All posts in Mayda del Valle

Personification: “I just want true answers…”

This week we read a poem written to a star by a former CPC student. Then talked about personification as a way to approach larger than life ideas, emotions or concepts. We learned that […]

Around the Table: “You give me comfort…”

This week we read Perhaps the World Ends Here by Joy Harjo and discussed all of the different things that can happen around a kitchen or lunch table. Food, drama, games, gossip, a table […]

Quiet Poems: “For one minute, just hush…”

For our first session back after Spring Break, we had a few new faces join our 7th and 8th graders. We read The Quiet Machine, a prose poem, by Ada Limón and talked about […]

Personifcation- “Why do you do the things you do?”

On Monday at Perez, we talked about personification, and how it can help us write about larger than life ideas, like time, emotions or nature. We also explored how we can personify everyday objects […]

8th Grade- Personification Part 1

If you could ask the moon anything you wanted, what would you ask? And what would it say if it could respond? This week we talked about personification after reading Percy Bysshe Shelley’s poem […]

Time to get ready!

This week we started to get ready for our Clissold Elementary assembly! All of our after school Poetry Club participants will be reading an original poem in front of their classmates for the Student […]

Almost Summertime…

Edit, revise, edit revise! Poems take time and we don’t always have enough of it, especially as we’re nearing the end of our time together at Simpson. Between field trips, testing, and getting ready […]

New Words: “Boshkalay Bong Bong…”

This week we talked about some of our favorite words, expressions, and phrases after reading “Hecky Naw” by Jose Olivarez. Students picked a word or phrase they use and created their own definitions for […]

8th Grade- Food Poems Pt. 2

Are you hungry for more poems? Our Foster Park 8th graders finished up their food poems this week and they are sure to leave your stomach growling. Enjoy this weeks poets!   Noodles Damian […]

New Words

Sometimes one session just isn’t enough to finish a poem. This week we read “Hecky Naw” by Jose Olivarez a poem about words and how they can represent parts of our identity. I had […]

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I’M FROM THE CITY LIGHTS / STREAMING OUT IN THE NIGHT / AND HUGE SKYSCRAPERS / TOWERING OVER THE LAKE – MELISSA E., 7TH GRADE POET