You're Invited

Shakespeare is alive and well in Hastings. Second and third graders actually enjoyed performing, "Come unto these Yellow Sands," a short song from The Tempest. Then, they wrote their own invitation poems, inviting the reader to follow them along to a secret place, or the revelation of a secret power or bit of knowledge -- that only they know about. I asked them to incorporate the colors and sounds and alliteration that Shakespeare used in his song. This made for some wonderful invention. I love second grader Ashlynn's use of alliteration "lives lady bugs," and "bites the bones to bits."




Come with me and I will tell you frogs live in
the forest. When that frog was a baby
and when she growed up her mother left
her to go to Canada. Now that's a long way.
What do you think?

Tamia, 2nd


You're Invited

Come to my secret place,
Where we could lay down in the
dark green grass and watch the white
fluffy clouds go by in the light
blue sky. We will be surrounded by the sounds
of nature. Animals nearby,
Making loud cries.

Precious, 5th


I invite you with me to the lake
where an old man lives, lady bugs
shiver and quiver. He bites the bones
to bits. Girls find gravity
the hobo is next to a
haunted house the hobo
has a group of hobos
who fixed a small house.
The branches fall down
and the leaves die.


Ashlyn, 2nd



A Tale of the Extraordinary Ocean


Come with me to a universe filled
with adventure. Do you always think mermaids
are real or not? Well I know a
tale that doesn't have a whale. It all
begins when pirates sailed the seas. A group
of pirates thought they saw mermaids
but they saw manatees. The tale was passed
on.

Christopher, 4th


Come with me cause I
know how your brain
works. Their cabinets
their papers cause how
do you think the mini-yous
remember things? They
push everything aong
your body never mess
with your mind.

Ashlyn, 2nd



A Place Called Candy Island

Come with me to a place called Candy Island
I hear the lollypops bang together. Pow Pow Pow!
I heard birds say bark bark bark.
I see a huge volcano that shoots out fudge VeVeVe
The giant says Fe Fi Fo Fum let's
get Sardines!

Zachary H, 2nd

Cometh with me through the ticking
portal to the tower of time. Where red time
diamonds make the tower. Where you can find
all you want in any color. Red, blue, green yellow,
purple, pink, black or white. Leave with a red time
diamond to cometh back any time.

Tyler, 5th

The Beautiful Ocean Sea
Come with me to the beach to the
bottom ocean sea. You would see the
beautiful ocean clear water
You would see the colorful fish drinking
the clear water saying gulp gulp
gulp and you would hear the splash of
the clear water plsh plsh plsh the light
gray beautiful dolphins would do and you would see the blue
whales splashing their huge tails in the water
sploosh the whale would make a big
noise and you would see the gray shark
would swallow all the fish. Yummy
the shark would say.

Da' Miah, 5th

Come with me to my underground
place. And my name is Baby Hulk
and me only knows that I am Baby
My dad doesn't know. My mother doesn't
but when little kids like me or bullies
and if I get 200 on my watch I will
turn into Baby Hulk and go crazy.

Timothy, 2nd


Hiding Spot

Come with me to a place where there is a place to hide and not
be found. It is small and nothing there.

Aliviona, 4th


The Room

Come with me to the class where all of my friends are and
where we read books. Come with us to the lunchroom where
all the food is. Come to the music room where all the drums
are. Come on don't be shy. Just a little father come with
me to the movies where they eat popcorn.

Teretha, 4th


Where My Secret Lives

Come with me I'll tell you my
secret. It lives on earth and it
has gave birth to a child and it
wouldn't go wild it will be mild
in a bottle.

Matthew, 5th

My Little Secret

I have a secret power
to allow me to control time
I can rewind, fast-forward, freeze
and end time.

Enrique, 6th


My Secret Power

Come with me. I will show you a new world
and new universe. I will show you a new
power of mine that is real special to me and my
father who is super strong because
he is wonder man. And my mom is
WOnder Woman. Come with me I am
gonna show you my brother and he is
fast as lightening. Now do you
want to hear my secret power? it is the
super punch. I can smash a whole
building.

Maleek, 5th

A place called home

The teens read the lyrics to Mos Def's Habitat which begins with the phrase," We all got to have a place that we come from, a place we call home." They wrote about what makes their home, their family unique.

I Come out Street the Hood

We all got to have a place where we
come from a place called home. My
home start off with drama issues.
My home is like hitting the road
chasing from our problems, they
real road. Having babies at a young
age. Eating the best part
of all our problems and we laugh, have
fun like a real family that's where
I come from.

Kenisa, 6th


When I think of home, I
Remember walking down the street,
Chasing the ice-cream truck
Trying to get a cold treat.
Sitting on the porch
feeling like I'm being baked
or a sizzling pan cooking
a pancake.
Quickly eating candy
pulling out my teeth
Nothing like eating pork or beef.
People yelling, people drinking
Talking so much they aren't even thinking.
Eating blow-pops, smacking on
gum, eatin fast food. I think I
need a Tums.
Everyone shooting, others die
thinking they fly, while getting
high.
Me, my friends and my cousins
getting aggravated because
those flies keep buzzing
Others living life like Keyshia Coles.
While other girls
Shaking their flat rumps
trying to be like
Beyonce Knowles

Deraje, 7th

Collaboration

A collaborative poem is always a fun way to start class or end it. Here's one about remembering. Our subject was the sky.


I remember the sky was falling
I remember I was looking at the light blue sky
I remember a person falling out the sky and landed by me
I remember when the sky was pink
I remember the blue sky
I remember a brown dark sky
I remember seeing Rudolph in the sky
I remember seeing a dirt bike in the sky
I remember when I was in heaven
I remember a red, pink dark sky
I remember getting a pillow out of the sky
I remember the beautiful dark blue sky



Fourth and Fifth Grade

Where does our writing take us?

Now that my second and third graders have been writing poems for four months, I asked them where exactly do they go when they sit down to write a poem?

When I'm Writing a Poem

Where I am when I'm
writing a poem I'm slaying
a Wii. When I was in
Ohio. Me if I was a
caveman. Me if I was
Santa. If I was a S.W.A.T.
team or a police driving a
car. If I had a million dollars
and a butler.

Zachary H, 2nd


In school, we write nonsense
In poetry we let our emotions
go when I'm in poetry
I feel happy when I'm writing
a poem, I feel I'm actually
in it. When I write
I feel I'm changing the
world. When I go to feel
it, I shiver so does my brain.
It's fun you should try
it.

Ashlynn, 2nd

More Willie Perdomo

We modeled some more of Willie Perdomo's work this week -- the poem, "Papos are Poetica." So, what kind of poem or song are you stuck inside?


Stuck in a Poem

I'm stuck in a poem that sounds
like windows shattering, the
voices you hear suddenly stops.
This poem looks like a girl who has just been
cut on a piece of glass. To
the last drops of the
shattered glass. The girls
lonely cries start to fall.
It's like the sounds of the birds
starting to chirp. The girl's
eyes begin to turn red
as she buries her head
in the bed. She closes
her eyes and she listens
to the wind as it spreads.
It sounds lke the sounds
of the windows shattering
across her head.

Taymaria, 7th

The poem I'm Stuck In

I'm stuck to poetry like chewing gum
on the bottom of a shoe,
I was pressed on to poetry with
glue

Poetry is clear like tape,
Poetry is the best taste.
Poetry floats in the air,
If you feel poetry might be in your hair,
Poetry has suds like soap
Poetry is like the sizzle in Coke
Poetry shoots like a gun
When you play with poetry
you will have fun

Jameka, 6th



Stuck Poem

I'm stuck in a poem like dirt that is in the ocean
I'm stuck in a poem that sounds like cars crashing and
people not being nice but mean
I'm stuck in this old nasty poem thaat don't have a shower
or little water
I'm stuck in this old town that makes you poems every
Tuesday and thank the Lord that we don't write every day
I'm stuck drumming in this hold poem not a new poem
I'm home in the street of this poem where I'm stuck
for life.

Zach, 6th


Wish Song Poem

The song that I am stuck in is Rockin. It feels like I'm
in a box not round. I feel like playing the drum
all day.

This song sounds like you will bang your head all day long. I
would be very hungry when I get out. I hope I can get
out of this old song and get into a new song.

My song will not stop singing the same song over
and over again. When your brain hurts don't come to
me and say My Head Hurts because I didn't do it.

My drums will not stop drumming on the drums. When
I try to get the drumsticks I will keep drumming
until they stop which will be never. I will die drumming
before you die singing.

Zach, 6th