Write On
by Rita Sorrentino and her students
As a computer teacher at Overbrook Elementary School, I have opportunities to work with students on various projects. I enjoy making the effort to incorporate writing into my classes. Sometimes I use stand-alone lessons during which students write shorter pieces such as poetry. Other lessons involve longer narrative or descriptive pieces that I work on in collaboration with the classroom teacher. The tools of technology support students’ efforts and enhance their options for sharing. Following are samples of some student work and the context of the assignment.
Seasons Change
The following poems were motivated by the advent of March, the much-awaited season of spring, and the annual Flower Show at the Pennsylvania Convention Center.
March
by Tanirah, Grade 2
March is fun.
When March comes, things change.
The weather changes.
Good-bye winter!
Please come soon, spring.
Spring
by Chrisjon, Grade 2
Spring is like a holiday.
All the animals are going to come out and play
Like baby rabbits and baby birds.
You do not need a coat.
You can run and play.
Hooray!
A Salute to Flowers
by Anissa, Grade 4
To colorful blossoms everywhere
To bees buzzing around the flowers
To different sizes and shapes of beauty
To a sweet nectary smell
To gardens full of bright colors
To soft pedals of fragile flowers
To a bouquet in the center of a table
A Salute to Flowers!
Overbrook's Got Talent
The students in fifth grade were required to write an informational piece. For this assignment, they were given a prompt to write about a talent or skill they have or would like to have in the future. During the brainstorming stage one student suggested we use these for a bulletin board and name it, “Overbrook’s Got Talent.”
Since the students were writing something of interest to them, they put great effort into the planning, writing, and editing of their pieces. As a follow up, several students are creating digital versions of their writings that showcase their talents. Working with these students on their traditional and digital versions helped me learn more about them and observe some otherwise shy students finding their voices and sharing with a large audience.
My Musical Talent
by Christina, Grade 5
I started singing as soon as I learned how to talk. It started with short rhymes, and I got better at them over time. The first song I knew all the words to was a song from my church choir. I sang my first solo in my church choir when I was five years old. I’ve been singing all my life; now singing is my LIFE!
I like singing during performances because it feels good when the audience claps for me. When the audience claps for me it gives me confidence to sing even better. Singing certain lyrics can change how you feel. Sometimes I cry when I sing, sometimes I laugh. When I sing during performances I have to sing loudly. That way the audience can hear me and appreciate my song.
I sing everywhere, and I sing mostly everything. Singing is everything to me. I sing certain songs when I’m bored, mad, sad, or nervous. Singing has given me friends and enemies. That’s why I love singing.
My Artistic Talent
by Tanhiya, Grade 5
My talent is art. I started drawing when I was in kindergarten so I was five years old. The pictures I used to draw were simple. I used to draw flowers, people, dresses, and things like that. But the things I draw now are out of the ordinary. I draw funerals and caskets because the caskets have so much detail and the people can be crying and there could be a pastor. To me it is fun to draw these things. The other things that I draw that are out of the ordinary are people playing sports like basketball, baseball, and more.
Now I’m going to tell you who taught me. Me! I taught myself. When I saw paintings and pictures I got interested. My dad is an artist so I got some of my talent from him. The reason why I love or like to draw is because I can, and I do it well.
I love art so much. When I grow up, I am going to have two jobs: an art teacher and an architect. When I become a teenager, my drawings are not going to be normal. I’m going to draw baseball and basketball together, the sun and moon having tea and more. Like I said, my talent is art.
Funny Stuff
by Kayla, Grade 5
I love making jokes because it makes people laugh, and I love making people laugh. It makes me feel good, and it makes them feel good too. The funniest person I know that is funnier than me is Bill Cosby. He is an artist! Everybody would want to watch his show and listen to his routines.
Making jokes is like a gift to everybody, and it’s just amazing how it cheers people up. That’s why I do it. What makes me funny are the jokes I tell like, “Why didn’t the skeleton cross the road…because he didn’t have any guts.” “What did the pig eat for breakfast… bacon and his friend.” Those are the jokes people laugh at. I just love making these and other jokes. Being funny is a talent that I share with others.
The City
After students read and discussed Langston Hughes’ poem, “The City,” they wrote their own poems to reflect their experiences of coming to school in the city.
The Children
by Nadia, Grade 5
In the morning, the children
Open their doors
Rushing to school
Making a song about being happy
About friends and recess and fun
In the evening, the children
Go to sleep
Dreaming about tomorrow
With the bright moon and shiny stars
Outside their windows.
The Kids
by Jada, Grade 5
In the morning
The sun shines bright
The kids spread their wings
Going to school
Some are nervous
Some are excited
All of them are children with joy in their hearts
In the evening
The kids come home
Doing their homework
Getting in their bed to sleep
Looking out at the stars
Knowing the sun will come back up again tomorrow.
Peace Poem for Martin Luther King
For Martin Luther King Day, students wrote poems about peace in his honor. They used a template encouraging them to use their senses to incorporate similes and metaphors.
A Poem in Honor of Dr. King
by Sydney, Grade 4
Peace is like a ray of sunshine.
Peace looks like happiness in smiles.
It sounds like calm waves, and
It is not always here,
But peace can be possible.
A Poem in Honor of Dr. King
by Jordan, Grade 4
Peace is like a soft gentle breeze
Peace looks like geese on a lovely pond.
It sounds like family and friends, and
it can be like love and happiness, but
you have to work for it if you want it
always around you.
Peace!
Rita Sorrentino is a computer teacher at Overbrook Elementary School. Rita joined PhilWP as a teacher consultant in 1993.
Some of the student writings have been posted on The Blacktop, an online journal for Philadelphia youth. Visit the journal at http://www.theblacktop.org.