Last week we read “Chateau If” by Peter Gizzi. After hearing it, the students’ initial reaction was “that’s a lot of ifs!” so I asked them to count how many are in the poem. (It’s 37, or 38 counting the title.) We discussed what the poem might be about, as well as the mood it creates for readers, but also looked at the poet’s use of indenting to create space—why did he do that?—as well as his spacing of “m-y-s-e-l-f.” About the title, I explained that a chateau is a large country house or mansion, so another way to think of it is “House of Ifs.” We then discussed how the word if is traditionally used in a sentence, and what the effect was of hearing so many of them here. What a strangely cool poem!
For their own work, students were asked to write a poem with every line beginning with “if.”
Mr. O’Brien, 4th Grade
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Rajit R.
If I am small I will go to Pre-K.
If I will become big I will go to
kindergarten.
If I will become more big I will go to
first grade.
If I will become more big I will
go to 2nd grade and it will just keep
going on like this.
If I become an adult I have
to do lots of work even on
Saturdays and Sundays.
If you grow bigger and bigger
you get a beard and mustache
so you don’t look very good.
If this is the end I hope you
all liked it.
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Natalia R.
If cows are sheep,
if dogs are cats,
if tomatoes are potatoes what is a book?
If poems are stories
if pencils are pens and
if our hands are our feet what are we?
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Ashna S.
If the sun didn’t shine
If the clouds didn’t move
If the world was all blank
what would we do?
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James S.
if the arrow went into the apple
you’dve been famous
if you had a mansion you’d be popular
Emotions
Sky Z.
if a butterfly could walk
if an ant could talk
if brains were smarter
if school was funner
if I could think of emotions
if mom, if dad could visit
if my leg wasn’t broken
if it wasn’t for my sturdy brain
Mrs. Rupp, 4th Grade
If’s a Million
Evan L.
If the world was perfect
If the moon was cheese
If the sun burnt out
If there was no electricity
If there was no warmth
If blankets were cold
If people were without please
If babies were old
If there was no homework
If there was no time
If there was more books
If you could fly
If there was no trees
If the sea was mad
If grandpas were rad
If there was no sleep no light
If anything—I hope
If
Gabrielle P.
If you were
an
if
would you be
like
an
if.
Ifs are cool
if you
use if
even if you say
or write the if.
If you were an if
would you be happy?
If Only
Naima R.
If only dreams were not such a world
If only wings but not sky
If only beyond or
if only so near like as in but not
If I were to explain but
if done impossible
If—but how
if the soft touch were existent
If only not hurting but
if in vibrant pain
If . . . but how why?
Ms. Travis, 4th Grade
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Morgan M.
If I had a cat.
If I had a school.
If I was cool.
If you were trying to be good—
If your teacher called you if
email me an if, if, if @if.if
A Thousand Wishes
Ella P.
if I had a thousand wishes would I do
if I had a wish I would wish for a thousand wishes
if I only had a sky if I only had a city
if I only had a person to spend the day with
if I only had arms if I only had a smile
I know I’m imagination but can I have a dream too?
Repetition
Janiyah P.
if I was Michael Jordan
if I were an animal
if I was a singer
if I was famous
if I was Mr. Dean if I was from
Stranger Things
if I succeed in school if I was in college
if I would get a house if
I was everything on this paper it will
be hard
If Paradise
Gigi S.
If paradise
If water
If sand
If a pool
If a carrot
If an afro
If coconuts
If pineapples
If a villa
If family
If a break
If mumbo jumbo
If the Caribbean
If Thanksgiving
If there’s an if
If only
If sunshine
If it states—
an if
If paradise!!!
Mrs. Johnson, 4th Grade
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Preston L.
If I was a police. If I was a
bug. If I was a llama. If I was a baby.
If I was tall. If I was a rich kid.
If You
Amari M.
If you were rich.
If you are tall.
If you were a banana.
If you love dogs.
If you were broke.
If you are small.
If you.
If you love an end.
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Albert S.
If if if if if if you if you can slop llamas
O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O
but if if if if if if if if if if O O O O O O O O O
O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O
dab life
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Destiny S.
If my mother looked through the eyes
of a beast.
If the lion has lost its tamer.
If the life of the gods are clueless.
If the heart of a jellyfish was yours.
If you are bored in the face of the eyes
if
Mother
life wonders?????
Black Panther
Derrion S.
If I saw if if if if if
if you can see the
Black Panther love
if if if I can O O O
O O O O O O O O O
O O O O O O O O O
O O O and slap a llama
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Nicolas T.
If I could be a king
I wouldn’t
If I could be a
professional soccer
player I would
if I could….
If I Eat Ifs
Sadie W.
If I was a dog.
If I was old if I couldn’t see,
if I eat ifs I will talk like
an if. If I eat ifs I would walk
like an if. If I eat ifs I would
turn into an if.
Mrs. Oluewu, 4th Grade
If
Ilani A.
If I do it
If I learn it
If I have trust in it
If I like it
If I find a way in it
If I lose it
If I see it
If I know it
If I take it
If I keep it
If I stole it
If I hate it
If you are positive in it
If you believe in it
If you can do it
If you care for it
If Me, Myself and I
Karynn C.
if I was not myself I would not be who I am today
if I wasn’t me my life would be miserable
if I did not act how I act it would not be me
if I did not think like I would I would not be
me everything about me makes me
Unicorn
Paige R.
If I were a unicorn I would be able
to fly. If I could fly the clouds
is where I’ll hide. If I were a
unicorn I would have a horn. If
I have a horn I can (wildly)
impale corn. If I were a unicorn
I could eat ice cream cause
I can!!! * DABS *
Maybe
Clara S.
If yes
if no
if maybe
if definitely not
if totally
if what!
If OK
is fiinnee
if are you kidding
if oh fine
if . . . . . .
if so
IF . . . . . . . . Yes no maybe definitely not
if totally what OK fiinnee are you kidding
if oh fine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . so IF.
