FREE PROJECT: Full of meaningful poetry templates, student handouts, and ready-to-go examples. Uses PowerPoint. If you would like your students to complete this project, visit http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Technology-Project-Class-Poetry-E-book-1129570.

1. Sample
Class Poetry E-book
With Teacher-Made Examples

2. Just
Because

3. Just because I’m short
Doesn’t mean I can’t reach the chocolate chip cookies on the top shelf
Doesn’t mean my greatest wish in the world is to be tall
Doesn’t mean I can’t play basketball and win
Just because I play video games
Doesn’t mean that I can be described as violent and a future terrorist
Doesn’t mean I don’t have a social life
Doesn’t mean that my career choices are limited to gaming
Just because I’m Asian
Doesn’t mean my parents must own a gas station
Doesn’t mean I don’t struggle with math and science
Doesn’t mean I can’t speak English just as well as you

4. I Used to,
But Now

5. I used to fight just to take out my anger on simple things.
But now I listen to music to calm myself down and think twice about things.
I used to think I could skip school and my life would still be ok
But now I know that without school, my future is McDonald’s or Burger King.
I used to run away from my problems, failing grades in school or fights with friends
But now I face them head on and become the solution
I used to feel torn in half by my parents’ divorce
But now I try to enjoy the fact that I have two families who love and care for me
I used to believe the negative things people said about me
But now I know who I am and let the words bounce off of me, and I tell them so

6. Dear…

7. Dear Grandma,
I would like to tell you
that I couldn’t have made it this far without your support
You tell me
you can’t wait to see me standing on that stage, accepting my diploma
You tell me
I will become more than my father
You tell me
to dream big and believe in myself to accomplish every goal, one step at a time
So during our next encounter
When you tell me that you’re on my side
I will tell you I am working hard to make you proud
I will tell you I love you and I need you in my life
And that’s a promise.

8. Dear Dad,
I would like to tell you
that I will no longer listen to you when you put me down
You tell me
I won’t become anything more than a burger flipper at McDonald’s
You tell me
I will never see the stage on graduation day
You tell me
I can’t see beyond the video games that I play
So during our next encounter
When you put me down without a second thought
I will tell you that I have heard the last insult
I will tell you I plan to prove you wrong
And that’s a promise.

9. If My Fist
Could Speak

11. I’m Like

12. Today I am like the turtle, slowly and steadily trying to win the race.
Yesterday I was an island, wanting to be left alone.
To my mom I am like a perfect flight on an airplane, I fly straight when I
am told but still have my fair share of storms from time to time.
To my dad I am a penny, taking up space, often thrown aside.
My friends think I am like a “dice,” depending on the moment, I can be
sweet, tough, thoughtful, a loner, angry, or a prankster.
Really I am an actor, you can’t tell if I’m feeling down and just trying to
hide it with a simple smile on my face.

13. If I Were in Charge of
the World

14. If I were in charge of the world
I’d create parks that every child could walk to,
provide homes for the homeless,
end wars and pollution.
If I were in charge of the world,
there’d be laughter and not hate,
people working together to solve common problems,
no more addictions.
If I were in charge of the world
you wouldn’t have to fear crime,
you wouldn’t have parents who ignore their children,
you wouldn’t have to worry about not having enough money for your next meal,
or about bullies who don’t know how much pain words can cause.
In charge of the world.

15. I Am

16. I am a hard-working teacher who still loves to laugh.
I wonder how my students will do this year.
I hear their brains clicking.
I see the light in their eyes.
I want them to want to succeed.
I am a hard-working teacher who still loves to laugh.
I pretend I am always in control.
I feel like I’m swimming in quicksand sometimes.
I touch the hearts and minds of others.
I worry sometimes that I am not good enough.
I cry when students share their pain.
I am a hard-working teacher who still loves to laugh.
I understand I cannot save everyone.
I say I still need to try.
I dream of being the best teacher I can be.
I try to make my classes fun and relevant.
I hope I never stop caring.
I am a hard-working teacher who still loves to laugh.

17. Where
I’m
From

18. I am from dizzying hula hoops, from "cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs," and homemade
book shelves.
I am from the pink house with no garage, home for 15 years.
I am from the hibiscus flower that I saw every summer day while walking with
my grandma.
I am from weekend picnics at the beach, starving after swimming.
I am from my loving mother, caring father, and supportive brother.
I am from the loud Asian family that was strict, yet caring.
From "When are you going to learn to cook?" and "I expect all A's."
I'm from Illinois, my birth state, from Florida, my home state, and from India,
my heart.
I'm from samosas and curry, Indian food almost every day.
From the summer road trips to Washington, D.C., St. Louis, Canada, and more,
with all the crazy laughs.

19. Credits
[Some of the poems have been modified]
“Just Because” - http://writingfix.com/Literature_Prompts/Lord_of_Flies4.htm
“I Used to, But Now” - http://www.angelfire.com/bug/dstockwell/iusedto.htm
“Dear…” - http://ettcweb.lr.k12.nj.us/forms/dearpoem.htm
“If I Were In Charge of the World” - http://ettcweb.lr.k12.nj.us/forms/incharge.htm
“If My Fist Could Speak” - http://www.pongoteenwriting.org/activities/featured/if-myfist-could-speak.html
“I Am”- http://ettcweb.lr.k12.nj.us/forms/iampoem.htm
“I Am From” - http://www.swva.net/fred1st/wif.htm