Friday, February 29, 2008

Homework

  • Spelling charts
  • Social Studies projects

Mazal Tov to Rachel on her Bat Mitzvah!

Have a great weekend.

Poem Response


By Benny Freedman

 

I found that the medium-fast cadence really highlighted the mental pictures, the one that really stood out to me was “make me feel childish and ashamed of my green flowered suit” because it explained a lot about self-consciousness and embarrassment. I can relate to that because I know how its like to be judged on what you were, and I know it doesn’t feel good.

  What I noticed in the poem is that there was a pattern in the numbers of lines in each stanza, the pattern went 6, 9, 8, 9, 6, 2, and 1. Up until the last 6 there was a pattern, but it wasn’t the pattern that caught my attention, it was why the pattern was there. In my opinion the higher the number of lines the harsher and more detailed it got for example the last 6 lined stanza said “But you must remember, after our separation, the only words you said to me the whole year were I like your shirt.”   Compared to the first nine-lined stanza, which said, “Now, when you see me, you won’t even glance my way. You and your friends with your tiny, stylish bikinis make me feel ashamed of my green flowered sit. I stay under water so you wont laugh at me.” I think that the nine-lined stanza was much more layered, powerful and deep.

  I think that Herz wrote this poem in such a way that I can almost picture the characters in real life. I also think that the way she specified some things gave us an idea of how strong the connection was and how hard the break up is on the speaker, which really made it easier to understand the poem. A key sensory image in the poem which shows the creativity in Herz’ work was “a long and painful surgery” which added to the strong friendship because if she said “a surgery” it wouldn’t show how great friends they were, and would make it seem like the separation wasn’t as hard for them.

  In my opinion there must have been something else than popularity that split up the three “triplets” because if they had such a strong relationship than I don’t think that popularity can split them up, but for some reason Herz didn’t want to say what.

  I think that this poem is extremely accurate (to a real friendship split ups) but a bit exaggerated, and the way the story was told with such accuracy I thought that Herz probably has experienced this before or just had a really good idea of what it would be like.

A FANTASTIC DAY HI GUYS PLEASE COMMENT ON MY POEM

Being with my friends!
Fabulous sun!
Freezing cold!
Wet right through!
Having fun and falling down!
Laughing so hard!
Screaming!
Speeding downhill!
Crashing at the bottom!
Drinking hot chocolate!
Relaxing bus ride back!
Oh yah......skiing!
Cypress Mountain.

Thursday, February 28, 2008

100 People

Hey all,

I just wanted to say that I really liked that movie about 100 people, and I think it would be good, now that I know how truly lucky I am, to do a fund raiser of some sort for people and kids who have little to eat in Africa, and other places. Mr. G, if it's O.K. with you please comment. Also anybody who wants to help also comment.

Thanks,

Bram

Who We Are Poem

Basketball MVP
Ya that's me
In my sport
I'm on the court

By: Arieh Leon Dales

HOMEWORK

HEY GUYS DO WE HAVE ANY HOMEWORK FOR TOMORROW. IF U KNOW PLEASE REPLY THANKS

cypress mountain

What an awesome day!
a day of no school
a day with my friends
fabulous sun
a day of having fun and falling down
Freezing cold
Wet right through.

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Response from Benny


Hi every one I just wanted to point out that the stanzas had a pattern of numbers of lines. the pattern went: 6, 9, 8, 9, 6 and then 2 and 1 but i thought that up to the last six was a pattern

Response From Marc L.

I could picture the whole scene of two best friends being torn apart by materal things like bathing suits.

A typical story in todays world.

You don't have this shirt, you are not cool. You do have this shirt, welcome aboard the cool kids boat!

This really came through in this poem, a typical bullying situation. Today was a perfect time for an extra reminder that bullying is not good! Anti- Bullying Day!

Good timing, and a good poem!

Marc L.

Response from Adina

I found this poem extremely powerful. Through out the whole poem I could feel the girl's pain of being left by her closest friend. I had this very strong sense of pain in the second stanza. I can feel the girl's upset when she sees what her friend has turned into and how opposite she is from the girl she remember. The second line in the second stanza says it so strongly that her friend has turned into such a horrible person. It says that she won't even glance her way. She feels so humiliated by her old friend she hinds from her. That is a really horrible feeling and she says it so well that I can feel it deep inside.


Adina

practically triplets

I can real relate to practically triplets because I lost a friend last year. He didn't want to spend time with me. I liked different thing than he did and we parted ways. I will always remember the good times I had with him and I will never lose those memorise of him and me playing, laughing and having fun.

Practically Triplets (by Micah)

I thought that “Practically triplets” was a stirring poem about how when you grow up you sometimes grow apart and how she felt by that. I feel that she felt hurt by her “friends” for abandoning her; she even hides herself under the water so they don’t laugh at her. I can tell that they’ve been separated by body image not a disagreement like (to quote mark) “I like the tomato sandwiches, but you like cheese.”

I can personally connect to this poem because I drifted away from my ‘bestest one and only super duper fwend’ and adopted a few new ones. Luckily for me (and hopefully for Hallie Hertz) I have made lots of new ones and am friends again with the one I drifted away from

Micah B. February 27th 2008

Practically triplets (by micah)

I thought that “Practically triplets” was a stirring poem about how when you grow up you sometimes grow apart and how she felt by that. I feel that she felt hurt by her “friends” for abandoning her; she even hides herself under the water so they don’t laugh at her. I can tell that they’ve been separated by body image not a disagreement like (to quote mark) “I like the tomato sandwiches, but you like cheese.”

I can personally connect to this poem because I drifted away from my ‘bestest one and only super duper fwend’ and adopted a few new ones. Luckily for me (and hopefully for Hallie Hertz) I have made lots of new ones and am friends again with the one I drifted away from

Micah B. February 27th 2008

Practicaly triplets

Sorry Im posting it a bit late and i didnt look at other peoples analyzer but a few things might be repeated...

Metaphors

  1. Long and painful surgery
Sensory images
  1. Tiny stylish bikinis
  2. green flowered suit
  3. shoe flinging game
  4. passing recess monitor
  5. drew portraits
  6. starry backgrounds, sunny, rainy
  7. mismatched and lopsided
  8. I like your shirt
Alliteration
  1. we were
  2. that the
  3. you and your
  4. and ashamed
  5. make me
  6. when we
  7. looked nothing like
  1. At the very end of stanza 3, for a second I wondered why Hallie Herz put 'I do' on a seperate line because I would've probably put it on the same one. But now I realized that she put it on a line to emphasize that SHE does but maybe the receiver doesnt.
  2. I liked how instead of using the negative of what the receiver did to Hallie, she just did all the positive... and then threw in a little thing at the end of stanza 5.
  3. I liked how she ended i off kind of like how she started it with 'Don't you remember?'
Hope this helps.

Nini

Poetic Devices and More

When I first read this poem I thought it was about Siamese twins, but then I realized it was about 2 friends breaking apart and going in different directions. It took me 3-4 readings until I fully realized what the poem meant. Some metaphors I found were: -"Practically Triplets," because they were so close, that they were like triplets, however not actually triplets (title and various other places). -"A long and painful surgery," because it's so hard to go different ways than a friend that you know very well, and you probably will not get over it for a very long time (line 6). There was no similes. Some sensory images were: -"Your tiny, stylish bikinis," (lines 9/10) -"Green flowered suit," (lines 12/13) -"Shoe-flinging game on the swings," (lines 17/18) -"Crayon faces, mismatched and lopsided," (lines 30/31). Awesome alliteration was: -"Looked nothing like," (line 32) -"We were," (lines 2 and 39) -"When we," (line 19). The poem was free verse, had 7 stanzas, and 41 lines. Most of the stanzas had 6 lines, however some had 1-2. The lines structure was mid-sized, however did vary.

-Bram S.

oops i meant triplets


oops i meant triplets


Practically Twins

Alliteration

- line 11 "make me"
- line 39 "we were"
- line 19 "when we"
- line 4 "that the"

Sensory Images
stanza 2 line 6 and 7 "ashamed of my green flowered suit"
stanza 4 line 7 and 8 "our crayon faces, mismatched and lopsided"

Who We Are...

Who We Are…

An actor to be,
a baseball fan indeed.
Rocking on my drums,
a rock star here I come.

A dancer that twirls,
that has a lot of curls.
Who thinks dolphins are cute,
And likes to eat fruit.


A cheergirl that's me,
with lots more to be.
I have a passion for art,
because I do it from my heart.


In my blood the arts are
I'm a star with my guitar
A sports player with a lot to say
In the water with a ball I swim away

soccer's my thing,
when im not cheerleading.
With brown straight hair,
I'll take any dare.


Football is mine
touchdown number 99
airplanes rock
especially in a blackhawk



my favourite ice cream is vanilla
my hair looks like a gorilla's
I dance, make cards and joke
but I don't like drinking coke

I have a little sister
who drives around the twister
when she is good she is very very good
but when she is bad she is horrid

painting my toe nails
with lots of details
laughing all day with friends
as the time never ends


Blonde hair
is fair
Blue eyed
much pride

As long as I get a hat trick
I can do a bicycle kick
Hundred meter breaststroke is fun
Getting a touchdown to each one.

My life is sports, movies and fun
Family and friends are number one
Running around there is no time to think
If you looking for me I'm at the rink

The video game screams
as I shoot my beams
at the oger's head
until the game is dead

Music through my ear
What else can I hear
With the bark
Of Linkin Park

I play football on a Sunday morning in September
I practice Star Wars on trombone increasingly louder
I get an A in social studies
I go play a lot with my buddies

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Poem Analyzer

there are 7 stanzas and 41 lines,
some sensory images are "drew portraits of each other" wich allowed me to see pictuers of people. A metaphor is "we were practilly triplets"
some alliteration is "when we" "we were"

Practically Triplets

The poem Practically Triplets reminded me of when I was little with my brother and sister. I remember that I always used to do everything with them and copy whatever they did. If they were doing something crazy I would always do the same. Now I'm not with them as much and if they do something, I don't try and copy it anymore, I go my own separate way. It's like in the poem because now that the friends are older, they went different ways.

Poetic Devices I found:

Metaphors:
- "The only way to separate us would be a long and painful surgery." This means that they were such good friends that they thought that nothing could get in between them.
-"Practically triplets."

Sensory Images:
- "Your tiny, stylish bikinis."
- "Green flowered suit."
- "Starry background."
- "Crayon faces."


Danny G.

Sam's Thoughts on Practically Triplets

Sensory images:


1, “a long and painful surgery” (line 6) - I could feel how painful the separation would be 


2, “Now, when you see me, you won’t even glance my way.” (lines 7-8) - I can see a girl purposely ignoring another girl, and I can imagine the other girl’s sadness.


3, “Tiny, stylish bikinis” (line 10) - I can see a group of fashion obsessed cocky girls.


“The shoe flinging game” (line 17) - I can almost hear the three girls laughing and giggling.


“Our crayon faces, mismatched and lopsided, looked nothing like our real ones.” (lines 30 - 32) - I can almost smell the crayon and see the the lopsided faces.


Line structure:


A lot of short, power lines like: 


“We were practically triplets,

 so close.” (lines 2 - 3 and 39 - 40)


and


“I stay underwater

so you won’t laugh at me.” (lines 14 - 15)


Stanzas:


Every stanza is close in size, expect for the last two.  They seem to be fading off like the girls’ relationship did.


Each stanza deals with a different time.


-Sam

poem analyzer

Metaphores:
-"the only way to seperate us was a long painfull surgery"
-"practicly triplets"

Similes:
-"mismatched and lobbed sided like our real ones"

Sensory images:
-"with a stary backround"
-"my green flowered suit"
-"your tiny stylish bikini"
-"our crayon faces"

Alliteration:
-"make me"
-"when we"
-"we were"
-"look nothing like"
-'that the"

Cadence:
- every stanza asked the othe person if they had rememberd like when she said "remember when we drew portraits of each other"

Rhyme scheme:
-free verse

by mikaela

Poem Analyzer

Hi guys I found a few things for the analyzer.

  • A metaphor: that the only way to separate us would be a long painful surgery.
  • A sensory image: green flowered suit.
  • 7 stanzas 
  • 41 lines
  • 149 words
  • A sensory image: tiny, stylish bikinis
  • Cadence: every stanza has REMEMBER in beginning sentence.

JaCoB

Practicaly Tripelets

Hey guys,

I found a metaphor in the first stanza. When Hallie Herz says "the only way to separate us would be a long and painful surgery", she explains in such a deep way. She shows that it would be so hard to split up with this friend that it would be almost as painful as a surgery. Another thing I liked about it was it really showed how close there relationship was. All in all this was an amazing metaphor.

Alliteration
-we were (stanza 1 line 2)
-that the (stanza 1 line 4)
-you and your (stanza 2 line 3)
-and ashamed (stanza 2 line 6)

Interesting fact:
When she says "mine with a starry background, yours sunny, and Siobhan's rainy" I thought it symbolized the beginning their separation because every picture was opposite of the other.

-Aviva

Homework

Poetry Analyzer for "Practically Triplets" (Thurs)
Spelling chart for next week

Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Help Kids in Uganda

Hi everyone I wanted to know if anyone will volunteer to help me get usable soccer equipment; socks, shoes shin pads and cash for the kids in Uganda. volunteers please respond to me by Friday. It would help the kids in need. They are kids like you and me and a VTT graduate (Tatiana Wolfman) will hand deliver it to the kids. If i had approximately 7 participants it would be great ! I still need to be approved by the principle.

Thank you

From: Marko

What Would Happen?

What would happen if you cut off your hair?
What would happen if you tried to fight a bear?

Your hair would grow back with ease
Hopefully the bear would blow away in a strong breeze


What would happen if you drank toxic waste?
What would happen if a gold ring you misplaced?

The toxic waste would turn out to be fake
And the gold ring would be blamed on a snake

What would happen if you dyed your skin green?
What would happen if you broke your washing machine?

The green dye would come out in a wash or three
The mechanic would fix the machine quickly

What would happen if you broke your leg?
What would happen if you dropped the last egg?

You would get a cool cast and have to deal with the rest
At least now the egg you don't have to digest

All these things hopefully will never happen to you
Well if they do, you had better run to Peru!

Marc L.
P.S. Please Comment! :)

mr.g question

hi mr.g!
My friends in Edmonton and I are wondering if they can have accounts on our blog. if thats okay please tell me.
-Taya-

the greatest poem ever

And the giant squid
the giant squid
came to America
to america
and lit up the sky
the ssssssskkkkkkkkkkkkkkyyyyyyyy
and america died
america died
he held us in his hand
in his hand
and crushed our land
crushed our land
he through us to the grinds
to the grinds
and BLEW
OUR
MMMMMIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNDDDDDDSSSSSSS
mmmmmmmmmmmmmiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinnnnnnnnndddddddddddssssssssssssssss
yaaaaaaaaaaaa
yayayyayayayayayayayaaaaaaaaaaa
in his hand
in his hand
at a monstrous height
monstrous light
he blinded us
blinded us
with his
VVVVIIIIIIBBBBBRRRRAAAANNNNTTTTTT
LLLLLLLLIIIIIGGGGGGHHHHTTTTTT
vvvviiiiiiiiiiiiiibbbbbbbbbbbrrrrrrrrrraaaaaaaaaaaaannnnnnnnnnnttttttttttttttttttt
llllllllllllllllllliiiiiiiiiiiiiggggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhtttttttttttttttttttttttttttt

listen strike 2

hey grade six this is my new and improved poem please comment on it!

Listen
it's a beat
a rhythym

Listen
it's drums
an acoustic

Listen
feel and see
the beat

Listen
soprano and alto
sing to the beat

Listen
to the lyrics
to the words

Listen
just listen...
to the music
-Taya-

6A Encyclopedia Group

Hi Marko, Eli and Jacob Ker.,

I got information on food and sports so I've already started working on it.

See you guys tomorrow.

Kalv

HELLO!!!!!!!!!!

HI

Hey Guys,

Just want to know what we're doing in class today. I'm still sick. I have a slight fever i'm coughing and I feel weak.

Monday, February 25, 2008

Japan

Hey guys,
are we supposed to bring our posters for tomorrow???
Nini

Group Poem

i have a little sister
who drives around the twister
when she is good she is very very good
but when she is bad she is
horrid
alex

Group Poem

painting my toe nails

with lots of details
laughing all day with friends 
as the time never ends



Thanks

THANKS GUYS!!!!!

Group poem

Blonde hair
is fair
Blue eyed
much pride

Get Well Soon

Hey Kalv,

Get well soon!

From: Fanny, Mel, Alex Bayle and Bogey!

Talk to me

Hey Mr.G,

If you guys are using the blog today on the projector you can send messages to me I'll be on the blog most of the day. If I'm not I'll be sleeping.

Hi Guys!

HI Guys,

I'm sick! WA WA. If anyone could tell me the homework just comment on this post thanks.

Sunday, February 24, 2008

MY ONE STANZA FOR HOMEWORK

As long as I get a hat trick

I can do a bicycle kick
Hundred meter breaststroke is fun
Getting a touchdown to each one

Listen

Hey grade six this is a poem that i wrote over the weekend. Please comment on it.

Listen
it's a beat
a rhythm

Listen
it's drums
an acoustic

Listen
feel
see
the beat

Soprano
alto
they can sing
to the beat

Listen
to the lyrics
to the words

Listen
just listen
hear
feel

Just listen...
to the beat

group poem

Are you allowed to do your group poem about your family?
alex

Matt's Stanza For Group Poem

My life is sports, movies and fun
Family and friends are number one
Running around there is no time to think
If you looking for me I'm at the rink

group poem by eli

The video game screams 
as I shoot my beams
at the ogers head
untill the game is dead

MY stanza for group poem

Music through my ear
What else can I hear
With the bark
Of Linkin Park

the apple crook

hey guys here is a new poem I wrote.

The apple crook

An apple a day ,
Goes missing away .
But a leaf from the tree,
Shall grow apon thee.

Then the night that I came,
It was such a shame.
With one apple to spare,
you grabbed it
like you just didn’t care

and I asked you why ,
but there was no reply.
for the apple he took ,
Defined him as a crook.


p.s. I am not finished

-mikaela

Nini,

I think we have to show the whole project to the class and do you know if were supposed to pick with our group the source that each person is sopposed to attack or does mr.G .Thanks so much.

-mikaela

Saturday, February 23, 2008

Socials Project

One question,
once were done making the board do we have to present it to the class or just have the board with the information?
Plz. Answer
Nini

Friday, February 22, 2008

Homework

1. Spelling charts
2. Begin collecting information for Socials project

Karma

You don't like it
when you can have it

But you want it
when it's gone

You don't care for it
when it's alone

Once someone goes to it
you stare in envy

It's not important
when noone cares

Once someone takes interest
it's all you can think about

She doesn't mean
a thing to you

But once one of your
friends takes a liking for her

All of a sudden you realize
she is beautiful

Marc L.
P.S. Please comment

Thursday, February 21, 2008

You don't like it
when you can have it

But you want it
when it's gone

You don't care for it
when it's alone

Once something goes to it
you stare in envy

It's not important
when nothing cares

Once something takes interest
it's all you can think about

Marc L.
P.S. this poem is not done!
P.P.S. Please comment!

A weird day- by Bayle And Janine

Hi,
Bayle and Janine have been working on a poem about a weird day from a child's view.
Hope you like it and we're not done


I walked down stairs

And tripped over my stuffed bear
Today I found a slug
inside my favorite mug
When I was eating my cereal
My dog ate some of my meal
When I was brushing my teeth
My dog came from underneath
My dog followed me to school
I looked like such a fool
I had a difficult test
And it was really hard to digest
I went to eat
But instead I had some meat
I accidentally failed art
And I wasn’t so smart
After school I found my dog
Stuck Inside a small log
I took the bus back
And someone stole my pack
I tried to do my work

No school tomorrow

Hi everyone,
just reminding you that there is NO school tomorrow!
Nini

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

MY ROOM

My palace
My sanctuary
My home pitch
My Room


Messy for some
Clean for me
Too loud for some
Quiet for me
Too warm for some
Just right for me


Where I’m Happy
Where I’m sad


A place to work
A place to play
A place to hangout
A place…


Where I dream
Where I’m cozy
And safe


But who is really safe
In this crazy mixed up world


My palace
My sanctuary
My home pitch My Room

Six Million Scars



Into the Heart
Between fields and seas
Hard to imagine
What happened here


Men blessed by heaven
With stories untold
Unable to distinguish
Between the chapters of pain


They lived with
The scars they carried
Despite
The Men with Guns

An exciting addition to our Blog family!

Dear Students,

I'm excited to announce that we have a new mentor to share with and learn from. You may remember Nomi, a grade 12 student at Lord Byng High School, from her helpful comments on some of your work earlier this year. Well, she's back with us and has sent me some of her work from the past few years. She has also offered to give writing advice or comment on your poems as you post them. As you'll see from reading her work, she is a talented poet and has the background to give some solid advice to all you budding writers. Let her know what you think of her work.



The Killer Finding Spell is a poem that I worked on for Creative Writing class. The assignment was to expand on something we wrote in our journals, and I chose to turn mine into a poem.


The Killer Finding Spell



From within I pull the song

The one I know so well

It's easy and soft

A spoken spell



I can hear my voice

Drifting through the crowd

It's calm and cool

It's raging and loud



The burning in my skin

Is killing my hands

I'm craving the cold

And silence in the stands.



Ablaze in the soul

Under the skin

I'm heating up quickly

Coming up from within



It's gripping me tight

I've got no control

The spell around me

Is taking its' toll



I'm getting lost quickly

There are sounds all around

There I've got it

The target's been found



I'm grabbing a hold of it

I won't let it go

The waves it's sending

Are moving so slow



All that's left now

Is to sign its' defeat

I only wish my heart

Had just one more beat.

A Sunset Year is just a poem I wrote when I was going through a sunset phase. I actually wrote it in Grade 7, not too far off from your students now. It mostly focuses on repetition.

A Sunset Year



The golden sun,

Was bright and brilliant,

In the evening sky,

An evening sky,

The evening sky.



The sky of pink and peach and purple,

With blue and white in the distance,

Shaded by the fading sun,

A fading sun,

The fading sun.



The only sound made there,

Was the screeching of bikes and cars,

Of clicks and flashes,

And the wind and the waves,

As everybody stared,

They stared,

We stared.



I ask myself why I can't describe it,

There just aren't powerful enough words,

We hear and use the words we can,

But never will describe it,

Describe it majestically,

Describe it perfectly.



Sparkling on the dazzling sea,

The glittering rays,

Of sunlight days,

Fade away,

Away,

Today.



I feel as though,

The undertow could take me,

I'm light as air,

Bedazzled by its beauty,

Its beauty,

Our beauty.



As it fades I shed a tear,

Then I wait another year,

Another year,

A good year,
A sunset year.

Knowing You is a poem I wrote in Grade 10 when my grandfather died. Unfortunately, I did not have the courage to read it at his memorial service, but it feels like a good memory. I also realized that many of your students have written poems on some of their own family members, so I will contribute this to them.


Knowing You



I didn't really know you

Not the way I wanted to.

All I knew was from

Others' stories and memories,

So I didn't really know you.

I have this one memory,

Where I'm very young,

And you smile at me.

You're proud of me,

And we understand

Each other.

I tried to learn your mother tongue,

So I could get to know you.

I didn't learn fast enough.

I feel like I cheated

Because I wasn't there

To see you when

I probably should have.

But I'm here today,

To honour only you.

I'm here to pay

My respects to you,

And only you.

I'm here to say good-bye

And to get to know you,

And only you.

I wrote What I am the same day I found out my grandfather died. It was a very emotional time for me. It's a little dark, and it was meant to be lyrics for a song, so the beat is somewhat rhythmic. Some of your students might enjoy it.


What I Am



You have to let me be

Let me be grumpy

Let me be sarcastic

Let me be snarky

Let me be cynical

You have to let me be

Who I need to be



You watch me

Watch me cry in movies

Watch me cry in shows

But you never see

The tears that count the most



You have to let me be

Let me be grumpy

Let me be sarcastic

Let me be snarky

Let me be cynical

You have to let me be

Who I need to be



In the room all dark

I sit on the floor

My tears leak out

As I rock back and forth

I cry like this

When no ones looking

When I've lost control

When I'm breaking

When I don't want to

I need to



You have to let me be

Let me be grumpy

Let me be sarcastic

Let me be snarky

Let me be cynical

You have to let me be

Who I need to be



But you won't see

'cause you're blind

You won't hear

'cause you're deaf

You won't touch

'cause you can't

You won't taste

what I have.

Because I have me

And that's all

That's all



You have to let me be

Let me be grumpy

Let me be sarcastic

Let me be snarky

Let me be cynical

You have to let me be

Who I need to be



Because I have me

And that's all

That's all

An Accident was actually entered in the annual summer poetry contest that is held by the Poetry Institute of Canada. The PIC uses all the submissions to create an anthology and all participants may purchase a book at a lower rate than the rest of the country. This might be something you want to look into for your students because it's a really cool experience to have your work published. I submitted this in the summer of Grade 6, so I would have been in the same grade as your own students. An Accident was written in response to the road racing awareness week that was going on at my school.
An Accident



If you talk to a certain teen

They may describe a blood-filled scene

Somewhere where a car has crashed

Somewhere where a life was smashed

We are sure now that it was a teenager

But nobody really, truly could wager

The recklessness of that teens' life

That teen was driving on a very thin knife

They clearly did not understand

The skinniness of that strand

The strand of life on which they lived

Did this person ever give,

A kind of love you cannot see?

How will we know that teen will never be.

I have other poems that I can submit to you if you'd like. I just made a random selection of these as samples of different points in my life. I have a few poems from Grade 6 and 7 that I can send you, and also some more recent ones.

Hopefully your students will enjoy these!

Look forward to your student's reactions,

~Nomi, Grade 12, Lord Byng Secondary

Group Poems

Let's get those stanzas in by Thursday, everyone. Remember that we are looking for a four line stanza about you in an aa bb rhyme scheme. Easy to do with the nice reward of being part of our togetherness puzzle display. Blog it as a new post or attach it to Nini's original.

Response from Adina

I enjoyed the different perspectives in this poem of what the cat really is and what the cat thinks he is or could be. At the beginning of the poem the cat is a curled up ball on the rug, but inside the cat's mind he is becoming a vicious loin searching for pray. The cat on the mat is tame and mellow but the loin is a ferocious and ruthless creature. I enjoyed this because it connects to life. There is usually a difference between what you are or what you are capable of and what you think you are or think you think you can do.

-Adina

Response to Hangman

The first time I read the poem Hangman I really did not get it, but after I read it a couple of times I understood it better. After reading Hangman, I answered a couple of the questions but went back to the poem to see if I was right. The poem had lots of cadence and sensory images and had lots of rhymes and similes. The poem had 7 or 10 stanzas and had good descriptions, but was quite sad. The only thing I did not get was why the hangman was killing innocent people that had done nothing wrong. Why didn't anyone stop this man from killing the young, the old, and the children? Maybe they were scared to tell because the Hangman might come after them. Was there nobody to stand up to him and do the right thing?

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Poem analyzer when you are about to fall asleep!

grade six there is just about every thing you could find in the poem on the blog.
so.........
I found just one thing: that through out the poem there was a rhyme scheme that repeated itself
a
b
c
b
for example it is shown on the first 4 lines
J
ake

Here's a little

Here's a little

cat poem.......gone bad

I found that almost every line had some sort of mental image. My favorate one was "where woods loom in gloom". This reminded me of a forest in the middle of autumn when it was foggy. Once I walked in the endowment lands when there were a ton of leaves on the ground. It was a foggy day, the kind of day when the fog is so thick you can almost taste it. I looked to my left, only to see a dark gloomy forest with trees without leaves. I was intrigued (naturally) and walked towards this gloomy forest. As I walked towards the ominous scene, I could have sworn I heard screams. And that I did. But they were my own...

Bayle

Creatively edited by:
Max James

This is my stanza for Janine's idea

I am the small bright orange ball on the wall
I am not a crook but I take a look on facebook
I am the man who will play a video game that he has to aim with the sniper’s frame
I am the one who has great might as he has a fight using the right knight on my PSP


-Arieh and his awesome font/courier

cadence

I found that all the rhymes in this poem gave it alot of cadence

-mikaela

My Stanza

I play football on a Sunday morning in September
I practice Star Wars on trombone increasingly louder
I get an A in social studies
I go play a lot with my buddies

-Bram S. 6B

Poem Stuff

hey everybodyhereis some info about the poem:

Alliteration:
where woods

Lline Structure:
all lines around the same length

Stanzas:
one long stanza that rhymes

Cadence:
internal rhyme helps form cadence

Repetition:
Tolkien repeats "fat cat on the mat" in the first line and the third last line.

hope it helps!

Fanny

Things Sam has noticed in the Cat poem

Here are a few things I found about in the Cat poem:

1. Metaphor:
“the giant lion with iron claw in paw” (lines 13 – 14)
Iron is a metaphor that made me think about how strong the cat’s claws are.

2. Internal Rhymes:
- “the fat cat on the mat” (line 1)
- “of nice mice that suffice” (line 3)
- “but he free, maybe” (line 5)
- “unbowed, proud, where loud” (line 7)
- “in the East feasted on beasts” (line 11)
- “the giant lion with iron” (line 13)
- “claw in paw” (line 14)
- “fleet upon feet” (line 18)
- “that oft soft from a loft” (line 19)

- Sam

cat

Sencory images

line 1 "fat cat"reminded me of my cat when it goes into her defencive mode and all here hair sticks up to make her look fat. line 15 and 16 "huge ruthless tooth in gory jaw reminded me of when my cat comes into the house with blood stains on her hair and teeth full of blood. line 20 "leaps on meat" reminded me of the movies when you watch a leopard, cheeta, lion or tiger pounce on thier prey with blood thirsty eyes.

Alliteration

"deep in den"
"fleet apon feet"

Ryhmes

"Fat cat on a mat"
"unbowed loud and proud"


By: Marko Flores-Makon

Cat Poem Response by: Marc L.

Hey All,
These are my thoughts on "Cat"...

Lots of sensory images whizzed into my mind while reading this poem. I would like to share one or two with you!

1) "and a huge ruthless tooth in gory jaw". I could really capture a mental picture of a lion roaring, because I have actually seen one in South Africa. As soon as Tolkien mentioned a lion my body flew right back to the game reserve, and I was standing next to a ferocious lion!

2) "fierce and free". I kept on thinking of this grey slimy cat that roamed around in a dark back alley of a restaurant. I have no idea where this came from, but maybe it was because I was recently watching "Stuart Little", and in the movie there was a cat like that.

Just the brilliance of this poem and the ridiculous rhyme scheme over whelmed me. I think if anyone can't find a good book to read or a good author, this poem will get them hooked on J.R.R. Tolkien for life!

Marc L.

Sensory Images for the Cat poem

Sensory images

-Fat cat on the mat (line 1) this line reminded of my neighbours cat that used to sit on their couch and go to sleep.
-Gory jaw (line 16) this reminded me of a blood stained mouth of a lion after it eats a zebra.
-Leaps on his meat (line 20) this line reminded me of a lion jumping on a fleeing antelope.
-huge ruthless tooth (line 15) when I first read this poem this line reminded me of a shark tooth.

-Adam S.

"Cat"

Here are some sensory images that I found:


" The fat cat on the mat"
I could picture this huge cat rolled up in a ball sitting in his bed as he dreams.

" The giant lion with iron
claw in paw."
I could picture the cat going after this tiny mouse as he purrs and scratches with his paw.

" and huge ruthless tooth
in gory jaw"
I pictured the cat with sharp shiny teeth dripping with blood.

-Isabelle

 

Poetry Response?

Hey Guys,

Just wondering if we were doing the response tomorrow or we just needed the poem analyzer???

-Isabelle

Where to post poem about me.

Hey everybody,

If you know where to post your stanza about you, please tell me in the comment box.

Your fellow classmate,

-Bram S. 6B

Facts On Cat

Hey guys,
heres a meteaphor I found in the poem Cat.

"Kin lean and slim"

I think that the poet is trying to say that the cat (or cat's) is very poor and is starving.
I also found out that there was less than 7 words in every line.
Some alliteration was: "Where woods"(line 21), "Deep in den"(line 10)
I think that the poet was showing where cats come from and that not all cats are nice and cute.

Grade Six Homework

  • Complete poem analyzer for "Cat"
  • Submit your part for the group poem
  • Spelling chart for next week

Some Sensory Images (Notice the alliteration.)

I'm writing in colour just for you Max.

Sensory Images:
1. "The fat cat on the mat."
2. "The giant lion with iron claw in paw."
3. "Gory jaw."
4. "Leaps on his meat."
5. "His kin lean and slim."

-Bram S. 6B

Lots of info

Hey everybody i have got a lot of stuff for you so if you want it here it is...

Internal poems:

  • fat can on the mat
  • may seem to dream
  • but he free, maybe
  • unbowed, proud, loud
  • that oft soft from a loft

Sensory images

  • Fat cat on the mat
  • roared and fought
  • his kin, lean and slim
  • the giant lion with iron
  • in gory jaw
  • the pard, dark-starred

Alliteration

  • deep in den
  • fleet upon feet
  • fierce

-Micah

could people stop using colours it hurts my eyes 



max

This is for "Cat".

Cadence: "Fierce and free".
"Fleet upon feet".
and "Deep in den".
Sensory Images: "claw in paw"
"the fat cat on the mat"
and "huge ruthless tooth in gory jaw".
Rhymes: "the fat cat on the mat"
"unbowed loud and proud"
"the giant lion with iron".

max

Poetic Devices in "Cat"

Hi guys i found a metaphor in "Cat",

When J.R.R. Tolkien wrote "leaps on his meat" is a perfect metaphor. of course a cat can not leap on his meat, it describes that the cat is so eager for his meats that he jumps to get it.
This is also a great sensory image describing a cat gobbling up meat.

Sensory Images:
-Claw in paw
-Fat cat on the mat
-leaps on his meat

-Aviva

Here's a little

but fat cat on the mat
kept as a pet,
he does not forget.

Poem

Hey guys-
there are only 2 more days to submit your stanza into the group poem!
Nini

Poem analyzer

Alliteration:
-"or deep in den" Line 10
-"fleet upon feet" Line 18
-"Feirce and free" Line 23



Rhyme scheme:
Internal rhymes-rhymes all along the line in different places

Cadence:
Line 3 - "Of nice mice that suffice"
Line 2- "May seem to dream"

Sensory images:
- Line 20- "leaps on his meat">>He leaps on to a stuffed mouse

Janine

Monday, February 18, 2008

Skiing

Just a big thanks to all the teachers for making sure we all had fun!
Thank you!

Sunday, February 17, 2008

Unecessary Quotation Marks

Here's a cute site on unnecessary punctuation:

http://quotation-marks.blogspot.com/

Group Poem Reminder

Hi Gang,

Three days left if you're still interested in joining Nini's group poem. Also, Ofir's question on math has yet to be answered. Looking forward to a fun day on the ski hill with you tomorrow.

All Paths Lead To You

 Hey Grade 6 look what I found.

All Paths Lead To You
 Life is a challenge – meet it.
Life is a gift – accept it.
Life is an adventure – dare it.
Life is a sorrow – overcome it.
Life is a tragedy – face it.
Life is a duty – perform it.
Life is a game – play it.
Life is a mystery – unfold it.
Life is a song – sing it.
Life is an opportunity – take it.
Life is a journey – complete it.
Life is a promise – fulfill it.
Life is a love – embrace it.
Life is a beauty – praise it.
Life is a spirit – release it.
Life is a struggle – fight it.
Life is a puzzle – solve it.
Life is a goal – achieve it. 

Aviva's Question

Hey guys you don't need to bring the bags that are on wheels, just bring a bag that you could ski with. You need to bring your lunch and if you want some extra clothes.

Skiing

Hi Guys,

Do we have to bring our school bags tomorrow??

Aviva

Saturday, February 16, 2008

4th and final draft of horse poem

hi guys,

I had another idea...the story of spirit is way to long and it would take me for ever to write it in a poem. So instead I'm just going to leave it at the beginning of the movie and maybe you can imagine what happens next-let your mind explode with idea's!

Nini


Galloping through the tall green grass.

Letting the wind go through my tail,

And rustle between the hairs of my

Mane.



Playing games in the dry canyon walls,

to finding new places and adventures

through out my area.



I was the leader of the heard.

And with that job came responsibility.

A lot of it.


At some points I got really curious.

And at some points, too curious,

That's how I endangered the whole heard

and especially, my pride.



One night, I saw a little light...

apparently it was a fire.

And that's how my whole

adventure started.



Once seeing the fire, a wiser horse would've

ran away. But I wanted to know

who these strange creatures were

and what they were doing here.



Apparently I woke them up and

they wanted to catch me.

But why would I let them do that?


plz. comment

Homework and Group Poem

Please have your personal spelling charts done by this weekend.

Group poems look very good so far. Please keep them coming. You may attach them to Nini's post or start a new post.

Question

I have a question about the ratios quizz.
Do we do the blacker, or the whiter side?
please comment as soon as possible.
Ofir

Friday, February 15, 2008

fixed bad paragraph

Wahoo my twelfth birthday. I’m really exhausted from the great time my friends and I had, we had pizza and root beer. I got a little over handed when I ate Ross' pizza he was steaming. I had to give him my pop, it sucked. The only thing is I shook my pop and it burst in his face, but he totally deserved it. Maybe tomorrow I will tell you what happen when I opened my present’s thanks a lot for listening to me dear dairy.

Partner In Poetry Extra Message


I need help writing a poem. I have a good topic but I need another poets help. I have one partner (Bram) but there does not have to be only one person to help. It could be any number of people. It could even be the whole grade. This message will be posted everyday untill Monday. Deadline to volunteer is Monday, February 18.


Thanks Grade 6

From Jonah

P.S. Bram meet me at study hall every Friday

Thursday, February 14, 2008

New and Improved Bad Paragraph by Shakaed

Yesterday it was my birthday! I turned twelve! I cannot believe how old I am! It was the best birthday EVER! Yesterday Sarah, Josh, and Lauren came over and we ate pizza AND ice cream AND cupcakes. Lauren was 1 and a ½ hrs late! We were so hungry that we couldn’t wait for her anymore so we started stuffing pizza in our mouth. I was eating my 2nd piece already when Lauren finally came.

“It’s about time, Lauren,” I said in between bites of pizza.

“Sorry,” Lauren replied, out of breath. “Ryan made us stay 20 minutes late to do push-ups. And then I had to go home to shower, and change, and then ask mom to drive me. Plus, there was a big traffic jam on No. 3 road.” Lauren continued. She looked inside the ‘Dominoes Pizza’ box and figured it was empty. “Where is my PPPPPIIIIZZZZZAAAAA?!”

“Well, I gave it to Josh because I thought you weren’t going to come.” I said.

“Whoops...” Josh said in the middle of chewing pizza bites in his mouth. We could barely understand him.

I had to give Lauren my ice cream because I gave her pizza away and there wasn’t any left. But because she was so furious she ate her ice cream so fast and got a Major Brain Freeze. I felt a little bad for Lauren but I guess she deserved it. I’d tell you about present time... but... I don’t want to make you jealous. Well, maybe I’ll tell you about Lauren’s. When I looked inside there was a tiny little teddy bear. Which I already have. Like she didn’t know that already. She probably took it out after Josh ate her pizza. Come to think of it, she did say she did go to the washroom for about 20 minutes at 3:00, right before present time....

Shakaed

Partner In Poetry Extra Message

Partner In Poetry Extra Message


I need help writing a poem. I have a good topic but I need another poets help. I have one partner (Bram) but there does not have to be only one person to help. It could be any number of people. It could even be the whole grade. This message will be posted everyday till Monday. Deadline to volunteer is Monday, February 19.


Thanks Grade 6

From Jonah

P.S. Bram meet me at study hall Friday.

samses' LiKe toTaly notbad paragraf (JUST JOKING)

Yesterday was my twelfth birthday, it was absolutely superb. Almost everyone was there and my wife Felicity was looking beautiful. Even my friend John Matthews came. I was very happy because having just published his ninth best seller; John doesn’t have a lot of time for parties. My wife even cracked open a fantastic 1986 bottle of merlot. The gourmet chef made a mouth watering fish and mushroom fillet, and the garlic tapinad was to die for. Unfortunately, my boss ate the mushroom, garlic and tomato pasta, with rose sauce and a hint of Indian spices that had been specially made for my friend Harrington. Well, when Harrington got to my party I had an awkward conversation with him and told him that my boss had accidentally eaten both his Harrington’s prepared meals. Harrington was quite disappointed. I felt badly for him so I gave him some of mine. Unfortunately, what I didn’t know was that Harrington was extremely allergic to Indian spices. So, after he ate some of the dish he went into anaphylactic shock and was rushed to hospital. Thankfully, his medical insurance covered all the bills. My gifts were great; Thomas gave me a wonderful book on the aboriginal people of Canada, and Susan gave me a donation in my name to a charity of my choice. Great wine, great people, great food, what more could a man ask for. Too bad I have to wait another four years until I turn thirteen.

-Sam