Snow Haiku

A haiku is a Japanese form of poetry, which usually has to do with nature. It is organized into 3 lines of text. The first line has 5 syllables, the second line has 7 syllables and the third line has again 5 syllables. Here are some haiku about snow! Clap out the beats of the words as you read them. Can you count the syllables?

Snow Haiku

By Regis Auffrey

Snow is in the air
There’s a hush before the storm
Anticipation

From a sky of lead
Silver crystals start to fall
Dust from angels' hands

The woods are silent
All creatures have sought refuge
As the first snow falls

The snowfall over
The moon rises to reveal
A land of magic

Freshly fallen snow
Sparkles in the morning sun
A flawless landscape

What do you think of these haiku poems? Can you write a haiku?
Happy first snowfall!

At Last! We're Back and We're Writing!

It has been awhile since the last post, but we've been busy...Most recently, we have been examining "similies" (and metaphors, but mostly similies). Since the Grade 4s have started our unit on Rocks and Minerals, I thought I'd get us started with another "gem" by Christina Rosetti, so here it is:

Flint

An emerald is as green as grass,
A ruby red as blood;
A sapphire shines as blue as heaven;
A flint lies in the mud.

A diamond is a brilliant stone,
To catch the world's desire;
An opal holds a fiery spark;
But a flint holds a fire.

Let's see what similies you can come up with...
PS: Here's a big hello to Ilias at his new school in Toronto and to Erfan in Bangladesh! Feel free to jump in with a poem! We miss you both! :)

Two Spooky Poems by Jack Prelutsky

I am probably getting carried away with spooky poems, but I know how excited you all are about Hallowe'en! Knowing that, I have collected "too many", so I am going ahead with this post and sharing them with you, because they are a lot of fun :) I hope you will like them. Jack Prelutsky writes so many great poems, of course we have to read a few! But we should post our own poems, too...some of you have already been inspired to do that! Remember: Even though most of the poems we have read so far rhyme, lots and lots of fabulous poems do not, so that will be something we will investigate, too...But for now, enjoy Jack Prelutsky's poems.

Haunted House

There's a house upon the hilltop
We will not go inside
For that is where the witches live,
Where ghosts and goblins hide.

Tonight they have their party,
All the lights are burning bright,
But oh we will not go inside
The haunted house tonight.

The demons there are whirling
And the spirits swirl about.
They sing their songs to Halloween.
"Come join the fun," they shout.

But we do not want to go there
So we run with all our might
And oh we will not go inside
The haunted house tonight.

**What would this house look like? Would we be able to see the witches, goblins, ghosts and demons from outside? Would you go inside anyway? **

  

The Dragons Are Singing Tonight

Tonight is the night all the dragons
Awake in their lairs underground,
To sing in cacophonous chorus
And fill the whole world with their sound.
They sing of the days of their glory,
They sing of their exploits of old,
Of maidens and Knights, and of fiery fights,
And guarding vast caches gold.
Some of their voices are treble,
And some of their voices are deep,
But all of their voices are thunderous,
And no one can get any sleep.
I lie in my bed and I listen,
Enchanted and filled with delight,
To songs I can hear only one night a year--
The dragons are singing tonight.

**What do you think a dragon song would sound like? Happy or sad? What instruments do you think a dragon would play?**

I would like you to choose one of these poems and draw a picture of it...I can hardly wait to see your ideas! :)

Creepy Women...

With Hallowe'en almost here, I though you might enjoy these two 'creepy' poems... The first poem, Siren Song, is by one of my favourite writers (poets), Margaret Atwood. She is Canadian and lives right here in Toronto. If you click on the link, you can hear her introduce her poem and then read it to you herself! You have to read/listen carefully; it does not rhyme and I think it is both mysterious and unpredictable (maybe that is why I like it so much! :) The Witch is a rhyming poem...and, by the way, "cowslips" are a kind of wildflower, in case you were wondering. What do you think about these poems? Next time, I think we will be writing some poems of our own...Hope you enjoy them!

http://www.poetryarchive.org/childrensarchive/singlePoem.do?poemId=98

If you listen to the link, Margaret Atwood explains who the "Sirens" were.
Siren Song
by Margaret Atwood

This is the one song everyone
would like to learn: the song
that is irresistible:

the song that forces men
to leap overboard in squadrons
even though they see beached skulls

the song nobody knows
because anyone who had heard it
is dead, and the others can’t remember.
Shall I tell you the secret
and if I do, will you get me
out of this bird suit?
I don’t enjoy it here
squatting on this island
looking picturesque and mythical
with these two feathery maniacs,
I don’t enjoy singing
this trio, fatal and valuable.

I will tell the secret to you,
to you, only to you.
Come closer. This song

is a cry for help: Help me!
Only you, only you can,
you are unique

at last. Alas
it is a boring song
but it works every time.


Now, here is the second poem:


The Witch
by Percy H. Ilott

I saw her plucking cowslips,
And marked her where she stood:
She never knew I watched her
While hiding in the wood.

Her skirt was brightest crimson,
And black her steeple hat,
Her broomstick lay beside her --
I'm positive of that.

Her chin was sharp and pointed,
Her eyes were -- I don't know --
For, when she turned towards me --
I thought it best to go!

Windy October

I was listening to the wind last night and thought about these two poems. I wonder which one you like better? Don't forget to tell me why...!

Windy Nights

By Robert Louis Stevenson

Whenever the moon and stars are set,
Whenever the wind is high,
All night long in the dark and wet,
A man goes riding by.

Late in the night when the fires are out,
Why does he gallop and gallop about?

Whenever the trees are crying aloud,
And ships are tossed at sea,

By, on the highway, low and loud,
By at the gallop goes he.
By at the gallop he goes, and then
By he comes back at the gallop again.

Who do you think the man is?

While you are thinking about that, here is the second poem:

Who has seen the wind?

by Christina Georgina Rosetti

 

Who has seen the wind?
Neither I nor you.
But when the leaves hang trembling,
The wind is passing through.
Who has seen the wind?
Neither you nor I.
But when the trees bow down their heads,
The wind is passing by.

I'm looking forward to reading about your ideas!



We are on Google!

Congratulations Everyone! Our little blog has gathered enough content to be officially 'indexed' by Google (that's right, GOOGLE!!) and that means that all of your thoughts and ideas and poems are part of the World Wide Web! If you go to Google and type in our blog title -- The Read Wheelbarrow -- and (for now) click "Advanced Search", there we are!  Soon you will not even need to do an Advanced Search to find our meeting place, where we discuss and comment on great poems (etc.)... So keep writing about those poems and sharing your ideas! And, of course, Happy Blogging! :) You are such amazing students!

Something to Think About

Before you rush off to a little free time on the computer, I hope you'll take more than just a minute to think about this next poem by Shel Silverstein. What does it mean? Can you relate to it? What do you think about it? Looking forward to seeing you all on Friday and to reading your comments!

The Voice

There is a voice inside of you
That whispers all day long,
"I feel that this is right for me,
I know that this is wrong."
No teacher, preacher, parent, friend
Or wise man can decide
What's right for you -- just listen to
The voice that speaks inside.

by Shel Silverstein

Another Great Poem....!

I hope you enjoyed The Red Wheelbarrow! Here is a very different poem to consider - it is one of my favourites, but let's see what you think...Remember to tell me WHY you think what you do! There are a lot of great details in this short poem...tell me what you notice and what ideas you have about it.

The Eagle

He clasps the crag with crooked hands;
Close to the sun in lonely lands,
Ringed with the azure world, he stands.

The wrinkled sea beneath him crawls;
He watches from his mountain walls,
And like a thunderbolt he falls.

by Alfred, Lord Tennyson
(another interesting name!)

Are there any words you do not know? How can you find out what they mean? What do you think "the azure world" is?
I'm looking forward to reading about your ideas!

...And A Video Clip to Consider, Too

I found this video clip and thought it was a very creative way to communicate this poem....what do you think? - Ms. K.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6PqRhDdeKDA

Thoughts about The RED Wheelbarrow...

The Red Wheelbarrow
by William Carlos Williams

so much depends
upon

a red wheel
barrow

glazed with rain
water

beside the white
chickens

...hmmmm. This is a poem I would like you to read and consider. Here are some questions to get you started:
What do you think about it?
Why do you think the poet wrote it?
Do you like it? If yes, what do you like about it?
If you don't like it, why not?
Include any comments you would like.

There are no right or wrong answers! I'm looking forward to reading about your ideas. Thanks for sharing them with me...!