Classes fell on Valentine’s Day this week, so I brought in Lorna Dee Cervantes‘ wonderful poem, “Valentine.” Before I even read it, students acknowledged its unusual format, resembling half-a-heart. I asked if the poem’s appearance affected its meaning, and we thought it was possible that the speaker had broken up with someone, the poem’s shape reflecting a broken heart. We also talked about the language of the poem, after listening with eyes closed to the sound of its words, which enhanced its powerful imagery, and discussed a few lines in particular: “you stay in / my dreams in x-ray,” and “shedding petals of / my grief into a / decayed holo- / gram—my / for ever / empty / art.” The students also considered if the poem would have the same effect if it was more than a single stanza, and if Cervantes chose 28 lines by design?
“Write about something you love” was the prompt for this week’s poems.
Mrs. Carlson, 4th Grade
Technology
Sean C.
Technology is awesome
Technology can do anything
You want it to
It can walk
It can talk
It can scare your worst enemy
It can even do things you can’t do
It can go to Mars
It can investigate a volcano
It can stop a toxic power plant
Technology will do what you say
If you program it right…
It can help you with things without having to ask
Technology is awesome
Elephants
Athena C.
I like elephants
a lot
Some people say elephants
are ugly and too big
But I like elephants
they are cute
Some people
don’t agree
But I like elephants
and no one will stop that.
Soccer
Joseph D.
This is a poem about
soccer, something I like,
you don’t just kick a ball,
like some people say … It’s not
that simple like you think it is,
you can do tricks, like Rabonas, Rainbows, and
more, You can get injured by headers, slide
tackles and more, You have to dribble, pass,
punt, and more … It’s not that simple like
some people think … there are positions: LWB,
CF, ST, and lots more, there are formulations
4-3-1-2, 4-4-2, and lots more, there are rules
and penalties, yellow and red cards, free kicks,
and lots more, there are days worth
of objectives and complications to know,
Thinking, memorizing, tactics, and more
are required, soccer is much more,
it’s played by more than 2
billion people, this is all
about: soccer.
Basketball Food What’s the Difference
Jaylen J.
Basketball
I love basketball
I’m hungry for basketball
Food
I love food
pizza
sausage
hot dog
Goodie
goodie
goodie
get
some
food
Valentine
Anif O.
I love Valentine because of candy
the candy comes in handy,
for my friend Randy,
we hate candy that is Sandy.
We love candy
Valentine the best holiday.
Mrs. Rupp, 4th Grade
Pizza
Xavier B.
I love pizza,
warm & gooey.
The cheese melts, like your mouth is in heaven.
With the sauce
it goes to slide down your throat
like an amusement park ride.
The bread,
it was once dough
made into soft bread.
Together, one bite puts your mouth
in heaven.
Bunnies
Maddy D.
You just can’t take the fur,
the soft, furry mammal.
They are little fluff buckets,
small, cute, and lovable.
The non-fighting, non-ugly
creatures. They’ll love
you forever. But the
fluff, you just can’t
take it.
Oh, just so you know
if you want one they’re
Bunnies.
The Weekends
JunHui G.
I love the weekends
because I can play
on my iPad all
day. I love the
weekends.
Yay!
Sweet Tooth
Ila L.
Candy, ice cream, cookies, brownies
I can list more
Donuts. Chocolate shakes
All of those is what I love
I have a sweet tooth
Every single tooth is a sweet tooth
It doesn’t matter if I get cavities
All I need is my sweet tooth
Pasta
Ethan W.
My favorite food
Comes in any sauce
Different types of pasta
Bursting with flavor
Pasta
Valentines
Kaylie Y.
I like pizza
I like food.
I like lots of things!
Like, this and that!
I like, I like that!
I like gaming,
I like potatoes!
Everything I like!
I have hated things,
but most I like,
because they’re great.
I WUV ‘EM!
Mrs. Travis, 4th Grade
I’m in Love With…
Maquan B.
chicken
math
cornbread
steak
Italian beefs
pizza
spaghetti
chicken Alfredo
burgers
fries
burritos
Netflix
sports
andddddddd
myself
Untitled
Jason F.
I love my Fitbit
I love my mom
I love my dad I
love my Fitbit because
it helps me.
I Love the Mosasaurus
Esteban G.
I love the Mosasaurus
because it’s the king of the
water. It is the longest dinosaur
in Jurassic World. The T-Rex did not
win, the Mosasaurus won. It drowned
the Indominus Rex.
I Love My Family
Naima M.
I love my mom
I love my dad
I love my brother
I love my dogs
I love my life
I love my aunts
I love my uncle
I love my city
I love my country
I love peace
I love future
I love my
best teacher
Ms. Travis
I love everything
Boxing
Damian P.
Boxing is great because when
you are angry at someone
then you can use that to
knock out your opponent. I
am 19-5. I lost five and won
twenty. I’m going to be 21 and
5.
Hockey
Daniel R.
I love the sweet sounds
of slapshots. And the sweet
smell of victory. And the sweet
sweet sweet things I see.
I Love Life
Emmy T.
I love life
I love mom
I love dad
I love Max
I love Minecraft
I love candy
I love myself
I love my friends
I love Cubs
I love gymnastics
I love doggy
and my bed
Mr. O’Brien, 4th Grade
The Game
Mikas A.
The game can be addicting
but it might be boring
but when you get the
game you ask how did
they get to that level they
look incredible just
like bling because they
have golden things
like armor and gems
I wish I could use that.
Untitled
Krislyn G.
I love dogs, why? I love
dogs because they’re cute and they
are very nice and they don’t
scratch like cats.
Boom!
Pharell L.
I’m
almost there
I got no time
left to play now
the game is waiting
There
is no
time to waste
or…
boom!!!!!
No, it’s too late
boom! Moom! Moom!
The boom is going off
BOOM!!
That was so c—
BOOM
Untitled
Tanzania T.
Valentine’s Day is a day about love and women
go on dates and go to a fancy dinner or have a
romantic stay at home and watch a movie and with popcorn
and wine to brighten their day and have kiss and go flowers
and they can make chocolate covered strawberries.
