Pasteur Autobiographies

For Black History Month, I'm using all African-American poets. I started with Rita Dove's poem, "Fifth Grade Autobiography". This is always one of my favorite poems to use with HOS. We read the poem, which describes a photograph, and attempted to re-create the photograph on the board based on Dove's description. I asked the students to close their eyes and picture a photograph within their own homes. They wrote poems based on those photographs.

Ms. McDermott's 5th Grade Class

5th Grade Autobiography
Justin M.

I was five when there was a wedding.
My aunt's wedding.
She had a sparkly dress like a reflection
of the sun on a lake.
My uncle is dark from the suit and
the moon on his chest.
When we took the picture, my mom, dad,
brother, sister, uncle, aunt and me they all
smelled like stink bombs.

5th Grade Autobiography
Guadalupe K.

I am two in this photograph.
Mom, dad son and me are on the square picture.
My mom sits on the corner of the square.
Wind coming through like if we are outside.
I am now eleven years old.

5th Grade Autobiography
Amanda T.

I am trying to smile nicely.
I am tired in the picture because I woke up
5 seconds before it was taken.
I am cold in my dress.
I am very awake when the
flash hits my eyes.

Mr. Herbeck's 5th Grade Class

5th Grade Autobiography
Carlos A.

I am 10 in this photo
I was with the champion of solo boxing
He had won by a physical knockout
His mohawk looked cool
They called him the Aztec kid

5th Grade Autobiography
Weronika G.

I am 9 years old.
My mom, picking in the bushes.
The sun shining so hot.
The shades in the trees.

My dad making BBQ.
Starting up the fire
So hot, so thirsty.

My grandpa playing with me.
Picking apples.
Roasting them.
It smells so good everywhere.

Mrs. Weiland's 4th Grade Class

4th Grade Autobiography
Jasmine J.

I was a baby with my grandmother by the river.
She was wearing a fluffy red sweater.
It was sunny and foggy.
It was my mom's birthday
and it was the last time I saw my mom for 5 years.
After that day, my grandma died.
I still remember her soft and warm hands.
I still remember her voice.

4th Grade Autobiography
MichelleO.

I was a few weeks old when my grandparent's visited from Mexico.
Me and my grandparents were on the couch.
My grandpa was holding me.
My grandma had a red shirt and beige pants.
My grandpa had a white shirt and gray pants.
The sun was very bright and yellow.
Two months later, my grandpa died.
My grandma is still alive.

4th Grade Autobiography
Giovanni

I was 9 in the photograph.
I was in Marquette park when my soccer team
won the championship.
I was so tired I was dying.
My mom ran to get the drinks.
In the background, was the goal.
In the front was a huge cup.
When the picture was taken, it was muddy and got stuck.

Ms. Kane's 7th Grade Class

7th Grade Autobiography
Phillip D.

I remember I was 12 years old with my uncle at Universal Studios.
I was in the roller coaster swirling and twirling in the air.
I was in the front seat of the roller coaster sitting next to my uncle.
I could see myself gripping on the handebar fiercly.
I remember the wind blowing across my face
and having the roller coaster zoom on and on.
Those were the longest 15 seconds of my life.

7th Grade Autobiography
Gloria A.

I was 12 years old.
I was in the background holding my camera.
My mom and her brother are sitting
side by side in a folding chair.
He was smiling his smile.
She was crying like she always did when he came.
Not sad tears, but tears filled with joy.
That night a dark cloud covered the sky.
That night god decided he needed another angel.

7th Grade Autobiography
Ana L.

It was my birthday
the day I turned 8 years old
My cousin is sitting down look at me
with menacing eyes
My brother has just jumped in front of me
I had a cake on my face
My cousin was happy
My dad took the picture with smiling eyes
He won't be happy anymore
He broke his leg the next day

Fruity Poems

At Pasteur, we have been focusing on metaphor and simile. To continue this lesson, I decided to have the students write poems about different types of produce. Instead of taking in a poem as inspiration, I took in three different foods: a wirey bunch of radishes, two artichokes and a (very popular) kiwano melon. The students worked to create poems that served to describe the fruit/vegetables through metaphor and simile rather than straightforward description. See what followed:

My favorite poem of the day was written as a collaboration by Ms. Servin's 4th Grade Class:
Apple

A heart beating in your chest
red as the sun, sweet as honey
round like the world
a juicy tomato
a fuzzy tennis ball
a stoplight in the dark
shiny as a still lake
It is as a god in my mouth

Ms. Kane's 7th Grade Class

Kiwano Melon
(name missing)

A spikey cactus
bright as the morning sun
soft as a pillow
spikey as a porcupine
shining like the red star
It is orange like Jupiter
Round as a basketball
Like an inferno exploding
It is strong enough to defeat
the burning sun.

Artichoke
Lizet S.

Two maraccas
The top of a pineapple
A flower about to bloom
Like layers of a dress
A piece of thick grass
A big pinecone
Scales of a dragon
Like the outside of a green banana
It is like leaves put together in a bouquet

Artichoke
Elvia A.

Green like the summer's day grass
A pair of marracas waiting to be played
Its petals are broken in half like a person's heart
An unopened flower waiting to bloom
Its dragon scales so hard and spikey

Kiwano Melon
Robert Q.

as bright as a lightbulb
sharp as a thorn
as uncommon as world peace
not as common as the apple
when you see it, it glows
like an odd-shaped baseball
the light of your day
it is a cactus
the sun on its brightest day

Ms. Servin's 4th Grade Class

Kiwano Melon
Diego S.

it is spikey like a needle
it is yellow like the sun
from the end, it is spiked like a cactus
it is smooth like a blanket
it is hard on the outside then inside
when i bite it i break my teeth
it is like a fish in the sea
it is shaped like an oval

Radishes
Lizbeth G.

It is red like the sun
At the end it has a tail
It is like a heart in my chest
Beautiful as my hair
It is like a rabbit tail
Dark as a forest
And it floats in water

Mrs. Weiland's 4th Grade Class

Kiwano Melon
Monica C.

It is like a two-colored fruit
when you look so close
Like an oval, like a football
As spikey as a round ball
Like an orange ball
As scary as fruit
It looks like an animal walking
as a bald head floating in the sky

Radishes
Ammalisa S.

A bird's nest with little baby birds
Small little red tomatos
A big fluffy salad
A weird hat
An ugle hairdo
It is like a cool art project

Kiwano Melon
Julian G.

I am as spikey as fangs on a map
I am the blazing hot color of the sun's heat
When you feel me, you think of feeling a porcupine
I'm as round as a big eyeball
I smell like a gallon of sugar

Ms. Bujak's 5th Grade Class

Kiwano Melon
Bright by the sun
The looks of a puffer rish
Sharp can hurt
Taste of poison
The look of death
Touch and you die

Kiwano Melon
Diana B.

Spikey like a cactus
A hot firey sun
Needles pricking at my fingers
Spotty like a cheetah
Looks like a piggy ank
Millions of eyes staring at my
A spear ready for battle
When I look at it, my mind wonders in confusion.

Ms. McDermott's 5th Grade Class

Kiwano Melon
Jesus A.

Looking like Mars
Squishy as a pillow
Sharp as a knife
Sparkling sun
Orange as a carrot
Yellow as a lime
Spikey as needles
Looks like bird's fingers are coming out

Artichoke
Quetzali

The peddles of a flower growing
It is as a green melon
It looks like lettuce around a ball
Tasted like a sticky lollipop

Kiwano Melon
Georgia M.

Spike porcupine
and a spikey
cactus. A yellow ball.
An orange face.
A ball with acne.
Eye of a tiger.
Shiny as the sea
on an April morning

Mr. Herbeck's 5th Grade Class
Trent B.

Thousand shar knives
the hot burning sun
An orange crayon
Thousands of sharp nails
Piece of construction paper

Artichoke
Luis R.

The liberty torch
a grenade
a small, green bat
Colorful astroid
Golden sword
Silver dragon's eyes
White sparrow
first snowflake

Artichoke
Carlos A.

New tree
1765 Grenade
Nice trophy
Deadly weapon
A firey torch
A sharp mase
A fierce knife

Kiwano Melon
David S.

Bright sun
rocky mountains
the statue of liberty's hat
bush with thorns
fire coming out of a rocket
light bulb
silver screws
tip of a hammer
branch from a tree
the roof of a castle
spikes from cleats
the M on McDonalds
a solid brick of cheese

Mrs. Villa's 6th Grade Class

Radishes
Luis M.

Radishes are a sweet as blue jolly ranchers
Radishes are as bright as a calculator
Leaves remind me of curly hair
Radishes have legs attached
They're as red as rudolph's nose
They're as soft as a puffy white cloud