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Every Rock Has a Story: A Wonder Poem

2/2/2017

11 Comments

 
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Welcome, Poetry Friday readers! Thanks for visiting me today on the ridge, where I share a wonder poem about how rocks came to be. You can find more poetry wonders this week over at A Penny and Her Jots. Thanks for hosting, Penny!

Friends, have you ever wondered how something came to be? I think about this all the time! It's fun to think of all the possibilities for what makes things the way they are and perhaps even more fun to consider what they could be.

A few weeks ago, my dear friend and fellow teacher Mrs. Mann, posed this statement to her fourth grade students "Every rock has a story. What could it be?" I could see all the wheels turning in her students' heads as they pondered over this idea. What a great thing to wonder about! After that, she proceeded to read them this amazing book A Rock Can Be... by Laura Purdie Salas. Through the book's vivid images and poetically written lines, the students entered a world where they could engage in the wonderment of what a rock can be. This book then served as an anchor text for students as they were each given a rock to observe and create a story or a poem about.

The students were not the only ones eager to take on the exploration of this idea. I couldn't help but join in! I became a rock hunter, searching for rocks all along the ridge. Below are a few of them that I found along with a wonder poem that was inspired by Mrs. Mann's simple truth, "Every rock has a story."   
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Photo by Kiesha Shepard
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Invitation to Write:

Writers often think scientifically and creatively about the things they wonder about. What are some things you have observed or noticed lately that you are curious about? Start a list in your notebook. You can use your observations and notes to create stories or wonder poems. You might even choose yourself as your subject of wonder. Don't we all have a story? So what's yours?  
11 Comments
Laura Purdie Salas link
2/2/2017 05:20:48 pm

Kiesha, this poem is just lovely! I especially love the questions you ask the rock. Thanks very much for sharing about this:>)

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Carol Varsalona link
2/2/2017 09:13:11 pm

Kiesha, I love Laura's book and found your poem to be charming. The last two lines resonated with me.

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Kay McGriff link
2/3/2017 06:51:46 am

What a lovely poem. (And I want to look for Laura's book, too.). I am reminded of our vacation last summer when we looked for Petosky stones and spent hours sitting on the porch sanding and polishing them. I think I even started a poem about them. I'll have to dig it out and see what story it tells.

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Penny Parker Klostermann link
2/3/2017 08:11:23 am

Oh my goodness! I love this post and I love your poem! Laura's book is amazing and inspiring.

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Linda Baie link
2/3/2017 04:05:37 pm

Laura's book(s) are all wonders, I agree. How great that you were inspired to find your own rocks. My youngest granddaughter and I have had a marvelous time looking at the superb collection at our museum. And she loved the book! Love the rhyming with 'quarry' and 'story'.

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Linda Mitchell link
2/3/2017 06:23:32 pm

As I was reading your post I was thinking....this reminds me of....this reminds me of....and then I remembered. If You Were the Moon! That book explains the role of the moon -- to us who might be tempted to overlook it's story. And guess who the author is?! Yep. Laura Purdie Salas. I love your take on the lesson and your own poem about the story that can be from rocks. As always, a great visit for me at the Ridge. Have a great week.

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Robyn Hood Black link
2/3/2017 09:06:40 pm

How great that you answered your fellow teacher friend's classroom call with such a fun poem! (I got a kick out of "quarry/story" too.) Great photo as well. And, yay, Laura! So many terrific books.

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Sally Murphy link
2/5/2017 12:26:13 am

Great post. I love that your own rock-poem was about a rock hunter. I've added Laura's book to my wishlist.

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Mary Lee Hahn
2/5/2017 06:59:38 am

Love those last two lines! (well, the whole poem, but ESPECIALLY the last two lines!)

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Alice Nine link
2/10/2017 09:35:42 am

As always, I have enjoyed this post. Thank you for sharing the classroom backstory to your poem. Thanks for your invitation to wonder and write. I love your opening lines, an introduction to the poem's characters--rock hunter and rocks: "I am a rock hunter . . . those rocks that hope to be found."

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LifePoemsProject.com link
4/19/2018 08:42:43 pm

Your poem affected life?! Yes, you can share your lovely poem and its great "after story" with the world... Submit now on LifePoemsProject.com

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    Welcome! I'm Kiesha Shepard, and I have a love for writing and the teaching of writing. Whispers From the Ridge is a place where I can share my words and ideas for teaching writing. It's also a place for you to find inspiration for writing the words inside of you. I invite you into my world of writing as I capture the whispers from the ridge.

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    Schedule of Round Up:

    July
    2    Laura at Laura Shovan
    9    Margaret at Reflections on the Teche
    16  Molly at Nix the Comfort Zone
    23  Kat at Kathryn Apel
    30  Becky at Sloth Reads
    August
    6   Mary Lee at A(nother) Year of Reading
    13 Christie at Wondering and Wandering
    20 Carol at The Apples in My Orchard
    27 Elisabeth at Unexpected Intersections
    September
    3   Heidi at my juicy little universe
    10 Tricia at The Miss Rumphius Effect
    17 Denise at Dare to Care
    24 Laura at Laura Purdie Salas
    October
    1   Catherine at Reading to the Core
    8   Irene at Live Your Poem
    15 Bridget at wee words for wee ones
    22 Jama at Jama's Alphabet Soup
    29 Linda at TeacherDance
    November
    5   Tabatha at The Opposite of Indifference
    12 Matt at Radio, Rhythm & Rhyme
    19 Carol at Beyond LiteracyLink
    26 Ruth at there is no such thing as a God-forsaken town
    December
    3   Michelle at Michelle Kogan
    10 Cathy at Merely Day by Day
    17 Jone at Jone Rush MacCulloch
    24 Buffy at Buffy Silverman
    31 Carol at Carol's Corner

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