The Secret Lives of
Frogs
Poems by third-grade students from University Prep Science & Math Elementary School
Detroit, Michigan
Winter 2024
The Adventure of the Snake and the Frog
The Frog’s Hands
The Frog and Dog Show
The Butterfly and Frog Best Friends
The Two Friends
The Lost Frog and Sloth
The Mysterious Black Flower
The Last Berry in Florida and the Alligator is Back Denver, December, and Thunder: Two Friends and a Dragon
The Escape from the Zoo
How Destiny the Frog Became Brave
The Way They Met
The Adventure to Perfect Success
The Friendly Feast
The
Introduction
Growing up in the time that I did, I spent my fair share of time in front of the television and one of my favorite shows of all time was Sesame Street. There were plenty of characters that captured my attention and were some of my very first teachers before I ever set foot inside a classroom, and perhaps the greatest of these was Kermit the Frog. Whether it was his friendship with Fozzie the Bear, his love for Miss Piggy, or his endless barrage of songs, I found myself relating to the Muppet as he lamented how hard it was “bein’ green.”
If you had told me then that Kermit would only be the first important amphibian in my life and not the last, I’m sure I would have chuckled mightily. I was the kid who preferred reading and writing over playing outdoors so I wasn’t likely to make a frog friend in real life. Yet, all these years later, I’ve made the acquaintance of some students with expert-level knowledge of frogs that has me feeling far more connected to polliwogs and their parents.
When 826michigan endeavored on a book project with third graders at University Prep Science and Math Elementary School, the first thing the students did was to sit me down and school me in the various types of toads. I learned which ones were poisonous, which ones could climb trees, how they breathed underwater, what they ate, the many colors they came in (including camouflage), and so much more. The students
were eager to show off their knowledge and I shared their excitement for all things froggy. But their knowledge was only the tip of the iceberg.
Once we made a list of everything we knew, we took a deep dive into our imaginations and crafted adventure stories. Each frog got an animal best friend and went on an adventure where they had to work together to find their way back home. And when I told the students we needed to flip our prose into a poem, mixing their knowledge of frogs with mine of writing, they rolled up their sleeves and got elbow deep in a revision exercise called “The Remix” where we moved all the words and sentences around to create a brand new piece of writing, taking out what we didn’t need and adding what we did to make it work. The students composed free verse poems with non-standard punctuation, allowing the lines to flow freely in some places and give the reader pause in others, making each piece a unique and distinctive creation. Incorporating editorial feedback from professional poets from the 826michigan universe, each small group finalized poems with elements of fable, repetition, and rhyme that gave true life to The Secret Lives of Frogs.
All of us are better for having gone through this process. And you will be better for turning these pages. I think Kermit would be proud.
Best,
Denise R. Ervin 826michigan Program Manager Poet, Writer, Artist
Frog Facts
Here are some interesting facts
About frogs, their friends and foes:
Strawberry, the poison dart frog
Carey, the chameleon on a log
They were friends for quite some time
But hungry snakes made them hide
They can blind you with colors as bright as the sun
Watch them leap, dart, and RUN!
They’re staying up all night
Having so much fun leaping
From tree to tree hoping to Land softly, and eat a lot of bugs
Well adapted is the frog
Poison dart frogs are very venomous
Some frogs can fight
It’s better to flee!
Austin Pipkins, Jayce Stallings, Kori Grantham, Nia Williams, Shayna Roland
Mr. Shoberg’s Class
The Four Friends
There was a tree frog named Phillip
He was green, orange, and yellow
He climbed trees with his sticky hands
He lived in the jungle
Phillip has three frog friends:
Tiko, Niko, and Friko
They play hide and seek, freeze tag, dance battle games
It makes them tired, hungry, hot
Phillip’s mom makes them food
They eat bugs, bananas, flies
The friends are watching TV
Playing on their phones
Until it is way late and Their hangout turns into a sleepover
Caileigh Green, Dallas Blueford Ingram, Darrel Wilcox, Dominic Crook, Emani Fields, Zoey Jenkins
Mr. Shoberg’s Class
The Adventure of the Snake and the Frog
The glass frog has superpowers
The red-eyed tree frog sits in trees for hours
The bullfrog can eat almost anything
These traits help frogs
Become friends with other animals
The frog and the snake
Had been best friends since they were eight
They went exploring with a treasure map
The paper had a gap
They found an island
They swam across a big ocean
They came onto land
They dug under the sand
They were so clever
They found buried treasure:
Gold, honey, watermelon cake, and key lime pie
Four different ones
They took them home
And ate the watermelon cake first
Caiden Gibson, Caleb Barnes, Natalie Ricumstrict, Paityn Clemons, Parker Mersier
Mr. Shoberg’s Class
The Frog’s Hands
Frogs are amphibians having both lungs and gills
Needing water or they’ll get ill
They drink it through their skin to refill
The poison dart frog can kill
A frog and a turtle named Bill and Phil
Went to the rainforest in Brazil
To find more friends and to chill
They found a mansion with a water slide on a hill
They found a lizard and an iguana named Till and Jill
They all became friends sharing the same skill
Hungry and tired they all began to grill
Javaya Granberry, Lauren Taylor-Garwood, Londyn Hunter, Martel Finley
Mr. Shoberg’s Class
The Frog and Dog Show
Jake the German Shepherd was outside
Jessica threw a ball
Jake hurdled over the fence
Jessica said, “No!”
Jake ran away
And met a frog named Kermit
They dashed off to have fun
Kermit showed Jake a pond
They splashed in the pond
They got hungry
They snuck into a store
They stole a popsicle
They both ate it
They both loved it
They found Legos
They built a tower
They had to go home
Jake said goodbye to Kermit
Kermit hopped away
Adam Allison, Alexandria Clark, Amir Coleman, Carson Rogers, Jovanta Johnson, Jules Whitfield
Mr. Shoberg’s Class
The Butterfly and Frog Best Friends
There were two best friends
Their skin was bright yellow
Telling their enemies and predators
They are poisonous
James and Mya met at a farm
James got stuck on a spider web
Mya went for help
Frank the dog came to the rescue
Once everyone was safe and sound
Everything went back to normal
Caleigh Burton, Donald Frederick, Gabrielle Rashed-Ramsey
Ms. Hopwood’s Class
The Two Friends
Two friends playing tag got lost
Dawson got scared when he
Couldn’t find Mark
Then he saw a pack of wolves
And he climbed up a tree
The wolves circled Around the tree but He climbed higher and Camouflaged, the wolves
Howled in anger and Walked away
Annalita Bradley, Ava Barden, Gabriella Walton, Jeremiah Johnson, Ryan Redmond, Samya McBride
Ms. Hopwood’s Class
The Lost Frog and Sloth
Max and Glassy were playing
They got lost in the forest
Max started to scream
Glassy called on his friend (Komodo, Komodo)
The Komodo dragon called his army
They took the frog and sloth home
And everyone had a delicious feast
Adisyn Fortune, Christopher Bryan, Dawson Wooten, Kourtney Prater, Savion Harris
Ms. Hopwood’s Class
The Mysterious Black Flower
Stacy a frog
Henry a monkey
The two best friends lived in a rainforest
Stacy saw colorful flowers on a path *sniff*
A black flower sent her to a portal *spikey*
A monster was after her *scream*
Henry came to her rescue
*swinging*
He distracted the monster *jump*
Stacy’s poison defeated the monster
Stacy and Henry held the black flower spike
And transported back to the rainforest
So Henry and Stacy got away
Under the cover of frogs!
Christian Jackson, Daniel McClellan, Erin Flowers, Shiann Williams
Ms. Hopwood’s Class
The Last Berry in Florida and the Alligator is Back
Frogs are amphibians
And have sticky hands to climb trees
They can be big or small
Some even poisonous
But their best protection from their enemies
Is their friends
One day a rattlesnake and a frog became friends
They went looking for berries
But an alligator took the berries and started to swim away
The colorful frog looked like a better snack
So the alligator turned back
The frog called out for help
The snake got the frog and chased the alligator
They got the very last berry and ate it
And that’s how they became best friends
Anthony Wells, Cassidy Smith, Kace Edwards, Keith Jones, Zariah Claiborne
Ms. Hopwood’s Class
Denver,
December,
and Thunder: Two Friends and a Dragon
A frog named Denver
And a squirrel named December
Wanted to get food for the winter
They looked in a cave
And found a compass
And a dragon named Thunder
They were scared
But Thunder was friendly
He helped them find their food
And they had a feast . . . YUM!
He even ate with them
Then used the compass
To fly them home
Mariyah West, Michael Tillman, Morgan Amos, Sarah Sears-Scott, Sincere James Ms. Hopwood’s Class
The Escape from the Zoo
A red panda named Blaze
He spotted a frog
Rare and colorful
They flew Delta to Brazil
To find more frogs
They did not give up
They walked and walked and walked and walked
It took five hours
They stumbled upon a baby frog
Then they saw another . . . and another . . . and another.
They made it!
Jaeda Moore, London Williams, Marley Hart, Marvin Hill
Ms. Andrews’s Class
How Destiny the Frog Became Brave
Destiny was walking to the park
She saw a baby elephant sitting on a bench
She asked if he wanted to go to the pond
He replied I’ve never been
They were walking around the pond
They saw a shark
Destiny went to go ask the shark his name
Wanna be friends? the shark asked
They both said yes
The shark invited them to come into the pond
They became friends
Amir King, Ava Smith, Chanel Landrum, Queshon Mcquieter, Xavier Mcmillan Ms. Andrews’s Class
The Way They Met
There was a polliwog named Alice
She had a sticky tongue
She had a sister named Allie
Allie was a tall pink flamingo
She had long back legs
They lived on the shore
And they lived together
Seahorses and fish and starfish too
They had hundreds of polliwog friends in the sea
Anna was Allie’s and Alice’s best friend
Anna was a starfish
When everyone was asleep, they swam away
Christopher Chess, Gabrielle Brooks, Justice Edwards, Logan Morris
Ms. Andrews’s Class
The Adventure to Perfect Success
Two animals, King the lion and Braylin the frog
Live in water and in the jungle
King was big as two tables together
Braylin was colorful like a tangerine
They wanted to go the highest mountain in the jungle
They had to jump over a river to get there
Braylin used her long back legs
King used all his strength
After hours of jumping, they finally arrived
Clifford Walton, Karter Stewart, Tyler Vassell
Ms. Andrews’s Class
The Friendly Feast
Two animals, a frog and a cat
Oreo and Coco, black and blue
They ran away to California
And got scared by a huge, hungry lion.
They hopped and ran as fast as they could
The lion caught up to them
And they almost fainted
Until they saw his big grin
He was friendly!
He tried to give them fish
But Oreo wanted an Oreo McFlurry
And that scared Coco
Because it was named after his friend!
Aahliyah Coleman, Amir Ali-Martin, Dylan Grayson, Miya Wilson, Nataley Turner
Ms. Andrews’s Class
The Magical Miracle
*Splish Splash*
Jane and Flame went to Lazy Lake
The frog and the lion were BFFs
Ever since Flame saved Jane from a snake
They wanted a rainbow magic lizard to take
To protect them from a future mistake
They only had a boring gray lizard
Which was never awake
They took him to the witch hut
At the end of a scary pathway
The witch made the lizard colorful
With a special steak
The steak smelled like a raspberry blueberry cheesecake
And they all lived happily ever after
Artemous Sanders, Jordyn Galloway, Laila Guthridge, Maurice Marshall
Ms. Andrews’s Class
About 826michigan
With 20 years of experience, 826michigan is the premiere youth literacy and writing program serving thousands of students throughout Ann Arbor, Detroit, and Ypsilanti each year.
We believe that the more fun a student has, and the more directly we speak to a student’s interests, the more we can help students find fun in learning. All of our programs are challenging and enjoyable, and ultimately strengthen each student’s power via writing to express ideas effectively, creatively, confidently, and in their individual voice.
826michigan utilizes community and college volunteers to provide students with one-on-one attention and small group work in every program offered. With the help of caring adults, students not only gain experience and confidence in writing which contributes to academic success, but also find a community of like-minded peers, and experience mentorship and social and emotional support that will feed them for a lifetime.
826michigan—the power of story.
After-School Writing Lab
In this weekly program, we build a supportive community of writers where students brainstorm, write, revise, and publish a story of their choosing. At the end of the program, students’ writing is published in a book and celebrated with a book release party. Each session includes a mini lesson taught by 826michigan staff and an introduction to a new writer’s habit, such as Writers Change their Minds and Writers Make Plans—and Break Them! Students discuss and practice these new habits as they go through the writing process, building their own toolkit of writing practices and preferences.
Workshops
We offer a number of free writing workshops taught by professional artists, writers, and our talented volunteers. From comic books to screenplays, bookmaking to radio, our wide variety of workshops are perfect for writers of all ages and interests. One of the most popular workshops we offer is our weekly Wee-bots program for elementary-aged writers.
In-School Projects
Our staff and trained volunteers go into local public schools to support teachers with their classroom writing goals. In partnership with the teacher’s writing curriculum, our projects range from writing fairy tales to crafting college essays to exploring poetry.
Field Trips & Roadshows
Always full of surprises and theatrics (and sometimes a visit from our grumpy editor, Dr. Blotch), our Field Trip program is an experiential writing extravaganza. We welcome teachers to bring their classes in for field trips during the school day or we can bring the party to schools as a field trip roadshow! Students join a group of volunteers, interns, and staff to help solve a problem through writing—whether that is Dr. Blotch’s insomnia, our looming story deadline, a mystery in need of solving, or one of the many others we encounter. Our field trips always end in a finished publication of original writing that students take home. Often the field trip writing is connected to a second leg of the students’ journey, whether a trip to a museum, library, or local record label, thanks to our many incredible community partners.
Our Store
Our Robot Supply Co. store is a one-stop shop for robots, robot owners, and enthusiasts alike. It is designed to inspire creativity and bring awareness of our programs to the community. In addition, our online store is always open; visit the Robot Supply Co. at onwardrobots.com. All proceeds from our store directly fund our free student programming. Onward robots!
Hop into Inspiration!
From Vertical Poetry, Remixed
by Kati Shanks & Sarah Dawn Johnson,
inspired by the golden shovel form, as created by
Terrance Hayes
Instead of using a single word as a jumping off point for an acrostic poem, challenge yourself with a full sentence, a line of poetry, or a song lyric. Write each word in a vertical row on the left-hand side of your paper. Now, create a new poem, using the words on the left side of your page as the first word in each line of the poem!
From Fun Facts by Mindy Misener
Let a fascinating fact serve as the starting point for your next poem. State your fun fact as the first line (ex. A hippopotamus can run faster than a person!), and then play with the idea for the next five lines: what does the fact make you think of? Can you describe any part in clearer detail? Can you add an imaginary fact to the list that’s somehow connected? See how far you end up from your original fact in just a few lines!
Taboo
Poetry from 826michigan’s Life-sized Poetry Board Game
How juicy can you make your sensory details? To write a taboo poem, your challenge is to describe something without using the word itself. Help the reader guess what you’re describing by including delicious details about what your subject looks, sounds, smells, feels, or tastes like. You can use your original word as the poem’s title, or leave it out entirely, and let the reader guess, like a riddle.
Acknowledgments
This project is the result of a multitudinous effort by 826michigan staff in collaboration with school and community partners who invested in taking this group of students from writers to published authors. We salute the many hands and hearts that made this collection possible:
Designer
Oliver Uberti
Illustrator
Darius Baber
Community partners
Maria Dismondy, Cardinal Rule Press
Kelsey Giffin, Wayne State University Press
Heather Buchanan, Aquarius Press
Amanda Uhle, McSweeney’s
Erin Helmrich, Fifth Avenue Press
Program Volunteer
Mary Sewell
Copy Editors
Makenna Crossley
Mazen Shahbain
Typists
Denise R. Ervin
Adeline Navarro
Teachers
Ms. Mariah Andrews
Ms. Colissa Hopwood
Mr. Samuel Shoberg
Program Intern
Jane Valente
Traveling Editors
Catherine Calabro Cavin
Cherise Morris
Melinda Billingsley
special thanks to Paige Bennett
Kinyel Friday
Quan Neloms
Keith Hood
Erikka Yvonne Simpson
Other School Admin.
Danielle Jackson, Chief Executive Officer, Detroit 90/90-UPREP Schools
All students, staff, and teachers at University Prep Science & Math
Elementary School, especially:
Ms. Bianca Morgan, School Director
Ms. Shanay Gilchrist, Assistant School Director
and always Our friends and collaborators in the 826 National Network
hero bots
Thank you to our recurring givers, who make our work possible by sustained, monthly giving:
April Van Buren
Elizabeth Brooks
Sean Emery & April Wagner
Nicole Frei
Matt Duke Garcia
Lisa Goulet
Holly Hunt
Miri Lee
Holly Painter
Gabriel Sandler
Tom Schaffnit
Wendy Sherrill & Nick Coquillard
Matthew & Stacy VanWasshnova
Patti Wheeler
Lara Zielin
To help ensure that 826michigan’s work is sustained in the future, please contact Executive Director Megan Shuchman at megan.s@826michigan.org to find out how you can help.
top supporter of this publication:
KEY sponsors of OUR Detroit-based work:
Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan, including via the Inclusive Arts Fund, established by Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation
Max M. & Marjorie S. Fisher Foundation
Skillman Foundation
With additional and heartfelt thanks given to:
Detroit Arts Support, presented in partnership between The Kresge Foundation, Fred A. and Barbara M. Erb Family Foundation, and Hudson-Webber Foundation
EOTECH
James A. and Faith Knight Foundation
Hawkins Project
Leinweber Foundation
May Family Foundation
Michigan Arts and Culture Council
Cummins Inc.
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
826michigan Staff
Megan Shuchman, Executive Director
Kinyel Friday, Operations Director
Megan Gilson, Program Manager
Denise R. Ervin, Program Manager
Amy Sumerton, Communications & Development Manager
Catherine Calabro Cavin, 826michigan Grants Specialist
Eli Sparkman, Volunteer & Program Coordinator
Cherise Morris, Volunteer & Program Coordinator
Diamond Sharpe, Program & Volunteer Administrative Assistant
Alexa Carlozzi, Retail Administrative Assistant
Teaching Artists & Apprentices
Paige Bennett
Rachel Chalfant
Makenna Crossley
Alexa Carlozzi
Caitlin Koska
Adeline Navarro
Alex Quada
Mazen Shahbain
Board of Directors
Maria Montoya, President & Secretary
Holly Hunt, Treasurer
Christopher Ankney
Abby Fanelli
James A. Hiller
Tanya Line
Denice Olson
Danté Richmond
Patti Wheeler
826 National was inspired to take a stand on issues of inclusion and diversity in light of the many events that spotlighted social and racial injustices throughout the country. We as educators, volunteers, and caring adults need to be aware of the wide range of issues our students face on a day-to-day basis. We need to support these young people as they navigate through and try to make sense of the world and their own identities.
We need the support and the feedback from our community to ensure 826 is living up to these standards. Through our inclusion statement, our internal diversity and inclusion group, cultural competency resources provided to staff and volunteers, and partnerships with other organizations, we are always working towards being a more inclusive and supportive organization.
We at 826 have the privilege of working with the next generation of scholars, teachers, doctors, artists, lawyers, and writers. It's our job to make sure they are able to take their own stands.
As an organization committed to encouraging youth in their creative expression, personal growth, and academic success, 826 National and its chapters recognize the importance of diversity at all levels and in all aspects of our work. In order to build and maintain the safe, supportive 826 environment in which great leaps in learning happen, we commit ourselves to inclusion: we do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, ethnicity, age, gender identity, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, nationality, marital status, English fluency, parental status, military service, or disability.
The 826 National network is committed to encouraging youth to express themselves and to use the written word to effectively do so. We encourage our students to write, take chances, make decisions, and finish what they start. And 826 strives to do this in an environment free from discrimination and exclusion.
by Gerald Richards, CEO
We create a safe place to be ourselves and try new things
We support the ways that writers work (like thinking, sketching, talking)
We study the writing we want to do so we can try it
We learn how to change our writing for genre, audience, and purpose
We work with a group of writers who help and support each other
www.826michigan.org
Copyright © 2024 by 826michigan and Blotch Books.
All rights reserved by 826michigan, the many whims of Drs. T & G Blotch, and the authors.
Design by Oliver Uberti | oliveruberti.com
Illustrated by Darius Baber | dariusbaber.com
The views expressed in this book are the authors’ and do not necessarily reflect those of 826michigan. We believe in the power of youth voice and are thrilled that you picked up this book. No part of this book may be reproduced without express written permission from the publisher, except for small excerpts for the purposes of review or scholarly study.
Printed at MAYS Multimedia in Detroit, Michigan
By purchasing this book, you are helping 826michigan to offer free student programs. For more information, please visit: 826michigan.org