Animal Origins

This week in Poetry, the young writers at Trumbull Elementary read The Tyger by William Blake. We discussed how Blake is asking the Tyger where he comes from, who made him, and where he took the different parts of himself from. I asked the students to choose their own animals, and describe them using this questioning method. Below, a sample of their amazing poems!

3rd Grade
Ode to a Komodo Dragon
by Coleen Q.

O Komodo Dragon, where did
you get your spikes? Did you
get them from a rose, or somebody’s
hair? O Komodo Dragon, where
did you get your sharp teeth?
Was it from a shark or snake?
O Komodo Dragon, where do
you live? Do you live under
a rock or under a tree?
O Komodo Dragon, your tail,
your long tail, where is it from?
Did you steal it from a monkey,
or a snake? O Komodo Dragon,
you make me wonder.

The Squirrel
by Alesandra P.

Squirrel, you are very pretty.
How did you learn to
climb trees? Where did you get
your colors from? Where did
you come from? I bet you
want nuts. Who is your mom?
Is your name Fluffy?
Is the tree your home?
Do you have a pet?

The Crab’s Origins
by Anahi M.

Crabs! Crabs! You are so nice but when
people touch you, you bite them with your
claws. Did you steal your claws from
a bad tiger and a bad lion too?
You are the color red like a human’s
heart. Why do your eyes look mean?
Why do you live in the ocean?
Why do you like to have sharp claws?
Why do you like red to be in your body?


2nd Grade (group poems)
Anaconda

Anaconda, covered with scales,
did you get your dinner from a human body?
You’re as long as a rope.
Did you get your length from a tall tree’s log?
Anaconda, where did you get your green color?
Did you get it form a leaf?
Anaconda, slivering in the water,
how are you such a good swimmer?
You are so dangerous.
Where did you get your sharp teeth?
Did a dentist give them to you?
Anaconda, you strangle your prey.
Did you get your strength from a shark’s mouth?
We are afraid of you, harmful Anaconda.

Cheetah
by Sammy, Jalyssa, Robert, Erica, Giovanni, Nathan, Felix, and Faith

Cheetah, you are so big.
Did you borrow your size from an elephant
or a rhino? Cheetah, you are so energetic.
Did you get it from the summer air,
or did you steal if from flowing water?
Cheetah, your yellow fur is beautiful.
Did it come from spring sun grass?
Where did you get your claws?
Did you take them from Wolverine,
or from a swampy alligator?
Did you get your pink paws
from the nose of a bear?
Where did you get your eyes?
Did you take the light from the sun?
Cheetah, did you get your long, wiggly tail
from a monkey? Where did you get your
amazing speed? From a Hummer?
Oh Cheetah, you blend in with your
grassy surroundings like a sneaky spy.


4th Grade
Turtle
by Romario L.

Turtle, where did you get
your feet? Did you get them
from a stick, or a little rock?
Turtle, where did you get your
body? From a rock, or from
a helmet? Turtle, where did you get
your noises from, a little bug?

The Zebra
by Wenny

Zebra! Zebra! running in the cave,
how did you get your pretty legs?
Did you get them from a horse?
Zebra! your fur is very soft. Did
you get it from a bunny? Zebra!
Zebra! your fur is black and white.
Did you get your white from
the clouds, your black from
a moon bear?

Elephant
by Rene V.

Oh Elephant, Elephant, where did you get your
horns? Did you steal them from a bull?

Where did you get that trunk?
Did you take it from the mammoth
when it went extinct?

How did you get so big?
Did you steal it from the sky or the clouds?

Where did you get that common noise?
Did you get it from thunder roaring?

How did you get that skin?
Did you take it from a rhino?

Where id you get the shape
of your feet? Was it from a dino?

Where did you get that skinny tail?
Is it from a pencil?

Oh Elephant, you are the best.