Monday, April 23, 2018

Poetry in Fourth Grade

The fourth grade has been exploring ideas about themselves and the world they live in while also delving into questions that may have no answers through their poetry. Each day we tried something new and went in different directions. The students are now busy revising and editing. They have been working on figuring out where they can take away words that weaken the feeling of their poems and examine if there might be a more concise expression or stronger word to express an action or idea. Here's a sampling of our work:

Kids
Dancing kids
Flattered modern children
Grown-ups, children, parents, children
Ordinary child, capable child
Baby child, kid mother
The schoolboy weeping fury
Bullied child so vulnerable
Little cruel heartless child

Magnificent loving child
~Samara

BARN
Sweet smelling horses
Birdsong a melody
A kind gentle nose, a touch to the hand
Cobwebs line the ceiling
Hay scattered on the floor
An old barn at the end of a twisted lane
Grass up to your knee tickles at the touch
Tall trees sway like dancers with the song of birds you can't see
Wooden barn painted white
You are beautiful in many ways
That is why I always come back to you.  

~ Grace 

Good

It’s hard to be poor.
But it makes people think that it’s easy to be rich.
But that is a lie
There is no man who is better because of money
People think that money is how you make a great nation.
For people must not waste food
For there are people who are hungry
Everyone must be grateful for what
they have.

~ Ian 



Students also read poems and analyzed them in an attempt to get at  different voices. They were challenged to write about what they felt like in order to express their own unique voices. 
Challenges
My mom loves cappuccino.
 I wish I never had a low heart rate.
 I  hate raw eggs. 
Is it bad to confuse someone?
It’s like a challenge. 
I wish it was summer. 
My friends look at me in disgust. 

I look at the pipe cleaners.

~ Elise 

A Perfect Day
      
Today was a perfect day. 
It was warm.
I didn’t even need a sweatshirt.
The air felt warm and smooth.
It was perfect for me.
I saw Mohan walking home.
He looked happy.
Because he also loves warm weather.
I needed water.
The water fountain had cold water.
Exactly what I needed.
The sky was blue and pretty.
It was the first time it felt hot this year. 
In the winter it’s so hard putting coats on.
And parents are always reminding you – put your coat on Laszlo!
But on a day like today,
You can just run outside
Jump around
You don’t need your parents reminding you to wear your coat,
Because you don’t need one.

~ Lazlo 

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