All posts in Sayre

Black Out Poetry

For our final poetry class, the 5th and 6th graders worked on some Black Out and Cut Out Poetry! Check out some of their creations below.

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“I’m the big BEAN!”

Check out some of the fantastic poems the 5th and 6th graders have written during this Spring 2024 Poetry Residency! While revising and editing are important, there’s just as much magic in first drafts. […]

“Her confidence glows like a beautiful crystal gem”

This week, we talked about mythical creatures and symbolism. After reading “My People” by Pam Thompson, we discussed what myths and mythical creatures mean in poetry and stories. Check out some of the poetry […]

Ekphrasic Poems

This week, we learned all about ekphrastic poetry! This kind of poetry is inspired and written about a piece of art. First, we read two ekphrastic poems: one by a student poet that was […]

Summering Party

Sayre 7th graders recalled the key terms: imagery and line. Looking to Parneshia Jones’ “For The Basement Parties at the YMCA” they sought out rich images, striking sounds, and astute line breaks. Then, they […]

Till the End & Other Letter Poems

This week, we read Kobe Bryant’s poem called “Dear Basketball” and learned all about epistolary poems, or letter poems. We talked about tone, learned that it meant the mood conveyed by the poet with […]

“My voice, which tries to help people like air”

This week, we focused on our voices, and students were introduced to poetry slams and spoken word. We watched a recording of “We Day Poem” by the teenagers who were part of the 2016 […]

“He is like a bolt of lightning”

This week, we read (in our best Hulk voice!) an excerpt of “Hulk Smash!” by Greg Santos and “Forest Walk” by Kristine O’Connell George. We talked about how to write a persona poem in […]

Allusions: “Whenever I see a heart, crown, and a trident…”

This week we talked about allusion! We read a poem by Nikki Giovanni, brainstormed our own allusions, and then students used their own brainstorms to write a poem about allusion in whatever way they […]

Sharing Know-How

Our Sayre students’ read the poem, “The Gift” by Ocean Vuong and considered the intertwining of narrative and imagery. We were especially struck by “the b bursting its belly/ as dark dust blows/ through […]

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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