Seven Word Spill

Today we played a game called Seven Word Spill, an idea from the VSA Arts national network. I had each student choose seven word cards from a bowl, then scramble them on the table, thinking of surprising ways to combine them in sentences. After practicing for a few minutes, I invited them to write a poem including as many words as possible, changing word endings if they liked. Some used all their words early in the poem and selected a few more to challenge themselves.

This is my galaxy.
This is my big sister.
Every night we see an owl in the tree
and every day we stand at the river to fish.
Stay quiet today.
Everything is here now.
It is time to write.
Go take a paper and spill out your words.
When I'm drumming, my seed turns into plants.
My skin is ice.
This is my galaxy.
-Asho

Under a tree I read a book. I fall asleep and I dream the tree is blooming with fire and the sky looks like midnight.
-Dahiro

When I see the light I always sing a song.
I always like to sing and dance.
When I tell my friend a secret, she never tells anybody.
I see a candle. I like the way it burns.
I like my voice when I'm singing, and my voice likes me.
When I sing this song it makes my brother go up and down.
-Adout

Indian Ocean
Light blue like the sky without rain,
she whispers to me from planet earth.
When I touch her, I feel like I'm home
eating a cherry. She feels like fox fur,
clouds covering the moon.
Me and the ocean have secrets for each other.
I promise the ocean I won't tell anyone she speaks to me.
-Safia