Our+Writings+--+6H

=Mother's Day Poems= In honor of Mother's Day, which is Sunday, May 9, 2010, the sixth grade class writes poems for their mothers. Each student may write a pantoum or a cinquain that expresses love and appreciation for his or her mother. After composing the poems, students display their original work on posters to present to their mothers.



By Janay C.

I love you And you love me Since the day I was born, you have been a good mother I will love you forever

And you love me So you will always try to protect me because of that I will love you forever And you will love me forever

So you will always try to protect me because of that I will not worry about anything And you will love me forever Even when I leave

I will not worry about anything Because you will always be by my side Even when I leaveYou will always be here with me

Because you will always be by my side I cherish that You will always be here with me Great mother and friend, because of all the things you do

I cherish that Since the day I was born, you have been a good mother Great mother and friend, because of all the things you do I love you

By Tracy W.

I will always love you You’re my heart and soul You’re my best friend You’re the coolest person in the world

You’re my heart and soul You take me everywhere You’re the coolest person in the world you buy me anything

You take me everywhere You help me with my studies You buy me anything You wake me up when it’s time for school

You help me with my studies You cook something to eat when I’m hungry You wake me up when it’s time for school I love you so much

You cook something to eat when I’m hungry You always take the blame for me You wake me up when it’s time for school It’s your day

You always take the blame for me You’re my best friend It’s your day I will always love you

By Nigel W.

Mama, I love you. All the things you do for me, I love you, mom. I appreciate it.

All the things you do for me. You cook and clean for me. I appreciate it. Thank you.

You cook and clean for me. You wake me early for school. Thank you. You let me stay up late on school nights.

You wake me early for school. I love dinner at night. You let me stay up late on school nights. You let me go to the movies with friends.

I love dinner at night. Mother, I love you. You let me go to movies with friends. You taught me lots of things.

Mother, I love you! I love you, mom. You taught me lots of things. Mama, I love you.

By Kaleb D.

Mom, happy Mother’s Day Have a good day Relax and watch T.V. Talk on the phone

Have a good day You should go to sleep Talk on the phone Talk to our family

You should go to sleep Maybe have fun with your friends Hang out with our family I will make you breakfast

Have fun with your friends Have fun on the computer I may even make you breakfast Enjoy an omelet with bacon and sausage

Have fun on the computer This is your day Enjoy an omelet with bacon and sausage Watch a movie

This is your day Relax and watch T.V. Watch T.V. Mom, Happy Mother’s Day

By Layla T.

Mama I love you so You are the best mother When I see you I am happy Mama

Caring That explains you You mean so much to me Sometimes we have our ups and downs Still stand

Sharing That explains you Without you in my life I really don’t know what I’ll do Mama

Funny That’s what you are You always make me laugh We can always have good times together Mama

Helping That’s what you do I just love being with you You are just good at what you do Mama

Mother You are just the best I would hate to lose you I just really love you so much Mother

The best It must be you From the day I was born I knew you were going to love me My love

Mother I am growing up now It doesn’t mean nothing I will always be your baby Mother

Mother I am growing up now It doesn’t mean nothing I will always be your baby Mother

Mommy Just me and you It is all that I need Just being with you makes me happy Mommy

Mama I love you much You are my everything And you really are the best mom Thank you

= = =32-Day Writing Challenge Entries=

From Monday, March 22, 2010 through Thursday, April 22, 2010, the sixth grade class wrote every single day, including weekends and Easter vacation days! They participated in the 32-Day Writing Challenge, which is the brain-child of Ann Patchett. The main objective is to engage in an activity that you wish to make a habit. In the case of the sixth graders, they wrote for 32 days in an effort to make effective writing a natural, enjoyable, and beneficial behavior. All in all, I think the students did very well and I look forward to teaching mini-lessons about mechanics (or grammar) and writing styles and using the challenge entries as fodder for revisions. On the behalf of the sixth grade class, I hope you delight in reading the entries below.

= //**"Bloom wherever you are."**// =

By Bret C. “Bloom wherever you are” means to grow and shine wherever you are. It means to not let anyone bring you down, make you sad, or stand in your way. It also means to blossom, look good, and feel great about yourself where you are. Lastly, it means to blossom like a beautiful flower.

=//How does a cinquain compare to a pantoum?//=

By Catherine N.

A cinquain is a poem with five lines with different syllable counts in each line. The first line of the cinquain has the syllable count of two. The second line has four syllables. The third line has six syllables. The fourth line has the syllable count of eight. And, the fifth line has two syllables.

A pantoum is a poem with several quatrains-a stanza with four lines. The pantoum comes from the Malayan culture. It did not become popular until the 19th century and the 20th century. The French version of the pantoum has a rhyme scheme of ABAB but not all pantoums have to rhyme. And, the first stanza is very important. The pronunciation of pantoum is pan•toom.

A cinquain and a pantoum are both poems. The cinquain and the pantoum have lines. Both can be written about anything, anything at all, such as the weather, the moon or even about boys! We can all agree that both poems are created by humans. Both poems are fun to write when you have nothing to do.

The cinquain does not have stanzas like the pantoum. For the cinquain, we have to use syllable counts, and for the pantoum, syllable counting is not used. The only thing that is important in the pantoum is having the end rhyme of ABAB correct. Unlinke the pantoum, the cinquain came from a Spanish word, cinco, meaning five; that is why a cinquain has five lines.

Examples:

__Cinquain__ Wrigley's Winter fresh gum. It helps you freshen your Cheesy breathe just in case you don't Brush good.

__Pantoum__ Talking on the phone all the time. Your parents act like it's a crime. And, I just make up excuses like: We're doing homework and when she walks away, I say, “Sike.”

Your parents act like it's a crime. When you pay them a dime. We're doing homework and when she walks away, I say “Sike.” And ride home with a bike.

=**//Original Poetry//**=

**Christmas** By Ranique C.

Christmas the funniest holiday, Well to me. Actually, Christmas is my favorite holiday.

A holiday that is celebrated In December on the 25th To recognize Jesus’s birth. We do not actually know when Jesus was born.

What do I do on Christmas Day? I eat lots of different foods And have a good time with my family.

**What I Feel** By Janay C.

What I feel is hate. What I feel is love. What I feel is unbelievable. What I feel is confusing.

I can feel my pain. Feelings of hate and love. Unbelievable and confusing.

I want to feel the way I used to feel before I grew up. I want to be the way I used to be. I want to be happy. Less mean. Loveable.

I wish my life was simple. I wish pain was joy. Joy that lasts forever.

=**//Cinquain (Poetry)//**=

**Mother** By Layla T. Mother, I love you so Caring, sharing, loving Explains the things you do for me Mother

=**//Limerick (Poetry)//**=

By Nigel. W.

Once there was a fat lady She looked like a big baby She lived on a throne She had big bones And her name was Big Sady.

=**//Music Analyses//**=

**Will Downing - “I Go Crazy”** By Catherine N.

The perfect time to play the song Is when they see each other again After a long period of time. Remember our first kiss? That is when I told you "I love you." Remember our first dance? That is when I asked, "Will you marry me?" That is when you told me you were with someone else That is when you left. After all those years, we finally see each other again. Just then, when I thought I was over you, You appeared. When I look into your eyes, I still go crazy. The purpose of the song is to tell you that I still love you.