Poetry Unit

In our class we are starting a unit on poetry. We are using Sharon Creech's book 'Love that Dog' as a focal point. The main character in the story is a fourth grader learning about poetry. Each day he reads a famous poem and writes his own version of the poem. We are going to copy him! Each day we will write our inspired poems and post them to our google sites. Below I will post the poems that we do each day and a few exemplars from our class.

Black Cat

by: Christopher Myers

black cat, black cat

cousin to the concrete

creeping down our city streets

where do you live, where will we meet?

sauntering like rainwater down storm drains

between Cadillac tires and the curb

sipping water from fire hydrants

dancing to the banging beats of passing jeeps

ducking under the red circling of sirens cutting

through the night

5.6.16

Love That Boy

BY WALTER DEAN MYERS

Love that boy,

like a rabbit loves to run

I said I love that boy

like a rabbit loves to run

Love to call him in the morning

love to call him

"Hey there, son!"

He walk like his Grandpa,

Grins like his Uncle Ben.

I said he walk like his Grandpa,

And grins like his Uncle Ben.

Grins when he’s happy,

When he sad, he grins again.

His mama like to hold him,

Like to feed him cherry pie.

I said his mama like to hold him.

Like to feed him that cherry pie.

She can have him now,

I’ll get him by and by

He got long roads to walk down

Before the setting sun.

I said he got a long, long road to walk down

Before the setting sun.

He’ll be a long stride walker,

And a good man before he done.

5/4/16

Today's poems will be published on paper. It will not be online. We are doing 'shape' poems.

5/3/16

Street Music

BY ARNOLD ADOFF

T h i s c i t y

t h e

a l w a y s

n o i s e

g r i n d i n g

up from the

s u b w a y s

u n d e r

g r o u n d:

slamming from bus tires

and taxi horns and engines

of cars and trucks in all

v o c a b u l a r i e s

of

clas

flash

screeching

hot metal l a n g u a g e

c o m b i n a t i o n s:

as p l a n e s

o v e r h e a d

r o a r

an

o r c h e s t r a

of rolling drums

and battle blasts

assaulting

my ears

w i t h

t h e

a l w a y s

n o i s e of

t h i s c i t y:

street music.

5/2/16

The Pasture

BY ROBERT FROST

I'm going out to clean the pasture spring;

I'll only stop to rake the leaves away

(And wait to watch the water clear, I may):

I sha'n't be gone long.--You come too.

I'm going out to fetch the little calf

That's standing by the mother. It's so young,

It totters when she licks it with her tongue.

I sha'n't be gone long.--You come too.

4.29.15

Dog

by: Valeria Worth

Under a maple tree

The dog lies down,

Lolls his limp

Tongue, yawns,

Rests his long chin

Carefully between

Front paws;

Looks up, alert;

Chops, with heavy

Jaws, at a slow fly,

Blinks, rolls

On his side,

Sighs, closes

His eyes: sleeps

All afternoon

In his loose skin

BY WILLIAM BLAKE

Tyger Tyger, burning bright,

In the forests of the night;

What immortal hand or eye,

Could frame thy fearful symmetry?

In what distant deeps or skies.

Burnt the fire of thine eyes?

On what wings dare he aspire?

What the hand, dare seize the fire?

And what shoulder, & what art,

Could twist the sinews of thy heart?

And when thy heart began to beat,

What dread hand? & what dread feet?

What the hammer? what the chain,

In what furnace was thy brain?

What the anvil? what dread grasp,

Dare its deadly terrors clasp!

When the stars threw down their spears

And water'd heaven with their tears:

Did he smile his work to see?

Did he who made the Lamb make thee?

Tyger Tyger burning bright,

In the forests of the night:

What immortal hand or eye,

Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?

Brionna's Robert Frost inspired poem

4.25.16

The Red Wheelbarrow

William Carlos Williams, 1883 - 1963

so much depends upon a red wheel barrow glazed with rain water beside the white chickens.

Student work: