All posts in Waters

Repeat, Repeat, Repeat

This week in class we read the poem “The Gift” by Ocean Vuong and talked about the way this poem uses repetition and how to incorporate it into our own poems. Students wrote about […]

‘First of all, I am thankful for Beyonce’: Thanks Poems

Students read ‘Thanks’ by W.S. Merwin before crafting their poems and musings on thanks! Lesson Note: “Being grateful is linked to higher levels of life satisfaction, optimism, vitality, helpfulness, empathy, forgiveness, and positive affect. […]

Dear _______,

​For our 6th session with Waters 7th Graders, we explored the epistolary poem (ie, a poem in letter form). Our mentor text was “Dear P” by Victoria Chang. We talked about who P might […]

I am from life

We are all composed of the many places, people, things, and experiences that make us who we are. Which is why I love the George Ella Lyons poem “Where I’m From” and subsequent variations […]

If the world was pink

For our last session before the winter break and new year, 7th graders thought about ideal worlds. We discussed the fact that poetry can be a powerful tool for envisioning the world you want […]

Sorrow is not our names

Before the break and subsequent new year, Waters 6th graders had an opportunity to consider the power of imagery. Ross Gay is a great poet in that respect, one who combines optimism with vivid […]

“bit by/bit” Narrative Food Poems

Our class began with a discussion of food and memory in preparation for studying Gary Soto’s Narrative-Style poem, Oranges. Nostalgia and feelings came up frequently in our discussions. What emotions are attached to memory […]

“so vibrant and orange” Poems of Memory

This last week students in Ms. Smallwood’s and Ms. Hernandez’s classes wrote poems about important memories. We read “My Father’s Mustache” by Ada Limón and both classes discussed what it is like to see […]

Fear and Big Words

This week we read “HIPPOPOTOMONSTROSEQUIPPEDALIOPHOBIA” by Aimee Nezhukumatahil. We discussed how we approach long words, how to write about what we’re afraid of, and irony in poetry. Students used a map to connect the […]

as man as pink

For our 4th week with Waters, we revisited the simile. I say revisited since I worked with most of these students last year, and we’ve reviewed the simile before. This time, I was inspired […]

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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