Writing

March 2011

Sixth Grade: Our sixth grade students recently completed a three-week unit on poetry.  They studied literary devices, including personification, simile, metaphor, alliteration, and onomatopoeia, and then practiced using them in creating their own original poems.  They analyzed the poetry of Maya Angelou, Langston Hughes, rapper Tupac Shakur, and others, focusing on envisionment, inference, and tone.  They composed poetry about our lives and the world around them, with a special focus on how poetry is a vehicle for advancing social justice movements.

“The Pearl”
by Mary Marsh

Nobody crowds around
the oyster
like they do the clownfish
nobody takes notice of
the hard rough shell
Look at me!
It says longing for
attention
but nobody listens
but then
then the oyster
slowly opens and
inside is a
small glowing moon
Then
everybody crowds
around
and everybody
takes notice
Of the once
ignored oyster

 

"Homelessness"
by Jimmy Hedego

you see me
everyday
no food
no water,
but always walk
away
like I’m some
bug in the
way.

you see me all the
time
asking you for
change all you have to
do is drop 25 cents
from your leather purse
attached by solid gold
chains.

why can’t you notice
don’t act so rude
all I need is a short
How do you do.

 

“Goodbye”
by Yalemwork Teferra

I tussled with my hair
That Saturday night
As my Grandma reached over
And turned off the lights
Kissing me on the forehead
As she told me she loved me
And said Goodnight
As I picked up her hand
And held it really tight
As tears rolled down my cheeks
That Saturday Night
Plop!
My tears landed
on my nose
As I told her I loved her forever
Then she nodded and closed her eyes
But she never opened them Again
And I never got to say
Goodbye.

 

“Real Life”
by Makayla Walker

Life is easy
When you don’t think about it
Cause the real pain
Is when you lose someone
That you have already lost

You thought this poem was about life
No it’s about love

When you feel love
You know it’s there
But when you don’t
You don’t even care

You might see love one minute
And then next you’re in it
Love can see you and walk right on by
But some can see you and stay by your side

Love is an emotion
Some people don’t pay attention to it
Cause love is the thing that starts the commotion

But when you hope in someone
They come through
You thought this poem was about love

No its about hope
Hope is a great feeling
Especially when you believe in yourself

When you hope in yourself
You do better
When you do better
You stay out of trouble

Then you’re happy because you do well
You thought this poem was about hope
NO it’s about happiness

Happiness is like a bottle of water
when you drink  it
It’s all gone

But you can always
Fill it up again
But it’s all apart of life
That’s what this poem’s all about
REAL LIFE!

 

“Confused Choir”
by Sara Bollag

They opened their mouths
but nothing came out
they didn’t know what to sing about
but they vowed they would sing
and so they did
they sang about
not being able to sing anything

Fourth Grade: Recently, our fourth grade writers developed their own thesis statements and chose moments from their lives to support their big ideas.  Then they wrote essays with evidence to support their thesis.  Essay titles included:  “Having a twin is the worst,” “Christmas is the best holiday,” “Being the youngest is hard,” and “My sister is the best sister.” Below are two examples of their writing.

"Hazel is a Good Friend"
by: Emma Mondry

Have you ever had a really good friend? If you haven't I feel bad for you. I also feel bad for you if you've never met Hazel. Hazel is one of those really great friends. There are several reasons why Hazel is a good friend.

Hazel is a good friend because she always notices my feelings. For example, I was feeling a little let down because of a friend fight. Hazel said "what's wrong?" I told her "I'm having a fight with Mary." She felt sorry for me and made funny faces to cheer me up. Unlike some friends Hazel notices people's feelings.

Hazel is a good friend because she uses information about me to make our conversations more interesting. For instance one time me, Emmett, Hazel, and Lucy were talking about religion. Suddenly the topic turned to Chanukah, which I don't celebrate and Hazel distracted me in a totally different conversation.

Hazel is a good friend because she teaches me things. One time I asked Hazel "how do you get your 9 times tables so quickly?" She said "here I'll show you." She held out her hands and showed me the trick.

Hazel is a best friend. She finds ways to be a better friend. She is kind to everyone. Especially me!!!!!

 

"Christmas at my house is the BEST!"
by: Elinor McCarthy

Do you have a favorite holiday? Mine is Christmas. What's the best holiday at your house? Mine is Christmas. Christmas at my house is the best. There are several reasons why Christmas at my house is the best. We have great food, we have fun traditions, and we spend a lot of time together.

Christmas at my house is the best because we have great food. One time, we had this amazing cake covered with chocolate and whipped cream. It had a sweet, chocolate taste, and washed down splendidly with milk. It was the best cake I had ever tasted! "Wow!" I thought, "who made this?" I looked up. Everyone was eating cake. I took another bite. "Who made this?" I asked with my mouth full. "Me" my mom said. "It's really good!" Sean exclaimed. "Yeah!" I agreed. Great food is the key to a great holiday.

Christmas at my house is the best because we have fun traditions we do every year. For example, every Christmas Eve, we read The Night Before Christmas or Santa Mouse. Last year we sat down on the living room couch. I held out Santa Mouse. We agreed that I was old enough to read this year. "Cool!" I thought "maybe I'll get to read every year! I'm so grown up!" I opened the book and started reading. "Once, there was a mouse. A lonely mouse" I started reading. After a while, I started to feel tired. My arms could barely hold the book up, and my eyes were starting to close. By the time I finished, I was half asleep. "Alright, time for bed. You don't want to keep Santa waiting!" my dad said. "Okay" I said. Traditions make holidays more memorable.

Christmas at my house is the best because we get to spend a lot of time together. For example, one Christmas we spent all day at home singing carols and opening gifts. "Today was fun" Sean said later that night. "Yeah" I said, "it really was." I smiled. "It has been the best day" I thought. Quality time with family always comes with a great holiday.

Christmas at my house is the best, and I'll have to wait along time until Christmas comes again. Well, at least there's Easter.

 

Third Grade: Our third grade students wrote book, movie and restaurant reviews.  They traveled into the community to try local restaurants and rate them on their food, service and ambiance.  Students have shared their reviews on a blog: http://elhreviews.blogspot.com/

Eighth Grade: Our phenomenal eighth grade scholars published the work from their most recent poetry unit!  Read their poems at http://2015poetry.blogspot.com/

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