Courtesy Deanna Erickson
Student Poetry
Students in Jane Sullivan's class meet with fisherman and writer Stephen Dahl as part of their Lake Superior studies.
Dennis O'Hara
Lighthouses of Western Lake Superior
The Duluth North Pier Light.
In Jane Sullivan’s class at Lowell Elementary in Duluth, Lake Superior learning happens in every subject.
All year, students have studied “Gifts from the Lake,” a concept inspired by Lake Superior Magazine’s 2010 article “It's a Wonderful Lake: What If It Disappeared?” As a reflection, the third graders crafted these haiku. Jane’s focus on Lake Superior is part of her work in the Rivers2Lake Education Program at the Lake Superior National Estuarine Research Reserve.
"When I first got the idea of using 'Gifts from the Lake…Lake Superior' (I did not have the title yet until I read your article), I started doing research for the unit and that is when I found your article and it all made sense. Lake Superior is a gift and it keeps giving all these special things to us," Jane says.
"On our opening activity … on the first day of school, each student drew their favorite gift that they had ever received and they had to tell how they would have felt if they had lost it. Next we explored all the food gifts from Lake Superior – maple syrup, apples, berries. That took quite a while. Each time we enjoyed a 'gift,' the students understood that all of these gifts were only possible because of the Lake. We also explored many other gifts, and took a look at how we can help Lake Superior if it should need our help.
"It’s difficult to pick a favorite part," Jane concludes. "I am not originally from here; in fact, I have live in many different places – East Coast, West Coast, Hawaii. After taking the Rivers2Lakes course, writing this fun unit and teaching it with my third-graders, I find living along Lake Superior the most fascinating and the most diverse place I have ever lived. Hopefully, my students will leave this year with enough positive enthusiasm about Lake Superior to carry them through to adulthood."
Fishing and rain,
thank you.
The best time to catch Blue Gills.
They both come out to play!
– Noah Thompson
Waves, swish, swash, swish, swash,
Crashing on a sandy beach.
What do you hear?
– Lyvia Kamunen
Moonlight and the stars,
Dancing through the waves on water
Sparkling all night.
– Anja Bucar
Snow is always cold.
And then it turns to water
Just like the Great Lake.
– Jovanny Cruz Rodriguez
Look, Lake Effect Snow!
Sparkling in the moonlight.
It comes in great loads.
– Lucas Albrecht
Swimming in the Lake,
Water shining from the sun,
A beautiful day!
– Keturah Pop
Hawks, they soar so high,
Diving to catch quick herring
Darting through the Lake.
– Lucas Albrecht
Lake Superior,
A lift Bridge goes up and down.
You can see it all.
– Joshua Conway
Dancing through the waves,
Like a blue ballerina,
Sparkling all night.
– Kylie Goble
Waves knock me down,
Coho salmon hits my face.
Ouch! That really hurts.
– Eli O’Rourke
I’m at a new place.
Snow surrounds the greatest Lake.
The lake is too cold!
– Elysee Beya
Big fish in the lake.
Fishes, how do you get so big?
I want to eat you.
– Wen Zhou
Apples are a gift
Animals can eat them too
For all to enjoy.
– Terianna McCray
Lake Superior
Water waves so pure and clear
The Lake is so fun!
– Maximus Toothman
Houses full of light
Guide the big ships on the Lake
I want to see those.
– Xavier Anderson
Lake Superior
Brings us delicious apples
Rubies hanging on trees.
– Deon Bergner
Nuts dropping on the lake,
Floating like a buoy.
Catching birds’ eyes.
– Luci Chastey
The shipwrecks down deep
Lying lifeless in the gloom
Nothing is moving.
– Lucas Albrecht
Hi, Red Strawberry,
Quickly snatched into a mouth
To start a new life.
– Eliza Lundberg
Superior is Great!
Water is super healing!
People love water.
– LaDainian Bowman
Lighthouse on the lake,
Shines its light for all to see
Guiding everyone.
– Jayla Wilson
Luscious wild rice,
A gift from the lake.
Nutritious for all.
– Malachi Gray
Do you have a Big Lake poem you’d like to share? You can submit it to edit@lakesuperior.com.