New York State Elementary Test Prep- ELA 4- 2nd Grade- Listening to poems

Click on the arrow below to read along with me.

Hmmmmmm...
have you ever listened to a poem and you ask yourself what it was about?

	Let's take a look at the poem below and see if we can figure out what this poem is about.

1 Jack Frost has upped and gone away,
To his icy summer home.
He stays there whilst the sun is warm,
It's not safe for him to roam.

2 Now he's left the earth warms up,
And flowers start to grow.
Peeking through the heating soil,
Growing quickly for a show.

3 Crocuses and Daffodils,
Green shoots poke through the ground.
And with each day as spring returns,
They burst up all around.

4 When spring arrives the garden glows,
With yellows, blues and reds.
Stretching in the sunny warmth,
Whilst Jack is safe in bed!

The poem Spring Garden is about the arrival of spring.
Each stanza gives us a brief hint that spring is arriving and winter is over.
Let's take a look at each stanza and understand what the author is saying.

stanza 1	Our first hint that winter is over is when the author tells us Jack Frost has upped and gone away. We know he is leaving because the sun is warm.
stanza 2	The next hint is when the author tells us since Jack Frost has left the earth warms up and flowers start to grow.
stanza 3	The green shoots that poke through the ground are the new flowers starting to grow with each day of spring.
stanza 4	Finally we know spring has arrived when the author tells us the garden glows in the sunny warmth and Jack Frost is safe in bed.

When you listen and respond to poems be sure to:

1. Read through the poem once carefully before you respond.

2. Ask yourself some questions to help you better understand
what you are reading.

3. Think about the meaning of each line the author writes.

4. Enjoy the poem.

Click on the sunflower below to practice
listening and responding to poems!