School-wide Poetry Month: Day Thirty (Jane)

I chose "Where the Sidewalk Ends" because it really reminds me of New York, where I live. It is whimsical and very free in it's own sense, but it has some realistic parts to it, so Shel Silverstein did a good job of making a combination of these both. It makes me smile every time I read it, and it reminds me so much of just walking on a hot, NYC day, enjoying myself despite the weather. I can even imagine some of the spontaneously created characters, like the moonbird or the peppermint wind. This is why I love Shel Silverstein's "Where the Sidewalk Ends" so dearly.

Where The Sidewalk Ends
There is a place where the sidewalk ends
And before the street begins,
And there the grass grows soft and white,
And there the sun burns crimson white,
And there the moon-bird rests from his flight
To cool in the peppermint wind.

Let us leave this place where the smoke blows black
And the dark street winds and bends.
Past the pits where the asphalt flowers grow
We shall walk with a walk that is measured and slow,
And watch where the chalk-white arrows go
To the place where the sidewalk ends.

Yes we'll walk with a walk that is measured and slow,
And we'll go where the chalk-white arrows go,
For the children, they mark, and the children, they know
The place where the sidewalk ends.
Poem ©Shel Silverstein. All rights reserved.

School-wide Poetry Month: Day Twenty-Nine (Sydney)

I chose "For Sale" because pretty much I've always liked Shel Silverstein, especially "For Sale." Also, it is what I wish I could do to my little sister sometimes. Shel Silverstein always tries to do something different each time. He really tries to be original and unique, like with "The Giving Tree" and "Sick" and all his other poems.

For Sale
One sister for sale!
One sister for sale!
One crying and spying young sister for sale!
I’m really not kidding,
So who’ll start the bidding?
Do I hear the dollar?
A nickel?
A penny?
Oh, isn’t there, isn’t there, isn’t there any
One kid that will buy this old sister for sale,
This crying and spying young sister for sale? 
Poem ©Shel Silverstein. All rights reserved.

School-wide Poetry Month: Day Twenty-Eight (Jack)

I chose "Invictus" because it was my grandfather's favorite poem before he died, and it was also my grandmother's favorite poem. All the boys in my family had to learn it. It was part of the Armstrong logo!

Invictus
Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the full clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll.
I am the master of my fate.
I am the captain of my soul.
Poem ©William Ernest Henley. All rights reserved.

School-wide Poetry Month: Day Twenty-Seven (Alec)

I chose "This is Just to Say" because this poem has to do with eating food by mistake and that's happened to me many times before. Another reason why is because it's a nice sweet poem. This is the poem.

This is Just to Say
I have eaten
the plums
that were in
the icebox

and which
you were probably
saving for breakfast

Forgive me
they were delicious
so sweet
and so cold
Poem ©William Carlos Williams. All rights reserved.

School-wide Poetry Month: Day Twenty-Six (Bria)

I chose "Us" because today is my sister's birthday and she is turning 18. I also pick this poem because me and my sister always disagree. I would love my sister to see this because this does show how much I love my her. Happy birthday Chelsea!

Us 
Me and him
Him and me,
We're always together
As you can see.
I wish he'd leave
So I'd be free
I'm getting a little bit
Tired of he,
And he may be a bit
Bored with me.
On movies and ladies
We cannot agree.
I love to dance
He loves to ski.
He loves the mountains
I love the sea.
I like hot chocolate
He wants his tea.
I want to sleep
He has to pee.
He's meaner and duller
And fatter than me.
But I guess there's worse things
We could be--
Instead of two we could be three,
Me and him
Him and me.
Poem ©Shel Silverstein. All rights reserved.

School-wide Poetry Month: Day Twenty-Four (Sabina)

I chose "Storms Toward Noon" because it was about a time that if you experienced it wouldn't seem so special but I really added detail. This poem is written by me.

Storms Toward Noon
Suddenly the sky grew gray
the day
which had been soft and still
grew bitter and chill
and the rain with its pitter patter
started to fall
down.

School-wide Poetry Month: Day Twenty-Two (Katya)

I chose "Eclipse" because I really liked how I took a rhyming poem and made it into a poem that has a topic that is beautiful. Another reason I picked it was because it was a poem I made for a poetry book, and it really touched me. It was a poem I really loved.

Eclipse
I look up high into the sky
cause a day is a a night when the moon's very bright
I watch it gleam glitter and glow
as it sparkles through the midnight show
I look up high into the sky
cause a day is a night when the moon's very bright.
Poem ©Katya Herkelrath. All rights reserved.

School-Wide Poetry Month: Day Twenty-One (Sam)

I chose "Dancing Pants" because it had a rhythm on every line. It rhymed, and I like poems that you can read really fast since they have rhyme and rhythm at the same time. It's funny, and it's about a funny topic--dancing pants!

Dancing Pants
And now for the Dancing Pants,
Doing their fabulous dance.
From the seat to the pleat
They will bounce to the beat,
With no legs inside them
And no feet beneath.
They'll whirl, and twirl, and jiggle and prance,
So just start the music
And give them a chance
Let's give a big hand for the wonderful, marvelous,
Super sensational, utterly fabulous,
Talented Dancing Pants!


Poem ©Shel Silverstein. All rights reserved.

School-wide Poetry Month: Day Twenty (Michael)

I chose "Twaddletalk Tuck" because when I first saw it, I thought it looked really funny because on almost every single line it goes "and I talk and I talk." It's just really funny. I like the picture where the dog has his hands over his ears because the boy talks too much. I think people should read this poem really quickly because there are no periods until the end of the stanza.

Twaddletalk Tuck
I'm Twaddletalk Tuck and I talk and I talk
and I talk when I run and I talk when I walk
and I talk when I hop and I talk when I creep
and I talk when I wake and I talk when I sleep
and I talk when it's wet and I talk when it's dry
and I talk when I laugh and I talk when I cry
and I talk when I jump and I talk when I land
and I talk when I sit and I talk when I stand
and I talk and I talk into anyone's ear
and I talk and I talk when there's nobody near
and I talk when I'm hoarse and my voice is a squawk
for I'm Twaddletalk Tuck and I talk and I talk.
Poem ©Jack Prelutsky. All rights reserved.

School-wide Poetry Month: Day Nineteen (Zack)

I chose "Sick" by Shel Silverstein because I feel that the character in poem is just like me, because I would   say that I can't go to school. I also feel that how Shel Silverstein lists all the things that the girl has. I feel that that is unique because it's more like a song then a poem. And that is why I like "Sick."

Sick
"I cannot go to school today,'
Said little Peggy Ann McKay.
'I have the measles and the mumps,
A gash, a rash and purple bumps.
My mouth is wet, my throat is dry,
I'm going blind in my right eye.
My tonsils are as big as rocks,
I've counted sixteen chicken pox
And there's one more-that's seventeen,
And don't you think my face looks green?
My leg is cut-my eyes are blue-
It might be instamatic flu.
I cough and sneeze and gasp and choke,
I'm sure that my left leg is broke-
My hip hurts when I move my chin,
My belly button's caving in,
My back is wrenched, my ankle's sprained,
My 'pendix pains each time it rains.
My nose is cold, my toes are numb.
I have a sliver in my thumb.
My neck is stiff, my voice is weak,
I hardly whisper when I speak.
My tongue is filling up my mouth,
I think my hair is falling out.
My elbow's bent, my spine ain't straight,
My temperature is one-o-eight.
My brain is shrunk, I cannot hear,
There is a hole inside my ear.
I have a hangnail, and my heart is-what?
What's that? What's that you say?
You say today is...Saturday?
G'bye, I'm going out to play! ' 
Poem ©Shel Silverstein. All rights reserved.

School-Wide Poetry Month: Day 18 (Ava)

I chose "Yubbazubbies" because when I read this poem it was very cute and I fell in love with it the first time I read it! I hope you like it too.

Yubbazubbies
Yubbazubbies, you are yummy,
you are succulent and sweet,
you are  splendidly delicious,
quite delectable to eat,
how I smack my lips with relish
when you bump against my knees,
then nuzzle up beside me,
chirping, "Eat us if you please!" 


You are juicy, Yubbazubbies,
you are tender, never tough,
you are appetizing morsels,
I can never get enough,
you have captivating flavors
and a tantalizing smell,
a bit like candied apple,
and a bit like caramel.

Yubbazubbies, you are luscious,
you are soft and smooth as silk,
like a dish of chicken dumplings,
or a glass of chocolate milk,
even when I'm hardly hungry,
I am sure to taste a few,
and I'm never disappointed,
Yubbazubbies, I love you.
Poem ©Jack Prelutsky. All rights reserved.

School-wide Poetry Month: Day Sixteen (Chloe)

I chose "Sick" by Shel Silverstein because I can really relate to the poem. I love all of Shel Silverstein's poems but this one is by far my favorite. I've always loved this poem because it's really funny and really easy for a kid to relate to.

Sick
"I cannot go to school today,'
Said little Peggy Ann McKay.
'I have the measles and the mumps,
A gash, a rash and purple bumps.
My mouth is wet, my throat is dry,
I'm going blind in my right eye.
My tonsils are as big as rocks,
I've counted sixteen chicken pox
And there's one more-that's seventeen,
And don't you think my face looks green?
My leg is cut-my eyes are blue-
It might be instamatic flu.
I cough and sneeze and gasp and choke,
I'm sure that my left leg is broke-
My hip hurts when I move my chin,
My belly button's caving in,
My back is wrenched, my ankle's sprained,
My 'pendix pains each time it rains.
My nose is cold, my toes are numb.
I have a sliver in my thumb.
My neck is stiff, my voice is weak,
I hardly whisper when I speak.
My tongue is filling up my mouth,
I think my hair is falling out.
My elbow's bent, my spine ain't straight,
My temperature is one-o-eight.
My brain is shrunk, I cannot hear,
There is a hole inside my ear.
I have a hangnail, and my heart is-what?
What's that? What's that you say?
You say today is...Saturday?
G'bye, I'm going out to play! ' 
Poem ©Shel Silverstein. All rights reserved.

School-wide Poetry Month: Day Twelve (Charlotte)

I chose "Crazy Dream" by Shel Silverstein because I think it's funny that he and the teachers switch. He gives them impossible questions like "Where are my mittens?" and directions like an over night assignment to grow a 20 foot plant!

Crazy Dream
Last night I had a crazy dream
That I was teachin' school.
My teachers had turned into kids,
And I laid down the rules.

I gave 'em a hundred hist'ry books
To memorize each night,
And made 'em read 'em on their heads
Without turnin' on the light.

I sent 'em on a field trip
To the outskirts of Mongolia,
And gave 'em an overnight assignment
To grow a twenty-foot magnolia.

I asked 'em how many awful grades
Can cause how many tears?
And if they got one answer wrong,
I just hung 'em up by their ears.

And when they talked or laughed in class,
I pinched 'em till they cried
Louder and louder- 'til I woke up
Feelin' very satisfied.
Poem ©Shel Silverstein. All rights reserved.

School-wide Poetry Month: Day Fifteen (Jonathan)

I chose "A Song in Storm" by Rudyard Kipling because it has a lot of powerful words in it and it also speaks to me and feels meaningful to me. It has power in my mind.

A Song in Storm
Be well assured that on our side
     The abiding oceans fight ,
Though headlong wind and heaping tide
     Make us their sport to-night.
By force of weather , not of war,
     In jeopardy we steer:
Then welcome fate's discourtesy
     Whereby it shall appear
           How in all time of our distress,
           And our deliverance too,
           The game is more than the player of the game,
           And the ship is more than the crew!

Out of the mist into the mirk
     The glittering combers roll.
Almost all these waters work
     As though they had a soul-
Almost as though they leagued to whelm
           Our flag beneath the green:
           Then welcome fates discourtesy
           Whereby it shall be seen, etc.

Be well assured, though wave and wind
     Have mightier blows in store,
That we who keep the watch assigned
     Must stand it to the more;
And our streaming bows rebuke
     Each billow's baulked career'
Sing welcome fate's discourtesy
     Whereby it is made clear, etc.

No matter though our decks be swept
     And mast and timber crack-

We can make good all loss except
    The loss of turning back.
So twixt these devils and our deep
     Let courteous trumpets sound
To welcome Fate's discourtesy,
      Whereby it will be found, etc.

Be well assured though in our power
       Is nothing left to give
But chance and place to meet the hour,
       And leave to strive to live,
Till these dissolve our Order holds,
       Our service binds us here.
Then welcome Fate's discourtesy
       Whereby it is made clear
             How in all times of our distress,
             And in our triumph too,
             The game is more than the player of the game,
             And the ship is more than the crew!

Poem ©Rudyard Kipking. All rights reserved.

School-wide Poetry Month: Day Fourteen (Max)

I chose "Tennis Anyone?" because it looks very funny and I also like the way it is setup. It's a concrete poem.

(Hint: you have to read the words as if a tennis ball was flying in between them). 

Tennis Anyone?

Tennis                                             is a 

game I                                             could watch

for hours                                         but my

neck won't                                      let me

Poem ©Monica Kulling. All rights reserved.

School-wide Poetry Month: Day Thirteen (Elliot)

I chose “Vegeta’s Epitaph” because all the poems that I’ve read are happy or something that does not include sadness or tragedy. So I choose this poem because it is possible that it is the only sad poem I’ve ever read and wanted to share it so, here it is!

Vegeta’s Epitaph

My life falls like dew.

Disappears like dew.

All of this world.

Is dream after dream. 

Poem ©Akira Toriyama. All rights reserved

Poetry Project Entry (by Jane)

          Poetry month is always an exciting time for the students because they get to explore a very creative type of writing: Poetry! In class 4-324, the students and teacher decided to enhance this special monthly writing celebration with an extra special poetry project.

       The way this project works is that for each day of May, a different student posts a favorite poem on the class blog, telling why they chose it, what makes it special, and any additional information they'd like to add.Family members, friends and classmates can then comment on the poem the student chose. Katie started off the project with a favorite poem of hers: "Things" by Eloise Greenfield. Ever since, the whole class and their families have reacted enthusiasticly, and has anticipated reading the next poem each day.

         Day two was Ida's day to post her poem. Her poem was "Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening" by Robert Frost, and she got comments on the beauty and serenity of the poem. Day three was Allie, and she did "Stupid Pencil Maker" By Shel Silverstein. her comments were all about the humorus tone of the poem and that her choice was a great one. Day four was Andrew and he did "Magical Eraser" by Shel Silverstein. He got comments on how even though the poem was fictional, it still related to things that happen each day! Day five was Eric, and he mixed things up with an original poem he wrote himself called "The Game Of Stuff You Love". He got comments on how well he wrote this poem, and how his repetitive lines really influence his feelings about baseball. Day six was Dylan, and he did "Ice Cream Stop" By Shel Silverstein. He hasn't received any comments yet, but this poem is fantastic, so I'm sure some are on the way! Day seven was Adina, and she did "Old Snake" by Pat Mora. She hasn't received any comments yet either, but her poem is incredibly creative and special. Day eight was Emma, and she did "The Owl And The Pussycat" by Edward Lear. Her readers commented on how they agreed with her that her poem brings back happy memories from their life. Day nine was Mayu, and she did "I Wonder Why Dad Is So Thoroughly Mad" by Jack Prelutsky. She got comments on how her readers thought this poem was laugh out loud funny, and can really connect to their own lives. Day ten was Leela, and she did "Owl" an original poem she wrote herself. She received comments on how beautifully written this poem is. And finally, today was Ellis. He did "Funky Snowman" by Calef Brown. It just came up today, but I heard it myself, and it will get an uproar of applause from the readers.

           So far, this creative poetry month idea has been a success. It has created an open window of fun learning for our class, one that we will never forget. Some more amazing poems are on the way, like one by assistant principal Ms. Garraway, and we'll keep you updated when they get here!

School-wide Poetry Month: Day Eleven (Ellis)

I chose "Funky Snowman" because I think that it really shows the author's imagination. I think that it shows that because he writes about a snowman that dances. I also chose "Funky Snowman" because the rhythm is like a song in the way that the author wrote it. I also chose the poem because it is like the author is talking to the snowman and telling it to dance.

Funky Snowman 
Funky Snowman loves to dance.
You'd think he wouldn't stand a chance.

Does that stop Funky Snowman?
No!!

Turn up the music with the disco beat,
when your in the groove you don't need feet.
Crowds come out and fill the street.
Kick it, Funky Snowman
Poem ©Calef Brown. All rights reserved.

School-wide Poetry Month: Day Ten (Leela)

I chose "Owl" because it was one of the first poems that I wrote this year, and I think it is simple enough to be read in a few seconds, yet at the same time powerful enough to stick with you for a long time. I think that it really shows the simple beauty of an owl, sitting in the shadows of the dead of the night.



Owl 
Sitting
Waiting
Silence
Rustle
Dive
Yum.
Poem ©Leela Gebo. All rights reserved.

School-wide Poetry Month: Day Nine (Mayu)

I chose "I Wonder Why Dad Is So Thoroughly Mad" because it has been one of my favorite poems ever since I got the poem book "The New Kid On The Block." I like how this rhyming poem really makes you laugh out loud and makes you think, "How funny can this poem get?" To me it's cool how the poet was able to give so many examples of how mad dad is without realizing why himself. This poem is hilarious and I hope that it makes you laugh too!

I Wonder Why Dad Is So Thoroughly Mad

I Wonder why Dad is so thoroughly mad, 
I can't understand it at all, 
unless it's the bee still afloat in his tea,
or his underwear, pinned to the wall.


Perhaps it's the dye on his favorite tie,
or the mousetrap that snapped in his shoe,
or the pipeful of gum that he found with his thumb,
or the toilet, sealed tightly with glue.


It can't be the bread crumbled up in his bed,
or the slugs someone left in the hall,
I wonder why dad is so thoroughly mad,
I can't understand it at all.
Poem ©Jack Prelutsky. All rights reserved.