Ni Hao, Blog Readers,
As a teacher here in China, I am expected to expand my students' knowledge of English, largely through a great deal of speaking and listening activities. Writing and reading are also a component of the program, and I thought it was time to engage these amazing learners in composing poetry. This will come as no surprise to those of you who know me well.
So, I shared Eloise Greenfield's "Honey, I Love" poem with them and then asked them to write their own "I Love..." piece for homework. Here are a few of the results of that homework. Keep in mind that these students are writing outside their first language. I think you will be very impressed with the way in which they express what is inside...
"Baby, I Love" - by Tian Yulan (Bessie)I love
I love so many things,
so lots of things about you
When you were in my body,
I like to breathe with you
and...The day
when you came into the world
I wouldn't forget the day, it's March 8th, 2005.
From then on, all the world has changed
because of your coming
and...I like your sweet voice,
your smooth skin, your tender face.
I also love to watch you growing up day by day
and...My baby, I love to pick up the stars
in the dark nights
to decorate your dreams.
I love to make the blue sky
as your quilt
and...I love to draw many beautiful designs on it
Oh, my baby, I hate to depart from you
even only one minute.
I like to stay with you and your father
Let's live together
peacefully
and
happily.***************************
"Light" - by Yan Yun (Shirley)
I love
I love the sun
She gives light to humanity
Everything is pretty.I love
I love the fire.
She gives us the warmth
As if she gives us some clothes.I love
I love the lighter
She lights the fire of hope
And she makes the world bright.I love
I love the candle
She lightsherself
And she emblazes everyone else.I love
I love the teacher
She lights the candles
Lighting the forward way
of students.I don't love
I don't love the dark night
It is very horrible.
No light, no warmth,
and no hope.
***************************"Darling I Love (For my husband)" - by Chen Zhaoxia (Audrey)
Darling, I want to tell you
there's so many things I love.
Like Mama always does some sewing
I sit beside her listening to her singing
She is always so beautiful in my eyes.
I always feel so happy for her kiss.
and...I love swimming in the summer days.
We are so fun beneath the water
with my good friends.
and...I love sitting on the grass
at the fall midnight.
There seems a beauty lives in the moon
with a big tree and a rabbit.
and...I love listening to the folk music
I always imagine that I am the hero-ess
in the "Gone with the Wind"
and...I love many things that are romantic
Every love story sounds like a sad music
and...I do not love to be quiet
I love to be crazy.But my love,
there are so many things I love
And my darling
There's one thing I must tell you,
that is I love you best
in the world.
**************************
Tonight's homework for my students was to create their own "Phenomenal Woman" or "Phenomenal Man" poem after reading "Phenomenal Woman" by Maya Angelou in class today. They fell in love with Maya and they had many questions about "the span of her hips" and her "inner mystery." I will post some of their "phenomenal" poems over the weekend.
May you write the poem you have always wanted to write...
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