About Hands on Stanzas

Hands on Stanzas, the educational outreach program of the Poetry Center of Chicago places professional, teaching Poets in residence at Chicago Public Schools across the city. Poets teach the reading, discussion, and writing of poetry to 3 classes over the course of 20 classroom visits, typically from October through April. Students improve their reading, writing, and public speaking skills, and participating teachers report improved motivation and academic confidence. You can contact Cassie Sparkman, Director of the Hands on Stanzas program, by phone: 312.629.1665 or by email: csparkman(at)poetrycenter.org for more information.

Thursday, December 6, 2007

Writing a poem within a poem?

This week we talked about something called
Perspective.
We learned that in poems you can take a big topic like one of the seven continents and break it down to a smaller topic such as if it is day or night or even if you're busy running from animals in a jungle!

We read the poem, Two Poems and a Half by Frank O'Hara. What was exciting about this poem, is that the entire poem is created using only three main words!!


His words were: Europe, Night and Venice.

What made this poem fun was that we looked at maps of the world to get some ideas about where we could be in our own poems! Come and see where we went!

Mongolia
Vincent W.

Asia
I think I need more boats and more people to

Day
We floated down but hikers are faster as they walk

Jungle
I hear the water splash on me but feel it more

Untitled
Lizbeth C.

Antarctica
I think we need big hats, boots and gloves.

Day
I am swimming in the cold water but a penguin
doesn’t let me swim.

Igloo
I am touching the igloo and it freezes my hand
and it turns blue like ice.

Untitled
Alliyah L.

Asia
Where do you get the chopsticks?

Night
This is a really nice place for
stargazing

China
Can I see the Great Wall?

Untitled
Odysseus M.

North America
50 states all around

Day
Amazing animals all day long

Amarillo
Small town with no pigeons anywhere

Asia
Matthew K.

Asia
I think I need to were shorts.

Day

I jump down the waterfall in a splash.

Piranha
The Piranhas really hurt.

Untitled
Allen L.

Antarctica
I think we need more hot chocolate.

Day
I am going to swim in the freezing water.

Ice
My body is cold as metal.

Untitled
Kiana S.

Puppy
“I think we need to drink” because of the hot warm sun

Morning
Ever more warm. “puppy your thirsty”

Sleep
“Come pup” sleep little puppy

Untitled
Jennifer J.

Africa
I am going to see the elephants
in the morning

Day
The elephants were taking
baths really cool with there
trunks.

Place
Gabon is so hot that I need
shorts and a lot of water too.
And the cheetahs were running
for there food.

Untitled
Devin T.

Europe
Day
France
I am in France it is day in France
I am visiting the Paris Eifel tower and I am

having tea with the Queen

Untitled
Adrian F.

United States
The place of the red, white and
Blue

Morning
Eat my pancakes and eggs and the
cooled orange juice

Venice
Know I am going to Chicago to
rest.

Untitled
Connie P.

West Newbury Massachusetts
I think John Cena will fight the Great Kalie.

Midnight
I will hear lot of sounds and effects.

Morning
I will go back to my hometown
Washington D.C. to meet Batista.

Untitled
Mark K.

Australia
Is very hot
and makes
me sweat

Night

I can’t see
in the narrow
alley dark and
cold that’s all
I feel and
see.

Egypt
Now I’m
in Cairo
a city in
Egypt.

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