There's a great poem by Eloise Greenfield I shared with my students today:

When I’m by myself
And I close my eyes
I’m a twin
I’m a dimple in a chin
I’m a room full of toys
I’m a squeaky noise
I’m a gospel song
I’m a gong
I’m a leaf turning red
I’m a loaf of brown bread
I’m a whatever I want to be
An anything I care to be
And when I open my eyes
What I care to be
Is me.

Having kids write their own version of this poem is a classic activity lots of elementary teachers use. I am always thrilled with the results by my students. Some of the best couplets my kids came up with today:



I'm a saber-toothed tiger
I'm a sticky-webbed spider
--William, who is far from a saber-toothed tiger, but who hit upon the bright idea of using the dictionary for unusual nouns when he found he was struggling to come up with ideas

I'm a friend holding hands
I'm a one-man band
--Alexus, although I think Taylor really wrote it for her

I'm a silent running deer
I'm a crystal clear tear
--Jada, who I love! I had her older sister Tiffany last time I taught at the school, coincidentally. Wonderful family. And her mom has told all the other parents I'm 'great' so I have a good reputation coming in...nowhere to go but down now!

I'm a sun-hating vampire
I'm an expanding empire
--Anthony, who has quite the vocabulary

I'm a puckery sour pickle
I'm a friendly little tickle
--Taylor, who is The Pretty Popular Girl of the crew

I'm a black chair standing tall
I'm a pouring down waterfall
--Marquette, who is diagnosed with ADD and has been my most 'challenging' student in the class so far, and so I was very pleased to find he's a natural poet! He ended his poem, quite accurately and insightfully: "I'm a dog that can't find his bone/I'm a broken telephone." His classmates commented sensitively that it summed him up well, since he has trouble communicating sometimes, and is often found digging around for his stuff.

Next week we will combine final drafts with a handwriting exercise, and post the finished versions out on our Show Off board.