All posts in chicago poetry center

Dreaming Rooms

The students made stanzas as rooms within which to fill their dreaming selves and wishes. Mr. Charmelo, 7th grade, 1st period The Wisher by Alexis V. I wish to the intelligence like Albert Einstein. […]

Gender and Montage

Students montaged their experience of their gender using rich imagery informed by the senses. Ms. Hernandez, 7th grade, 1st period Sweet Girl by Kimberly G. Girl looks sparkling like shimmer. Girl feels cold as […]

Getting Surprise into the Equation

Students worked on comparisons, capturing resemblances both inside and outside the classroom and drew how they felt about object relationships. Ms. Hernandez, 7th grade 1st Period Randomly? by Enrique P. A Chromebook is great […]

‘The Brain Game’ and ‘My thoughts are a sea they wave’: Poems About Our Thoughts & Feelings

Students read the poem, ‘Thought Machine’ by Laura Mucha from the book Being Me; they then wrote about their thoughts using metaphors and similes. Lesson Note: “I learned that the only way to get […]

‘but we unsure whether we’re cool or not’: Gwendolyn Brooks Imitations

Students read Gwendolyn Brooks’ classic poem, ‘We Real Cool’ before crafting their own ‘cool’ poems using their own words and ideas for what is cool, rhyme repetition, and the short form. We Real Cool […]

”I’m such a fool to not see life is cool”: Gwendolyn Brooks-Inspired Poems

Students read Gwendolyn Brooks’ classic poem, ‘We Real Cool’ before crafting their own ‘cool’ poems using their own words and ideas for what is cool, rhyme, repetition, and the short form. We Real Cool […]

‘people calm as an empty hospital’: Simile Poems

Students talked about similes before reading Mike Taylor’s poem filled with the same! Here is some of the writing that resulted from that exercise! Lesson Note: “Writers don’t need tricks or gimmicks or even […]

Line and Rhyme

Students read “Josh Bell” By Kwame Alexander and introduced themselves through their passions, focusing on line and rhyme! Voice and perspective! Mr. Charmelo, 7th grade, 1st period No Muhammad Ali by Royal G No […]

‘I’m thinking about you, like what I’m having for dinner tonight.’: Simile Poems

Students read, ‘Thinking About You’ by Mike Taylor before writing their own simile-filled poems! Lesson Note: “You don’t need permission to make your art. No one needs an artistic license or a permit to […]

‘We made it for sick people and the world/ so we can continue living’: Potion Poems

Students read the poem, ‘Truth Serum’ by Naomi Shihab Nye before writing their own potion-themed poems. Lesson Note: “I respect anyone who’s pulled an idea out of their brain and fully brought it to […]

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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