.



Mr. Confusion
Jermel H.

The painting is blurry,
staring, and curvy.
Mr. Confusion is blue,
his mustache is black,
and his beard is red
and as big as his head.
Mr. Confusion is dreamy, but
chubby and lazy, crazy.
He’s the blue man.




Ms. Kessinger 6th grade


What is Paint?
Dominique B.

Paint is a polar bear
with blue and white fur.
Paint is a house on a
lost island.
Paint is a sword going
through a teddy bear.
Paint is two bears
on V-day.




Paint Dreams
Terry C.

I see a bear running
through the woods fast
as lightening. A bear
no one has ever seen in life,
but in a dream. The art
of paint becomes real in
dreams. That is my paint
dream.




Paint
Virginia E.

The paint comes as an Indian
woman that can look
all over Chicago and
it can stand in front
of our face and keep
moving.

What THEY loved.

We read Lisa Jarnot's poem "They Loved Paperclips." We talked about the advantages of using the third-person collective pronoun "they" to allow for some distance. The students began to see that they could write a poem that include not only their own perspective, but could allow for the viewpoint of others. See their work!

Ms. Cole 6th grade


They Love
Shirlette S.

Thye love their pencil moving
across their paper and
they love the weather when
it changes every day and
they love their eyes moving
from side to side and
they love their fingers moving
one by one and they love their
paper making rapply sounds
and they love their cars
horn as they beep
for someone to move out
of their way and they
love the air because
they get oxygen and they love
their straight
hair as they flat iron
and it pressed out



Poem
Jameena

They love shopping
they love cats and dogs
they love having family
they love working and going to school
they love spending money
the love eating
they love having a roof over their head
that is what they love



They Love
William D.

They love science books
they love the sound of
they wind they love the smell of
chicken fingers and mac & cheese
they like the shape of the
globe they love the smell of
new shoes they love plants.



Poem
Sendalio W.

They love hearing things on the
radio they like books they like the
sound of cars they like when there
is a word wall they like it when
family and friends come over they
like when kids come over they like
good grades they like video games
they like poetry they like playing
baseball and basketball they like
playing board games.




Ms. Harris 6th grade


They Love Outside
Carisma F.

They love outside and
everything out there
they love hearing cars
honk their horns and
the smell of gasoline
they love hearing the
crickets and crows they
love looking at the sky
to see what they can find like
shapes and animals they
love looking at the big green trees



Poem
Jermel H.

They love many things
they love crossword puzzles
they hate cats and they
love art they still love cooking
and really love puzzles and books they
like bike riding on Sundays they
love this and that they love
garbage and love bugs they eat
worms and slugs



Me and My Friends!
Dequan B.

They love Hannah
Montana they love
the click of the keyboard
they love hushpuppies they
love rings they love movies
they love airwalks they love
venns they love pizza and
a pool they love to become
a teacher they love to sing they
love to dance they love to
go to the movies they love
pickles they love me too they
also love Fridays and Spongebob.




Ms. Kessinger 6th grade

Love, Love Love
Lakeya S.

They love the chalkboard
they love gospel music
they love fights
they love tweety bird
the love crazy people
all these things they love the most
they love Bowow and Chris Brown
they love school
love, love, love is all they say
they love fruit
they love concrete
they love chicken
they love to freeze
they love tornadoes



They Love Fabric
Lyneisha F.

The love needles they love
thread they love seeds and
candy they loved machines
they love the sound
of pencils on paper and
fabric they love the fabric
on Sundays and
they love clothes
that have their name and style
the thread for the needles
the ruler for the thighs and
also when their fashion
are going down the aisle.



They Love
Moesha T.

They love tornadoes
they love poems and
strawberries the cars
the fabric the fries the
sound of a hum they love
school on a Saturday they
love computers all through
the week they love the
hairstyles that they wear
Mondays they love the coats
they love the shoes that
match the ceiling and the
Tide they use to clean their
clothes what they love is
Ms. Van’s poems she brings.

In My Head

This week, we stepped outside of ourselves to see what kinds of images might be lurking inside of us. We read "A Boy’s Head" by Miroslav Holub, translated from Czech by Ian Milner. The students were amazed at what kinds of things represented knowledge and were excited to explore images of their own. Look at their great work!

Ms. Cole 6th grade
Week 8
12/13/07


Takayla’s Head
Takayla J.

In it there is a bee buzzing
and a tooth
for my science project.

And there is a little girl
bugging me
while I don’t want
to be bothered with.

And there is
an entirely new whole honey nest
an entirely new big wheelcar
an entirely new carnival

There is a tree, tree light
bursting

There is a spelling word:
pioneer
surgeon
qualified
infection
outrageous
trail blazer
clinic
application

independent and more.

There are chores.

And it just cannot be ripped
I believe only what cannot be ripped.




In My Head
Antonio R.

In it there is the Best Artist.
There is the big spider in town.
There is Spiderman in Chi-Town
saving the town. The is a
picture of 50 cent and
Tony yayo at 50 house.
There is when I first learned how
to ride a bike.



In My Head
Pierre M.

In it there is a carrot
There is money
There is a clock
There is my grandfather resting in peace
There is my mother
There is my father
There is my nephew
There is school
There is Christmas coming
There is snow
There is a progress report
There is a dog
There is a needle
There is home, home sweet home
There is a kitchen
There is a mall




Ms. Harris 6th grade
Week 8
12/13/07

Da’shana’s Head
Da’shana W.

In it there is a huge party

and there is a ball
game which shall last forever

and there is
a concert
an entirely new song

There is a pond
streaming




Clusters
Raymos H.

In there is earth.
There is Lake Michigan and
its wonders.

There is land with buildings
and hotels and apartments.

There are cars roaming around
the street.

There are entirely new schools
and hospitals.

And it just cannot be flamed
or stolen.



In His Head
Nicole H.

And in his head pop stars.
Doors . . . opening
little kids running out
of the door singing
1.2.3 lock your doors . . .
4.5. pick up toys
grown ups walking away
from rivers. But never
loved to be a head?



Ms. Kessinger 6th grade
Week 8
12/13/07

Jacobi’s Head
Jacobi D.

In my head I see a box
and a boy that will sit in it.
I see 303 and me going to pass
6th grade. In there I see
Christmas. Friends. Family
having a good time. In there
I see peace and quiet. So much peace.



Briana’s Head
Briana D.

What’s in my head is not
to dread. I’ve got purple in my
head. I’ve got a blue shirt,
red socks, some blue jean pants.
Algebra, which is math. A best-
friends necklace, how about you.
A jacket my BFF my wanna be,
are you crazy? I have red in my
head. I’ve dreams that need help.
I see people in my future who
ask to marry, but in my head I’ll
have to carry.



Sherrell’s Head
Sherrell W.

In it there is
a pink and blue shirt,
and a blue skirt.

And there is Lil Wayne
with a hat that he
just got.

And there is
an entirely new boombox
an entirely new book
an entirely new bird.

There is a stage
which artist’s rap/sing
on.

There are long yellow
socks.

There is my walking
down a runway.
There is me on an island
that can’t be removed.