Poetry Friday is with Tara at A Teaching Life.
Gifted by Nature Day was coming up, and I had forgotten that it was my job to do a poetry activity. Yikes! What would I do? Some middle school students would be doing a play based on The Jungle Book. Their teacher explained in an email to me that the theme would be Be Yourself.
I typed into Google search “Bio-poems.” I didn’t want to use the same ole bio-poem form. Up pops one of my favorite performance poets, Allan Wolf. On his website, he had this mentor I Am poem.
I created a document that outlined each line. As each student completed their art activity, they came over to my poetry table. My first question was “Do you know what alliteration is?” Most of the kids didn’t recall this term, but that’s OK. I taught them very quickly, and they said, “Oh, yeah!”
Writing that first line proved the most difficult. The students I was working with are gifted, and there’s nothing better than watching a gifted kid feel a challenge. Encouragement came from other kids who had found a first line.
Wyatt was happy to share his first line. “I am an All Star Athlete.”
Noah, who loves to hunt, created, “I am a hard-headed hunter.”
A young Laotian girl named Patra sat next to me and said with complete honesty, “I am a little, lovely lark.” I encouraged her to use that metaphor throughout her poem. Her teacher texted me a copy to feature here.
I am a little, lovely lark.
I wonder what it’s like to fly.
I hear people talking.
I see the puffy, fluffy clouds.
I want to fly.I am a little, lovely lark.
I pretend to fly.
I touch feathers.
I worry when I’m late.
I cry when–I don’t cry much.I am a little, lovely lark.
I understand Laotian language.
I say, “Ha! Ha! Ha!” (me laughing)
I dream about flying.
I try to do my best in school.
I hope to grow wings!I am a little, lovely lark.
Patra, 3rd grade
Jacob missed Gifted by Nature Day, so I presented the activity to him back at school. He decided to take his poem in a different direction and become a planet, specifically Mercury. You can read his poem here.
This form worked for multiple elementary grade levels from 2nd graders to 6th graders. If you chose to use this activity in your classroom, I’d love to hear from you.
Reflections on the Teche 