Thursday, April 15, 2010

Man on Wire

We have been looking at the life of French aerialist Phillipe Petit, who walked a tightrope wire between the twin towers of the World Trade Center in 1974. We watched an excerpt from the award winning film Man on Wire and I also read an award winning children's picture book on Petit to the class. A wall display about Petit is being built outside the classroom. It will feature the students' ideas and opinions about Petit. Most students have completed poems about Petit as well. Here's an early look at some of these poems. Enjoy.


Poems About Phillipe Petit


He was a tightrope walker

And a very big talker.

He enjoyed it and he could walk it.

Every wire gets higher.

He is Phillipe Petit - Mathew W


He got arrested

For walking the Trade Centers

His name was Phillipe Petit - Nicolas


Phillipe Petit

Performed on the street.

He walked through the Twin Towers

With pride and power. - Ashna


Phillipe Petit a miracle

Who rode a tricycle.

Phillipe Petit so nice to all

But doesn’t know when he’ll fall. - Emily R


Petit is like whole wheat

Bread is like his head. - Dimitri


Petit was an aerialist and he loved to tightrope.

He had a dream to tightrope across the twin towers.

And when he did he was arrested.

- Ayden


Light will be tight.

The rope will be hope. - Samiul


Phillipe Petit is sweet

And he enjoys meat.

With a handful of string.

And he is trying to sing. - Nathan


Phillipe Petit he likes to walk tightropes.

He would walk, he would run on the tightropes.

He would juggle too.

He loved to walk tightropes. - Thomas


Petit was a famous tightrope walker

Who started it at childhood.

Then his passion was to walk the twin towers

And to be famous. - Saima


Petit Petit

Is a treat,

To kids all over the world.

He fulfilled his dream.

By crossing those things that looked like beams. - Anum


Phillipe’s on a wire

He always goes higher

That’s his desire

He is always in jail

And that’s a big fail. - Ryan


Phillipe Petit had a dream

He got the feeling that he had to do it

Phillipe’s dream was to tightrope across the twin towers.

But the twin towers weren’t built.

So he practiced in other places.

Yes, yes it’s finally finished.

“I have to fulfill my dream.”

Oh no he’s gonna do it.

“Yes, yes. I’m gonna do it.”

HE DID IT! - Natasha


Petit up high

Jump, swirl, Petit will whirl,

Phillipe Peit, move your light feet,

High in the sky, you’ll be light as a fly.

You won’t trip, try and flip.

So jump, whirl, Petit swirl. - Phoebe


Phillipe Phillipe. I’m Phillipe!

Running. Walking. Being careful.

I have my bar.

I won’t tumble over.

After all I did walk the towers.

One foot after another.

I made it without tumbling over. - Megan


Phillipe Petit tight ropes

He has a lot of hope.


He is a man on a wire.

He is a very good tight roper. - Grace