Zinnias, Borage, and Black-Eyed Susan Vine
Photo by Amy LV
Students - This poem is dedicated to the loving kindergarten bean plant parents at G.W. Miller Elementary School in Nanuet, NY. I was fortunate enough to read and write poems with them this past Monday, and I also got to see their happy, growing bean plants.
Sometimes, if you pay close attention to your life, a topic jumps out at you, and you might feel that you must write a poem about that topic. This is how I felt about those little cups full of growing beans. I just kept thinking about their thoughtful young caretakers. Planting my own seeds yesterday, I again remembered my visit and how even though I did not plant beans, those young writers and I are all helping seeds grow.
Pay attention this week. What sticks with you? This sticky idea may want to be a writing piece. Maybe you, like me, will wish to dedicate a poem to a person or to a group of people.
Much gratitude to the kind teachers, teacher aides, administration, and PTA for hosting me at G.W. Miller. I am happy to be growing seeds and feeling connected to you.
And now...a Poetry Peek!
Today I am so happy to welcome Sixth Grade Teacher Karen Caine and a few of her thoughtful student poets from Hommocks Middle School in Mamaroneck, NY who so generously share their work with us today. It is with great pleasure and appreciation that I introduce you to Karen and poets Alexander, Holden, Anna, and Brooke. May their poems inspire you to think about your life and where poems live for you.
Sixth Grade Teacher Karen Caine
Because I believe poetry can soothe our souls, help us notice beauty in the world, and teach students so much about strong writing, I look for ways to weave it into an already overstuffed 6th-grade English curriculum. This is not always easy. But poetry has a way of slipping in.
Earlier in the year, after we read Margaret Wise Brown’s The Important Book, we noticed that although the book is not exactly a poem, it often sounds like one. Its repetition, rhythm, and careful noticing invited us to wonder: What if we began our own poems this way? The important thing about fire is… And from there, we were off.
Later, we briefly studied Naomi Shihab Nye’s “Valentine for Ernest Mann,” which helped us ask: Where do poems hide? How do we find them? And what do poems do for us as readers? All students wrote one poem about poetry, and then the idea became a weekly writing choice in our writer’s notebooks. For some students, the idea about writing about poems caught fire. Some students wrote a series of poems about poems.
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Sixth Grade Poet Alexander Werdel
I mainly enjoy making up and writing fiction stories. I started falling in love with writing when my mom bought my two older brothers notebooks so that they would start writing and 5 year old me wanted one too. As soon as my pencil hit the page and began to write, it never stopped. I loved it.
I started writing my first full book series in 2nd grade called Fredrickson the Jar of Sand. Almost every day, I would return to school with a new book in the series. Everyone wanted to read it.
Usually, writing poems isn't my strong suit so I had to step out of my comfort zone a bit for this piece. This poem started as a simple homework assignment for English class. I started writing a sentence or two, not loving it at first. But I revised it some more and it became the poem that it is today.
Poems Come to Those Who Wait
by Alexander Werdel
Poems come to those that wait
rather than those that undertake.
Poems run, poems hide
but can’t be seen with the untrained eye.
Poems are quiet, like a ringing in your ear.
But listen closely, if you try, you can hear.
Poems take thought and shouldn’t be rushed.
Just take your time, don’t sweat the small stuff.
You see, poems aren’t that hard to write.
In fact, it's as easy as can be - so long as you remember that creativity is key.
So next time you write a poem, keep this in your mind.
It’s not the poem you have to write, but your voice you have to find.
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Sixth Grade Poet Holden Goodman-Gallop
I was inspired to write this poem because it reflects what happens in my day and what is almost always on my mind when I am not focused on something else. I also wrote this poem because I feel I am on my phone way too much so I took a break and wrote this poem instead of scrolling on my phone.
Hide and Seek
by Holden Goodman-Gallop
A poem is a game
of hide and seek, my friend.
of hide and seek, my friend.
It’s out there in the world,
but always hiding.
but always hiding.
sometimes under the crevice
in your couch,
in your couch,
sometimes at the top
of a tree,
of a tree,
But one thing about a poem
is that it’s always hiding.
is that it’s always hiding.
sometimes in the depths
of your mind,
of your mind,
sometimes in your bedroom
overlooking the city.
overlooking the city.
But one thing about a poem
is that it’s always hiding.
is that it’s always hiding.
sometimes hiding
on your way to school,
on your way to school,
sometimes hiding
on the way to work,
on the way to meet
your friends.
your friends.
But one thing about a poem
is that it’s always hiding.
is that it’s always hiding.
Alas, you make one up,
quirky and fun.
quirky and fun.
It makes you tingle,
But then you wake up
and realize it is lost
and realize it is lost
somewhere in your mind,
yet to be recovered.
yet to be recovered.
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Sixth Grade Poet Anna B-M
When I was writing this poem, it made me think a lot about when I was younger, because I used to think that the world was made of magic. I thought that tiny people lived inside of traffic lights and controlled them, fairies lived in my backyard, and that when I wished on a dandelion it would make all my wishes come true. So, as I was writing my poem I tried to think like I would when I was younger.
The Important Thing About Dandelions
by Anna B-M
The important thing about dandelions is that they
Can change lives
With just a blow
Carrying a dream through
The wide universe
Between planets and stars
They carry dreams
Little kids with big grins and little sticky fingers
They wish.
Teenagers, mad at the world, and struggling to belong
They wish.
Adults, carrying the weight of life on their shoulders
They wish.
Seniors, with canes, worn out, but happy, with smiles and wrinkles
They wish.
Dandelions
Some don't believe
Some say they are weeds and get rid of them
As if they were trash
They pick them without a second thought or glance
Throwing away the chance for a wish
Dandelions
Some do believe
Holding on to the hope that a flower
Will grant their wish
And help bring a smile to their faces
The most important thing about dandelions
Is that if you don't believe
In the magic of them
They won't believe
In helping you
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Sixth Grade Poet Brooke Ryan
I love sea lions and seals. As I wrote this poem, I found it hard to rhyme because I had never really rhymed before. I took inspiration from Dr. Seuss books and spent a while crafting this poem. I didn’t know much about seals so I studied and learned about them a bit more in order to write this poem. I also had never really been interested in poems until my English teacher, Mrs. Caine, assigned them for homework.
Untitled
by Brooke Ryan
In the oceans blues and waters deep,
Where secrets of the world they keep,
The seal, a friend so sleek and free,
It’s vital for the sea.
They munch on fish, a tasty treat,
Keeping populations neat.
Without the seal, the fish will grow,
And harm the ocean, don’t you know?
They’re like the ocean’s watchful eyes,
Showing us where health does rise.
So let’s protect them, big and small,
And be guardians for one and all.
Within the sea’s grand, blue expanse,
The seal performs a vital dance.
It keeps the fish in check, you see,
For a healthy marine family.
This creature, with its sleek design,
Helps keep the ocean’s balance fine.
From the arctic chill to the warmer bay,
It plays its part in protecting the ocean.
Thank you, Poets, and thank you, Karen, for these poems.
Carol is hosting today's Poetry Friday roundup over at The Apples in My Orchard with a post about the ups and downs of life. Each Poetry Friday, all are invited to share poems, poem books, poetry ideas, and friendship in this open and welcoming poetry community.
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