Imagining Nature with Ms. García’s Class at Brown Elementary

Reading through all the writing that the students in Ms. García’s second-grade class at T.A. Brown Elementary produced, I can’t believe these pieces were written with plant fundamentals in mind. Each of these students explored many facets of a plant’s life: from seeds to trees, and eventually the animals that shared the ecosystem with the plants themselves. The writers in Ms. García’s class explored plant life at length: imagining what it would be like to grow up with a very special tree that was all their own, encouraging seeds to play in the rain, and even how neighboring plants and insects would help them enjoy each other’s company. The vibrancy with which each of these students imagined the lives of plants and their surrounding ecosystem gives me hope about the future of the environment in which we live and makes me excited to seeing these writers’ work grow just as their trees did in their stories.

Cuando lee toda la escritura que los alumnos de la clase de la Srta. García en T.A. Brown produjeron, no puedo creer que estas piezas fueron escritas con la mentalidad de los fundamentos de la planta. Cada uno de estos estudiantes exploraron muchas facetas de la vida de la planta: de las semillas a los árboles, y, finalmente, los animales que comparten el ecosistema con las propias plantas. Los escritores de la clase de la Srta. García exploraron la vida vegetal en longitud: imaginaron como sería para crecer con un árbol muy especial que era de ellos propio, alentadorando a semillas a que jugaran en la lluvia, e incluso cómo las plantas y los insectos vecinos disfrutarán la compañía del otro. La vitalidad con la que cada uno de estos escritores se imaginaban la vida de las plantas y su ecosistema me da esperanza sobre el futuro del medio ambiente en el que vivimos, y me hace ver a las obras de estos escritores crecer al igual que sus árboles hicieron en sus cuentos.

Lauren Espinoza
Badgerdog Teaching Artist

Semillas

lluvia besa a la
semillita déjala
que cresa
semillita deja
que la lluvia
te toque
juega en la
lluvia deja
que el liquido
de la lluvia
se pueda
batirse en
tu cabezita
que te de
canción para
que te de un
buen feliz
sueno deja
que sea
como tu
hermaño los
hermaños se
tratan con
respeto

Seeds

rain, kiss
the seed let
him grow
little seed let
the rain
touch you
play in the
rain let
the liquid
of the rain
fall so it
drums
on your head
let it give you
a song
so that you can have
very happy
dreams let it
be like
your brother
you treat brothers
with respect

Emmanuel

Bees

Plant, bees help you grow. They give you pollen, and they get pollen from other plants and the trees that have pollen to give to other plants. Bees can get other bees to help them get pollen from one plant to another plant, and they make the plants have more seeds and grow big. That’s the bee’s job—to help the plants grow bigger than you are.

Raul

If I Were a Rose

… and a butterfly was my neighbor and he wanted to have a sleepover at my house, I would say yes. But only if he didn’t not have stuff that cuts things. If that happened at the house, he would be kicked out and he would never come back again. So, I asked him, “Neighbor, you okay with that?” and he said, “Yes,” and that gave us all we needed to be friends. So I said, “See you around, neighbor.”

Kaylee G.

Las Semillas

Las semillas necesitan agua por que es para tú y para todas personas y semillas y animales. Todos necesitan agua, aire, tierra y sol—las semillas y nosotros. Y con más semillas, juegan contigo. Las semillas cuidan mucho a las flores y también las flores a las semillas.

The Seeds

Seeds need water because water is for you and for every person. Even seeds and animals. Everything needs water, air, soil, and water—seeds and us. With more seeds, they play with you. Seeds take care of flowers and the flowers take care of the seeds.

Kelly M.

Mi Arbolito Bonito

Yo tenia un año y en mi arbolito yo le puse muñequitas de princesa y cuando yo tenía dos año años a mi arbolito le puse moños. Cuando tenía tres le puse canastitas y cuando tenía cuatro le puse a mi árbol dulcecitos y cuando tenía cinco años le puse zapatos. A seis años el árbol tenía palitos y cuando tuve siete le puse joyitas y cuando tuve ocho le puse campanitas y sus hojas son rosita con negro y su troncito café era tan bonita.

My Beautiful Little Tree

When I was one, I put princess dolls on my tree. When I was two, I put bows on my tree. At three, I put little baskets, and when I was four I put candies on my tree. When I was five, I put shoes on my tree. At six, I noticed little branches on the tree, and when I was seven I put necklaces on the tree. When I was eight, I put bells on the tree, and the leaves were pink with black and its brown trunk was beautiful.

Maria

I Am a Tree That Lives in the Ground

I live in the North Pole where there is a lot of snow. There are polar bears, there are penguins, and it is so, so cold. I like when the people decorate me because I look pretty. I love the cold, and the sun spills its fiery blood on the wounded logs while the fragrance of their open sides show.

Dalia

Let the Rain Kiss You

Play in the rain. The rain plays a little sleep-song on our roof at night, and I love you. Let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops. Play with your friend in the pool. You and your friend play tag in the rain, or hide-and-seek. Let the rain play with you. You will grow and you will be bigger. Let the rain sing you a lullaby in the night, and let the rain chase you all the time.

Kevin C.

Semillas

Deja que te den agua
Deja que te den sol
Deja que te den tierra
Deja que te den aire
Deja que te den sombra
Deja que te den vida
Deja que te den comida
Deja que te den espacio
Deja que te den tiempo para jugar
Deja que te den hojas
Deja que te den raíces
Deja que te den rallo
Deja que te den una flor
Deja que te den manos
Deja que te den cabeza
Deja que te den pies
Deja que te den energía

Seeds

Let them give you water
Let them give you sun
Let them give you soil
Let them give you air
Let them give you shade
Let them give you life
Let them give you food
Let them give you space
Let them give you time to play
Let them give you leaves
Let them give you roots
Let them give you a scratch
Let them give you a flower
Let them give you hands
Let them give you a head
Let them give you feet
Let them give you energy

Yadira S.

Semillas

Las plantas necesitan agua para que crezcan y también le vamos a decir que dejen que se les viaje la agua. Cuando llueve las semillas bailan con las otras semillas. También cuando hay sol juegan con las otras semillas. Después pueden jugar carreras, y aver al que baile mejor. Al final, las semillas crecen mucho.

Seeds

Plants need water to grow, and we’re also going to say that they should let the water travel to them. When it rains, the seeds dance with the other seeds; and when the sun is out, they play with the other seeds. Afterwards, they can race and see who dances the best. In the end, the seeds grow a lot.

Blanca A.

The Missing Bunny

The fox was asking the owl to come down from the tree, and the owl kept on saying, “No! I will not come down at all!” The bunny woke up when it heard the owl yelling at the fox. Then his bunny mom came, and he went to find a quieter place to sleep—the opposite way his mom came from. Then the bunny mom was worried. She hopped away right before the fox ate her. Then the owl flew away. The baby bunny found a quiet spot, and the bunny mom was underground. She found a baby bunny, but is it her kid?

Nate R.

Mi Árbol Preferido

Cuando yo tenía un año yo le puse chocolates a mi árbol también el día al caso seis o seite hojas. Cuando cumplí dos años yo le puse corazones de papel a mi árbol y también le crecieron más hojas. Yo cumpli tres años yo le puse videojuegos al árbol y al árbol las hojas estaban verdes. Cuando yo tenía cuatro años yo le puse dulces a mi árbol y también le crecieron flores al árbol. Cuando yo tenía cinco años yo le puse globos de agua a mi árbol y unas hojas se pusieron anaranjado. Cuando yo tenía seis años yo le puse juguetes a mi árbol. Cuando yo tenía siete años yo lo puse dibujos al árbol y al árbol las hojas se pusieron cafés pero cafés. Cuando yo tenía ocho años yo le puse materiales para la escuela y al árbol se le cayeron todas las hojas.

My Favorite Tree

When I was one, I put chocolates on my tree. Also, on that day, there were six or seven leaves on my tree. When I turned two, I put paper hearts on my tree, and more leaves grew. On my third birthday, I put video games on the tree, and the tree leaves were green. When I was four, I added candy to my tree, and the tree grew her flowers. When I was five, I put water balloons on my tree, and some of the leaves turned orange. When I was six, I added toys to my tree. When I was seven, I put drawings on my tree, and the tree’s leaves turned really, really brown. When I was eight, I put school supplies on the tree, and all the leaves fell off the tree.

Emily G.

Butterfly

I would be happy because the plant is happy. I give the plant a little bit of pollen because I want to be its neighbor. I want to help the plant by giving water to its roots and giving it soil. Soil, water and air. I would help the plant by waving my wings in front of the plant so boys or girls won’t rip the flowers. I would help the plant by not giving the plant food; and I would help the plant by not eating it. Roses, I want to give you anything you need.

Ariana

Mi Arbol

Cuando yo tuviera un año me gustaba dormir en mi cuarto y el árbol tuviera flores. Cuando yo tenía un año el árbol estaba bien chiquito. A mi cumpleaños de dos años me gustaba aprender de los maestros y el árbol tenía semillas y el árbol estaba un poquita mas mediano. Cuando yo tenía mi cumpleaños de tres años, a mi me gustaba escribir un poquito y el árbol tenía pájaros. El árbol estaba un poquito más grande porque el árbol tiene tres años y yo tengo tres años porque yo y el árbol estamos iguales. Cuando tenía mi cumpleaños de cuatro años me gustaba colorear en papel blanco y el árbol tenía hojas y el árbol crecerá más grande porque yo y el árbol tenemos cuatro años. Cuando yo tenía mi cumpleaños de cinco años me gustaba bailar y el árbol estaba creciendo un poquito más alto. Cuando yo tenía mi cumpleanso de seis años me gustaba comer dulces y el árbol estaba más alto porque tiene seis años. Cuando yo tenía mi cumpleaños de siete años a mi me gustaba jugar con las computadoras y el árbol tenía juguetes. Y el árbol estaba bien alto. Cuando cumpli ocho años me gustaba hacer poemas y el árbol tenía cadenas y el árbol estaba grande como ahorita porque ahorita tengo ocho años. Cuando tuviera nueve años a mi me gustaría limpiar la casa y el árbol tuviera pulseras y el árbol también estaba mas alto cuando yo cumpli nueve años.

My Tree

When I was a year old, I liked to sleep in my room, and the tree had flowers. When I was one year old, the tree was really small. For my second birthday, I liked learning from teachers, and the tree had seeds and the tree was more medium-sized. On my third birthday, I liked to write a little bit, and the tree had birds. The tree was a little bigger because the tree was three years old, and I was also three years old because the tree and I were equal. On my fourth birthday, I liked to color on white paper, and the tree had leaves and the tree would grow bigger because we were both only four. When I had my fifth birthday, I liked to dance, and the tree was growing a little higher. When I was six, I liked to eat candies, and the tree was taller because it was six. When I had my seventh birthday, I liked to play with computers, and the tree had little toys. It was rather high. When I was eight, I liked to write poems, and the tree had strings and the tree was pretty big because then I we are eight years old. When I turn nine, I would like to clean the house, and the tree will have bracelets on it. The tree will still grow when I am nine.

Diana P.

Yo Soy Un Árbol

Y me van a cortar. Yo estoy en un bosque y se suben a mis troncos. Si me cortan y hacen un nido en mis troncos. Si te duele cuando te cortan todos los troncos y los sentimos muy triste porque te quitan las hojas y el sol. Sol da oxigena y necesitamos agua y crecemos mucho y los hacen en papel y los hacen en madera y en mesas.

I Am a Tree

And they are going to cut me down. I am in a forest, and they climb my trunk. They cut me, and they make a hole in my trunk. It hurts when they cut your trunk, and you have a lot of sad feelings because they take away your leaves and the sun. The sun gives us oxygen, and we need water to grow. When we’re cut, they make paper, wood, and tables.

Victor

When I Was Born

When I was a baby, I loved to sing and dance a lot. When I was two, I loved to eat. When I was three, I loved to play video games. When I was four, I loved to eat arroz with frijoles. When I was five, I loved to eat apples.

Jerimiha

Los Rolly Poly

Los Rolly Poly ayudan a la planta a crecer por decirle a las plantas te puede traer agua para que crezcas alta así como un dinosaurio. Y así es como yo ayudaria a la planta a crecer con todo lo que pueda crecer. Aya donde esta el sol que esta tan grande, así es como yo ayudaría la plata que me ayuda a mi. Así el y yo los vamos ayudar al planeta. Y si esta frio le voy a decir, puedo romper una pocita de tus hojas, y me dice que si. Pos yo las voy ayudar si me da un poco de sus hojas para que yo me cobije del frio.

The Rolly Polies

The Rolly Polies help the plants grow by telling the plants that they can bring them water so that they can grow as big as dinosaurs. That’s how I would help the plants grow as big as they can grow. There, where the sun is too big, that is how the plants will help me. That way, we will both help the planet. And if it is cold, I will ask if I can tear off some of his leaves, and the plants will say yes. And I will help the plants if they give me some of their leaves to cover myself when it’s cold.

Luis

Sin Título

Deja que las semillas les caiga el agua para que les salgan las hojitas. Cuando crescan las semillas hacen comida para los humanos y también para que vivemos. Las semillas necesitan mucho agua para vivir y también están muy altas. Y la comida que nos dan tienen más semillas para que nos den más comida. Y es también como el ciclo de la vida. Una semilla viene creciendo mas y mas para que nos den mucho alimentos. Si nos da alimento nosotros sobre viviéramos por toda la vida.

Untitled

Let the water fall on the seeds so that they can grow little leaves. When the seeds grow, they make food for people so that we can live. Seeds need a lot of water to live, and they are really tall. And the food that they give us has more seeds so that we can have more food. That is like the circle of life. A seed grows and grows so that we can have nourishment. If it gives us nourishment, we can live on it for the rest of our life.

Cristian C.

Sin Título

Las semillas nacen con el suelo. Necesitan energía también para vivir. Las plantas también necesitan nacer. Unas semillas son de la comida y otros no porque si los comemos todos se muere. Se viene mi abeja aveces se puede alimentar también de mis flores. Nosotros necesitamos tierra, mucha tierra, y comemos mucho. La semilla necesita comer también yo creo que las semillas son diferentes. Con semillas grande y pequeñas también hay diferente semillas aveces ay de los árboles también. Semillas necesitan aprender como protegerse también necesita agua de la lluvia también aire. Una de las semillas se llama Charlota.

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Seeds are born with the ground. They also need energy to live. Plants also need to be born. Some seeds are for food and others are not because if we eat all the seeds everyone dies. If my bee comes, sometimes he can get food from my flowers. We need land, lots of land, and we eat a lot. The seed needs to eat also, and I believe that the seeds are different. With big and small seeds, sometimes there are different seeds, and from the trees, too. Seeds need to learn to protect themselves. They also need rainwater and air. One of the seeds is named Charlotte.

Damaris

Natural Perspectives from Mrs. Rodriguez’s class at Brown Elementary

The writers in Ms. Rodriguez’s second-grade classroom at T.A. Brown Elementary have a lot to wish for. They wish flowers could dance and bees could talk. They wish they could be horses and bluejays, bunnies and mice. They want to run, jump, and follow the rainwater on its trip through the parts of a plant. Their desire is at the root of their buzzing imaginations. … Over the course of our weeks together, they conjured one wonderful metaphor on top of another: a plant’s roots are a man who lifts weights. The ground is like a black hole to outer space. The noise of thunder is drums, and bees make sounds like a person snoring, or a lawnmower cutting the grass. Every day, they described to me a wolf’s big teeth, a dolphin bright in the sunlight, and a flower that was yellow like the sun, or smelled like strawberries. … The pieces collected here demonstrate not just these writers’ imaginative power, but also their extraordinary capacity for empathy. In their poems and stories, they consider the fear of a mouse hiding from a cat with sharp nails, the desire of a bear searching for honey, and the loneliness of a dinosaur who feels he’s too big, angry, and dangerous for the world he lives in. They picture roses overhearing the noises people make in gardens and the power of flowers that could fly. Take a look at their work to find out all of the remarkable things these writers dream.

Molly McCully Brown
Badgerdog Teaching Artist

A Bunny

I’m a bunny. I jump high like a rocket. I feel bumping in the clouds.
I eat something orange, and something on the top is green.
It is my favorite vegetable. I’m a color like the snow.
I like jumping and eating. I feel the opposite of sad.
You can guess what else I eat. It is green, all green.

Giselle

The Roots

The thunder is like drums.
The ground is like a stage.
The dirt feels hard.
The roots are big and strong like a tree.
The roots are like a dancer because
the roots dance like boys and girls.

Nariah

Plants

My favorite part of the plant is the flower. The flower makes the bees and the butterflies come to the flower. The flower is different colors. The flower is soft like dirt and soft like mud. I like the lifecycle of a flower. One flower is a rose. My favorite part of the lifecycle is the seed. The seed needs water and then the seed begins to grow. Inside the plant there are different parts. The parts of the plant are the roots, seed, stem, pollen, petal, and pistil. I wish the flower could dance like a rockin’ ball.

Fernanda

The Roots Are Like…

The roots are like a man.
They’re like a man who does weights because
they’re strong.
The roots are like a straw.
They’re like a straw because
when the plants drink water
they act like a straw.
The roots are like a stick because
a stick and the roots are strong.

Mia

If I Was a Mouse

If I was a mouse, the earth would be big and the people would be like giants and I would be in my mouse house eating cheese. The people would be playing their games and they would be watching movies and I would be hiding from big, scary cats. And the people would be petting the cats and a cat would be scratching his back and I would be scared of the cat with his sharp nails.

Matthew

Metaphors

The sun is crazy energy.
The thunder is crazy power.
The ground is like a black hole
going to outer space.
The dirt is like meat.
The flower is like
a big giant parachute.
The roots are like a water trip.
They take the water on a trip

Kevin

The Plants and the Bees

The plants are so healthy for the bees.
The bees are little animals.
They are orange and black.
The bees sting the people.
The bees eat the honey of the plants.
The bees go, Zzzzzzzz,
like when a person is snoring.
I love the bees.
The bees are bright like the sun
and so cute.
I wish the bees could talk.
They could say:
Wow, are you Lizzetth?

Lizzetth

The Flower Is Beautiful

The flower smells like strawberry.

The flower looks like
the yellow sun.

The flower feels like a bunny.

The flower reminds me of a star.

The flower reminds me of a star
because it is beautiful.

Kimberly

The Yellow Plant

The plant is yellow.
The plant is a sun.

The plant is big.
It is awesome.

I like it.

It is green on the bottom,
and on top it is yellow like bees.

It is so, so long.

Jeremiah

The Flower

The flower is so beautiful,
like a dolphin, bright in the sunlight.

The flower is the colors pink and red,
yellow, purple—so many colors.

The flower is like a heart beating fast.
It is beautiful, a rabbit white.

The flowers are cool.
Wherever you go, you see them.

The flower is powerful.
I wish that the flowers could fly.

Nuria

The Bees and the Bear

My favorite part of the plant is the flower. The bees take the pollen from the flower to their house. The bees are like bugs, and the bees sound like someone is cutting the grass. The bees take nectar to make honey. The bees like the honey, and the bears like the honey. That means the bear is searching for the honey, and the bees are too. That means it is the bears versus the bees, and the bear is happy. Maybe if he finds more honey he will get it for his babies.

Adislado

Wild Animal

Being a dinosaur feels big. I hear my stomping like someone big is knocking. It is terrible for me when I grab an object. I feel a T-Rex trying to tell me something, and I feel like the birds are airplanes trying to trap me in a net. I try to respond but they don’t let me. There’s a big, shiny man up in the sky, and I feel loneliness. I feel madness all over me. I am trying to talk to someone, but I forget that there’s madness all over me. I feel lonely. The flowers are asteroids trying to hit me, and the sun is falling down into the deep water. I feel like everyone in the world is trying to leave me alone. I feel like I am the predator.

Angel

Bluejay

If I were a bluejay, I could fly around, and I would look for nuts. I could see everything. I could sleep in a tree and then get back up and do it all again. I could do a lot of work, and if a predator was trying to get me, I could fly and not be hurt. I could hide if somebody were trying to hurt me. I could go to every habitat. My color would be blue. I could live in a jungle or a rainforest, but it rains too much in the rainforest. I would not go inside a house because there might be a dog or a cat, and I might die. So I would live in a habitat, but not too close to a city because I might die. I would want to live in my own habitat.

Nathan

I Want to Be a Horse

I want to be a horse, a horse with soft fur that feels like a pillow and a tail, a tail that feels like a blanket. I would get to eat hay, like straws, and my eyes would be so beautiful. They would look like a shiny diamond of sunlight. The hay would taste like eating sweet honey. It would be awesome to run free and jump over things.

Alex

Flowers

The flower is like an
angel in the sky of different colors,
like blue and purple and pink and
more colors.

The angel reminds me
of a flower because it is so
very beautiful.

Ricardo

The Wolf

The wolf is cool
because it has big teeth.

The wolf is bigger than a dog
and really strong.

Juan

The Roses

The roses are so good.
The roses are in the garden
with the bugs.

They are silly.

The roses hear the noises of the people
who are in the garden.

The rose is like a person.
The rose is like a friend.

The roses are nice.

The bees by the roses
sound like singing.

Jaquelynne

The Growth Cycle of Brown Elementary’s Writers

The second-graders in Ms. Menchaca’s class at Brown Elementary School found their voices. As we followed the growth cycle of a plant, we simultaneously planted the seeds of our imaginations. Studying author Pat Mora, we sprouted metaphors for our beloved mothers, and two sixth-graders’ odes led us to honor our fruits and vegetables. Author Bob “Mud” McMahon asked us to look inside an apple for answers… The elements needed to write are so similar to what plants need. Good soil (the mind), water (nourishment), and sunshine (imagination). You’ll get a breath of fresh air from these poems. Alexia sums up the process of writing and growth: It takes love and patience. “Last, it takes time to grow.”

Jena Kirkpatrick
Badgerdog Teaching Artist

My Mom is Compared to a Cook

My mom is compared to a cook
She cooks good for me
And my sister and my brother
She is a master of cooking
She makes spaghetti and meatballs
She makes hamburger patties
She makes salad and meat

Jesse

Saving Seeds

I ate an apple
I saved the seed
Me and my dad
We put the seed in the dirt
My roots were big
The tree was big and tall
On the apple, there were little leaves
The sun was so bright
The seed was growing
There were twenty apples
Then we made an apple pie

Marquez Coronado

I Like Apples

I like apples
My mom got me the apple
I got the seed
I planted it in my pot
I gave it to my mom and dad
My mom got water
And put it on the flowers
Roses and sunflowers came out
My friend came over to my house
He said he liked it
I made one for my friend because he wanted one too
Then I made some corn and my friend got some too
He liked the corn
He said his favorite color is yellow
Corn is my favorite vegetable too
I ate pumpkin seeds
They were good
I like pumpkin seeds
My friend wanted pumpkin seeds
I gave him some

Jahira Cruz Giron

My Ode to My Mom

Oh Mom, I love you because you make my favorite food and I love it.
Oh Mom, you let me have fun!
Oh Mom, I want to see you.
Oh Mom, please let me spend the night with you after school.

Saydi Garcia

The Lion Fish

I love my mom.
My mom keeps me warm.
My mom has beautiful hair.
I like my mom.
When she laughs, I laugh.
My mom puts me to bed.
My mom tries to tickle me.
My mom gets me fun stuff.
I was laughing.
I went to the zoo.
I go to sleep.
I gave her candy.
I eat candy, too!

Noah

The Apple Seed

I had an apple, and I ate it. It had seeds inside. I put them in the pot. I was looking for a place to put it. I put it in my garden where my other fruit trees are. I like the garden a lot. It is so fun. Gardening is the best thing ever. An apple has a long stem. The stem is a part of the apple. Fruits are healthy for you. They are good protein. I cut the apples in half. I planted a lot of roses and flowers. That is how my poem lasts. It takes time to grow a nice flower. I am going to make it a good garden.

Bre’On

The Orange

The orange can grow leaves.
The orange can grow so big.
The orange will need water and sun.
The orange will be like chocolate.
My dad and mom will help me take care of the orange.
I had a car, and it made fruits and vegetables in people’s grass.
I helped them have a new garden.
The orange will be so sweet.
The orange will have a seed.
The seed will be orange.
The orange is going to have a stem.
The orange will be in the store.
I will sell the little oranges.
The big ones will stay with me.
I will not let the big orange go.
I will play tea party with my big orange.
I will not cut him.
Then he will pass on, and I will have a new friend.
I will miss him.
I will grow a new orange named Silly.
Orange and I had good times together.
I loved orange.

Raven Lewis

Beautiful Chocolate

I write an ode to my mom.
She is sweet.
I love her.
My stepmother and I have the same necklaces.
I went to the dentist with my mom.
Where is my mom?
She is beautiful.
I kiss my mom.
She is a chocolate fountain.
I live in Candy Land.

Alexia

My Ladybug Mom

I will compare my mom to a ladybug
She loves to fly
And change colors
But still the dots — ha, ha, ha
She loves protecting flowers
My mom loves the little, tiny bugs that are light green
Sometimes she drinks water in a leaf
Sometimes she turns green, red, or blue
She eats leaves and grass
She has friends like me, but with black dots, too
She changes when it’s winter, autumn, and summer
She is a beautiful ladybug
She is like the turtle she gets in her shell
She flies with the other bugs and ladybugs
Then she climbs on flowers
She gets good looks, like a tiny ant
She’s with a friend
She has a lot of sick friends
She has other friends who can help her
Zoo friends, including me

Lilian

My Mom is Like a Jungle

My mom is compared to a jungle.
She makes great fruits and vegetables from the jungle.
We read animal books that are from the jungle.
She is sometimes like a monkey.
She teaches me the animals of the jungle.
My mom loves the plants.
She likes the flowers there, too.
She loves water that waters the plants.
My mom loves the jungle.

Zachary

Compared to Clouds

My mom is compared to a fish because they jump.
My mom is compared to a wave because they’re big.
My mom is compared to clouds because you can make things.
My mom is compared to sound because it is smooth.
My mom is compared to sun because it is warm.
My mom is compared to water because you can swim.

Joe Perez

Orange Seeds

I love oranges
So I planted a seed in an eggshell
I put one in the middle
I hope that it will be five feet tall
I will have an orange party
I will have two hundred oranges in my tree
I will sell them
They will be so big
I will have two trees
My trees will be ten feet tall
I will have orange shoes
I will have an egg beard

Jimmy Soliz

Ideas

Ideas, where do you come from?
I come from your brain.
Can I play with you?
I forgot, I think with you.
Help me, help me if you can.
Give me ideas.
I want to think about butterflies with you.
Help me think of all the things that butterflies do.
I like you.
Do you like me?
Yes, I like you.
I like you more.
No, I like you more.
What? How about we like each other more?
Okay…
We can.
What do you want to do together?
Ummmm… how about think.
That’s a good idea.
Let’s think about fairies.
Okay!
No, let’s think about animals.
Okay!
How about both?
Okay!

Sophia Trevino

I Love You Mommy

I would compare my mom to an angel.
She sings like an angel.
She plays instruments like an angel.
She talks to me like an angel.
She gives me hugs and kisses when I come and go.
She’s really kind.
She knows a lot about heaven.
I imagine that she has a halo.
She has a giant heart.
That’s what makes her very loving.
She plays the piano.
She holds me when I’m scared at midnight.
Her wings make me warm.
She covers me with her wings.

Promise Wright

A Scientific Inquiry of Beauty from Brown Elementary

This spring, Ms. Cordova’s third-grade plant scientists gathered to answer the important questions of the world: What are seeds dreaming, and who are their friends? How do roots taste? Why are stems so tall and skinny? (Is it because they skipped breakfast today?) What if leaves were fish? Do flowers like spaghetti? And, of course, why are apples bald and fat? These brilliant, passionate writers took the tools of science—using senses to observe the world, asking important questions, and testing out theories—and danced the line between fact and fiction, observation and imagination. The result is honest, delicious, and smells just like a tomato plant to me.

Tricia Hassenfeld
Badgerdog Teaching Artist

Yo soy una flor

por Escritores Científicos de la Srta. Córdova

Yo soy un girasol; yo necesito agua, sol y aire.
Soy un girasol como el sol.
Yo soy bonita y feo.
Yo soy flaca.
Yo soy algo fuerte.
Yo soy malo.
Yo soy una princesa.
Yo soy como limonada.
Soy como el sol amarillo y bonito y feo y hermoso.
Soy como un árbol de pescados.
Los pétalos se parecen como estrellas y corazones.
Digo: “Hola mama, quiero sopa y agua.”
Veo una raíz.
Yo oigo una flor y un ruido.
Yo pruebo como un pie.
Yo me siento como el hormiga.
Yo se que un animal vive el la planta.
Y también me gusta la agua como mi hermana, la persona se llama Senorita Chica.
Mi flor se llama Patricia.
Tengo semillas en una parte cafe y tengo una parte como una cosa blanca que es mi raíz.
No me gusta espagueti.
Me encanta la agua.
Me encanta las puerquitos.
Me encanta comer comida.
Me encanta la flor.

I Am a Flower

by Ms. Cordova’s Science Writers

I am a sunflower; I need water, sun, and air.
I am a sunflower like the sun.
I am beautiful and ugly.
I am skinny.
I am somewhat strong.
I am mean.
I am a princess.
I am like lemonade.
I’m like the yellow and beautiful and ugly and gorgeous sun.
I’m like a tree of fish.
The petals seem like stars and hearts.
I say, “Hello, Mama. I want soup and water.”
I see a root.
I hear a flower and a noise.
I taste like a foot.
I feel like an ant.
I know that an animal lives in the plant.
And also, I like the water like my sister, the person called Ms. Chica.
My flower is called Patricia.
I have seeds in a brown part, and I have a part like a white thing that is my root.
I don’t like spaghetti.
I love water.
I love piglets.
I love to eat food.
I love the flower.

Semillas/ Seeds

La semilla necesita agua
La semilla ama el color marrón
La semilla necesita sol
La semilla necesita una casa
La semilla necesita mucho sol
La semilla es soñar con una planta
La semilla es de Australia
Su nombre es Little Cleó

The seed needs water
The seed loves the color brown
The seed needs sun
The seed needs a house
The seed needs a lot of sun
The seed is dreaming about a plant
The seed is from Australia
Her name is Little Cleo

Leslie Zavala

Preguntas para mi semilla

¿Cuándo va a llover?
¿Dónde vives?
¿Dónde crece desde?
¿Tienes amigos?
¿Tiene un nombre?

Questions For My Seed

When will it rain?
Where do you live?
Where do you grow from?
Do you have friends?
Do you have a name?

Jared

Raíces y Tallos / Roots and Stems

Las raíces tienen el pelo como el pelo de un perro o como nubes
Huelo rico
En el tallo se siente suave
Se esta moviendo la planta
Es mojado

The roots have hair like a dog’s hair or like clouds
Fresh smell
On the stem, it feels soft
The plant is moving
It is wet

Daniel

Untitled

La planta tiene pelo como amarillo
y las plantas necesitan raices para qué no se caiga.
Y yo las miro
y huele a rico
saben a fresa
y yo las toco y estan rasposas
y toco las raices y estan mojadas.
Y la planta es de tomate.
Y la planta es chicita.

The plant has hair like yellow
and the plants need roots so that they don’t fall.
I look at them
and they smell fresh,
taste like a strawberry.
And I touch them and they are scratchy,
and I touch the roots and they are wet.
And the plant is tomato.
And the plant is a little girl.

Jimena

Flores / Flowers

Yo soy una sol planta amarilla
Yo soy amarilla negra y cafe
Yo soy bonita y feliz
Yo tomo agua
Yo digo que soy loca
Yo veo semillas en mis petales
Yo oigo agua en el jardin
Yo huelo la tierra
Yo pruebo la tierra
Yo me siento loca
Yo sé a ser mi propia comida
Me gusta la agua
No me gusta las semillas
Me encanta la agua
Y soy bonita como una reina

I am a yellow sun plant
I’m black, yellow and brown
I am beautiful and happy
I drink water
I say I’m crazy
I see seeds in my petals
I hear water in the garden
I smell the soil
I taste the earth
I feel crazy
I know how to be my own food
I like the water
I do not like the seeds
I love the water
And I’m beautiful like a queen

Alexander

Yo soy una cosa como el sol

Yo soy muy amarillo
Yo soy grande
Soy como el sol
Digo algo
Yo veo el sol
Oigo pájaros
Huelo agua
Pruebo agua
Me siento bien
Yo sé a ser mi comida
Me gusta la agua
No me gusta la sombra
Me encanta el agua y el sol
Y soy como el sol amarillo y tengo semillas en una parte cafe y tengo una parte como una cosa blanca es rais

I Am a Thing Like the Sun

I am very yellow
I am big
I’m like the sun
I say something
I see the sun
I hear birds
I smell water
I taste water
I feel good
I know my food
I like the water
I do not like the shade
I love water and sunshine
And I’m like the yellow sun
And I have seeds in a brown part
And I have a part like a white thing that is my root

Miguel

Frutas / Fruit

Querido Fresa,

Usted tiene jugo dulce y tiene semillas. Usted es mi fruta favorita en todo el mundo.

Atentamente,
Jennifer

Dear Strawberry,

You have sweet juice, and you have seeds. You are my favorite fruit in the whole world.

Sincerely,
Jennifer

Querido Apple,

Tiene semillas
sabor dulce
corteza dura
suena crujientes
Me encanta porque es sabroso
olor a jugo de manzana
Me haces feliz

Desde

Jalen

Dear Apple,

Has seeds
tastes sweet
crust hard
sounds crunchy
I love it because it is tasty
smell apple juice
You make me happy

From

Jalen

Querido manzana roja,

Te miras como roja.
Y hueles como limón.
Te miras como carne.
Te sabes como dulce y pelo.
Te sientes como mariquita.
Estas fuerte como mesa.
Te miras bonita.
Tu no tienes pelo.

Atentamente,
Hugo

Dear Red Apple,

You look like red.
And you smell like lemon.
You look like meat.
You taste like sweet and hair.
You feel like a ladybug.
You are strong as a table.
You look beautiful.
You are bald.

Sincerely,
Hugo

Untitled

Lo que sé de la manzana es que las plantas tienen su color como rojo, verde, amarillo. Y también suena como una planta, porque esta fruta tiene una semilla porque la gente compra una bolsa de semillas y como un fruto que podemos comer, y la gente a comer, porque si ellos pueden comer el parque, se puede comer y cerrar. Y las manzanas se parecen mucho como una pera porque su color se mira como verde y la manzana es suave. Y la planta puede crecer porque la planta necesita agua, sol, tierra porque asi puede tener mucha fruta para comer y la planta se va a sentir muy feliz porque le puse agua, sol, tiera y asi puede tener muchas bolsas porque asi puedes tener mucha fruta. Y el jugo se sale y nos podemos tomar porque tiene de la manzana y te asi muy miel y tera puedes tomar porque es jugo. Y te la come y puedes tomar y puedes crecer.

What I know about the apple is that plants have a color like red, green, yellow. And also it sounds like a plant because this fruit has a seed because people buy a bag of seeds and as a fruit that we can eat, and people will eat it because if they can eat the park, they can eat and close. And apples seem so much like a pear because its color looks like green, and the apple is smooth. And the plant can grow because the plant needs water, sun, and soil because it may well have lots of fruit to eat, and the plant will feel very happy because I put water, sun, and soil for it, and there will be so many bags because you can have so much fruit. And the juice comes out and we can drink it because it has apple in it, and so you really can drink honey and feel better because it is juice. And you eat it and you can drink it and you can grow.

Yamileth

Queridas Frutas,

Todas las frutas son buenas porque tienen jugo y también tienen semillas todas las frutas pero las bananas no tienen semillas. Son como un telefono. La fresa se llama Patricia.

Dear Fruits,

All fruits are good because they have seeds and juice. All fruits but bananas: they do not have seeds. They are like a phone. The strawberry is called Patricia.

Prisila

Querida Blueberry,

Un día te compré. Su savia era muy feo poreso no me gusta que si me gusta el color azul.

Love,
Ashley

Querida Manzana,

Tienes mucho sabor. Me das energía como el sol. Eres muy roja como carne. Porque tienes cascara. You are so crunchy.

Sincerely,
Ashley

Queridas frutas,

Mango gracias por tu sabor.
Piña tu rimas con esta niña.
Pera eres verde como las plantas.
Banana eres amarilla como un helote.
Fresa no me gusta el color rosa porque no eres azul.
Sensiramente
Ashley

Dear Blueberry,

One day I bought you. Your sap was very ugly because I don’t like you if I like the color blue.

Love,
Ashley

Dear Apple,

You have so much flavor. You give me energy like the sun. You are very red like meat. That’s because you have a shell. You are so crunchy.

Sincerely,
Ashley

Dear fruits,

Mango, thank you for your flavor.
Piña, you rhyme with esta niña.
Pear, you are green like plants.
Banana, you are yellow like helote.
Strawberry, I don’t like the color pink because you are not blue.

Sincerely,
Ashley

Mi fruta favorita es banano

1. Mi fruta huele a banana
2. Mi fruta es larga
3. Mi banano es bonito
4. Mi banano es muy rico
5. Mi banano es muy ricísima para comer
6. Banano es amarillo
7. Mi banano huele a manzana y sucar

My Favorite Fruit Is Banana

1. My fruit smells like banana
2. My fruit is long
3. My banana is beautiful
4. My banana is very sweet
5. My banana is the sweetest to eat
6. Banana is yellow
7. My banana smells like apple and sugar

Jose

Untitled

A mi me gusta el mango porque el mango sabe rico
y le puedes echar chile que venden en la tienda como si tu le echas chile or no le echas nada y delisioso el mango yo mi papa nos gusta el mango toda mi familia le gusta el mango.

Me gusta la manzana.
Huele a manzana.
Se puede aplastar.
La manzana sabe rica.
La manzana es roja.
La manzana tiene semilla.
La manzana se puede comer.
La manzana se llama Ms. Tricia.
Hay muchas manzanas que venden.

Sinceramente,
Leslie Martinez

I like mango because mango tastes sweet and you can take it with chile that they sell at the store, so if you have it with chile or nothing, the mango is delicious. My papa and I like mangos. My whole family likes mango.

I like the apple.
It smells like apple.
You can crush it.
The apple tastes sweet.
The apple is red.
The apple has seeds.
The apple can be eaten.
The apple is named Ms. Tricia.
There are many apples that they sell.

Sincerely,
Leslie Martinez

Untitled

La manzana se ve como una mariquita. Huele como plátano. Sabe rico. Tiene mucho jugo.

Dear apple,
Mi me gusta las manzanas porque tienen jugo y sabe rico y huele como platano y se ve como una mariquita.

The apple looks like a ladybug. It smells like plantain. It tastes delicious. It has a lot of juice.

Dear apple,
I like apples because they have juice, taste sweet, smell like plantain, and look like a ladybug.

Diego

Untitled

Querido Mango: Eres tan sabroso como dulces. Eres naranja. Eres adorable y te guste con chile, sal y limon. Tú eres como el azúcar. Eres delicioso. Tú eres mi mejor amigo. Sé que voy a comerte.

Dear Mango: You are so tasty like candy. You are orange. You are adorable and I like you with chile, salt, and lemon. You are like sugar. You are delicious. You are my best friend. Know I’m going to eat you.

Vanessa

Para manzana

Yo veo la manzana como una mariquita
esta bien rica y traer jugo
y esta bien rica hasta que quiere otra
manzana que traer mucho y mas es rico
y te quiero decir mi favorita fruta es cereza
y todas las frutas estan bien ricas
y gracias por la manzana

For Apple

I see the apple as a ladybug.
It is good and sweet and brings us juice.
And it is so sweet that it makes me want another
apple that brings so much and more is delicious
and I want to say that my favorite fruit is cherry
and all fruits are good and sweet
and thank you for the apple.

Jessica

Querida manzana

Tu hueles a manzana
Suenas como crack
¿Cómo lo haces?
Sabes como el jugo de manzana
Haces que me dan ganas de conseguir más

Querido pera

Eres tan bueno
Cuando me lo como, me haces deliciosa
No tienes lados
La pera se mira a un triángulo.

Dear apple

You smell like apple.
You sound like crack.
How do you do it?
You taste like apple juice.
You make me want to get more.

Dear pear

You are so good.
When I eat you, you make me delicious.
You don’t have sides.
You look like a triangle.

Angel

Ms. Cordova’s Badgerdog Writers at Brown Elementary

Ms. Cordova’s class expressed themselves as only second-graders can—with frank, original, and vivid concepts. Using imaginative similes, they wrote poems in honor of their pets. Esmeralda wrote, “My dogs—when they bark—it is noisy, like in music class.” Roman shared, “I love my dog—he has soft skin, like if he were a polar bear, and like a glass of milk and also the pages of a book.” Luis contributed his clever line, “My cat—he doesn’t scratch and he doesn’t fight. He goes ‘duuurrr’ like a motorcycle.” I was stopped in my tracks by Nicole’s line, “I’m excited like the art of a face.” To imagine connecting these ideas is truly the basis of poetry. Poetry asks of you to speak from the heart, to look at still-frame pictures in your mind and explain them fully so that your reader or listener will connect with you. It is beyond spelling and structure. They will learn these concrete forms as time allows them practice. These very young students succeeded by sharing their thoughts and dreams fully. They did the only thing I wished for—believe in themselves enough to express their thoughts. I am proud of all of their efforts. Please enjoy the poems on these virtual pages. With a simple click, you may share them with friends and family.

Jena Kirkpatrick
Badgerdog Teaching Artist

Gold is Like the Sun

I saw my dog mad like a car,
like it was driving
to the bottom of the ocean.
I am happy because the grasshoppers
stopped making noises.
I am sad because the car is mad like my dog.
The car is gold like the sun.
I ate a fork because my soup is hot.

 Raul

Normal Tree

I am a tree. I have been cut down by a person. They want me to be a Christmas tree. They are going to put baubles on me, and I do not want to be fancy. I just want to be a normal tree. Just like an apple tree. At the end of Christmas, when they are asleep, I am going to escape and be a normal tree. I am going to have some apples, and they will be crunchy and tasty. The kids are going to eat them. When they pick them, they will be tasty and crunchy. People will climb on my trunk and tie a rope and make a swing. 

Maria

Elephant

Elephant, elephant, you are big.
You have long feet, and you have a big trunk,
And big ears, and a big, long tail.
And you are being big, because you have a big tummy.

Brian

Little Fish

At Christmas, I always want a dog,
But I have a little fish.
The fish know some tricks.
When I give them food, they look at me.
They go up, and they get food for their babies.
They go up again and get food for themselves.
I love my fish.
I also love dogs.
My fish are the colors black and orange.
A frog’s color is grey.

Aalyah

Good and Nice

My cat is blue and black and nice.
He knows where his house is.
He is a baby.
I play with him.
He doesn’t scratch, and he doesn’t fight.
He goes, duuurrr, like a motorcycle.
He runs fast.
He plays with my stuff.
I feel he is good and nice.

Luis

Dora, You Are an Explorer

Oh, Dora, Dora, Dora
You are an explorer, explorer, explorer
You drive to places where they need help
From Africa to California
From California to Illinois
From Illinois to China

Cristal

Like a Treasure

Winter is cold like ice and snow.
Snow is white like paper.
I have a gold Play Station like a treasure.
My dog is mad like a tornado.
I feel good when I play my Play Station 3.
Good like happy.
I am furious like mad.
My TV is black like a black ball.
My hat is red like my shoes.
A rocket is fast like a motorcycle.
The dogs move like people. 

Alexi

Save the World

Oh, Power Rangers
Oh, Power Rangers
Oh, Power Rangers
You fight battles
With cool monsters
From an evil world
You battle with
Your big robot
And you defeat the
Monsters and
Save the world

Jose

About Magical Drums, Drums, Drums

Drums, drums, drums
You are noisy
How I scream
Like there is a band I make you play
When I am really excited
And when it’s my birthday
Sing for me
I love you like I love my favorite pants
They are colored cherry and strawberry
And Hello Kitty
Orange
Like the hottest chips I ever ate

Roxanne

The Art of a Face

I’m happy like a bunny.
She is shy because of school.
My turtle is like a shell.
I gallop like a horse.
I cry like the rain in summer.
The color pink is like a bunny’s nose.
I’m excited like the art of a face.
I’m happy like my baby brother smiling.
Winter is like the color white.
I play music like winter.
My bracelet is like the color gold.
The wall color is like blue and white.
It’s sunny like the color yellow.
My heart is like the colors pink and red.
My house is like the school.
The dog has spots like black and white.
The worm is like the color green.
Summer is like playing at the beach.

Nicole

The Heart Is Like Love

I like my book because it is from Justin Bieber.
Winter is cool like the water.
The sun is not like the big café.
Running is like the car, big or little.
Chocolate is like the book—brown.
Water is like the water hot.
A sister is a good thing to laugh or play with.
Teachers are like the best thing for kids.
Dads are like work, and strong.
A heart is like love or having something special,
Or a big or little surprise.
A pencil is like to read.
A house is like to sleep better or eat or watch TV.
The park is like to run or do nothing.
The toys are to play with like a bear or candy.

Betzaida

My Bear

I have a bear.
It is white like winter.
His eyes are baby blue.
Winter is cold like ice in a Coca-Cola.
When it’s winter, my house is covered with snow.
My bear goes out with me.
When he plays in the snow, I can’t find him
because he is white like the snow.
He makes a hole on the ice, and he hides
in the hole so I can’t find him.
Sometimes I can’t find him, but if I don’t
find him, he gets out of the hole.

Mario

My Dogs

My dogs are brown, black, and white like a bunny.
When it is cold, my dogs are scared like a turtle.
When they go outside, I get mad like a red tomato.
When they bark, it is so noisy, like music in music class.
When I am mad, I go outside and relax, playing by myself.
Sometimes I do yoga, and sometimes I stretch, and I am happy.
My dog’s heart is red like my mad face.
I go inside and play with my brother, and his face is red like lava.

Esmeralda

Grey Like the Whale

I was crying just like the rain.
I had a bunny.
She had hair white just like the snow.
I had a ball just like the sun.
The sun. It was fun to play with it.
I was shy to cry about this.
Sometimes I was just too furious about why I lost these.
It is all my fault.
My bunny is jumping like a grasshopper.
I remember the old times.
It was so fun eating with my fork.
It was grey like the whale.
That’s why, why I was crying.

Ashley

Baby Little Dog

I love my dog
He is a baby, little dog
My dog is a color like gold
White like snow
He has soft skin like if he were a polar bear
And like a glass of milk
And also the pages of a book

Roman

Ms. Garcia’s Badgerdog Writers at Brown Elementary

What an energetic and creative class! Every session, Ms. García’s students were eager to write and read and share their pieces with each other; they thrived on pushing the boundaries of the original and finding new meanings to common names and words. We kicked off the workshop by penning a poem called “Yo Soy (I Am),” where they introduced themselves with impressive and touching results. Then we drew inspiration from Pablo Neruda’s “Ode to French Fries” and wrote  mind-bending odes to common things, such as chocolate, tigers, or Wal-Mart. Next we ventured to create a new superhero out of TA Brown’s mascot, the Bobcat, and the kids wrote  fantastic stories about him. They also worked on finding stories hidden in the names of the people they love the most and challenged themselves to revise their work. I was thoroughly impressed by the creativity, hard work, and enthusiasm of these budding writers. After you read their pieces, I’m sure you will be, too.

– Antonio Ruiz-Camacho
Badgerdog Teaching Artist

Yo Soy

Yo soy un nombre
Yo soy una estrella
Yo soy un corazón
Yo soy un toro
Yo soy un libro
Yo soy una silla
Yo soy un bebé
Yo soy un asiento
Yo soy una computadora
Yo soy un taco
Yo soy un papel
Yo soy una palabra
Yo soy una mariposa
Yo soy un ángel
Yo soy las manos
Yo soy los ojos
Yo soy una chaqueta
Yo soy los materiales
Yo soy los zapatos
Yo soy los números
Yo soy una niña
Yo soy una taquería
Yo soy un carro
Yo soy un tigre
Yo soy una comida
Yo soy un reloj
Yo soy palabras en inglés
Yo soy un examen
Yo soy una bomba
Yo soy un ojo feo
Yo soy una cámara
Yo soy arte
Yo soy un fólder
Yo soy mi nombre
Yo soy la luz
Yo soy una clase
Yo soy un juego
Yo soy el boss
Yo soy lego
Yo soy una playa
Yo soy un lápiz
Yo soy una mesa
Yo soy un público
Yo soy lente
Yo soy agua
Yo soy un plato roto
Yo soy un estíquer
Yo soy una yuca
Yo soy un teléfono
Yo soy una rana
Yo soy una cana
Yo soy un árbol
Yo soy una flor

I am

I am a name
I am a star
I am a heart
I am a bull
I am a book
I am a chair
I am a baby
I am a seat
I am a computer
I am a taco
I am a sheet of paper
I am a word
I am a butterfly
I am an angel
I am my hands
I am my eyes
I am a jacket
I am materials
I am shoes
I am numbers
I am a girl
I am a taquería
I am a car
I am a tiger
I am a meal
I am a clock
I am words in English
I am a test
I am a bomb
I am an ugly eye
I am a camera
I am art
I am a folder
I am my name
I am light
I am a class
I am a game
I am ‘el boss’
I am a lego
I am a beach
I am a pencil
I am a table
I am an audience
I am a lens
I am water
I am a broken plate
I am an ‘estíquer’
I am yucca
I am a telephone
I am a frog
I am a grey hair
I am a tree
I am a flower

Ricardo

Yo Soy

Yo soy un dinosaurio de columpios
Yo soy un Lego City de melón
Yo soy una carretera de libros
Soy unos lentes de luz
Soy un Lego de dinosaurios de corazón
Soy una estrella que quema el sol
Soy un monstruo
Soy un carro
Soy una bomba de melón

I Am

I am the dinosaur of swings
I am a melon Lego City
I am a highway of books
I am light glasses
I am a dinosaur Lego made of hearts
I am a star that burns the sun
I am a monster
I am a car
I am a melon bomb

Dairon

Super Boby

Yo soy un bobcat. Me llamo Súper Boby. Soy bonito, cafecito, chiquito y adorable. Te atrapo con mis ojitos; ése es mi poder. Yo vuelo al espacio y puedo respirar. Yo no tengo miedo.

Un día yo escuché el teléfono. Alguien me dijo: “¿Boby, dónde estás?” No supe quién era, pero me fui al planeta rojo. No lo podía creer, era mi hermana, que es bonita. La salvé y fui al planeta Tierra otra vez con mi snack que agarré.

Vi un malo. Salí de la casa y lo mandé a la cárcel de volada.

Super Boby

I am a bobcat. My name is Super Boby. I am pretty, nice, brown, and adorable. I catch you with my little eyes–that’s my super power. I fly high to space, and I can breathe. I am not afraid.

One day, the telephone rang. Someone said, “Where are you, Boby?” I didn’t know who it was, but I headed to the red planet anyway. I couldn’t believe it–it was my sister, who is pretty. I saved her and went back to earth along with a snack I grabbed on the go.

I saw a bad guy. I came out and sent him to jail right away.

Annette

Yo Soy

Yo soy corazón de melón
Yo fui a Austin Park Pizza
Yo vi un payaso, tenía su nariz roja
y sus labios pintados de rojo
¡Wow, está divertido!
Yo soy una artista, y me río y soy feliz
¡Wow, soy una bailarina!
Yo soy un solecito chiquito, color amarillito
Yo soy una princesa con un vestido rosa y flores

I Am

I am a melon heart
I went to Austin Park Pizza
I saw a clown–his nose was red
And his lips had red lipstick
Wow, it was fun!
I am an artist–I’m happy and I laugh
Wow, I’m a ballerina!
I’m a little sun, nice and yellow
I am a princess with a pink dress, and flowers

Ashley

Súper Bobcat

Un día en Nueva York, a las 7:30, el señor Bobcat escuchó la alarma de ¡Socorro!

Se fue volando y llegó a tiempo porque el malo apenas iba a matar a la persona. Quiso hacer algo y tuvo una idea, y se preguntó si era una buena idea. Sacó su pistola y amarró al malo. Sacó su teléfono y llamó a la policía.

El policía se llevó al malo por 32 semanas, ¡y Súper Bobcat fue el héroe del mundo por millones de años!

Super Bobcat

Once upon a time in New York, it was 7:30, and Mr. Bobcat heard the emergency alarm. Help!

He went out flying and got there just in time as the bad guy was about to kill his victim. He wanted to do something. He had an idea and he wondered if it was a good one. He took out his gun and tied up the bad guy. He took out his phone and called the police.

The police took the bad guy away for thirty-two weeks, and Super Bobcat was the world’s hero for millions of years!

Lorenzo

Andrea y Ashley

Había una vez unas princesas en un castillo. Ellas se llamaban Andrea y Ashley. Eran grandes y eran las mejores hermanas. Sus vestidos eran de color rosa.

Un día, Andrea fue al bosque a recoger manzanas y Ashley fue a buscarla. Ashley estaba triste. Andrea fue al castillo y Ashley también. Ahí la bruja les hizo una trampa. Luego vino su hada y las salvó, y ellas fueron felices para siempre.

Andrea and Ashley

Once upon a time, there were two princesses in a castle. Their names were Andrea and Ashley. They were big, and they were best sisters. Their dresses were nice and pink.

One day, Andrea went to the forest to pick up some apples and Ashley went to look for her. Ashley was sad. Andrea went back to the castle and so did Ashley. There, the witch set them up. Along came the fairy and saved them, and they lived happily ever after.

Krista

The Robber Goes to Jail

The robber goes to jail every day because he throws 90 nails in each window, so he can break lamps, TVs, pencils, paper, folders, and copy paper machines.

But when the adults see him, they call the police, and they take him to jail.

Eduardo

Yo Soy

Yo soy un dinosaurio con garras
Con cuatro ojos y con garras
Yo soy Dios
Yo soy Lego City
Yo soy un lápiz de chocolate
Con color amarillo y rojo y gris, y café
Yo soy una gallina
Yo soy un cartón
Yo soy una pelota

I Am

I am a dinosaur with claws
With four eyes and claws
I am God
I am Lego City
I am a chocolate pencil
With colors yellow and red and grey and brown
I am a hen
I am a piece of cardboard
I am a ball

Jonathan

Súper Bob

Un día había un superhéroe. Era alto, peludo y vivía en el bosque con su mamá. Era un bobcat llamado Bob.

Un día Súper Bob estaba en su casa. De repente sonó el teléfono. Era su jefe, que le dijo: “¡Bob, te necesitamos en el espacio!” Bob dijo: “No te preocupes, puedo mirar a través de cosas y soy súper fuerte.” El jefe dijo: “¡OK!”

Tuvo que ponerse su uniforme. ¡Al espacio! Confrontó a su peor enemigo. Era el marciano de cuatro brazos y cuarto piernas. Así que se fue a la luna y Súper Bob… ¡ganó!

Super Bob

Once upon a time there was a superhero. He was tall and hairy, and he lived in the forest with his mom. He was a bobcat called Bob.

One day Super Bob was at home. All of a sudden, the telephone rang. It was his boss, who said, “Bob, we need you in space!” Bob said, “Don’t worry, I can look through things and am super strong.” His boss said, “Okay!”

He had to put his suit on. To space! He confronted his nemesis. It was the four-armed, four-legged Martian. So, he headed out to the Moon and Super Bob… prevailed!

Natali

Yo Soy

Yo soy tierra y soy una montaña con queso
Yo soy un dinosaurio fuerte con chocolate
Yo soy un gallo que canta mucho
Yo soy un cachorrito que canta mucho
Yo soy un gato que toma mucho
Yo soy un león que ruge mucho
Yo soy una pelota que rebota mucho
Yo soy Bob Esponja y como esponja
Yo soy un mundo lleno de Coca
Yo soy unos lentes de agua de luz
Yo soy la noche que no hace ruido
Yo soy un pájaro lleno de queso
Yo soy un ave que canta
Yo soy tu conejo gracioso
Yo soy una guacamaya de queso derretido
Yo soy un huarache que pega
Yo soy una silla que se mueve
Yo soy una bruja que es de chocolate
Yo soy una almohada que es pelona
Yo soy un agua pelona
Yo soy un chango con pelo chino
Yo soy una rana de baile
Yo soy un tutú con vestido
Yo soy un globo con aretes
Yo soy Jonathan con garras
Yo soy una casa pelona
Yo soy un coche con jugo
Yo soy un pino de banana
Yo soy un queso pelonzote
Hola, yo soy Mark y a mí me gusta el queso derretido

I Am

I am soil and a mountain with cheese
I am a strong dinosaur with chocolate
I am a rooster that sings too much
I am a cat that drinks too much
I am a lion that roars too much
I am a ball that bounces too much
I am Spongebob, and I eat sponges
I am a world full of Coke
I am some glasses made of water light
I am the silent night
I am a bird full of cheese
I am a bird that sings
I am your funny rabbit
I am parrot with melted cheese
I am a sandal that strikes
I am a chair that moves around
I am a chocolate witch
I am a baldy pillow
I am baldy water
I am a monkey with curly hair
I am a dancing frog
I am a tutued dress
I am a balloon that wears earrings
I am Jonathan with claws
I am a baldy house
I am a car with juice
I am a banana pine
I am baldy cheese
Hi, I am Mark, and I loved melted cheese

Mark

Raquel García

Aquel día, Raquel García fue a la escuela. Se hizo la graciosa, se puso un traje de Batman y se puso a volar en el cielo. Raquel era muy amable. Hacía siempre su tarea. Raquel era grande y fuerte. Tenía 25 años. Tenía músculos muy gigantescos.

Ella se dijo: “Voy a ir al parque a disfrutar de este día”. Se encontró con una nota que decía: “Raquel, te quiero conocer, eres muy buena y muy amable. Te quiere, Eli”.

Raquel García

That day, Raquel Garcia went to school. She got quirky; she put on her Batman suit and went out to fly the sky. Raquel was very kind. She always made her homework. Raquel was big and strong. She was 25. She had really huge muscles.

She said to herself, “I’ll go to the park and enjoy this day.” She found a note that said, Raquel, I want to meet you, you are very nice and kind. With love, Eli.

Eli

Yo Soy

Yo soy un plato de color blanco
Soy una galleta redonda y de color amarillo
La galleta sabe rico
Yo me quiero comer yo sola
Mi mamá me dice como en la casa
Andreyuca
Y me siento triste porque no quiero
que me diga Andreyuca

I Am

I am a white plate
I am a round and yellow cookie
The cookie is very tasty
I want to eat myself
Mom calls me when at home
Andreyuca
And I feel sad because I don’t want
to be called Andreyuca

Andrea

Yo Soy

Yo soy un plato
Yo quiero comer
Yo soy una cuchara
Yo soy un tenedor
A mí me gusta jugar
A mí me gusta estar afuera
A mí me gusta tomar leche
A mí me gusta
Tomar leche
Yo quiero ser un taco
A mí me gusta comer mucho

I Am

I am a plate
I want to eat
I am a spoon
I am a fork
I like to play
I like to be outside
I like to drink milk
I like
To drink milk
I want to be a taco
I like to eat a lot

Clarissa

Ms. Lopez’s Badgerdog Writers at Brown Elementary

What an energetic and creative group of young writers! Every session, Ms. Lopez’s students were eager to play with words, find inspiration in family and friends, and read their pieces out loud. They enjoyed taking creative risks and listening to each other’s pieces. We kicked off the workshop by penning a poem called ‘Yo Soy (I Am),’ in which they introduced themselves with impressive and touching results. Then we drew inspiration from Pablo Neruda’s ‘Ode to French Fries’ and wrote mind-bending odes to common things, such as chocolate, tigers, or Wal-Mart. Next we ventured out to create a new superhero out of T.A. Brown Elementary’s mascot, the Bobcat, and the kids wrote fantastic stories about him. They also worked on finding stories hidden in the names of people we love the most and challenged themselves in revision. I was really impressed by the creativity, hard work and enthusiasm of these budding writers. And after you read their pieces, I’m sure you will too.

– Antonio Ruiz-Camacho
Badgerdog Teaching Artist

Yo Soy

Soy una dona de chocolate sabrosa
Soy un libro de Batman súper emocionante
Soy fútbol y basquetbol divertido
Soy un ave feliz y libre
Yo soy los tacos de mi abuela
Grandes, con chile y carne
Soy azul emocionante
Yo soy Navidad bonita, blanca
Soy septiembre frío
Yo soy las cosas ricas que me como
Como pizza y hamburguesas
Soy la luna de chocolate derritiéndose
Soy el chocolate más derretido
Y más café y sabroso

I Am

I am a tasty chocolate donut
I am a super exciting Batman book
I am soccer and basketball, I am fun
I am a bird, happy and free
I am my grandmother’s tacos
Large, filled with chile and meat
I am an exciting blue
I am Christmas, white, beautiful
I am cold September
I am the tasty meals that I enjoy
Like pizza and burgers
I am the chocolate moon, melting away
I am the utmost melted chocolate
The tastiest, the brownest

Jonathan

La piñata

A mí me gusta hacer piñata
Para que la rompan
La piñata puede ser como uno quiera
Grande, mediana o chiquita
Puede ser lo que pidan
Van a ser las mejores
Y hay de muchas maneras
Hay de estrella y de capitán calzoncillos
Y de muchas más
Van a ser las mejores del mundo
Y van a valer dos dólares
Son de newspaper y de papel
Y son para niños y para padres y madres
Las piñatas
Son grandes

Piñatas

I like making piñatas
For everybody to hack at them
Piñatas can take any shape you want
They can be big, medium, or tiny
They can be as you wish
Mine are going to be the best piñatas ever
With countless forms
Some piñatas look like stars, others like Captain Underpants
Their shapes are many
They will be the world’s best
And they will cost two dollars
They are made of newspaper and regular paper
They are for kids and for fathers and for mothers
Piñatas
Are big

Bryan

Súper Bobcat

Yo tengo un Súper Bobcat que tiene color café y negro. Tiene poderes como correr rápido y nadie lo puede ver, es pequeño y puede volar y puede brincar tan alto y como puede volar, espera un minuto.

Él tiene poderes para brincar y poderes para volar que importan, porque cuando alguien está en el techo no brinca tan alto y cuando él vuela, vuela tan alto.

Y cuando una casa se quemó, él rescató al señor al volar y fue feliz para siempre.

Super Bobcat

I have a Super Bobcat, he’s brown and black. Among his super powers are: running really fast and being invisible. He’s small and he can fly and jump really high in the air.

He can jump and he can fly, and this is important, because nobody can reach him, even from rooftops, and when he flies, he flies really high above.

Once a house was on fire, he flew in and saved the house’s guest, and he lived happily ever after.

Yanduri

Oda al Bobcat Superhéroe

Había una vez un Bobcat que era superhéroe
El Bobcat era Batman y era divertido
El Bobcat era muy chiquito como un bebé
Al Bobcat le gusta comer conejos e insectos
Mi Bobcat es invisible como nada
También mi Bobcat puede saltar muy alto hasta el cielo
El color de mi Bobcat es de manchas cafés
Los Bobcats tienen muy buena vista y les gusta
También pueden oler muy bien
Por la noche ellos pueden ver muy bien
Para agarrar su comida

Ode to Bobcat, the Super Hero

Once upon a time, there was a Bobcat who was a super hero
This Bobcat’s name was Batman and he was fun
This Bobcat was tiny like a baby
He liked to eat rabbits and bugs
My Bobcat is invisible
Also my Bobcat can jump very high in the sky
My Bobcat’s fur has brown spots
Bobcats have impressive eyesight, which they enjoy
They also have great sense of smell
At night, they have great vision
Which helps them grab their food

Kayla

Soy las estrellas

Soy una princesa que le encanta bailar
Yo uso una faldita con un chongo
Yo huelo dulce
Mi vestido es negro y rosita
Soy las historias que me gusta leer
Como ‘Ricitos de oro’
El libro huele a osos
El libro tiene dibujes
Soy el caldo de pollo de mi abuelita
Huele a pollito
Yo soy feliz
Luego ya me voy a dormir
Soy los experimentos que me encanta hacer
Como una piñata
Los experimentos
Cuando nos ensuciamos
Huele a pintura
Soy las estrellas que brillan en el cielo
Las estrellas son color blanco
Huele a pasto verde

I Am the Stars

I am a princess who loves dancing
I wear a fancy skirt and a bun
My smell is sweet
My dress is black and pinky
I am the stories I like to read
Such as ‘Goldilocks’
The book smells like bears
The book has drawings
I am grandma’s chicken soup
It smells like chicken
I am happy
And then I go to sleep
I am the experiments that I love to try
Like making a piñata
These experiments
When we get dirty
It smells like paint
I am the stars that shine in the sky
The stars are white
It smells like green grass

Angelique

Yo soy

Yo soy las estrellas en la noche
Yo soy la luna y el sol
Yo soy la galaxia y los planetas
Yo soy de cinco idiomas en todo el mundo
Yo soy el agua en el río
Yo soy las estrellas en la noche
Yo soy diferentes partes del mundo, como Alemania
Yo soy los tigres en el mundo
Yo soy el jugo de fruta que me tomo
Yo soy lo que yo quiero hacer
Yo soy las estrellas en la noche
Yo soy la sopa de mi papá, que es de pollo
Yo soy el corazón de todos del América
Yo soy los minutos en el tiempo
Yo soy de todos los colores del arcoiris
Yo soy las estrellas en la noche

I Am

I am the stars in the night
I am the moon and the sun
I am the galaxy and the planets
I am five languages from all around the world
I am water in the river
I am the stars in the night
I am from different parts around the world, like Germany
I am the tigers in the world
I am the fruit juice that I enjoy
I am what I want to do
I am the stars in the night
I am my father’s soup, chicken soup
I am the heart of all those who live in America
I am the minutes that make the time
I am all the rainbow’s colors
I am the stars in the night

Jacqueline

Mi gatito

Yo tengo un gatito
Mi gato tiene cuatro pies, dos ojos
Mi gato tiene anaranjado y negro
Y tiene bigotes
Estoy feliz con mi gatito
Mi gatito es chiquito
Y huele bueno
Tengo un ratón para mi gatito
Cuando puse la cámara en la computadora
Salieron fotos de gatitos
Mi gatito tiene hambre
Y estaba feliz por darle comida
Y cuando terminó de comer su comida mi gatito
Le di leche

My Little Cat

I have a little cat
He has four legs, two eyes
My cat is black and orange
He has a mustache
My little cat makes me happy
My little cat is nice and small
And he smells good
I’ve got him a mouse
When I turn on the camera on the computer
Pictures of cats popped up
My little cat is hungry
And feeding him makes me happy
When my little cat finished his food
I gave him milk

José

Ms. Ash’s Badgerdog Writers at Brown Elementary

The second graders in Ms. Ash’s class at Brown Elementary School have written themselves into a marvelous zoo. Their poems and stories introduce us to hot bees, wingcats, scarecrows, bobcats, teddy grahams, hairless penguins, chocolate eating cheetahs, shark-bear-gators, gorillas, bats, possums, smelly owls, and night bears. Sometimes the writers describe these fierce and marvelous creatures, and at times they even become them. We’re glad to welcome you on a literary excursion that will no doubt make your day a bit more ferocious and wild.

– Claire Sylvester Smith
Badgerdog Teaching Artist

Josh the Smelly Owl

Josh was a smelly owl. He was so smelly that no one would get close to him. When he went home, his mother would tell him to take a shower because he smelled like a dog sweating. When he went to school, everyone would move away from him in class, in the cafeteria, and in the hall. Everyone would run away from him, even the teachers, the principal, the cafeteria lady, and the janitor. Nobody was at school anymore. Josh was all alone. He went outside, and nobody was outside. He was lonely. Then he said, “I don’t care that no one is here because I can do whatever I want!” When he was hungry, he saw a ladybug, and he ate it.

Juridiana (Juri)

Night

A big bird is flying in the air.
The moon shines.
Possums come out in the night.
Stars shine in the moonlight.
Bears come out.
Lightning bugs shine.
Bats screech.
Owls have big light eyes.
Night bears come out in night.

Hayli

Night

These sparkly things are in the sky.
They are so bright.
They make wishes for you.
They are so pretty.
They twinkle in the sky.
Bears are so big.
A circle in a sky.
An animal that can see in the dark,
an animal that is smelly,
an animal that is small,
an animal that sucks peoples’ blood.

Aaliyah

What I Am

I am crazy about getting a new haircut.
I am a crazy girl about long hair.
I am so crazy about horses.
I am a crazy, crazy clown.
I have three big noses.
My eyes are green cat eyes.
I am a gorilla.
I will be a princess.
I am a house.

Melissa

What I Am

I am a shark-bear-gator that sings.
I am snow.
I am the city of New York.
I’m just a square.
I’m a big man who drinks and drinks.
I’m the king of the stars.
I’m the president who snores.
I’m the lady who cleans.
I’m the lady who’s mine.
I’m the man who’s blind.
I’m the man who finds.

William (Billy)

My Favorite Poem About a Penguin

Spring is perhaps hot like a penguin.
He has nothing. He only has a mom
and dad. He has one friend. His
friend’s name is Pluto. He is not
very nice to many people. The penguin
is going to a restaurant. He has
no feathers, so his name is
No Hair. His friends call him NH,
because that is what No Hair starts
with.

Jaylyn

I Like Spring Because of Rainbows

Spring is a perhaps
like a rainbow and
that is my favorite thing
about spring because rainbows
have different colors
and the rain makes
the rainbows but it makes
the rainbows when the
rain stops when it
stops the rain clouds
go away and the light shows
and then the rainbow
comes from the clouds.

Jose

The Night

There’s a little cat.
The teddy grahams are different.
Bears roar a lot.
Animals are in the zoo.
At night I see bears.
I like to play.
Night sings.

Nariah

Of 1968

I am a cheetah that only eats chocolate for breakfast.
I am an earthquake that is a super model.
I am California that is a pussy-cat.
I am ice creamy that screams.
I am a princess who eats tree bark.
I will be a cat that is lazy.
I will be a science project.

Jessica

Things I Want To Be

I am a fox.
I am a tornado.
I am New York.
I am a Bull of Chicago.
I’m the President of Washington, D.C.
I’m George Lopez, Hey!
(Knock Knock.) (Blackout.)
(Blackout you can’t see me!)
I’m a bobcat. I’m a
scholar. I sit up straight
I track the speaker.
I ask questions like a
scholar and respect the people.

Jimmy

Nighttime

The stars shine and the moon is up in the sky and a girl hears cars and busses and she wakes up and a rock flies by and the little girl screams like this: “Ho He!” And she runs inside and then she goes to sleep but animals are outside. Cars and buses are up at this time and the little girl hears sounds under her bed then everything calms down and stars are shining and the moon is not half it is full.

Diamond

Night

I see the glowing car lights.
I see the glowing eyes in
the dark, dark cave.
I hear the rattling in the
dark. I hear the bears’
growling in the bears’ cave.
I hear the big tail in
the dark—whoosh. Why do the
big flying bears?

Jordan

I Am Good To See

I am a cat.
I am a sun
or the
President. I am crazy.
I am a funny little girl
and green head.
I am a wingcat.
I am a crazy brain.
I am fast good.
I am lopsided
and winning.
I am a nine-foot-
tall scarecrow.
I am a crow,
so I am the king
and I just run.

Ariante

Today

I am a bee.
I am a sunny day.
I am a bee in peoples’ hands.
In the zoo the bee is hotter.

Jennifer

Sacred Moon

To continue our celebration of National Poetry Month, here is another poem that was inspired by the El Anatsui exhibit at the Blanton Museum last fall.  Tom, a fourth grader from Ms. McVey’s class at T. A. Brown Elementary, was inspired by the beautiful wall sculpture Sacred Moon, which is made out of wood and metal fragments.

El Anatsui's Sacred Moon

Untitled

It is a bomb shooting
on a ship it looks
like a submarine and
a shark is attacking
it looks like a ship
going to war.

Tom, fourth grade, T.  A. Brown Elementary School