Not E Boy

Oh the joys of teaching sixth grade in the spring!

My students were busy brainstorming their ideas for the Alphabiography challenge that starts on May 1 when the following conversation was heard throughout the room:

Student 1: I have everything but E. I need an idea for E.

Student 2: How about 'orgasm'? (Laughs lecherously)

Student 1: (Confused) What?

Student 2: Orgasm! Heh, heh, heh. Orgasm! Orgasm!

Student 1: That... doesn't... start... with E.

Me: May I speak to you in the hallway, [student 1]?

As Easy as 1-2-3

This time of year is very busy at school. There are all sorts of competing tests, activities, and assemblies that teachers have to plan around, and so it is that by necessity I have to introduce the writing challenge for May tomorrow, even though there are still three days left in the poetry challenge.

Ideally, the writing assignment for any given day allows students to practice and apply what they are learning in class, and so I was faced with a bit of a conundrum as I sat at my desk this afternoon finalizing the particulars of my lesson for tomorrow. What kind of poem would go with alphabiography planning?

And then? Inspiration struck! In one of those where did that idea even come from? moments it occurred to me that there was at least one poem I could recall that was in alphabetical order-- The Gashlycrumb Tinies by Edward Gorey is a macabre recitation of how 26 children meet their untimely ends. My students will love it!

And so I googled the poem, which is actually a book illustrated with Gorey's signature pen and ink drawings, to find the text. One description of the work called it an "abecedarian" (pronounced ay-bee-ce-day-ree-an), and it was there I paused. A what?

Exactly! And voila! The Abecedarian Poetry challenge is born!

Wrap it in a Poem

My students recently took a practice test for our state's standardized exam which revealed that they needed a little refresher in identifying organizational patterns, which are also known as text structures. The most common of these? Chronological, compare and contrast, cause and effect, description, problem/solution, and sequence or process.

I like to plan such lessons from both a receptive and productive approach, so I explained to them why knowing about these patterns was important both as a reader and a writer, and I gave them a handy reference sheet with all the signal words they might need; for example cause and effect writing relies heavily on since, because, this led to, on account of, due to, for this reason, consequently, etc.

But, hey! It's poetry month, people! So to give them practice using transition words, I created a new challenge for the day... the Process Poem!

Process writing describes a series of steps or events. A coherent process description requires a clear purpose or unifying idea (thesis). There are two basic types of process writing: directions (how to do something) and information (how something works).Process writing uses a specific signal words such as:

first,
second,
then,
last,
before,
until,
after that,
now,
soon,
at the same time,
by then,
following,
finally

Today's challenge: Write a fanciful "How to" poem of at least 6-10 lines. Use the transition words to help you, but be creative and add figurative language!

Here's an example:

How to Make the Perfect Sunday 

by Ms. S 

First take a scoop of a Friday fun,

then add a second scoop of Saturday swirl. 

Next smother it in warm sunshine, 

followed by sweet whipped dreams,

and after that rainbow sprinkles.

Lastly, don't forget the cheerful on top!

Finally-- enjoy!

"Hey!" one student raised her hand when I shared the example. "Sunday and sundae? I see what you did there!"

But, did she though? Did she really?

Swag

Many of my students this year are enjoying the Hundred Day Writing Challenge, but there is one guy who has definitely embraced it. He has posted every day without fail, and his writing is quirky, funny, and engaging.

When we did the first round of prizes for the month of March, he won a pair of aviator sunglasses and they have been the star of nearly every poem he has written this month starting with his haiku:

I got sun glasses
They are so swag-o-lishis
They give me such swag

and continuing on through simile:

My sunglasses are as swag as a Ferrari
hyperbole, my swag sunglasses keep the world spinning
credo poems, And I believe that no one has ever won as cool sunglasses as I have

and the tribute to his birthday month:

Smell of flowers in the air.
Wearing swag sunglasses.
That is what it is like in June.

his praise poem refrain:

swag is in his blood

of course his six ways of looking poem:

I
On my dresser
I saw my swag glasses
The glass reflected my books in the background
The glasses stared at my books

his ode to Earth:

but best of all, without you there would be no such thing as swag sunglasses!

his ode to Mars:

You fill us with wonder and questions,
is there life? Is there water? Are there swag sunglasses?

and finally in his Shakespearean sonnet:

My sunglasses are so extremely swag,
They are the coolest things on the planet.
Sorry, but you can't have them, so don't nag.
Their rim is the same colour as granite.
I do really love my swag sunglasses.
They really are so, so very awesome.
They make me look sweeter than mallasses.
They look as cool as an awesome possum.
They are very much the best things ever.
I really like to wear them all the time.
Also they are as light as a feather.
I won't sell them for a knickel or dime.
My sunglasses are so very epic
and they belong to me, not Joe or rick.

I look forward to reading his post every day, and he reminds me why I do this activity.

Thanks, Marshall!

Sunday No Funday

We went out to run a few errands today and ended up shopping in

five!
different!
stores!

That's too many.

Uh Odes!

I spent a bit of my morning reading over and commenting on the odes that my students wrote yesterday in celebration of Earth Day. In general, I would say the opportunity to go outside for inspiration and details paid off-- their odes were sweet and concrete.  When it came to conclusions, though, there were a few challenges. See if you can tell what I mean:

O'Earth thank you for all you have done to the animals--
have a great day!

or

Even though you are insignificant
in the cosmic scheme,
we will always love you

or

O' little blue marble,
what would I do without you!

or

you are glorious
and glamorous
and yet
we still destroy you.
Oh Earth.

or

oh earth I will never forget your gifts that you share with us
thank you and happy birthday.

or

As we run, walk, and jog,
you are the birthplace
and home to thousands of people.

or

thx for being a
wonderful planet

and my personal favorite:

I feel the air is pushing me back and forth
O earth what would the world be without you?

Happy Earth Day to You

Last weekend when the girls were here, they both told me separately how proud they were of their long-distance running parents. "What about you and your sister?" I asked the oldest. "Do you guys do anything like that?"

"Oh, no," she told me, "we're more inside people."

I thought of that conversation today when I told my students that in honor of Earth Day we would spend part of our class outside gathering details for the odes we would write to our home planet when we came back in. Do we have to? sighed at least one student in every class.

Then there was the litany of concerns:

I have allergies. 
I need sunscreen. 
I'm afraid of bugs. 
It's too cold. 
Isn't it going to rain? 

"Guys!" I snapped them back. "We're only going to be out there for 10 minutes, 15 tops!" And off we went to explore the back field of our school where we found:

maple seed helicopters (that you can also stick on your nose)
buttercups (which many were unaware could show if you like butter)
dandelion seeds to send flying
redbud blossoms to sample
cedar foliage to feel
clover to search for lucky four-leafs
breezes to refresh us
mulch to pinch our noses at
smooth crape myrtle trunks to admire (it looks like mango! someone noted.)
holly leaves to beware of
pink dogwood flowers to commend
anthills to architecturally acclaim
crabgrass to metaphorically contemplate
and lots of
birds
and squirrels
and trees
and people

And when we came back inside each group was absolutely silent as they composed their odes to our home.