"there once was a class with some sass" - The Chicago Poetry Center

“there once was a class with some sass”

This week Nettelhorst 2nd Graders experimented with writing limericks. Limericks are humorous poems that always consist of 5 lines. The last word sounds of lines 1, 2, and 5 rhyme; while the last word sounds of lines 3 and 4 are a different set of rhymes, making an AABBA rhyming pattern. After reviewing our time practicing another poetry form that has set rules or patterns – haiku – we wondered: is it okay to write poems that are playful and silly? Some students were unsure, while others wholeheartedly welcomed the opportunity to purposely aim to be funny with words. We turned our attention to reading and discussing two limericks that made us chuckle, “A Young Lady of Lynn,” and “I need a front door for my hall.” Together we brainstormed lists of rhyming words and worked collaboratively to come up with poems which also have that special succession of syllables that give limericks their sing-song quality. It was challenging, but fun!

Mrs. Barbeau and Mrs. Kari 2nd Grade

We like the incredible sound Class Collab

We like the incredible sound
That comes from a giant mound
Of trees that are pine
And so very fine
That we laughed when we tossed them around

There was a young boy named Pete Bowie

There was a young boy named Pete
he eats a lot of meat
sand castles he mashed
from a man he snatched cash
and teaches soccer wearing cleats on his feet

There was a young boy named Pete Julian

There was a young boy named Pete
He loved his drums ’cause he made a beat
He was very skinny and tall
He had a big basketball
He loved to watch the Miami Heat

There was a young boy named Pete Noah

There was a young boy named Pete
he sure had such smelly feet
and also a rash
mixed with purple ash
that made him as thin as blue wheat

Ms. Rodriguez 2nd Grade

There once was a class with some sass Class Collab

There once was a class with some sass
They fell in a bucket of glass
There broke all the rules
They were such great fools
That they went to the park and ate grass

This same class Class Collab

One day they were full of wiggles
Rolling around with great giggles
They cracked into laughter
A disaster that after
They jiggled like a big jar of pickles

Ms. Froman 2nd Grade

There was a young boy named Pete Class Collab

There was a young boy named Pete
On tests he sometimes tried to cheat
He looked for a clue
Like a lightbulb he knew
The teacher saw their students’ defeat!

From my backpack I pulled out some slime Class Collab

From my backpack I pulled out some slime
Ms. Froman thought it was a crime
Because it was sticky
Too squishy, too icky,
Although, it did smell like a lime