Tangerine Poems and letters



I have just started a unit on Tangerine by Edward Bloor with my 7th grade English Classes. Within the unit we are also covering metaphors and similes. Yesterday my students had the following choices after a lesson in which they each got to experiences describing the taste, feel, smell, and sight of a tangerine.

a)      Create a Poem about the Tangerine using 2 metaphors, 2 similes, descriptive language, and imagery.

b)      Write a letter to an alien who has never seen, smelled or tasted a tangerine to explain what they are missing out on. Be sure to use 2 metaphors, 2 similes, descriptive language and imagery that the alien might understand.

c)      Create a venn diagram comparing and contrasting an onion and a tangerine. Be sure to use 2 metaphors, 2 similes, descriptive language and imagery.

While a lot of my students chose the oh-so-borring Venn diagram assignment. Some chose the more creative options. I wanted to take a minute and share with you some of their work.

Tangerine Poem

What joy you bring me

Like the morning of Christmas Eve

Oh, how sweet you be

You are delicious to me

Rotten or bruised

A good life you grew

Sweet and Round

And only a pound

You are like my honey for a bee

I see you in a market

And money in my pocket

I don’t want to eat meat

You are now inside of me

Letter to an Alien

Dear Cornocopia,

            You are missing out on so much down here on earth. Especially, the tangerines! The tangerine is as rich as 1,000,000,000 dollars. The sweetness and the sourness explode in your mouth. Once you begin to peel it, the room as odor of citrus. Also eating a tangerine is like being in heaven. It’s marvelous! TO me a tangerine is my life. It will become yours too when you bite into one. A tangerine is the life here on earth. Come visit from you world and visit earth. You won’t be disappointed.

Poem

A orange color fruit

Makes my tongue whistle like a flute

The fruit I’m describing is a tangerine

Tangerine is as orange as an orange

Bright yellow as the sun

A nice fellow

Tangerine is king Kong in my mouth

Tangerine is explosive like a bomb

Poem

A tangerine is an orange

Except it tastes better

You can taste the sweet

And write it in a letter

The sweetness is like candy

Tasting so sweet

When you eat the fruit you do to a paradise with tweets

A tangerine is a gumball

Filled with lots of flavor

If you give someone the fruit you may get a favor

The tangerine is as bright as the sun

I’d rather eat this than gum

Letter

The tangerine is very tasty alien. It is as big as your plant. Healthier than a apple. It is even better looking than you. It is like gold as a token from God. That is how the tangerine is you disgusting alien. The tangerine for me is like a block of diamond.