For their 3rd week of poetry, the Group C students at the O-School discovered how sounds are part of daily life. Every activity we perform whether it’s brushing our teeth, taking a walk, or drawing in a notebook expresses distinctive sounds. Together we read the poem “Dribbling,” by Kwame Alexander. In his poem Alexander uses onomatopoeia, words that imitate sounds of people and things to describe the speaker, a young boy who plays basketball. SWOOP into the finish with a fierce finger roll/ straight in the hole / Swooooooosh. Onomatopoeia can also create rhythm and movement within a poem, similar to a song or rap through the repetition of specific words and sounds.
Students were excited to use onomatopoeia to describe their hobbies, thoughts, and observations of the world around them. Crank up the volume readers to listen to these noisy poems and artwork.
Group C Students (7th & 8th)
Basketball
At the top of the key,
I’m looking for mates to pass
the ball to, so they can take it
to the gate.
Swoosh right in
or maybe I put it in the bin
while you’re not looking
because I’m booking.
All My Hobbies
I’ve always loved doing things, having something
to fill my time, to distract from all the thoughts
running around my brain.
When I was six, I got a bow and arrow and a target,
I would go out in my yard for hours.
I used to play the piano too.
Every Saturday I would walk up the steps
to my teacher’s house and play and play and play
I played guitar as well, the pluck of the strings,
the twang of each note.
I used to ice skate twice a week, the Skreetch
of my blades on the ice.
My Mind
My mind is like a car, always honking
and being all over the place.
A hockey puck would be optimism,
my brain helping score a goal
and work as a team.
but it can also be overwhelming
like a sound of trains.
My mind also can be calm
like a church.
The Sounds of School
Honk, beep
ding, zoom
click, yell
sigh, pop
ring, yelp
squeak, boo
Hiccup, clang
Whirr, snap
Yawn, Achoo
Clap. Budump Shing
