Magellanic Penguins

by GBL

Magellanic Penguins

began swimming nonstop

from morning till night

like a washing machine

swimming around, around, around

like a migration

Penguins

by JC

46 Penguins morning till night

swimming in circles nonstop

till morning light.

Only stopping to eat and sleep

what crazy penguins.

Morning till night Magellanic penguins

as if they are marathoners.

2,000 miles.

Crazy Crazy Penguins

by NF

Six new penguins

arrived at the zoo

swimming up to 2000 miles

it was a mystery.

nothing to stop them

really flock together

for everybody to see their show

crazy crazy crazy

penguins!

Follow the Leader

by OA

Six new megellanic penguins

swimming nonstop at the San Francisco Zoo

Swimming from morning till night

Nothing to stop them now!

They’re like six marathoners

These birds of a feather

swim together.

Crazy Magellanic Penguins

by JP

Megallanic Penguins at the

San Francisco Zoo.

Swimming nonstop morning till night.

Washing machine of tuxedos.

Penguin keeper said, “stop them!”

Ended in February.

Penguins really did flock together.

The Penguins

by SZ

Megellanic Penguins

San Francisco Zoo

Swimming nonstop

46 penguins joined in.

Washing machine of tuxedos

no stopping them

mimicking the migration

ended in February

Still a mystery

these birds of a feather

did flock together.

Follow the Leader

by CM

Immediately six new

Megellanic penguins

arrived at the

San Francisco Zoo.

46 penguins started

nonstop swimming.

It looked like

a washing machine

of tuxedos.

There was nothing

that could stop them.

Six marathoners

mimicking the migration.

Wild,

but they flock together.

Is still a mystery.

Penguins

by JDH

Megellanic Penguins

swimming nonstop

Then 46 other penguins

joined in.

Splash Splash Splash

Only stopping to

sleep and eat

Chomp chomp chomp

Looks like these

penguins really know

how to flock together.

Found poetry is a type of poetry that is created by finding poetic words within another text, then arranging them into a poem.  Before writing the poems below, students read an article about polar bear cubs, circled the most interesting words, then arranged these words (sometimes adding their own words) to form lines.  Students were asked to use the poetic device repetition (intentionally repeating words) when creating these found poems. 

Polar Babies

by PT

As the babies snuggle, snuggle, snuggle

In the refrigerator home

The size of a bread loaf

And then roar roar roar

At the little seal peoples

To start their little raid

Eating eating eating the big fish

Tackling each other for fun

Now they’re smelling seals from far away

Now swimming, swimming, swimming

For the little fishy who are swimming too

Then going back home.

Night for sleeping sleeping sleeping

In my bed at the end of day

Now to sleep sleep sleep

Today up up up

To see what I’ll do today

But I see no moms

Tackle tackle, tackle

Fighting with my brother

And see a little seal cup

Now now now I’v learned

All my lessons all on

My own to hunt my last hunt.

So so so it’s almost

Time for me to go

I hope I will go

Polar Cubs

by JK

Snuggling Cubs

Mid to late December in a snow den

Nestled, not roomy

In the Arctic’s cold

Small like a loaf of bread

No teeth, eyes closed

Thin fur

Needs warmth and protection

Tackle, leap, spring

Communicating, dominating, hunting,

Sniffing innocent seals

Learning bear lessons

Polar Bear Cubs

by FM

Baby Polar bear cubs

Inside a snow den

Their eyes still closed.

Snuggle snuggle snuggle

Stay warm and protected

Don’t leave yet

First they need

Warmth and protection

And a lot of good skills

Then they can hunt.

Polar Bears

by NN

Snuggle snuggle snuggle

I’m warm in a snowy den

I feel so compared

To a loaf of bread

Snuggle snuggle snuggle

My mom is full of warmth

I have no teeth I cannot see

But still I feel protected.

Tackle rumble rough

My fir feels fresh

In my icy home

I smell a baby seal

He’ll later be my feast

My refrigerator home

Is a thing of the past

I’ve had my first seal

I feel grown up at last.

Cubs

by AC

As the mother provides for cubs,

The mother gives them a hug

They playto help each other

Their both sister and brother

They drink their mother’s milk

The cubs both can make kills

The mom is protecting them from getting snatched

Then before they go to bed they have an iching scratch.

A student from Mrs. Cooper's class builds a structure by connecting gumdrops before building a poem by connecting words.

This type of poetry is called found poetry.  Before writing the poems below we read an article about how triggerfish use camouflage to avoid being eaten by predators.  After reading the article students found the most interesting and important words and circled them.  Then they arranged their words into a poem.  These poems do not have specific rhymes or rhythms, so they are examples of free verse poetry.

Hungry Shark

by S

Imagine a hungry shark

cruising coral reefs

looking for a meal

suddenly a dazzle of polka dots

fish!

Fishy Feast

by M

Fishy Feast

Looking for something

Suddenly

Catches

several

dots dazzle

triggerfish!

Penguins

by I

Magellanic penguins

Follow the leader

Morning till night

Nonstop

46 penguins 2,000 miles

Marathoners mimicking migration

Birds of a feather.

Follow the Leader

by M

Last year six new magellanic penguins

arrived at the San Francisco zoo

they were swimming day and night

It looked like a washing machine of tuxedos

The Great Follow the Leader Game

by MT

“Calling all Magellanic penguins!

It’s time to follow the leader,” said number 45.

“Come on! Come on!”

“Day and night. Day and night.

I’m tired of it.

Migration when will you end?

They say you end in February.

I want you to end in January.

Swimming around the pool is tiring.

I want to go home to my sweet

South Africa really really bad!

But I guess I can stay here for a while.”

Baby Polar Cubs

by EM 

Baby polar bear cubs

Nestled in snow den

Fighting against artic cold

Growing quickly

Chasing, chasing, chasing

In the clean white snow

Tackling, Tackling, Tackling

Hunting for seals.

Raiding seal dens.

Learning life skills

Getting ready for a thirty year life.

Snow Babies

by CG

Baby polar bears

Playing in the snow

Trying to have fun

In the bitter cold

Learnig while they play

In the coldest snow

Baby Polar Bears

By MJ

Baby polar bears

Depend on their moms

For love and care

Baby polar bears

Tackle and play with their family

Baby polar bears

Nestled in their dens

Time to go to sleep

And relax.

Baby Polar Bears.

Baby Polar Bear Cubs

By G

Baby Polar Bear Cubs

Nestled inside protected from Arctic’s cold

No teeth, eyes are closed, fur is not thick

Need mother’s protection

Baby Polar Bears

by H

Polar Bear cubs

In snowy dens

Nestled inside.

No teeth grow

Eyes are closed

Fur not thick

Weigh 20-30 pounds

Chasing and tackling

Learning to snatch

Lessons are learned.

winter scene

Found poetry is a type of poetry that is created by finding poetic words within another text, then arranging them into a poem.  Before writing the poems below, students read either an article about polar bear cubs or the gopher tortoise, circled the most interesting words, then arranged these words (sometimes adding their own words) to form lines.  Students were asked to use the poetic device repetition (intentionally repeating words) when creating these found poems. 

Snow Babies

Polar bear cubs born in December.

Living in a refrigerator house.

Size of a loaf of bread.

They cuddle, cuddle.

Soon growing and growing

and hunting prey.

They will soon be

snatching seals.

Gopher Tortoise

Off goes gopher tortoise.

Go on, go on.

Out of your cozy chamber.

Go on, go on.

On with your shoveled claws.

Go on, go on.

Time for you to munch.

Go on, go on.

Return to your home.

Sleep on, sleep on.

Gopher Tortoise

Turn up the heat.  Turn up the heat.  Turn up the heat.

The gopher tortoise is here.

He burrowed in my bed.

He dug in my socks.

He planted a prickly pear bush.

We couldn’t fit him through the door

when we came home from school.

He invited his friends over.

Raccoon, armadillo, owl, snake,

frog, mouse beetle.

Gopher Tortoise

Earth surrounding

 cozy chamber.

Hibernate for winter.

Prickly pear cactus,

 grass, and herbs.

Digs in ground.

Feet like shovels.

Feet have claws.

Burrowing gopher tortoise.

Snow Babies

Polar bear cubs born in December.

Nestled inside, protected from

the Arctic cold weather.

Newborns have no teeth.

Their eyes are closed and

their fur is not thick, thick, thick.

It’s two years before a cub

can kill by itself.

Gopher Tortoise

Gopher tortoises are super diggers.

They munch, munch grass and herbs. 

Hibernate in cozy chambers.

Ten feet deep are their burrows.

Using their claws for

digging, digging, digging.

The Gopher Tortoise

Hot, hot, hot.

Not cold.

Digging cozy chambers.

Super feet and claws.

Longer sleep.

Perfect ground.

Forest fire protection.

Others will visit.

Finds other burrows.

Never returns home.

Earth surroundings share, too.

The old gopher tortoise.

Polar Bear Cub by C

Found poetry is a type of poetry that is created by finding poetic words within another text, then arranging them into a poem.  Before writing the poems below, students read an article about polar bear cubs, circled the most interesting words, then arranged these words (sometimes adding their own words) to form lines.  Students were asked to use the poetic device repetition (intentionally repeating words) when creating these found poems. 

Baby Polar Bears

Baby polar bears, polar bears

need extensive knowledge to hunt.

If they want to snatch a seal,

they’ll need to inch forward on the ice.

Their hunting skills require communication,

dominance, and extensive knowledge.

They will need their mother’s help, help

to raid a seal, seal.

Polar Bear Cubs

One roomy snow den

has thick warmth and protection

for a nestled cub.

When the cubs grow up

they chase and tackle

each other.

Their mom teaches them

hunting and dominance skills

to hunt seals and kill, kill, kill them.

Cubs, Cubs, Cubs

Cubs, cubs, cubs

drinking their mother’s fat-rich milk.

Cubs, cubs, cubs

nestling up to their mother.

Cubs, cubs, cubs

spending hours chasing and tackling.

Cubs, cubs, cubs.

Polar Bear Cubs

Baby polar bear cubs depend

on their mom, mom, mom.

Late December inside the den.

They are born.

It’s nestled in there.

They stay protected by the mom.

Their eyes are closed at birth.

Their fur is not thick.

They eat fat-rich milk.

Cubs like tackling and chasing.

Polar Cubs

Polar cubs

mostly depend on

their mother’s lessons.

Born mid to

late December

inside a snow den.

Their den is

 the size of a refrigerator.

Not roomy.

Nestled inside

protected from

arctic’s cold.

Polar Bear, Polar Bear

Polar bear, polar bear.

Depending on your mother.

Your eyes are closed,. 

You have no teeth.

You drink your mom’s

fat-rich milk.

Spend hours chasing and tackling

to master communication,

dominance and hunting.

You use the skills to hunt

for seals in your

30-year lifespan

Students from Mrs. Johnson's class read the humorous poem "Bug Banter" by Bobbi Katz.

Humorous poems are simply funny poems.  They usually rhyme and employ rhythm.  Mrs. Johnson’s class wrote the poem below together.  Each child contributed a rhyming line to the poem. Then the artist in residence compiled them, creating a poem for two voices. 

Guess what I Saw at the Zoo

by Mrs. Johnson’s Class

 Speaker 1: Man!  Last time I went to the zoo the animals were acting like people.

Speaker 2: People?  How?

Speaker 1:

I saw a lady hippo

Who had polish on her big toe.

And I saw a snow fox

Who was wearing one of my socks.

I saw a scary pig

Wearing a messy wig.

I saw a lot of bats

Wearing different hats.

I also saw a llama

Wearing my pajamas!

Speaker 2: How did the lama get your pajamas? 

Speaker 1: I don’t know.  But I what I really want to know is:

Why did that rhinoceros

Act so darn preposterous?

Speaker 2:

I don’t know.  I didn’t pay attention to the rhinoceros last time because the bears were so interesting.

A cat once met a big bear

But the cat had more hair.

And once I saw a panda

That looked like my friend Amanda.

Speaker 1: Ooooooo! I’m going to tell Amanda you said that!

Speaker 2: No!  Don’t tell her!  It will make her cry like a lion.

Speaker 1: Cry like a lion?  Lions don’t cry!

Speaker 2: Yes they do!

I saw that poor lion

Sitting there and cryin’

And I saw a scary toad

On the dead end road.

And a giant skunk

Oh man he really stunk!

Speaker 1: It doesn’t sound like your trip to the zoo was as good as mine.

One time I saw a kangaroo

It was jumping, and me too!

And there’s a crocodile

With a great big giant smile.

Last night I saw a warthog

That was hiding in an old log.

I thought I saw a mole

But it was really a little hole.

And I’m trying to catch a sea lion

I never have, but I’m still tryin’.

Speaker 2: Have you ever gone to the zoo at feeding time?

Speaker 1: I try not to go then because

Once I saw a hungry seal

Who wanted to eat me as his meal.

So I decided to eat a yak

Since I didn’t have a snack.

Speaker 2:  You didn’t really eat a yak did you?

Speaker 1: No.  But I did see one, and it reminded me a little of a buffalo. 

But I couldn’t find the buffalo

Because he watched the Barney show.

Speaker 2:

I have a pet that’s funky

My funky pet’s a monkey!

And I have a parrot

Who is crazy for a carrot.

I saw something awake

I believe it was my snake.

Speaker 1:

You have a monkey, a snake and a parrot?  Forget the zoo!  Let’s go to your house!