Change Poems

Today I began by sharing two poems by H.O. Wheeler students, using the form "I used to... / But now..." The kids were very curious about the girls behind the poems: "What grade are they in?" "Did this one really live in Africa?" "How do you say her name?" After I answered their questions about the featured writers, I asked which lines were their favorites. They especially liked, "I used to be a black and white cat and my name was Jane / but now I am a superhero and my name is Supercat," "I used to be snow, but now I am a snow princess," and "I used to live in Africa, but now I live in America."

I told them their own poems could include real changes, made-up changes, or a combination. I asked them to think back to when they were very young, to remember all the things they'd learned, all the ways they'd grown.

I was delighted when Samira asked me, "Can we use names like we did last week? I liked that." She and a few friends continued to draw inspiration from the Name Poems lesson:

I used to be a snow princess,
but now I am Samira.
I used to be Aladdin,
but now I am Sevda.
I used to be a fish,
but now I am Hamara.

Here are a few more selections:

I used to be super, but now I'm Super David.
I used to think I was weak, but now I know I'm strong.
I used to hate kickball, but now I love kickball.
-David

I used to be a seed,
but now I am an action.
I used to be a fly,
but now I am a jungle.
I used to be a nothing,
but now I am a nothing.
-Deng

I used to be math, but now I am a shell.
I used to be a tree, but now I am a book.
I used to be a hat, but now I am a village.
I used to be a sea, but now I am a wood.
I used to be sharks, but now I am a fire.
I used to be trash, but now I am a bat.
I used to be a piano, but now I am a robot.
-Michael