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.