About Hands on Stanzas

Hands on Stanzas, the educational outreach program of the Poetry Center of Chicago places professional, teaching Poets in residence at Chicago Public Schools across the city. Poets teach the reading, discussion, and writing of poetry to 3 classes over the course of 20 classroom visits, typically from October through April. Students improve their reading, writing, and public speaking skills, and participating teachers report improved motivation and academic confidence. You can contact Cassie Sparkman, Director of the Hands on Stanzas program, by phone: 312.629.1665 or by email: csparkman(at)poetrycenter.org for more information.

At Burroughs Elementary School, Margaret Chapman works with Ms Rodriguez's third grade classroom, room 105 and with Mr Gonzalez and Ms Griffin's fourth grade classrooms, rooms 306 and 002.

Saturday, March 29, 2008

Odes to Good Things

We read parts of Pablo Neruda's "Ode to the Watermelon" and then wrote poems about some of the things we love.

3rd Grade Room 105

Juan A.
Ode to red apple.

Red apple you are the
best apple ever.
So juicy best fruit
I will eat you everyday and
My favorite color is red
You are o good but you do have
too many worms inside yourself
Like if you were made out
of worms.
But still you are still
so good. I will et you with
worms inside of you. Even the
worms are good.

Perla L.
Ode to Mango

You are
so juicy and
sweet
I would
die if you
were
never invented
you are
so chewy
salty
and slippery
and
slimy chewy
and
good.

Jocelyn G.
Ode to apple

You are so nutritious
and you are so juicy
I will never
live without
you in my
life. I can
cut you
up and
eat you.
You are so good and
I love you so
much,. You apple
are so good that
I can eat a
apple all day
long. So you can
give me some
energy in my
body. You wake
me up and
get me to
go to school
early in
the morning.
I'm always
happy to go
to school


4th Grade Room 306

Omar M.
Ode to the Hamburger

This burger is like
my 5 top food you
are so delicious I could
only eat 2 and I
could eat you when
I like too. When
I go to Burger King
I eat some of your
little friends and
you can't stop ,e
because you are only
a hamburger and you
can't move because
you're just a
hamburger.


Martin B.
Ode to the lime

It sucks up evil's face by its sourness
Its enemy is a juices that takes
Out its sour drops.

You are covered by green aliens that your
real color isn't green. It divides to as
much as it wants to. It has a brother
just like it. But he makes good
drinks.

The both yellow and green aliens
are at war. Some people use you to
make sours, others to trick and others
to put on
fruits.

People sometime deceive
you. People sometimes enjoy
you very much. Some people
ask you is you want
your fruits with a little
of lime.

So we should all praise
the lime.

Christian M.
Ode to Whopper

Oh Whopper I know they call you
because they whoop yyou oh whopper you
were made in burger
king everyone loves
you because you
taste good oh whopper
your best frind is French fries
I know your favorite
drink is coke coca cola
and put that lime in it
and know what is you
favorite food if you because
you're good and your son
is whopper Jr.

Jurgei P.
Ode to Ice Cream

You are
cold to
eat on
a hot day.
I love
you more that
baseball, You're
chocolate and vanilla
You are cold
and good,
I love
you more
than my
life. You're
better
than
video games
if I had to
choose my like
of you I would
choose you.
You are the most super
delicious thing
in the
whole wide
world. if
I had
to die
I would
have told
them to
burry me
with you
or burn me
with you. I
would have
chose to
live with
you. You
would be
my best
friend
would never
betray you.
You are
the best
in
the
whole
wide world.
How can
anyone resist
you. You are
of ice
you are
the best
in the
whole world

4th Grade room 002

The Happy Life: Ode to the Muneca

Muneca you make
me feel like I
am not alone.
When you smile
you make me
feel happy.
When you play
with your ball
you look so cute.
when you are
sad your face is
so cute. In your eye
I see a twinkle. When you
are at the window you
look like Dumbo. Your brown
and white spots remind
me of chocolate and vanilla Ice
cream. You are so cute.


Leanne C.
Ode to Pizza

I love you pizza
because you are so, so
goos when I eat you
and that melty cheese
and your delicious
pepperoni. And when
people eat you they will
still eat you up
until there is none
more of you.

Yesenia M.
Ode to the Meat

you are
the best
in the
whole
wide
world
and in
the galaxy
you're so juicy
inside
I can
stuff
you
in
my
own
face
you're
like
a
king
to me.

Everyday Monsters

We read "The Fork" by Charles Simic, then students looked to objects in the room and found their monstrous side.

3rd Grade Room 105

Andrew S.
Water Bottle Monster

The top could
be the head
The paper around
it could be his
clothes. And
Inside it
has 13
mouths and
inside it's
drinking water
and the bottom
it it's feet
The top it's head
when I take off
the cap I'm opening
his head inside it's
head is blood.

Tyler G.
T.V.

When you
turn the

lights off
the tv

turns on
and transforms

into a
minibot

and acts
bad because
it's a decepticon

when you
come back

he transforms
again

Andrea J.
The Multiplication Table Monstery

The multiplication table with all
it's colors it is a clown not
just a clown a scary clown
that laughs if you make a mistake
it's colors are so bright it hurts
your eyes.

Alejandro H.
Monster flag

It has 50 eyes
The re stripes is blood
The white stripes it the eye brows
Two white stripes is the arms
The stick is the feet.
One red stripe is the mouth with white feet.

4th grade room 306

Omero N.
Sharpener

This thing crept
put of oil.
It eats with its stomach
right in the belly button.

Put a pencil in it and
it will make it shorter.
It must be magic.
Nobody knows how a
weird thing got out
of oil.


Mayra T.
The Clock

The clock is from another world.
If you grab it
it looks like a necklace.
Inside there is a duck
not a bird.
Making a big mess.
It is 5:00pm.
The duck comes out.
Says it is 12:00pm.
The duck has no eyes.
The clock is a time killer.

Jesus L.
Printer

Its paper
has
fire. It puts
your tail in
fire. Its face
just scares you/
It beats the radio
and the radio says
OOOOOOOWW

4th Grade Room 002

Tanisha J.
The scariest non-living thing I've never seen: Focus

The O looks like a face with
no hair.
The C looks like a something getting
ready to eat.
The f looks like Ferb from Disney
channel
The U looks like a glacier rolled
down it
The S looks like a snake ready
to attack.

Mikey A.
Computer

This odd thing has
come from the desk
and it has a huge
eye that is black


It is coming for you
mouth that spits out lava
and burns you up
it will hunt you down
and take everything
away and it will
trap you in cyber world
forever.

Diana B.
Door

This must have com out of a cave
This monster has one eye
One long nose with no hair
A lot of lips

As you run
the monster makes
a loud noise
that you never
heard before.