Words from Our Young Authors at Crocker Highlands

Mmmmm delicious food, food, food…so necessary that our lives are focused around it, and important to and imbedded in many cultures that this session we explored food writing. We learned how to describe food using juicy adjectives, onomatopoeia, and alliteration. We explored food similes and metaphors. We wrote odes to our most beloved foods and dishes and we personified food, writing delectable tales of mystery and intrigue. We hope you enjoy some of our favorite excerpts from the session below!

In the beginning we wrote poems to introduce ourselves to each other:

Ana-Li

Smart – Kind – Strong – Proud Daughter of Lisa Lover of horses, pigs, and dogs Who feels nervous, excited, and brave Who needs dogs, horses, and even more horses Who gives necklaces, bracelets and rings to Kimora, Ella and Sasha Who fears bears, fire, and being alone in the dark Who would like to ride horses, walk and play with dogs Resident of Oakland, California

- Dillon

Next we explored food through similes and metaphors:

Corn looks like tiny hills with a little melting patches of snow. The snow is butter.

- Megan

Jello is like a mountain made of glass and colorful ice cubes.

- Mia

Fudge pieces are like chocolate bricks being stacked on top of each other.

- Maya

Original bubble gum is like an explosion of flavor in your mouth.

- Balana

We worked on describing food through the use of descriptive adjectives, onomatopoeia, and alliteration:

Describing Macaroni and Cheese:

Yesterday, I made a big, hot, steamy pot full of golden macaroni and cheese. When it cooked it smelled so yummy that it made my stomach growl! When it finished cooking, I took it out of the oven and it was steamy hot! When I took a bite, it tasted delectably slimy. I ate it super quickly because it was deliciously wonderful!

- Maya

“C”

Choo the chimpanzee chewed on crunchy cherries.

- Megan

“B”

Balana ate bratwurst, beastly!

- Balana

“P”

Peter the porcupine loves to eat pasta, over and over again. One day Peter got a note from the pediatrician and could not eat pasta anymore.

- Mia

We even worked on describing food we absolutely do not like or are afraid to try:

Tomatoes

I hated tomatoes because of the taste; they’re too sweet, they are squishy and breakable. The seeds are gooey and gross when you eat them. The texture is kinda rough and all I want to do is spit it out!

- Ana-Li

Doritos

Doritos are a tasty thing. They give out tasty flavors of spicy. They are very crunchy and when the spicy touches my tongue it gives a quick flash of taste.

- Megan

Then we switched gears and wrote odes to our favorite foods:

Ode to Invisible Marshmallows

Sweeter than regular marshmallows Oh invisible marshmallows are magical. They are really hard to find in the market, because they are invisible.

Invisible marshmallows, you make unusual s'mores Your graham is floating up in the air And your chocolate delicious

Invisible marshmallows can be used for magic tricks too All you need is a little tape and thread And you float and dance in the air.

I really, really want to try glow-in-the-dark invisible marshmallows!

- Jiana

Ode to S'mores

Oh you delicious delectable s'mores You remind me of camping around a fire. Your three flavors: Graham cracker, chocolate and marshmallow All melt into one.

- Maya

My bread

You’re so soft but hard. When I bite your inside is holey. It’s like Swiss cheese but better. But in the morning I come in and you’re on the counter with butter and jelly you’re better than Paradise.

- Mia

We had a few lessons on personification, where we took a favorite food and gave it human characteristics (Our story telling group really liked this activity):

Simbolene Ice Cream Girl

Simbolene lives in the freezer, a big one. She has a sister named Amber and her neighbor Claire. The other side of the freezer is The Dark Side. The left side where the ice cube monsters are.  One day they got lost on the dark side, not knowing where they were going.

Claire and Simbolene were best sister friends. They are both chocolate chip cookie dough flavored ice cream. Amber is chocolate ice cream.

Claire and Simbolene got lost on the dark side when they forgot their right from left, an ice cube lady came up and said, “My name is Blizzard Tundra.” She was quite jolly but they just ignored her. They were scared and saw the ice cube monster. The ice cube monster cuffed them and brought them to his cave. They tried to escape but the monster had guards. Claire suddenly remembered that she had a watch that sucked any hotness such as the sun into it, so heat doesn’t kill them. So Claire tried to kill the ice cubes by letting the heat she had caught out. She stood back so they (Claire and Simbolene) wouldn’t get burned. But that did not work. Because Simbolene saw an ice cube watch camera, which is a security camera, so they threw ice at the camera and it broke! Then they used Claire’s watch and they escaped. Since the cave was far away from home, they found a sled and rode it back home!

The End

- Jiana and Balana

Chol The Cherry

“Hi! I’m Chol” Chol is a cherry. His whole family are cherries. Chol and his family (Mom, Dad, and annoying sister Tina) lived on Fuggy Food Island. There town is called Cherry Chewer. One evening when Chol was playing video games, so was a different cherry named Chip. Chip was like Chol. He liked video games and they both wanted a dog and the usual things cherries like.

One day Chol was going to the animal shelter, so was Chip. Because of this they met at the shelter. Chol and Chip both saw this cute dog. Chol and Chip both said, “Awww!” Chol got the dog and Chip was sad. But Chol said to Chip, “Hey, you’re my next door neighbor!” So from then on Chip was friends with Chol.

On a perfect Saturday the friends were playing with Chol’s dog Sparky. “Go fetch!” said Chip. One minute later Sparky came back with a …map? “Look,” said Chol. “Sparky has a map. Come here boy.” Sparky dropped the map at Chol’s feet. “Hey, it’s a treasure map!” said Chip. “Awesome!” said Chol. “We should get started on our adventure !” So Chol and Chip packed and off they went.

To Be Continued…

- Megan

And no writing about food would be complete without a few recipes; so we wrote recipes of ourselves:

Recipe of Me….Jiana!

5,000 tons of Club Penguin 3,000 tons of kittens and cats 5 cups of humor 9 scoops of cookie dough 1 pound of ice cream 9,000 pounds of monkey butter 9 quarts of fashion 11 scoops of candy canes 91 mustaches

First mix Club Penguin, candy canes and ice cream Next wisk with kittens and cats, cookie dough and humor After that add mustaches, monkey butter and fashion

Make sure it is fully smooth.

Bake it in an oven for 1 hour then set it down to cool for 11 minutes.

Serve with a side of creamy chocolate.

Serves 11 people.

- Jiana

Recipe of Me…Mia!

20 cups of my cats 15 pints of silliness 10 scoops of ice cream 1,000 tons of horses 50,000 tons of my Mom 2,000 gallons of friends 12 scoops of math 20,000 tons of FUN!

First take 50,000 tons of my Mom Next mix it with 1,000 tons of horses. After that add in the rest of the ingredients in any order you want. Finally you mix it all with a blender and put it in the oven at 70 degrees for 4 hours. Then you refrigerate.

Serve on a plate with salad, chicken and soup and sorbet.

Serves 100 people, more or less.

- Mia

Words from Our Young Authors at Park Day, Grades 2-3

This session’s curriculum has been Poetry Palooza! Students have thrown themselves headlong into odes, alliterative poems, free-form poems, riddle poems, nature poems and more. Students have sharpened their metaphors, honed their personifications and written through all five senses. The results speak for themselves.  From: On Turning Ten, an examination of the free-form poem by Billy Collins

On Turning Ten

On turning ten I hope to still be able to Still play imaginary games Still want to learn about Greek Mythology Still have time to go swimming and ride my bike

What scares me about growing up is that I might not be able to imagine the same thoughts I am thinking right now ever

-Zoe K

From: Imitation of the poem “Life Doesn’t Frighten Me At All” by Maya Angelou

Untitled

Snakes slithering on the ground Spiders creeping up the wall Darkness in the sky Clowns with red noses Sharks swimming through water They don’t frighten me at all

-Zoe M

From: Poetry with a rhyme scheme

Untitled

Lightning strikes the highest peak Sometimes it makes a little leak You fall from so high in the air Sometimes you give me a little scare

-Dolci

From: Odes to things

Cookie

Sweet Yummy You are crunchy You make me happy and excited when I bite into you Lovely Awesome Appreciated

-Meera

From: Odes to things

Snow Leopard

I see you pounce around the forest missing, jumping, getting food Oh dear snow leopard why so prancy? why so pretty, why so dancy?

I see you try to climb trees high I see you fall, I see you cry. In the snow I see you eat I see you kill, I see you eat meat.

Oh dear snow leopard why so prancy why so pretty, why so dancy?

-Aidan

From: Odes to things and experiments with the 2^nd person

Light

Sunny colors orange and yellow you help me see in the dark your light can change every part of my day at daybreak you’re up and lighting up my day at dusk your light is dark orange and the skies are purple, blue and pink people celebrate your light in Alaska

-Meilin

From: Odes to things and experiments with the 2^nd person

Monkeys

O Monkeys swinging through the sunny trees O screeching, so ever can be I hear rustling through the leaves I see you through the greenish grass I watch you from my windowsill, playing

-Anonymous

From: A letter poem

Dear painting,

I am very glad you are here to excite my simplicity to add your color to my blank white surface And just so you know, my best color is orange So please can I have orange?

Sincerely, Canvas

-Ellie

From: A letter poem

Dear Wasabi

Dear Wasabi,

I like the spiciness you give to me. I like when you swim in the soy sauce.

Sincerely, Sushi

-Max

June's Teacher Spotlight

Want to get to know some of the creative writing masters behind “Take My Word For It!”? Meet this month’s teacher spotlight, Wes Solether!

Name: Wes Solether

Hometown: Lombard, Illinois

Who is your favorite author? Paul Celan

What’s your favorite NOUN? Constellation

If your life was a book, how would it begin? I would hope it would begin in the present tense.

Did a teacher or another writer inspire you to write? How? 

I took up writing really late in my life, compared to most of my friends and classmates. My sophomore year of college I took an introduction course in English literature. My professor was a poet and gave us a little sample of every genre of literature out there. We went through a play, poems, short stories and a novel. He taught Jonathan Safran Foer's Everything Is Illuminated. I didn't think anyone could write a book like that. It was experimental in the way it was composed, but it was still resonant and heartfelt in all the right places. I remember we once talked about pursuing a life in teaching and writing. He said very clearly it wasn't a calling he would recommend to anyone that expects money or fame. I remember it was the first time I said I wanted to write and teach and really meant it. I was inspired to try some creative writing workshops and now I'm finishing my MFA in Poetry at USF. Something must have clicked in that class!

Words from Our Young Authors at Hillcrest Elementary

This session we focused on food-related writing; we wrote about foods we love, foods we hate, and even what foods would do if they became human. From our exercise about "food fright," in which students wrote about food that makes, or used to make, them squeamish.

Night of the Living Crab Cakes

I'm on a cruise ship in Europe. My dad asks me to try the crab cakes. I say that I'll think about it. I don't want to try them but I do. It's weird. We walk to dinner. My sister, I, and my mom wearing pretty dresses, and my dad in his handsome dark suit. We look at the menu. I remember my dad said we have to try new things in Italy. My sister and I order Shirley Temples. My mom and dad order wine. My dad convinces me to try crab cakes and we could split gnocchi. I couldn't back out. It was already in the cage. The waiter brought our orders over. I took one bite. I loved it! It sort of had a boom then pow then kaboom pow! It was so good! The texture, the flavor, it was amazing. To this day I still eat it at Claremont.

– Maggie

From "Tangerine Delight," an exercise that asked students to eat a tangerine slooowly, bite by bite, and write about the experience.

Tangerine Delightsy Appetitesy

Peeling apart the segments of the tangerine taunts me until the last drop of gooey, orange joy is resting on my tongue. My jaw slowly clenches and this wonderful splash of flavor is riding around my mouth. I imagine the orange liquid rummaging through my mouth, spraying every inch like someone watering the ground with a hose. I swallow and the world becomes a grey lonely place again and the world is not colorful and playful until I eat the tangerine, watermelon, banana fruit salad at dinner.

– Hayden

From our food personification activity, which let the kids write about characters inspired by food.

Part One

Watermelon was a watermelon that had orange hair, blue eyes, and her skin color was green, red, and black. She lived in a rainbow-colored pineapple with her pet Waddles. She was taking a walk with her pet Waddles. Waddles would bark and bark. Watermelon still went to school. She was in 2nd grade. Her parents would not be home so she had to walk home by herself. One evening when she was walking home she fell into an ice cube. Watermelon did not know what to do. The ice cube was too slippery to get out. She could not think of anything. Her friend Melon Mark came strolling along when he found Watermelon. Watermelon said to Melon Mark, "Help me! Please! I'll give you a treat!" Melon Mark liked the word "treat". He pulled her out, thinking what a hero he was. Watermelon invited him to stay over for a little bit. They both had an amazing time. Watermelon and Melon Mark would never ever forget that moment.

Part Two

Melon Mark and Watermelon were soon in 5th grade. They were still in the same class. Melon Mark and Watermelon were becoming friends. At the end of school Watermelon would do her homework and play. Melon Mark had feelings for Watermelon. Watermelon had feelings for him too! At school the first period Melon Mark asked Watermelon if Watermelon could go on a date. Watermelon was shocked and then said "yes". That night Watermelon got all dressed up for Melon Mark. At the date they went to a French restaurant. Melon Mark had onion soup. Watermelon had steak with peas and mashed up potatoes. After dinner, Melon Mark dropped off Watermelon at her house.  Melon Mark and Watermelon had grown up ten years later. They both got married and had children whose names were Mars, Melvin, and Waton. They got a huge lovely house.

The End.

– Sara

Another from our food personification exercise:

The Pie

The poor cute little pie was hoping that somebody would one day buy her from that prison store. At least the little pie had Whitey the Butter, her friend, that was also a prisoner there.

One day a little boy that was picking his nose grabbed the little pie and bought her.

The little pie was so happy that she got taken away from the prison store. She was on a beautiful glass table, suddenly something jumped up on the table, and happily chewed the little pie. It was the darn dog! The little pie was chewed into pieces in the dog's stomach. The little pie wasn't so happy, but at least she was out of the prison store. Or was she in another prison place?...AAAHHH!

– Sonyamia

From our family recipe activity, in which we wrote stories inspired by favorite family dishes:

Food Story

As the all-vegetable pot stickers, or gyoza, sizzle and crackle in the saucepan, my salivic glands and nose go on overdrive. The soy sauce salty smell overpowers my nose. As my mom calls me from the computer to set the table she turns off the glitchy knob and it stops clicking.

When I am done putting the cold silverware on the table, and pouring the varied drinks, I collect my plate and sit down ravenously. The first bite I take is warm and soy sauce salty. The savory/sweet vegetables come almost instantly afterwards, YUM! After the first three gyoza are gone all that salt has made me hungry and I take a sip of the oversweet orange-peach-mango-juice, OPMJ. When I am done drinking I sit back, contentedly sighing.

– Noah

This is from our "I Am From" poetry exercise, which let the kids get creative while describing where they come from.

I am From

I am from a bunch of ancestors lined up one by one, generation after generation with me at the end of them

I am from a tree with branches growing stronger each day, with the parents standing next to me on any kind of day

I am from a big, tall hill full of life with an urban farm house crowning its head

I am from all those art and dance shows and people cheering me on

I range from a long telephone call to nights studying for a test

I am from making a dream come true no matter what

And making the best of things, cuz it's just in those blue worn out jeans.

– Nicola

Yet another from our food personification exercise:

Caseeeeeeeeey the Cake

            Once upon a time there was a cake called Caseeeeeeeeey. She was a chocolate cake and she had chocolate frosting and she had chocolate sprinkles.

            Once upon Caseeeeeeeeey three candles were pushed into her soft, crumby yumminess and they got lit on fire. She threw them at José the jalapeño. He got lit on fire. Then he danced around for ten days and two seconds. Then he drank water. So he was okay.

            Once upon a sunny summer day José walked into a Mexican restaurant. He hid behind a booth. Then Caseeeeeeeeey walked into a Mexican restaurant. They just happened to be the same ones. The cake saw José. She picked him up and showed him to the cook. The cook saw José and took him and made him into salsa.

            Once upon a long, long, long, long, long, long, long time in the future (about thirty seconds), Caseeeeeeeeey opened the door to her house and went in and drank a cup of coffeeeeeeeee and lived happily ever after.

                                    The end is near!

                                          The end

– Jonathan

From our "Tangerine Delight" exercise...

Tangerine

Tangy, yet sweet Sour, yet candy-like Seeping onto my tongue Filling my mouth with a floating sensation Orange is the color that I can taste Squirting around my mouth Yum.

– Reilly

Words from Our Young Authors at West Portal

This Winter at West Portal Elementary, we’ve been exploring the theme of “secrets” using a variety of writing exercises such as secret recipes, secret identities, and secret codes. Take a look!  

From an exercise where each student acted as a reporter and wrote a front page headline about their superhero and secret identity:

Blue Vulture in Town!

Last night the first national bank was robbed, but someone dressed as a vulture stopped the crime. Witnesses heard some fighting. The Blue Vulture punched a thug out the door. He nailed the second thug to the wall using his feathers. The last guy almost escaped. But the hero appeared in front of him. The police captured him. The hero kind of looked like Mike Lee, the reporter on the case!

-Skylar

From an exercise where each student choose a secret and expanded on it:

My dad is a secret agent

My dad secretly first goes to his secret lab and gets his gadgets. He was going to go to a crime scene but then his computer suddenly started beeping - there was a mission. Someone stole the Statue of Liberty! He dropped his water on the floor and suddenly left the base. He was on his way to New York - he was on time when the police were there. The criminal got away and the next day he came back to steal something else but then my dad caught him and sent him to jail!

-Bryan

From “Secret Recipes” where students create their own secret recipes using secret ingredients:

How to Make Weird Cake

How to Make Weird Cake

1. Take one hair.
2. Take one eyeball.
3. Add a piece of Butterfinger.
4. Make a piece of bone and put it in a soup.
5. Bake it.
6. When it’s done, take a knife and cut it.

-Stephanie

From an exercise where each student choose a secret and expanded on it in journal form:

The secret is: “a fairy lives in my room and sleeps under my bed”

Dear Journal,

I don’t like this fairy here. It’s very annoying because she’s talking all night. I want to tell my best friend Jenna, but I’m not sure what to say. The fairy’s curly hair keeps on tickling me. And her big teeth shine like the moon. Everywhere I go, she goes too. I feel worried about this thing here. I don’t really like the happiness that she gave me (or maybe it didn’t work.) I think I should make a trap. Then I’ll be very happy!

-Angel

From an exercise where each student acted as a reporter and wrote a front page headline about their superhero and secret identity:

Extra! Extra! Jump Up Girl Saves the Day!

Last night there was a bad guy. He went in to a spaceship and flew up into space. The space ship had a lot of money in it. But then the Jump Up Girl jumped into space. She can hold her breath for ten hours. So she jumped to space and pushed the spaceship down. Then the police came and arrested the bad guy.

-Zoe

Words from Our Young Authors at Thornhill Elementary, Grades 4-5

This session at Thornhill we’re exploring the elements of a good mystery. The kids have been crafting mystery stories and learning all about creative writing techniques, from character and plot development to using concrete details and the five senses to tell a story. We’ve been having a great time. Here are some teasers...

From: Write a letter to or from one of your characters.

Dear Police Officer,

You wanted to know my story so...here it is! This is my story! I am Violet V. 12 years old with short brown hair and blue eyes. I used to have parents and they disappeared during a  hurricane. I was left alone with only my strict grandfather to look after me. He lived in a big, shining new house with a backyard and swimming pool in Cuba. He was a rich, greedy and mean old man. He made me be his servant! If I refused he would threaten or punish me.

-Michela

From: How to organize a mystery around Who? What? Where? When? Why? How? using the prompt “It was missing.”

Have You Lost Your Mind?

“So, who am I again?” I asked and then he vanished. Was gone. Disappeared. Left. Was Away. And I was all alone. No idea what had just happened.

“You shall go on a quest to find your memory,” said a strange man.

-Sophie

From: Describe a setting and mood with the five senses.

Small Town in the Future

The survivors wouldn’t say, so no one knew what had happened. Everyone who survived knew, but vowed to never give up. The treacherous story had brought them here, accidentally, without food, water, or any recognition of what was happening and what already had. After spending what they used to call a week, they knew what people have spent a millenia wondering, still arguing on an answer. What happens after the sun has died? The survivors are the strongest out of the strong. They are the last humans.

-Sidney

From: How to organize a mystery around Who? What? Where? When? Why? How? using the prompt “It was missing.”

I said, “Good morning, Kikii!” No answer. “Kikii, I got your favorite breakfast kitty chow!” Still no answer. I went to check her room. “Kikii, I called you a million times where were yo--” I stopped in the middle of my sentence, She wasn’t there! I looked everywhere for her. The bathroom, the kitchen, even her favorite litter box! P.U. “Reemi. Focus!”

-Reemi

From: Rewrite a twist ending for a common fairytale.

The beginning of The Boy Who Cried Wolf

In a town, lived a boy shepherd by the name of Claude. He was very tall and was very demanding with his voice. He wasn’t watchful as sheep were disappearing. One day he was bored and he cried “Wolf!” The men came running but there was no wolf. He did that every day for a week and the town was getting annoyed. They decided that they wouldn’t come anymore. The next morning Claude was missing and so were his sheep. There was blood everywhere. They looked for him for days.

-Elise (collaborated with Mitch)

From: Rewrite a twist ending for a common fairytale.

The ending of The Boy Who Cried Wolf

Finally one night they saw something moving. It was a wolf! It was talking to someone and they noticed it was a full moon. The voice was Claudes! The next morning they found bloody paw prints leading to dead sheep’s wool. I hope that creature doesn’t come to our town again, said one of the men. We spotted Claude! his feet look like claws. Funny coincidence. Claude came back. He said he was sick and he was back. But that night it was a full moon. Suddenly Claude turned into a wolf! Everyone screamed! Claude ran off and as far as I know he never came back. I’m sure everyone’s glad about that.

-Mitch (collaborated with Elise)

From: How to organize a mystery around Who? What? Where? When? Why? How? using the prompt “It was missing.”

Kila scored the winning goal!! The Shooting Stars had won the game. At the end of the game the Coach gave Kila a ball signed by everyone on her soccer team, but Jessica just gave her an evil glare. Bella was so happy she just started hugging Kila so tight. Since it was a soccer game at Disney World, Kila decided to put her ball down and go play with her friends.

-Jamie

From: Write a letter to or from one of your characters. 

2/11/1943

Dear runaway parent,

There were buckets of rain leaking through my abandoned truck. Spent the morning underneath the Grove in the park. Listening to the chirping birds as if they were crying my name, “Dustpin, Dustpin.” The winter is near, 11th Tale of my Life, leaking one tear of Hope, that you’ll be coming. Spent the afternoon seemed to leave a shadow of hunger. Found “the bike” + rode off to Charity Red Fund for supper. Now watching my life go by.

-Dustpin

(P.S. Please come for me.)

-Maxwell

From: How to organize a mystery around Who? What? Where? When? Why? How? using the prompt “It was missing.”

One day Jordan was reading his book at home when all of a sudden there was a knock on the door. Jordan went to the door to open it. At the door his friend Mike was there. “Hi, Jordan!” said Mike. “Do you want to go to the park to play basketball?” Sure!’ said Jordan. “First let me ask my mom.” Jordan’s mom said yes then he went to put on his basketball shorts. When Jordan and Mike got to the park, Jordan said, “Sooo, where is the basketball?” “Basketball? I thought you were bringing it.” So they both went back to Jordan’s house where Jordan asked his dad where his basketball was. Jordan’s dad said, “I don’t know, but maybe it’s in the garage. Let’s go check.” They searched for half an hour but couldn’t find his ball. When they got back into the house Jordan whispered to Mike, “My dad is acting suspicious, don’t you think?”

-Parsa