In honor of World Poetry Day, my Lozano and Washington Irving Workplace Mentoring students wrote their own poems. They created their own “I Am” poems, which is an imaginative biographical poem shaped around a student’s own unique identity. Each line has a prompt, and students use these prompts to creatively pull from experiences from their own lives and turn it into a three stanza poem.
Washington Irving Workplace Mentoring Poems
29 3rd and 4th grade students go to CME Group every Wednesday to read 1-1 with a mentor. The Washington Irving students were excited to write their own poems, and I selected four poems from this group that reflects the unique identities of this group of students.
I Am Wonder Woman
Kennedy, 4th grade
I am Wonder Woman
I wonder if I can go see my cousins
I hear silence
I see the darkness
I want a big house
I am Wonder Woman
I pretend to go to the grocery store
I feel happy
I touch my dog
I worry a clown might get me
I cry if my dog dies
I am Wonder Woman
I understand that I will be successful
I say “I believe in myself”
I dream about getting a new puppy
I try very hard in science
I hope for a bigger bedroom
I am Wonder Woman
I Am Smart
Marleyah, 4th grade
I am smart, talented, and have good grades
I wonder if I can make it to 5th grade
I hear the crowd roaring
I see monkeys and tigers
I want to go to sleep
I am smart, talented, and have good grades
I pretend to be a cop
I feel snoozy
I touch paper, cover, jacket
I worry about my mom getting old
I cry when I am scared
I am the best child that my mom can ever have
I understand that everyone is not perfect
I say nothing when I did something
I dream about growing up
I try to be careful with glass
I hope that I can get some more clothes
I am smart, talented, and have good grades
I Am Talented and Happy
Chloe, 4th grade
I am talented and happy
I wonder how seeds are made
I hear a unicorn laughing
I see a unicorn eating
I want a nice big house
I am talented and happy
I pretend to jump off my bed
I feel good having a big house
I touch a unicorn
I worry that I don’t see my grandma
I cry because I can’t hug my grandma
I am talented and happy
I understand that I get good grades
I say “I want to have my own business”
I dream about seeing my grandma
I try my hardest in school and my homework
I hope to have a nice big house
I am talented and happy
I Am Smart and Talented
Kwamanie, 3rd grade
I am smart and talented
I wonder when my love ones will pass away
I hear something calling my name
I see tigers
I want a four-wheeler
I am smart and talented
I pretend like a am wolf
I feel cold when I drink water
I touch static
I worry about taking a test
I cry when I get bad grades
I am smart and talented
I say “I love my family”
I dream about being an architect
I try to focus
I hope I get 800 dollars
I am smart and talented
Lozano Workplace Mentoring Poems
As part of the Workplace Mentoring program, 22 3rd-5th grade students go to Exelon every Thursday. At program, they typically participate in a whole group warm up activity, read 1-1 with their mentors, and mentors’ coach them during homework help. Here are four poems selected from this program.
I Am Somebody
Sonia, 4th grade
I am smart and somebody
I wonder how airplanes stay in the sky
I hear music in my head
I see the prairie, very peaceful
I want straight A’s
I am smart and I am somebody
I pretend I have wings and fly in the sky
I feel like I am climbing the mountain
I touch the warm water
I worry some of my friends are yelling at me
I cry when my dad let my birds go
I am smart and I am somebody
I understand that I am a great reader
I say that I believe in God
I dream that I can fly
I try to learn everything I can
I hope for peace on earth
I am smart and I am somebody
I Am Silly
Adeline, 5th grade
I am silly and sweet
I wonder why there is a lot of pollution
I hear my guinea pigs everywhere
I want to be a ballerina
I am silly and sweet
I pretend to be in a competition when I’m dancing
I feel famous when I dance
I touch my guinea pig’s head
I worry if my family is ok
I cry when I think about my grandma
I am silly and sweet
I understand that animals are in danger
I say that scientists can fix pollution
I dream about my grandma
I try to be the best when I dance
I hope that my grandma and grandma live to be very, very old
I am silly and sweet
I Am Funny
Brianna, 4th grade
I am funny and creative
I wonder how do animals use their senses in different ways
I hear a bunny hopping
I see an imaginary white and black bunny
I want another pet animal
I am funny and creative
I pretend to be a gamer
I feel a bunny touching me
I touch something fuzzy
I worry that if I lose a pet I will be sad
I cry when my brother is mean and yells at me
I am funny and creative
I understand how to make awesome slime!
I say we should all be a good community
I dream of having the best birthday
I try to swim my best since I’m the captain
I hope that if I get a pet it will live long enough
I am funny and creative
I Am Happy
Anthony, 4th grade
I am funny and happy
I wonder how did the Chase Tower look in the old days
I hear church bells
I see space
I want a dog
I am funny and happy
I pretend to drive a car
I feel somebody touching my head
I touch a robot
I worry about forgetting my homework
I cry when I lost my grandma and grandpa
I am funny and happy
I understand that my friend Jorge and I are older than my classmates
I say that wars in the old days are worse than wars today
I dream that I can go skydiving
I try to get better at soccer
I hope for people to stop being rude
I am funny and happy
National Poetry Month
This activity was a great way to introduce National Poetry Month, which is celebrated every April. Here are some ways you can celebrate it. Poetry is a unique way for students and adults alike to express themselves and share their own identities with the world.
