It was my pleasure to return to Twain Elementary to meet with fresh groups of 3rd graders for our fall poetry residency. Students were curious and ready to begin our adventure into reading, discussing, and writing poems, and introduced themselves by writing “I Am” poems. I love “I Am” poems because they give students a chance to write reflectively about themselves. Also, just looking at the form on the page makes explaining lines, line breaks, and stanzas easy! Students were quick to notice that the form uses repetition, and that led into talking about how many of our favorite song lyrics are poems in which certain lines are sung over and over again.
Ms. Lee
3rd Grade
Roman L.
I am myself in every way
I wonder if I will feel the soul of God in my heart
I hear everything around me
I see my friends every day
I want justice for everyone
I am myself in every way
I pretend I am God
I feel God
I touch God
I worry God will have absence in my heart
I cry when I am sad
I am myself in every way
I understand the world is turning
I say God is good
I dream to help build the world up to better place
I try to provide
I hope the world will be a better place in the future
I am myself in every way
Sarita
I am funny and smart
I wonder if my mom thinks of me
I hear birds that squeak
I see people climbing trees
I want to be an artist
I am funny and smart
I pretend that math is hard
I feel jealous of my sister
I touch rocks outside
I worry that my mom will leave
I cry when I get hurt
I am funny and smart
I understand that people care for other people
I say I will be there for people
I dream of a squirrel
I try hard to help my mom clean
I hope I will be an artist
I am funny and smart
Ezra
I am smart and flexible
I wonder why people are very disrespectful
I hear everybody that talks in class
I see love in the air
I want to have a goldfish
I am smart and flexible
I pretend I’m in space
I feel proud and happy
I touch my pencil when I write
I worry about the homeless when there are storms
I cry when I think of my dog
I am smart and flexible
I understand division and science
I say my words calmly
I dream about being a singer
I try to be kind when I am mad
I hope the kids get a better life
I am smart and flexible
Ms. Isaacs
3rd Grade
I Am
by Lianna U.
I am shy and a great big sister
I wonder if I can get great at baseball
I hear birds chirping when I wake up
I see the sun when I leave my house
I want to be great at math
I am shy and a great big sister
I pretend to be a monster
to my sister when we play
I feel my baby cat’s legs
when he goes to sleep on me
I touch my favorite stuffie
that I had since I was a baby
I worry that some people will
make fun of me
I cry when my baby cat
bites me
I am shy and a great big sister
I understand how to feel
other people’s feelings
I say poetry is nice
I dream that I am a babysitter
I try to do the best in math
I Am
by Mackenzie M.
I am a short green eyed girl
I wonder what water is made of
I hear planes going by every afternoon
I see my blonde hair blowing in the wind
I want to see my Mom again (it would mean a lot)
I am a short green eyed girl
I pretend that I am flying high
I feel the breeze making me get goosebumps
I touch the breezy air
I worry on how good or bad I will do on a test
I cry about not being able to go to Florida
I am a short green eyed girl
I am home
by Jamie A.
I am skinny and I am curious
I pretend I had a car
I feel good and joyful
I understand math
I am a baseball boy
I wonder what is 4 x 6
I want a bike
I dream of a blue car
I am a dog fan
I see my Dad every day
after school
I pretend to hug God.
Ms. Murphy
3rd Grade
Layla W.
I am kind and caring
I wonder what the stars look like in the
dark sky
I hear the clicks of keys as my
mom leaves for work
I see puffy clouds in the sky
I want to swim deep and deeper
to explore the ocean
I am kind and caring
Josiah M.
I am a soccer player
I wonder how time goes past so fast
I hear people talking every time
I see animals at the zoo
I want more toys
I am a soccer player
I pretend to be someone else
I feel happy
I touch my plate at dinner
I worry about nothing
I cry when something bad happens
I am a soccer player
I understand everything I know
I say hi every time
I dream about me having good grades
I try to be nice
I hope people stay happy
I am a soccer player
I Am
by Leonardo D.
I am kind
I wonder who made the words
I hear that everybody loves soccer
I see my Mom and Dad every day
I want to be smart
I am kind
I pretend that everybody loves
baseball
I feel happy and not alone
I touch my dog every day
I worry that nobody will ever
pay attention to me
I cry when I do something
bad
I am kind
Ms. Lamas
3rd Grade
I and I Am
by Jennifer A.
I am in a gymnastics class
I wonder what we are going to do every Tuesday
I hear everyone in the class talking
I see all my classmates and my teachers
I want a new little puppy
I am in a gymnastics class
I pretend to my Mom that I don’t know what 2+2 is
I feel excited because today is my Dad’s birthday
I touch my pencil so I could write
I worry my sister does not know how to write her name nicely
I cry when my mom or Dad are sad
I am in a gymnastics class
I understand math perfectly
I say nice words to other people
I dream I had a new little puppy
I try not to show my disappointment when I am sad
I hope I get a new little puppy
I am in a gymnastics class
Yo Soy
por Gael R.
Soy alegre y pensativo
Me pregunto como fue mi bisabuelo
Escucho mi mama diciendo que me ama
Veo mi programa faborito en la television
Quiero ser de grande quimico
Soy alegre y pensativo
Pretendo que el cielo es azul
Siento que un asteroide se acerca ala tierra
Toco las puertas en Halleween
The Life
by America C.
I am brave, smart, and pretty
I wonder if I don’t have to go to the store with my Mom
I hear that my sister is sick
I see that my Mom is sick but she got better
I want to go to my cousin’s house
I am brave, smart, and pretty
I pretend to be asleep so I don’t have to go to the store
I feel happy with my family
I touch my stuffy to fall asleep
I worried so much when I got lost at the store
I cried when when brother died
I am brave, smart, and pretty
I understand how hard it is to lose someone you love
I say hello to my friends when I see them
I dream about seeing my brother again
I am brave, smart, and pretty
