Take a Walk in Our Shoes Poetry Challenge Day 30

Day 30, the last day of our challenge is here. I thought it was fitting to end with a picture of my own shoes. I will post later this week how we wrapped up our work and the process we went through. Thank you to all who join and read and commented along the way. 

Worn Shoes

by Eva Jackson and Sebastian Retan

Purple and worn.

Stinky and torn.

Easy on, easy off,

Pink cool shoes for the summer.

Good caring owner.

Well loved shoes

walking everywhere.

Loved Shoes

by Zane Jermyn and Caleb Gurger

My teacher loves them.

She always gave them support.

They are always worn.

My Teacher's Shoes

by Lily Collins

My teacher's shoes

purple, classy sandals.

Sort of worn out,

old, but well loved.

Belong to a good, caring teacher.

Easy on, easy off.

Walking the hallways,

my teacher's shoes.

My teacher's shoes

walking the hallways.

Easy on, easy off.

Belong to a good, caring teacher,

old, but well loved.

Sort of worn out,

purple, classy sandals

my teacher's shoes.

Take a Walk in Our Shoes Poetry Challenge Day 29

Here are some more poems inspired by Marilyn Singer’s work in her book Mirror Mirror A Book of Reverso Poems. 

Beautiful Shoes

by Sebastian Retan

Problems to be solved.

Make friends along the way.

Heart filled moments,

prancing down the yellow brick road.

Capture the evil witch.

Don't feel small.

Don't feel small,

capture the evil witch.

Prancing down the yellow brick road,

heart filled moments.

Make friends along the way.

Problems to be solved.

Sparkling Red

by Caleb Gurger and Billy Talley

I'm sparkling red,

friends to the end.

The yellow brick road,

destiny in Emerald City.

On my way home

fighting the witch,

time never ends.

Time never ends

fighting the witch.

On my way home,

destiny in Emerald City.

The yellow brick road

friends to the end

I'm sparkling red.

by Mrs. Daley

Down the yellow brick road,

off to find my home.

Friends to be made,

Emerald City to save.

Courage  will be found,

intelligence lies within,

heartfelt kindness sets you apart.

Take one step at a time

to defeat the witch.

Remember

there's no place like home.

There's no place like home.

Remember,

to defeat the witch

take one step at a time.

Heartfelt kindness sets you apart,

intelligence lies within.

Courage will be found,

Emerald City to save.

Friends to be made.

Off to find my home

down the yellow brick road.

Take a Walk in Our Shoes Poetry Challenge Day 28

On Friday, we read Mirror Mirror A Book of Reverso Poems by Marylin Singer and my students were in awe. The way she could write a poem and flip the words upside down and create a new poem seemed magical. I shared one I created (see tomorrow's post) and the process I went through to create it through a think-aloud for our mini lesson. Several students challenged themselves to try it out. Their results AMAZED me!

Dazzling Shoes

by Mariela Torres-Steele and Tess Moore

Tiny feet.

Dainty steps.

Dazzling shoes.

Unattractive stepfamily.

An attractive girl

wearing attractive shoes.

Goodbye, wretched rags.

Goodbye, wretched rags,

wearing attractive shoes

an attractive girl,

unattractive stepfamily.

Dazzling shoes.

Dainty steps.

Tiny feet.

Magic

by Caroline Oster

Went to the ball,

dancing with the prince.

Twelve o'clock,

pumpkin coach,

fairy godmother.

mean stepfamily.

One broke

glass slipper.

Glass slipper

one broke.

Mean stepfamily,

fairy godmother,

pumpkin coach,

twelve o'clock,

dancing with the prince,

went to the ball!

Take a Walk in Our Shoes Poetry Challenge Day 27

These shoes sparked our imagination and word choice selection today. It's exciting to see my students' voice emerge as they write their poetry.

Walking on Air

by Mason Michaelsen

Neon green

has never been

this eye-widening

with white and green

when I see my shoes

I feel a strike of pride.

It feels like I'm walking on air

when I'm walking in my shoes. 

Neon Style

by Izzy Sheppard

Neon style, light up so bright

Electric flash

OMG, I love these shoes.

Night so bright that it is day.

So cool, so noticed

Thanks to my shoes

Yes, they shine

Lights like rainbows

Even in 10,000 years, I'll love these shoes.

Take a Walk in Our Shoes Poetry Challenge Day 26

As we draw to close of our poetry challenge I have been reflecting on the growth my students have made. From word choice, like "gracefully gliding," to structure, another acrosticu (acrostic + haiku), my students have felt comfortable to take risks and grow.

The Gliding Skate

by Sebastian Retan

Gracefully gliding on the ice.

Blue like the ice.

Slicing across the rink,

dirty and worn,

think as a piece of wheat.

My skates amaze me.

Ice

by Caroline Oster

I love my old skates.

Cold ice can not hurt my skates.

Extra love with skates. 

Take a Walk in Our Shoes Poetry Challenge Day 25

Today we read a brand new book called Dude by Aaron Reynolds. The story is told in one word. We discussed the power of words. Words that can hold more than one meaning. Words that speak directly to your heart and chose to focus on this for our poems today. Two of my students also played around with structure. One student chose to write their poem as multiple haikus and one partner group chose to smoosh the acrostic form with haiku, which they dubbed acrosticu. We hope you enjoy!

One Wonderful Pair of Shoes

by Mason Michaelsen

Tropical shoes and rainbows,

Coconuts and palm trees,

Turquoise season,

all in one shoe.

Sailing

by Mac Stoyles

Sailing Part 1

Aww, I just woke up!

I went down for coffee, when...

I see the sail shoes.

Sailing Part 2

I leave my caffeine

I dash with excitement to

the dock where I sail.

Sailing Part 3

After a good sail

I have those shoes on my mind,

their rainbow colors.

Happy Slippers

by Tess Moore and Mariela Torres-Steele

Fantastic slippers

Undeniably comfy

Numerous colors

My New Shoes

by Kayleigh Behun

Sun's out

feeling happy

feel the heat

from the sun's rays.

Putting on

my new cozy shoes.

They are bright

like a rainbow

in the sky.

I am awake

and ready to conquer the day.

Take a Walk in Our Shoes Poetry Challenge Day 24

Today's shoes hold special meaning for one of my students. His aunt sent us this picture. This is a picture of her son's shoes. These shoes hold special meaning because her son was in an accident and was paralyzed. A special group of my poets worked together with me as we created a poem that will hopefully speak to your hearts. Our thinking was that there may be a lot of things that these shoes will never get to do, but there is always hope in the human spirit. Hope to live life to your fullest despite the challenges one faces. Today's poem fills me with hope. There are some many amazing people out there that have the ability to change the world, I know these students will do just that. 

The Powerful Shoes of Hope

by Ammon Simpson, Caroline Oster, Mac Stoyles, Mariela Torres-Steele, and Izzy Sheppard

Worn, but not worn

We will never

touch the ground.

We will never

feel the plush carpet.

We will never 

climb a tree.

We will never 

dance the night away.

We will never

run a race,

but we have hope.

We can

travel the world.

We can

go on adventures.

We can

change the world for the better.

We can

be a light in the darkness.

Take a Walk in Our Shoes Poetry Challenge Day 23

Today was a day full of voice in our poems, from "Rumble with pride," "King of the court," and "Rocking the road to glory." These shoes inspired my young writers to stretch their word choice and grow as writers!

The Bright Shoes

by Zane Jermyn and Sebastian Retan

Zooming across the court.

My friends notice my shoes.

My friends think they are bright,

bright like the sun.

My shoes are out of this world.

That is why

these shoes are my favorite. 

The Big Game

by Mac Stoyles

Eek, eek basketball.

Fall down, get back up, be brave.

Conquer the huge court.

Crazy Colored Shoes

by Caroline Oster and Aubree Walton

I have a big game.

I have no good shoes.

I want crazy colors

I want high tops too.

I go to the basement

I find these new shoes.

They were a perfect fit

so I go to the game

and my shoes were a hit.

Out of This World

by Oliver Hawkins and Ammon Simpson

Gliding on the street

On my way to victory

Lots of people staring

Down the street

Minding my own business

Awesomely zooming to victory

Stop me, no way

Try to catch me

Entering the finish line

Rumble with pride

Basketball

By Caleb Gurger and Lily Collins

Ballin all day

Amazing shot

Swish, 3 pointer

King of the court

Easy crossover

Try for one

Bless Steph Curry

Objective - never give up

Laughing in the locker room

Learning it all.

This is basketball.

Starring Shoes 

by Izzy Sheppard and Mariela Torres-Steele

Starring shoes

Toe-to-toe with the trail

Athletic stars on the sides

Rocking the road to glory

Racing the shoes, then you lose

I will win

Noone can stop me

Greatness is mine

Shame on the slowpokes

Heroic wins everytime

Oh, that trophy is mine

End of the road, I win. Finish!

Shoes, you helped me out!

Take a Walk in Our Shoes Poetry Challenge Day 22

For my students, the color of these shoes struck their attention. If you had to describe these shoes in a poem what would you say?

My Gold Shoes

by Sebastian Retan

Gold like the shining sun,

trying to stand out.

Looks like a brick of gold.

Shoes are probably wanted.

Out in town,

showing off my new shoes.

Golden

by Ammon Simpson

Got these fancy shoes for a fancy party.

On the dance floor now.

Let's get my groove on.

Deceive the competition

Enter at will

Never taking them back.

Take a Walk in Our Shoes Poetry Contest Day 21

Today sparked a poetry surprise. One of my students chose to write their poem in a form of a conversation. This began a rich discussion on the different forms of poetry. Love that this challenge is  allowing my students to take risks with their writing.

Teeny Tiny Shoes

by Mariela Torres-Steele

Shoes: Hi down here!

           You might not see me,

           but I'm blue.

           No?

           Then LOOK DOWN ALREADY?

           Oh, ok now you see me.

Jack:   Yes, I see you.

           Are my sister's doll shoes?

Shoes: Yes, Jack.

           Can you not see how small I am?

           Certainly, a 10-year girl would not fit in me.

Jack:    Well, true but...

            I think she grew out of dolls.

Tiny

by Darlene Daley

Tiny feet,

tiny hands,

immersed in play.

Tiny laughs,

tiny giggles.

all through the day.

Tiny movements,

tiny friends,

lots of creative play

with their BIG imaginations.

Take a Walk in Our Shoes Poetry Challenge Day 20

Our inner animal awoke when we saw these shoes. Enjoy some roaring good poems!

The Cheetah Shoes

by Mac Stoyles

Roar! The cheetah woke.

Prowling, growling, hot pink shoes.

Dark as the night black.

Insane Cheetah Sneakers

by Izzy Sheppard

How much I love these,

insane sneakers, cheetah print.

Beautiful design.

Cheetah Shoes

by Aischa Foster

I'm walking down the hall

with my cheetah shoes.

Everybody staring

at my cheetah shoes.

They like the hot pink

on my cheetah shoes.

I feel happy

in my cheetah shoes.

The Cheetah Print

by Natalie Feaster

Going across the road

FAST.

Jumping over all the cars

HIGH.

Faster than a cat.

Cheetah print power.

Take a Walk in Our Shoes Poetry Challenge Day 18

All this snow and cold we've been having is making my students long for spring. We settled for some poems inspired by some spring rain boots today. 

Rain Boots

by Sebastian Retan

Splish, splash

here I come

with my rain boots on.

Polka dotted

like a ladybug.

Pink like cotton candy.

Black spots

like a dark hole.

These boots allow me

to splish, splash

in gigantic puddles.

Rain Boots

by Zane Jermyn

Boots

raining

raindrops

falling from the sky.

Puddles

on the ground,

jump in.

Make a big splash.

Get wet,

lots of fun.

Are you ready

to splash in?

Take a Walk in Our Shoes Poetry Challenge Day 18

Today we focused on a new type of poem - Haikus. Students took what they learned and applied it to this colorful array of shoes. I love watching their creativity at work.

Patterns

by Mason Michaelson

Wanting to be used,

like colorful meadow shoes,

beautiful patterns.

A Rainbow of Shoes

by Braedyn Peck

These colorful shoes

like a colorful rainbow

want to be picked.

Rainbow

by Owen VanFleet and Billy Talley

Colorful magic

green, yellow, blue, red or orange

colorful heaven.

Patterned Shoes

by Tess Moore

Decorative rainbow

two shoes taken out to use.

Colorful slippers.

Beautiful Shoes

by Sebastian Retan

So many of them.

So many beautiful shoes.

It looks so crowded.

Too Many Shoes

by Mariela Torres- Steele and Izzy Sheppard

Rainbow of colors.

Shoes from another country

Hurricane of shoes.

Take a Walk in Our Shoes Poetry Challenge Day 17

Today's photo inspired me to play with repeating lines in a poetry as I wrote a mentor poem for my class. Some students chose to try their hand at repeating lines, others continued their work with descriptive language and comparisons.

Hard Working Boots

by Darlene Daley

Tromp through the yard

to the garden gate.

Sun's waking up

so I am not late.

My hard-working boots and I.

Dig in the dirt.

Pulling out weeds.

Planting new veggies

which my family needs.

My hard-working boots and I.

Off to the barn

where the chickens lay.

Gotta collect eggs

and put down new hay.

My hard-working boots and I.

Truck to the cows

and into the field

to check on the corn

that will be their next meal.

My hard-working boots and I.

To the horse stalls

is the next place I go.

Scooping up manure

nice and slow.

My hard-working boots and I.

Day's finally done.

I head home to rest.

I realize that my boots

are simply the best.

They might be covered

in mud, grime, or dirt;

but there is never a job

that these boots will skirt.

My hard-working boots and I.

Muddy Boots

by Caroline Oster and Aischa Foster

Walking in the muddy grass

in my new black boots

stepping in the watery puddles

on a rainy day.

My muddy boots and me.

Walking in my nice red barn

to get some milk for me.

I squeeze some milk

from my fat cow

and bring back to my house.

My muddy boots and me.

I go back home.

I take them off.

I put them on the porch.

The next day I put them

and do it all again.

My muddy boots and me.

Dark Night Boots

by Sebastian Retan and Billy Talley

My boots are torn,

worn, and old.

I've had them

for ten years.

My boots have good grip

and are as dark as night.

These boots are my favorite.

Animals

by Ryleigh Frarey

Always working

Need these shoes to take care of my animals so they stay healthy.

In the farm, you'll find me,

Making a big mess.

After the long day, I rest.

Lay down on the couch to relax.

Super time - finally, I am starving.