Students read Naomi Shihab Nye’s poem ‘Truth Serum’ and then talked about wishes, wants, and dreams that might come true if they made a special serum of their own!
Lesson Note: “Writers don’t need tricks or gimmicks or even necessarily need to be the smartest fellows on the block. At the risk of appearing foolish, a writer sometimes needs to be able to just stand and gape at this or that thing – a sunset or an old shoe – in absolute and simple amazement.”– Raymond Carver, Fires: Essays, Poems, Stories.
Ms. Wright, 7th Grade
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by Angie Z.
Gather around, wizards
As we mix a special potion
In the mirror’s reflection, magic happens
We add colorful fantasy book pages from the bookshelf for imagination and knowledge.
Snow garlands hanging on the whiteboards for the white shimmery fur.
A student’s chair’s four legs for stability
Colorful markers from the basket near the teacher’s desk for the irresistible rainbow mane
As we stir, magic transforms
Drink the potion, feel the change
Grow a horn, a colorful mane
You’re a unicorn, reborn and free with powers.
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by Jason L.
A potion floating in the air, so light,
Bubbles rise, drifting in quiet flight,
Inside a crystal vial it gleams,
A liquid that awakens dreams.
Essence of pure, free air,
A breeze full of mystery everywhere,
Cool drops of water, deep and still,
From hidden rivers where dreams fulfill.
A touch of glow, a bright highlight,
Painting the sky with colors in flight,
Soft flashes of hues gently flare,
Dancing on the edges of the air
A ticking clock, its hands unwind,
Marking time that’s left behind,
Each second stretching, slow and wide,
A potion that stirs the soul inside.
Ms. Wright, 7th Grade
The Wills of DREAMS
by Shannon T.
Dreams create a world of meaning
some can’t explain it; some can draw it in color
I choose to create in color pencil for my pot of dreams
Reality creates a parallel to the dreams of Some
Some feel the same, and Some will be glad
Reality determines our faith
Equality is a dream and a reality
Fighting for rights and humanity
Keeps people on both sides
An everlasting fight of reality and dreams
A warping vision based on truth and will
Setting us to freedom of story, the pot of dreams
Relinquish a book to tell the young minds to fight
Misery is when dreams meet reality
Locked in place of the world’s eye
Stolen from us
Silent to the friends you created
Spilled to the world
Some things are meant to keep still
Stopped at the will of humanity
The Magic cleaning clouds
by Minlan L.
First, I add the Hand sanitizer,
The smell was sweet, like apples.
Plop, the hand sanitizer goes in.
Next was a cup of water
After the water went in, the potions started to bubble
Pop, pop, pop
They sounded like popping candies.
A spray of Lysol spray made the potion fog up,
Then, BOOM BOOM BOOM.
The sound of fireworks?
Fireworks started appearing in the potion!
After all the fog and fireworks cleared up
I saw that the potion had turned white with blue-green swirls!
Finally, I added my last ingredients,
Wet wipe and good bacteria.
Added it to a potion bottle and done!
Or so I thought…
When I was going to put up the potion,
I tripped and dropped the potion!
Clouds start to form, and rumbling sound could be heard,
But where were they coming from? The clouds!
They started pouring the potion all over the room!
After they stop pouring the potion the room was all shiny and clean!
