Miranda Schuhles Top 10 Teachable Poems:

Poem #1
Untitled by Christy Ann Martine
This poem is an example of a naturally occurring phenomenon that I found on one
of my favorite apps, Pinterest. I would teach this poem as an example poem for
finding poetry in simple places. Because students are so frequently on social media
during the current times, they probably see images like the one shown above on a
daily basis. They could follow or like different pages that post inspirational or cute
images that have poems on them. Students also encounter poetry in this naturally
occurring way when their friends post on various social media accounts. My
students should know that social media is a great resource for various feeds of text,
including poetry which they may not think of off the top of their head. I think that I
could help them more effectively analyze and genuinely enjoy what they encounter.
I would also use this poem as a strong example for imagery. For students who are
interested in drawing and art I would love to see them illustrate the imagery in the
poem in the form of their own interpretation. Because it is an untitled poem as well,
I would have my students title the poems themselves in addition to their illustration.
Poem #2
My City Need Something Performed by PnB Rock
[Verse 1: PnB Rock]

Miranda Schuhles Top 10 Teachable Poems:

I don't know what's going on
But I know that something's wrong
And I know that lately
My city has been crazy
It's like everyday somebody gone
And every time I turn around I hear them gun sounds
Cop signs man we need to put the guns down
Everybody wanna be a shooter scared to fight
So they take a life, ain't no one on one now
All of this killing, I'm like when will it stop
And it really don't help that
Don't get no help from the cops
They hear a shooting in the hood
They get late to the block
But they hear an officer down
They get straight to the block. (It's crazy)
I'm tired of hearing about these missing babies
Stop the killing and let's find all of these missing babies
I wrote this song cuz I know just how it feels
To lose somebody you love and that's real (That's why)
[Hook: PnB Rock]
I don't wanna look up
Every time I look up
I can see them pictures
Hanging on the wall
Talking about my fam
Yeah, I'm talking about my dogs
Rest in peace 'em all
Man I swear I miss them all
I don't wanna look up
Cuz When I look up
I can see your face
But I know you ain't there
Wanna call your phone
But I know you won't answer
Why'd you have to go?
Man I swear this ain't fair
And I don't know what it is
But my city need something
People killing people over nothing
I swear it's like everyday I wake up
Man I hear something like:
Man I miss my brother

Miranda Schuhles Top 10 Teachable Poems:

Rest in peace my hitter
Man they took my sister
I swear we need something different
But I don't know what it is
[Verse 2: PnB Rock]
Waited all winter for this crazy summer
Who would think that they
Would take so many from us
I come from the city where they show no love
And killing innocent people man that so messed up
Good die young ain't how it's supposed to be
Every time I turn around
I lose somebody close to me
I try and hold back the tears
And be a soldier see
But memories and pain
Just seem to take a hold of me
My city need something
We need it real bad
I'm tired of yellow tape
So tired of teddy bears
I'm sick of kids growing up
Without their mom and dads
And cops killing left and right
Hey man whats up with that?
Praying for my city
Yeah it's going down
I swear in these streets
It's like a war now
You could get shot
Just from walking down the block
Little kids ain't safe
Playing on the porch now
And it's getting worse every day
I swear when your folks die
It hurts every day
And you don't even notice
When it fade away
Cuz you're so focused
On trying to take the pain away
I swear my city need a better way
And I don't think there's nothing left to say

Miranda Schuhles Top 10 Teachable Poems:

I wrote this song
Cuz I know just how it feels
To lose somebody you love
And that's real
The lyrics of this song could be analyzed with the text Third and Indiana by Steve
Lopez. This song was written specifically about the violence in Philadelphia that is
plaguing the lives of young people in particular. It would be interesting to have
students place the song lyrics alongside the novel as they read it. I would have
students build connections across the two texts, and would like to take it even a
step further and connect the two texts to their own experiences. Because the text of
Third and Indiana focuses on young people in particular whose lives are taken much
too early because of constant violence and gun fire in Philadelphia, its message coaligns with PNB Rocks lyrics. For myself I see such a strong connection between the
novel and the lyrics that I would offer a synthesizing analysis as an option for a final
unit project for the novel by Steve Lopez. The novel also focuses in on real places
and events in Philadelphia very similarly to the performer of this song.
Poem #3
One Man Can Change the World Performed by Big Sean
They used to tell me, used to tell me
I hope you learn to make it on your own
And if you love yourself just know you'll never be alone
I hope that you get everything you want and that you chose
I hope that it's the realest thing that you ever know
Hope you get the pretty girls, that's pretty at everything
Million dollar cribs havin' million dollar dreams
And when you get it all just remember one thing
Remember one thing
That one man could change the world
That one man could change the world
All I, all I wanted was a hundred million dollars and a bad chick
Imagine did so much some nights it felt like that I had it
Back on the mattress
Starin' at the ceilin' tryna connect the dots
But it's hard makin' those attachments
I'm talkin' dreamin' so hard, some nights it felt like draft day, you know?
My, my step brother used to flip them bags outside the crib like it was trash day, no
Kim K, but he bagged ye ye
But when you're getting fast money, slow down, don't crash
With all the drive in the world, swear you still need gas
Look, think about it, close your eyes, dream about it
Tell your team about it, go make million dollar schemes about it
Success is on the way, I feel it in the distance
Used to look up at the stars and be like ain't too much that's different
I be shinin', they be shinin', get your one shot don't you miss it
What you know bout' wakin' up everyday like you on a mission?

Miranda Schuhles Top 10 Teachable Poems:

And I
I hope you learn to make it on your own
And if you love yourself just know you'll never be alone
I hope that you get everything you want and that you chose
I hope that it's the realest thing that you ever know
Hope you get the pretty girls, that's pretty at everything
Million dollar cribs havin' million dollar dreams
And when you get it all just remember one thing
Remember one thing
One man could change the world
One man could change the world
My grandma taught me if you write your name in stone you'll never get the white
out
I grinded out that black whole then performed up at the white house
Standin' next to Jim Carrey, we traded stories then laughed
I said you not the only one I know got rich wearin' masks
Where I'm from I swear their broke, they need way more than the cast
We need more than what you have and then we need more than that
But how am I supposed to say I'm tired
If that girl from West Virginia came up in conditions that I couldn't survive
Went to war, came back alive
On top of that became a female black captain
When being black you had to extra extra try
Way before James Brown made us proud
She bought a crib on the same street as Marvin Gaye right there on Outer Drive
And she taught me how to drive
And she raised the kids, then the kids' kids, and she did it right
Taught me how to love, taught me not to cry
When I die, I hope you teach me how to fly
All my life you've been that angel in disguise sayin'
I hope you learn to make it on your own
And if you love yourself just know you'll never be alone
I hope that you get everything you want and that you chose
I hope that it's the realest thing that you ever know
Hope you get the pretty girls, that's pretty at everything
Million dollar cribs havin' million dollar dreams
And when you get it all just remember one thing
Remember one thing
That one man can change the world
That one man can change the world
Thank you for callin' me, been thinkin' about me
[Big Sean:] It's all good I love you grandma

Miranda Schuhles Top 10 Teachable Poems:

[Grandmva:] Bye
I teach an Emotional Support Homeroom every morning that has six male students
with more severe emotional and behavioral needs. The purpose of the homeroom is
to start the day on a positive note and empower the young men. The students can
request songs to be played during different activities of homeroom. They will
request them ahead of time (so that I can check the lyrics for middle school
appropriateness) and they are played throughout the week. One student requested
this song and when I looked up the lyrics we later as a group analyzed the text
together. First, we listened to the song and then we listened to it with the lyrics in
front of everyone. As students listened the second time I had each one choose a line
that resonated with them. My students then did a free write reolving around the line
that they chose. This strategy can be effective with students of various ages but
with students who do not necessarily enjoy writing it can act as a platform for them
to write about something that they specifically are interested in.
Pome #4
Rape Joke performed by Belissa Escobedo & Rhiannon McGavin
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4m3AJamQYM
The popular references and allusions in this spoken poem are worth teaching. The
use of disturbed humor in the poem contributed to its effectiveness. This poem is
also a great example for students interested in slam poetry, but they would feel
more comfortable writing and performing with someone else. This poem is an
excellent example of effective use of multiple voices in slam poetry. This poem
addresses countless issues that young women face all over the world. It also attacks
several statements that survivors of sexual assault hear much too often. The young
poets address the slogans that undermine the severity and seriousness of sexual
assault. I would teach this poem to look at language and how perspective can
change what one thing means in one context to another. This poem would be a
great partner to a discussion of rape culture and how sexual assault is viewed
across society and in the media. It could be taught in coincidence with Laurie Halse
Andersons YA novel Speak that shows the first hand trauma and aftermath of a
sexual assault on a teenage girl.
Poem #5
What Teachers Make performed by Taylor Mali
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGKm201n-U4
In the future if I became an education major college professor or ever mentored a
student teacher, I would be sure to introduce them to this poem. I would
recommend this slam poem to every single educator who loves teaching the youth
of the future. I heard this poem during my undergraduate career as an education
major and fell in love with it. This poem reminded me of why I went into education
in the first place. Prospective educators and even those fresh into the profession
can feel the disdain and disrespect that those who choose to go into education can
feel at times. This poem relates to the humor, frustration, and beauty in passion
that educators feel constantly. It also addresses the power of teaching and this
challenging but amazing work that as educators we get to do on a daily basis. This

Miranda Schuhles Top 10 Teachable Poems:

is also a great poem to show students who are interested in spoken word or slam
poetry. Taylor Malis inflection, volume, tone, use of body language, humor, and
passion exemplify what strong effective slam poems look and sound like.
Poem #6
No Child Left Behind performed by Dominique Christina & Denice
Frohman
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHSqUyi6GUU
This is a poem I heard as an undergraduate education major as I was prepping to
come to West Philadelphia and teach in an unserved school. However, I see this
poem as appropriate to teach to students. This poem describes what our students
feel on a daily basis. When schools feel like prisons rather than places of learning, it
is a problem. When students do not see their culture and race presented in
curriculum they are taught as history and what matters the most, it is a problem.
When students are not acknowledged as individuals and seen as a test number
rather than young dreamers capable of changing the world, it is a problem.
Unfortunately I feel that far too many students are unfamiliar with these facts
because it is just part of their everyday life. This poem also addresses what young
students think about poetry. It is not just what old white people have written, rather
what many of them listen to on a daily basis. Instead of encouraging students to
create their own empowering poems, we have students tear apart poetry written by
old white men from years before their time.
Poem #7
Just Before the Drop An excerpt from Crank by Ellen Hopkins
You know how you
stand and stand and stand
in line for the most
gigantic incredible roller
coaster
youve ever dared attempt.
Anticipation swelling,
minute by minute by minute,
you choose to wait even
longer, to ride in the front
car
and finally its your turn.
They buckle you in, lock the
safety bar with a jolting clunk!
Hook engaged, the chain jerks
you forward. You start to
climb
Crank-crank-crank.
Cresting the top, time
moves into overtime

Miranda Schuhles Top 10 Teachable Poems:

as you wait for that scant
hesitation, just before you
drop
You know how you feel
at that instant? Well, thats
exactly how it feels when you
shake hands with the
monster.
This is a poem that is part of a collection of poems that create a story of a young
girl who becomes addicted to methamphetamine and undergoes struggles most
people could not imagine experiencing. Ellen Hopkins unique book tells a story
through 537 pages that are written in various forms of poems. The young
protagonist that the story follows grapples with her identity (goes by 2 names),
suffers through abuse, runs away from home, and frequently encounters the
monster (crank). I do not think I would directly teach this book, but I would offer it
to students as an independent reading book. The book is over 500 pages and can
be intimidating but because of the short poems it is written in, it is a fairly quick
read. I would offer this poem and the other ones in the collection as an example of
the incredible element of storytelling that poetry can offer. This author had the
ability to write poem after poem to create a beautifully tragic story that young
people could connect with even if their experiences are much different than that of
the main character. This poem in particular would be the one I would use to
introduce the book to students. It captivates the overall premise of the book and its
imagery and free verse form creates a beautifully written poem.
Poem #8
Shots Fired performed by Walter Finnie, Zariya Allen, Rhiannon
McGavin, and Kyland Turner
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3YRJl2DjtM
This powerful poem addresses the gun violence in Los Angeles, California but could
applicable to cities all over the country. Too many young lives taken much too soon,
and too many young lives do not understand the life changing and dire
consequences of their decisions and actions. This slam poem is a great example of a
larger group (4 poets) performing it. I think that students would be able to see the
power of multiple voices and all of the different effects that the various voices have
on the poem. I think that using perspective and character would be an interesting
way to analyze the poem. The poets take on roles of various victims of gun violence
and it would be fascinating to look at the impact of the poets different character
types. This poem could be taught through analyzing the use of empathy within the
poem. By looking through the different characters portrayed, the poets create a
sense of empathy in the listener/viewer for those who lives were taken because of
gun violence, but also the perpetrator of the crime. This varying perspective would
be a great discussion topic because most of the time people do not feel a sense of
sympathy or empathy towards someone who shoots someone else.
Poem #9

Miranda Schuhles Top 10 Teachable Poems:

Somewhere in America performed by Zariya Allen, Rhiannon McGavin,
and Belissa Escobedo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OadZpUJv8Eg
I would use this poem to collaborate with an American history teacher. Students are
too often fed misinformation about our country. They receive it in various ways
either through media, literature, or even their own history text books. A history
teacher at my school makes it a point to teach students about the real America.
She works hard to constantly connect todays society and its problems to our
nations history and does a wonderful job at it. This poem encompasses that exact
idea. I would want my students to use this poem to think about their own education
and what they are censored to learn in public schools. It puts life in America for a
student into perspective by looking at a bigger picture. It calls attention to issues
that our countrys kids face every single day. It draws attention to ideas, rules, laws,
and concepts that most teenagers do not even think of. I would use this poem to
help them become better aware citizens and take control of their own lives as much
as a teenager can.
Poem #10
The Caged Bird by Maya Angelou

The free bird leaps

on the back of the wind
and floats downstream
till the current ends
and dips his wings
in the orange sun rays
and dares to claim the sky.
But a bird that stalks
down his narrow cage
can seldom see through
his bars of rage
his wings are clipped and
his feet are tied
so he opens his throat to sing.
The caged bird sings
with fearful trill
of the things unknown
but longed for still
and his tune is heard
on the distant hill
for the caged bird
sings of freedom

Miranda Schuhles Top 10 Teachable Poems:

The free bird thinks of another breeze
and the trade winds soft through the sighing trees
and the fat worms waiting on a dawn-bright lawn
and he names the sky his own.
But a caged bird stands on the grave of dreams
his shadow shouts on a nightmare scream
his wings are clipped and his feet are tied
so he opens his throat to sing
The caged bird sings
with a fearful trill
of things unknown
but longed for still
and his tune is heard
on the distant hill
for the caged bird
sings of freedom.
I think that Maya Angelou should be part of cannon of poetry taught to every single
student. I would have students listen to it while reading, however I think the most
powerful version is Maya Angelou reading the poem aloud herself. I would have
students focus in on the comparison element of the poem. I would also like students
to analyze the symbolism of the free and caged birds and what they stand for in a
bigger picture. I would have students first write on their own about what they think
the different types of birds symbolize. I would be curious to see what students
thought before we discussed what the authors actual intentions were. We would
then as a class pull pieces from the poem that represent evidence showing what the
birds symbolize. I think that this poem could be taught in coincidence with excerpts
from her autobiography. The two texts together would make for a beautiful mini unit
regarding the late amazing author. Maya Angelou is banned from some schools
because of the controversial topics that she addresses and I would be devastated if
my students graduated from high school without reading her incredible works of art.