All posts in Mayda del Valle

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 […]

I Am Poems: “My life is like the wind…”

This week we read Nikki Giovanni’s Ego Trippin’ and talked about about how we celebrate ourselves. Then the students had an opportunity to ego trip for a bit and write a poem where they […]

8th Grade-Food Poems Pt. 1

Food Glorious Food! We started by thinking of a hypothetical situation: If aliens were coming to earth to take you away to their planet, what is the one dish you would absolutely have to […]

Food Poems- 7th Grade

What is a favorite memory you have of a food that makes your senses come alive? This week Foster Park 7th Graders got to explore Tacos and Dumplings and everything in between. Enjoy this […]

I am Poems- 7th Grade

This week we read Ego Trippin’ by Nikki Giovanni and talked about her use of exaggeration and historical references to write a poem that celebrates herself. After a brainstorm where students came up with […]

Where I’m From Poems- 7th Grade

What is home and what’s it mean to you? How have you been shaped by the place or many places that you’re from? This week Foster Park 7th graders had a chance to talk […]

Name Poems-8th Grade

This week, Foster Park 8th graders wrote about the importance of names. They did a little online research about the origin and meanings of their names, and explored the stories of where they came […]

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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