Find more Poetry Friday at Today’s Little Ditty with Michelle H Barnes.
Migrating starlings, over the southern Israeli village of Tidhar, on February 12, 2014. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)
My students were mesmerized this week by the Wonder of the Week, Starling Murmurations. As I often do with these Wonder lessons, I asked them to choose 4 of the Wonder Words. Then we watched the video, looked at The Atlantic site, and selected a picture to write to. The above image was selected by Erin. Erin is a third grader. She has a confidence about her that I wish I had. She sat writing her poem and told me, “I am writing a staircase poem.”
“What is a staircase poem?”
“Look at the lines. They look like the steps on a staircase.”
I think Erin just created her own form.
Ready, set, fly,
One bird takes flight,
another one and another one
until there’s a million in the sky
making an illusion of love as one goes by
washing over me.
Come along and see.
To believe is the key.
The key is to believe.
So graceful and startling,
a routine with meaning. Just
believe and you will see that anything
can be beautiful if you just put love into it.–Erin, 3rd grade
I showed my students my poem movie from Spiritual Thursday. (You can see the post here.) I made the suggestion that they make a poem movie with their starling zenos. Some of my students are loving J. Patrick Lewis’s new form. A zeno is a great form for writing nonfiction poems. Enjoy these poem movies made using Animoto.
Reflections on the Teche 
Margaret, I am mesmerized by the talent of your students. Each week, they grow deeper as engaged wonderers and writers. Your guidance is amazing and I am sure they feel it.
Can you help me out with Animoto. I lost my clip at http://beyondliteracylink.blogspot.com/2014/10/a-single-leaf-finding-fall.html and don’t know how to retrieve it. Am I supposed to be working with the Animoto Education site? Thanks.
Love Erin’s poem and the poem movies. The starling murmurations are indeed beautiful and fascinating — the heart shape one is amazing.
It’s always such a charge to feel the excitement in your classroom! Erin’s poem is profound beyond her years and the zeno movies are incredible! That Emily is something else. Who did the first movie? I love getting a peek into your students’ personalities by the poetry they write.
Kielan did the movie with the heart shapes. I don’t think you have one of hers yet. I will submit them all to you. What is the deadline?
Yes, I have seen Kielan’s work– “Bad luck,” in your zeno emaze presentation. If you want to send me more, though, anytime before the end of the month is fine, Margaret.
Brilliant, Margaret! I can feel the excitement in your classroom half a continent away.
Murmuration is such a more poetic term than “bird blob,” as I used to call them!
These poems are amazing!
Love this line from Erin’s poem:
“anything can be beautiful if you just put love into it”
It is a sentiment we should all embrace. Brava to you and your students. =)
Bridget stole my comment–I especially love the last line of Erin’s poem.
Thanks so much for sharing it, and for teaching me about murmuration!
Wow–You have some talented creative students, Margaret! Love Erin’s staircase poem (maybe she can get J. Patrick Lewis to write one, since so many of your students are writing xenon!)
I like that idea! I’ll talk to her about it. We could email him. I love connecting my students with authors.