Margin Notes

What I was viewing:

The excitement of this week’s Blue Jays win offers the perfect moment to show students that poetry can be found everywhere, including a playoff advertisement. The lesson below invites students to read, view, and write like poets by analyzing the language of celebration in the Blue Jays’ “We’re Made Of…” Rogers ad showing a montage of baseball moments, fan cheers, and the energy of national pride.

The voiceover is transcribed here:

In the 90’s we showed them what we are made of Walk-off homeruns Back-to-back greatness Now, we’re ready to show them again We’re made of grand slams etched in the books New icons Dingers and dives We’re made of homerun jackets stitched for history And cheers from coast to coast to coast We’re made of what makes champions

 

What I realized was that I had just listened to a poem of celebration that used the language of sports to tell a story and connect an audience.

Craft moves I noticed:

• Repetition: The repeated line “We’re made of…” creates rhythm and connects each idea to a shared theme of pride.
• Imagery: Phrases like “stitched for history” and “etched in the books” suggest legacy and lasting impact.
• Punchy Lines: Short, punchy lines mirror the pace and energy of a highlight reel.
• Blend of past/present: The shift from “In the 90’s we showed them” to “Now we’re ready to show them again” mixes past and present, giving the poem a confident, comeback tone.
• Content-specific language: Not only “homeruns”, “grand slams” but team-specific like the homerun jacket and even the word “dinger” being used as the fan term “Springer Dinger” was formed from the player George Springer.

How to Try This Tomorrow:

First Read:
Have students listen to or read the text without context. Ask:

• What is this about?
• Who seems to be speaking and who are they speaking to?

Background Knowledge:
Then, share the accompanying advertisement. Watch the video here. You might add background about George Springer and the “Springer Dinger” fan phrase, or the “back-to-back greatness” reference to the 1992/93 World Series.

As students watch, have them collect details of the visuals, the tone, the emotion and any new information they gather from seeing the video after reading the text.

• How does the video deepen or shift your understanding of the poem?
• What new context does the music or imagery add to the words?

Craft Study:
Together, notice and name the craft moves. Discuss:

• What gives this piece its celebratory feel?
• What do you notice about the word choice?

Invitations for writers:
Invite students to write their own “We’re made of…” poems celebrating something meaningful to them: their school, team, culture, or friends. Encourage them to borrow at least one of the craft moves.

• Try repetition. Use a repeated phrase like “We’re made of…” or create your own to connect ideas and give your writing a strong rhythm.
• Play with rhythm and structure. Experiment with short, bold lines or sentence fragments to match the energy or tone of your topic.
• Blend past and present. Use time to show growth, history, or comeback. What has changed and what has stayed the same?
• Include language unique to your topic. Just like “homerun” or “grand slam” capture baseball culture, choose words or phrases that are specific to your topic.

Discussion & Debrief:
End with a short reflection or exit card:

• Which craft move from the mentor text did you try and how did it shape your writing?
• Which craft move did you appreciate the most as a reader/viewer?

When we study craft from unexpected places, like promotional ads, we remind our students that poetry is everywhere. It’s how we tell stories about who we are and what we’re made of.