Brownbuck's Bistro

Coffee...jazz music...fingers snapping...poetry...lamps...comfortable food.  For those of you who weren't able to come, Room 241 was transformed into a coffeehouse last week (Brownbuck's Bistro).  The coffee was excellent and the poetry was powerful.  Each student shared his or her three favorite poems for the audience.  People laughed, cried, and thought a little bit deeper about life.  I love the fact that our kids' words can have such power.  Being all caught up in the event, I only took a few pictures.  I wish I had taken more!

Author Circles

Writing is all about taking risks. This definitely comes into play when writers conference with each other to make improvements on their work. You make yourself vulnerable when you solicit feedback - it may not always be easy to hear another writer's perspective. But in Room 241, we've created a culture where feedback is a natural part of the writing process. In the video below, you'll see kids conferencing with each other about their poetry. You'll hear them talk about the things they love about each other's work, but you'll also hear them share suggestions that will make the writing stronger. Our students are extremely serious about their craft, and I couldn't be prouder.

The Fight of Poetry

Richard is a poet. He really came into his own as a writer during this study. You could see his confidence increase as each day he took deeper risks with his writing. I am so proud of him. I loved this poem he wrote on the last day of our study...

The Fight of Poetry

Mr. Brown works so hard
he works and works
We have so many good poems
in my heart
Sometimes people ask me about him
Sometimes he is funning
and sometimes he is not playing
I had a good year
with Mr. Brown
My poems cannot end
We can't stop
I need more time
They are not gone
They are still in my heart
I feel poems with me
When we stop,
poems will still be with me

Pencils

After sharing Madison's poem about her writer's notebook, I couldn't help but publish this one from Kaitlyn...

Pencils

Pencils
always
have a friend
on their back
When it hits paper
the pencil dances to the rhythm
in your head
Their favorite subject
is writing
of course
Pencils aren't perfect
some aren't even neat
But
always
always
know what to do

Madison's Poem

t's 8:15 on a Thursday evening. In preparation for our upcoming poetry celebration, I'm scanning in all the poems that our students will be sharing. It's tedious work, but I enjoy reading over each child's poems as I feed them into the scanner and save them to the computer. I ran across this poem by Madison that I really liked.

My Writing Notebook

I fill you up with
good ideas.
Each on so
different
in
so
so
many ways.
Unique words
fil each line,
as my pencil
glides
across the
paper.
Revise,
Edit,
Publish,
Finish!

It wasn't one she chose to share at our celebration, but I think it's one of my favorites. I love how Madison sees her writer's notebook - it's a place to look at the world and capture her ideas. But it's never really finished, is it? Our writing keeps leading us to new ideas and new thoughts. Madison's inspired me to be more diligent with my own notebook. I hope she has inspired you, too.

Poetry

We've begun a new unit of study during writer's workshop - poetry. We began our study by immersing ourselves in poetry - filling our minds and hearts with powerful words. We then learned about the "Doors of Poetry": the heart door, memory door, observation door, wondering door, and concerns about the world door. We can open these doors to find poetry in our lives (poems are hiding everywhere). We also learned how to create strong images and "crack open" general words. Here are some of the poems our students have written so far...

The Wind Cries This is Not Right
by Wilson

Somewhere a woman is weeping
Somewhere a man has no wife
And the wind whispers
This is not right

Somewhere a rich man is robbing
Somewhere a poor man is giving
And the wind cries
This is not right

Somewhere killing is legal
This place is the war
And the wind screams no, no
This is not right

For the man and the woman should be married
And the rich man should be giving to the poor man
And the war should be stopped
And the wind screams
This is right

Leave a comment below to let Wilson know what you think about his poem!

Pollution by Carson

Stop throwing trash on
the
ground.
Stop killing our Earth.
It's all we have.
Don't be lazy and throw
your trash down.
Put it in the
recycle
bin.
Let's bring this world
together.
Make it
stronger
stronger
stronger.
Let's make our
world
the best we
can.

Leave a comment below to let Carson know what you think about his poem!

Oh, Brother! by Olivia

Oh, Brother
You are such a
pain
You squeak
You peek
You terrorize
my life
But always remember
you're
still my
Brother

Leave a comment to let Olivia know what you think of her poem!

Sun by Jada

it rises
it stays
for a little while
it goes back
it soaks up all the light it can
and share all of its secrets
again and again and again
it spreads light among us
making us who we are
sun

Leave a comment and let Jada know what you think about her poem!

The Dream by Sloan J.

drip, drip, drip
drip, drip, drip
is all I hear
on this quiet night
the covers up to my chin
I feel warm and snug
in my fluffy bed
a peek of light fills the room
clank
the door opens
then I realize it was all
a dream

Leave a comment to let Sloan know what you think of her poem!

Self-Portrait Poem - Caitlin

Last week, we spent a lot of time immersing ourselves in the language of poetry. I asked each student to find a Self-Portrait Poem - one poem that spoke about who they were as a person. I thought Caitlin picked a great poem for herself. Here's the poem:

Waterfall
by Jane Yolen

Waterfall.
Waterfall.
Leaves, sticks, twigs and all.
A rumbling, tumbling cataracting fool, falling over and over and over and over.
Into it's own quiet
Pool.

Here's what Caitlin wrote about the poem:
My poem "Waterfall" connects to me because I love waterfalls. Also, when it says "Waterfall, Waterfall," it makes me calm. Then "rumbling, tumbling, cataracting fool" makes me think of noise and movement. That is the true me. At school I am quiet, but at home I am a crazy person. "Waterfall" paints my portrait.

Isn't that incredible? I love how Caitlin connected this poem to herself. Have you ever found a self-portrait poem? If you haven't, give it a try. It's a fun challenge!

The Doors of Poetry

Poems are hiding everywhere. We just have to know where to find them. As we began our poetry unit, our first lesson was on the Doors of Poetry, the doors we can open to find poetry in our lives. We learned how to open the Memory Door, Heart Door, Wondering Door, Observation Door, and Concerns About the World Door. After this first lesson, our kids were already creating some incredible poems. Below are a few written by our students. Be sure to leave them some comments - they would love to hear your feedback.

I Wonder

Andrea opened up her Wondering Door to find this poem. We've been talking a lot about perspective in class recently - how we can put ourselves in other people's shoes. Andrea uses this idea in her own poem.

I Wonder
by Andrea

I wonder
why.
Why do they live like this?
Alone
Cold
I think
How?
How did this become?
I'm glad I'm not like them
but still
I wish I could fit in their shoes.

Corrections

I was blown away by Alex's poem. He told the class he got the idea from a picture book we studied together, Just a Dream by Chris Van Allsburg. In this book, the main character goes through a major change as he realizes how his actions (littering) affect the world.

Corrections
by Alex

In the light of a
candle,
I can see who I am.
In the light of a
candle,
I can see what I will be.
In the light of a
candle,
I can see what I was.
Make better.

Hip Hop

Nakia was greatly influenced by Eloise Greenfield's "Honey I Love." If you know this poem, you can see how Nakia used the same beautiful rhythm in her own writing.

Hip Hop
by Nakia

I love...
Hip Hop.
It is
Where I belong.
It is in
my soul.
It is
my life and
I will make
the music.
And I sure will tell you...
I can be hip
and I can be hop
but nothing is better
than
Hip Hop.

Enjoying Poetry

To begin our poetry unit, we've been reading lots and lots and lots of poetry. We've tried to get the language of poetry in our minds - we want to think, breathe, listen, and observe like poets. Today we put ourselves in small groups and came up with motions for some of our favorite poems. It was fun to work in small groups, enjoy poetry, and laugh. I thought the kids did an excellent job. We hope you enjoy the videos posted below.

Pick Up Your Room

Click To Play

Pick Up Your Room
by Mary Ann Hoberman

Pick up your room, my mother says
(She says it every day);
My room's too heavy to pick up
(That's what I always say).

Drink up your milk, she says to me,
Don't bubble like a clown;
Of course she knows I'll answer that
I'd rather drink it down.

And when she says at eight o'clock
You must go right to bed,
We both repeat my answer:
Why not go left instead?

Rules

Click To Play

Rules
by Karla Kuskin

Do not jump on ancient uncles.
Do not yell at average mice.
Do not wear a broom to breakfast.
Do not ask a snake's advice.
Do not bathe in chocolate pudding.
Do not talk to bearded bears.
Do not smoke cigars on sofas.
Do not dance on velvet chairs.
Do not take a whale to visit
Russell's mother's cousin's yacht.
And whatever else you do
It is better you
Do not.

The Question

Click To Play

The Question
by Karla Kuskin

People always say to me
"What do you think you'd like to be
When you grow up?"
And I say, "Why,
I think I'd like to be the sky
Or be a plane or train or mouse
Or maybe be a haunted house
Or something furry, rough and wild...
Or maybe I will stay a child."

Kick a Little Stone

Click To Play

Kick a Little Stone
Dorothy Aldis

When you are walking by yourself
Here's something nice to do:
Kick a little stone and watch it
Hop ahead of you.

The little stone is round and white,
Its shadow round and blue.
Along the sidewalk over the cracks
The shadow bounces too.