Third Grade Odes from Northfield E.S.

Tomorrow is the poetry celebration at Northfield Elementary School. The student poets are welcoming family and friends for a reading and poetry tour of the five third grade classrooms.I've been doing an elementary school workshop on odes for many years. This time around, I swapped out my usual model poem and got these poets writing odes to a favorite place. The mentor for this workshop is “Harlem Is the Capital of My World,” from Tony Medina’s wonderful picture book/verse biography of Langston Hughes, LOVE TO LANGSTON. You can find the poem and links related to this lesson at my last post.The first two poems I'm sharing today use the mentor text as a scaffold, keeping some of the rhythm and structure, but focusing on a topic of the poets' choosing.Poet: Amelia My RoomMy room is the center of my heart.When I get home I hearthe hummingbirds outside my windowflying as fast as a cheetah runs.And I touch my stuffed animalsthen I remember how dreadfulI would be without them,and I smell their lavender scent.And smells like the forest,right outside my house.When I lay on my bed, I see my desk.Without it, I would not get my homework doneand I would get suspended from schooland I would live alone on the street.And when I get home from school,I get out my hidden gummi bears.Without them, I would starve to death.The King of Beds.The Duke of Stuffytown.The Empress of Color.My room is the center of my heart.***Poet: JoyceMy Favorite Place to Visit Is ItalyWonderful scents wafting through the air.Pizza and pasta smells delicious!Busy city streets, cars’ horns honking.Refreshing gelato on a warm sunny day,chocolate, mint, and pistachio.Gelato bursting with flavors.Amazing ancient places, the Coliseumand the statues of Michelangelo.I feel the smooth marbleof the Bridge of Sighs. So shiny and nice.***In the next two poems, you'll see some of the techniques we practiced with these odes: imagery of the five senses, using similes to create the feeling of celebration and praise typical of this poetic form, and some great hyperbole!Poet: AdvaithOde to a TreeOh, Tree, you give me shade,you give me shelter, food,a place to live.You are a hero to fellow animalsand soon to become a book of fameto us fellow humans.Oh, Tree, you can trulybe anything, but in an origami form.Whoosh! One of your leavesflies away and becomes the first mealof a newborn caterpillar.***Poet: RyanOde to the KitchenThe kitchen is my mouth’s heaven.I taste an apple as sour and sweetas a jumbo lollipop.I hear chewing as loud as a lion’s roar.I see a pan as big as an elephant.I smell a lot of yummy things.My kitchen smellslike a cotton candy dimension.When I touch the glorious food in my kitchen,my starving stomach feels relievedthat I’m about to take a biteof my food (from the kitchen).***Poet: DaynaThe Creek Is the Vacation in My DreamsThe creek is the vacation in my dreams,calm and fresh and sweetlike me.The creek has soul.It's where friends exploreand everybody's friendly to the community.Where we be chillin' and playin'with algae gripping our legsand rocks as big as boulders block our path.The King of all Rivers.The Duke of Fun.The Empress of Adventures.The creek is a batch of fun timesall packed together and protectedby friendship and pride.The creek is where I relax,where I splash and run.My kind communityfrom the creek to Izzy's house.With swings and bridges,spilling over with natureand little fish.Why, I fell in love with the creekbefore I even got there.Yeah, the creek is where I be--where I could be me.The creek is the vacation in my dreams.***Poet: WendyNYC Is the Vacation of My LifeNYC is the vacation of my lifecool and crowded and loudlike meNYC has soul.Where we be eating and meetingwith noisy streets stretched outunder our feet and streets braodand spread like a red carpet for royalty.NYC is a bowl of peopleall packed together and protectedby New York citizens.NYC is where I visit and stridemy best vacationfrom the Statue of Liberty tothe Empire State Building withcars and peoplespilling over with pollutionand trash.Why I fell in love with NYCbefore I ever got here!Yeah, NYC is where I be --where I could be excited.NYC is the vacation of my life.***Poet: SohamMt. Olympus Is the Capital of Greek MythologyMt. Olympus is the capital of Greek mythologysmell the smoke of fire, hotter than the sun.In Mt. Olympus, the clanging of swords sound likedrums booming.There it tastes like blood as tangy as lemons.I can always feel Zeus'everlasting thunderbolt.***Posts in the “Poems from the Northfield Third Grade” 2018 series:Poetry Friday List Poem LessonA Garden of Words: 3rd Grade List PoemsThe Pool Is the Capital of My Summer: Odes to PlaceThird Grade Odes from Northfield E.S.Fractured Fairy Tale PoemsPoetry Friday: Once Upon a TimeA Gallery of Poems