Who knows how to spell onomatopoeia?
This started an impromptu game of hang man. Poetry Friday is a staple of my classroom. This week, Amy Ludwig VanDerwater’s Poems are Teachers helped with my lesson. As I read the model poem by Kate Coombs “Garbage Truck”, the students listened for the onomatopoeia. I think we found 17 onomatopoetic words. (I secretly fell in love with the word onomatopoetic.)
Poetry Friday is usually a fun day, but Ben crumpled when he couldn’t identify the t-sound during hangman. He insisted it was an N. And Elizabeth was crying because she didn’t get a chocolate cupcake at recess. All that was left were vanilla ones. Alice chose to write behind a curtain in a cubby hole in the back of the room. Hiding helps her focus. So even though they all eventually recovered, my classroom is like everyone’s classroom, filled with complicated kids.
Once we got over the Can-you-spell-onomatopoeia hurdle, some poems were written. Joy is found in poetry.
Onomatopoeia
Onomatopoeia you say,
the cars buzzing,
the chirping,
the beeping
the boom,
the flock.
The warning
that I haven’t closed
my fridge,
my alarm in
the
morning.
Avalyn, 3rd grade
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My ClassroomThe singing of Sadie, “La La Laaaa!”
Adelyn, 4th grade
Mrs. Simon sneezing who knows how many times, “Achoo, achoo, achoo, achoo!”
The sounds of kids playing, “Ahh! Haha!”
The sound of a pen, “Ch, ch, ch”
Water and zen, “Slish, slosh”
Doors opening and slamming shut, “Badumph!”
And the sound of new poems being made, “Scribble scribble”
Nothing is more calming than sitting in a cubby and writing all my thoughts and dreams!
Leave a comment here.
Reflections on the Teche 
Please thank Avalyn and Adelyn for these wonderful poems. I agree with Adelyn about the calming effect of writing poetry, in a cubby or anywhere else.
I was amazed how the writing time released rather than increased the stress of Friday.
Joy is certainly found in poems and your students have certainly embraced poetry to share their thoughts and perspectives! Side note: I NEVER EVER wrote a poem before I was inspired by Slicers, like you.
I love the inspiration that comes from writing in this community.
This was wonderful! I loved getting a chance to respond to your young writers! Thank you!
What fun to pop into your classroom, filled with fun and trials and chaos and kids writing! Thanks for sharing your writers with us.
Thanks for leaving a comment for Avalyn. She responded, “No. I do not have sheep. “The flock” was representing a flock of birds. And of course I can help you!”
You took me right into the classroom with all the drama, good & not so good. The title intrigued me & I love the poems by your students. Did you know that one “can spell” onomatopoeia by singing “Old MacDonald”? Thought I’d ask!
You showed the best part of teaching writing…how the students are able to take a piece of knowledge and transform it into magic. Love this!
I really appreciate how you share the complicated parts of teaching and let that settle into the joy of writing. Both poems are lots of fun. Thanks for letting us comment on them!
Thanks for responding to Avalyn’s poem. It made her day.
I love your students’ onomatopoeia poetry! (And I cannot spell that word without looking it up–even after writing it so many times!) It’s funny, I wrote about listening today and I don’t think I included a single onomatopoeia. But I’m adding onomatopoeia poetry to my list of poetic types to write with my students as we head into April!
The method I used to learn it was chunking into 3 letters ( ono-mat-opo-eia). I had a student named Matthew once who loved that part of his name was in it. “Mat”
I love your students poems. They clearly demonstrate their understanding of onomatopoeia.
What an amazing time with those complicated kids and what lovely poems. Onomatopoeia is such a great stepping stone into poetry.