James Wilson, E.L. Haynes Public Charter School, Washington, DC September 02, 2008 | Miscellaneous
We received the following poems this past February via foss@berkeley.edu. Jim wrote the poems when he was teaching the New Plants Module to his second graders. The FOSS staff enjoyed them and hope that you will, too.
A fleck, a speck— This seed would lie so lonely on a plate. A spot, a dot— It only takes two days to germinate. A root, a shoot— This cousin to the radish wastes no time. A leaf! Relief— The stem will stretch and slowly start to climb. Two, four—then more— The pairs of leaves line up to lap the light. A bead, a bud— Atop the stem they swell, then overnight. . . Kaboom! A bloom— A yellow crown to advertise to bees The need for seed— So won't you come and pollinate me, please?
A plastic cup with holes punched in the bottom, A scoop of soil that's damp but not too wet, A pinch of seed—two pinches if you've got 'em, A week, a sunny windowsill—you're set. You've grown a lawn four inches square, and green. Now all that's left to do is somehow buy A lawnmower no bigger than a bean And pushed by a determined dragonfly.
All heifers fully favor Filling up on some alfalfa. The sprouts are full of flavor— Try falafel with alfalfa. It follows that a fluffy Furry bunny loves alfalfa. Don't laugh, or get so huffy! Try alfalfa for yourselfa.
This doorknob looking for a door! I can't imagine what it's for. Its waiting for a friend to pour Some water on, and then some more. Up through the roots the waters And then a slender shoot will grow— On warm days fast, on cool days slow And soon enough we all will know. For when it grows ten inches high, Just take a snip and give a try— Your monster breath! Your burning It's all enough to make you cry. Far better to have sliced the things Into a pile of ivory rings, Battered, dropped in oil that sings— An onion feast for onion kings.
If your creative juices start to flow (and/or those of your students) while you're teaching FOSS, we'd love to see the results of your efforts. You can email them to us at foss@berkeley.edu.