This week we read Tim Seibles‘ poem, “Magnifying Glass.” Many students initially thought it was confusing, but even if that was the case they still liked the poem, and as we discussed it certain aspects definitely became clearer. For example, I asked what the subject of the poem was, and the 2nd graders unequivocally answered, “Ants!” But why would the poet write about ants? Some ideas included because he likes insects, or because he had seen ants in his house, or outside in the garden or a park, and was inspired to write the poem afterward. Certain language that Seibles uses we focused on in our discussions; why does he call the ants’ antennae “careful,” for example, or talk about their “six legs / almost rowing / it along”? We also wondered if ants might read books, sleep, or dream? Would that be possible in real life, in a poem, or both? Finally, I asked why the poem was so long, with no line including more than four words? We decided that since ants are small, the short lines mimicked their size, and the length of the whole poem, with its multiple stanzas, might reflect an ant’s anatomy. I also asked why the poem is called “Magnifying Glass”? Because you use one to make things bigger, and here Seibles’ poem is like a magnifying glass, allowing the readers to ‘see’ ants up closer, with more detail.
When it was time to write, the prompt was to make a poem about something small, whether living or inanimate.
Mrs. Haddad, 2nd Grade
Red Balloon
Eli B.
Balloons
can
travel
farther
than
you
think
wind
will
carry
it
even
when
it
can’t
fly
any
more
it
could
travel
around
the
world.
My Pet Goldfish
Amaj D.
There he leans over his fish bowl
That’s when we see the fish
Goldie the goldfish
He is the best fish
Pebbles Everywhere
Yuri H.
Pebbles pebbles oh so many
pebbles too many pebbles many
pebbles in the house
in the yard too hard
boo hoo hoo. Getting rid
of boo hoo hoo too hard!
Throw them over there
sell them everywhere!
Make a stand tell them
it is free I want
them out!
Bumblebees
Norah L.
Bumblebees have
stingers.
Be careful!
Sometimes
bees can
sting
you
or
bite you
stinging
or biting
can hurt
a lot.
Bees
are
also helpful
they make
honey.
Sometimes
honey goes into
tea or
medicine
and can
help sore
throats.
Bumblebees are cool!
Untitled
Mara M.
What can you do when
you are small.
You can ride on an ant
or
you can climb into a sink
and take a bath you can
go in the grass it
will be like a jungle.
You might find a poisonous
snake……..And if you have
a pet use it for an animal
or a horse.
Cats
Anoushka T.
My cats are the best.
They are always hungry.
They are the cutest in
the world. Sometimes they
sleep on my bed.
They are really small.
I think if they
had one wish they
would wish for all
the food they could
eat. I think their
favorite food is
dry food. They love
treats.
Mrs. Ward, 2nd Grade
All Hearts
Samantha C.
People have hearts in their
bodies. Some are big. Some are
small. Everyone’s hearts are
red. None are green or blue.
Grape Vines
Sofia F.
Grape vines I love grapes
sweet juicy seeds so
yummy! Purple red green
so very sweet and juicy
grape vines are very smooth.
The Ant
Rihanna G.
I see an ant it is
big it is walking with
its body it is cool I
don’t like it said my
sister. Now I see a
red ant and it does not
have a body. My little
sister still does not like
bugs.
Untitled
Ellery K.
A mouse is small. Smaller than a ball.
I’m big. Bigger than a mouse. A mouse
is bigger than an ant. A mouse can get
into a house sometimes. A mouse
always finds cheese!
Wasp Sting
Jesse K.
I
go
to
the
flowers
to
smell
them
and
a
wasp
stings
me
3
times.
The Mouse and the Rat
Sophia K.
One day the mouse went
out. He walked upon a house. He
thought he saw another mouse,
did he see a bat, a cat, a
gnat? He came up close
and really it was a rat.
The rat asked him
what he was doing
in the house
the mouse
said nothing then
the rat said
can we be
friends? The
mouse finally
said something
he said yes.
Flowers
Grace S.
Flowers are very good for birthdays
and smell very good too. Flowers grow
in gardens then get sent to
flower shops. You can grow them
too.
Mrs. Daigle, 2nd Grade
Pizza
Katie B.
Pizza is yummy to me. Not everybody
likes pizza.
You don’t have to like
pizza.
A Bat
Sasha F.
A flying bat
in the dark. Flies high
catching prey, even catching
fruit yum yum. But
soon it’s time to go
to sleep and for
me it’s time to pack
up for the day! The
bat gets ready to
go to the cave!
Fish
Elias K.
they swim
eat
and they
hide
they can also
do tricks
flap their
flippers
Untitled
Noah R.
I like crumbs because
they’re small and
sometimes they look like
a ball.
Puppies
Harrison S.
Puppies are cute
you can pat them nicely
because some puppies can bite
you so be careful because they
don’t know better.
Untitled
Vedika S.
Apples here apples there
apples everywhere up and down
and all around. Apples for
everyone small big tall medium
short it’s OK so if anyone
says you’re too small say I don’t
care so blah blah blah.
Grasshoppers
Pavit Y.
Grasshoppers are small they jump
really high in the trees to
the woods in a boat back
to shore back in the trees
back in the woods back in
the boat back on the shore
over my head back on the
pole on the bench.
Ms. O’Connor, 2nd Grade
Beads
Jordyn B.
Beads can be any color they
can be purple, yellow, pink any color
you can put a string through them
and make a bracelet some are
clear some are shiny and some
are even artisan and if you
put some clear beads on a string
and put a UV light on the clear
beads or go outside on a sunny day
the clear beads will change
color it’s really cool.
You could also put them on
your braids beads can be
big, small or even medium or
squishy.
Yorkies
Payton C.
My dog is a Yorkie he is
2/14. My dog is younger/older than
me 2 in people years 14 in dog years and
my dog eats everything he even eats
used tissue. My dog is so weird!?
Small Insects Help
Maxim F.
I was
riding my
bike I
fell down
I saw a
dragonfly it
was staring
at me it
helped me get
up I was okay
it followed me
as I rode my
bike then the
insect flew away
then I saw
some dirt and
bugs on my hand
then we stopped
and I put my
hand on the ground
the insects went
off my hand and
I rode my bike
away.
The Cherry
Yvonne L.
It is bright red.
It goes with an ice cream.
They are taste good.
Some stick together.
That’s what a cherry is.
The Dirt
Mireya L.
I was
walking in the
house
I looked
back
and
saw tracks could it be paint
could it
be “oh no”
it was
dirt.
The Small Glowing Bouncy Ball
Winston P.
It’s bouncy.
It’s round.
It can glow.
The Bottle
Nyah T.
You have
a bottle
to toss,
kick. The
bottle is
delicate
fragile. It
stands there
to do
nothing
it sits
there
to do
nothing
you have
it you
love it
to keep
to love
you take
it to
home.
The Speck
Ethan T.
The speck is blue and red.
The speck is the shape
of a square.
It’s the size of a half atom.
It’s so small it really is
but it’s also cool.
