Which Mollusc Am I? Squid Poem

Hi fellow teachers! Here’s a short, fun poem for you to use in your elementary classrooms if you’re teaching molluscs or cephalopods. It connects to Grade 2 science curriculums in Canada about growth and change in animals (Strand B2 in Ontario, for example). You can also use it for inference as students can guess which mollusc is the subject of the poem from the clues given.

I put some more teaching ideas below to inspire you. Let me know if you use the poem – I’d love to hear how it goes.

Watch a video of the “Which Mollusc Am I?” poem here:

I’m the size of a baseball bat
with a body that’s long and flat

I blow my water spray
to jet toward my prey

I have a mantle pale as jelly
that hides my hearts and belly

And two big bulgy eyes
That take fish by surprise

Which mollusc am I? 

Download a PDF, black & white, printable version of the poem:

Download a PPT slide version of the poem:

Teaching Ideas

• Use poem to supplement “Growth and Change in Animals” (Grade 2 science curriculums) – use to test knowledge in a fun way before or after teaching content
• Connect to lessons about squid and/or other molluscs and cephalopods
• After watching the video or reading the poem, use inquiry questions (English connection) to explore poem content (for example: Are all squids the size of a baseball bat? What other measurements could we use? (Math connection) How many hearts do squid have? How many hearts do humans have?)
• Use the poem to practice fluency with, for example, echo reading, performance reading, or pair reading
• Students can draw an information poster about squid, using details they’ve learned (connect to Math by asking students to draw different sizes of squid as well as a measure next to them: baseball bat, for example, or a school bus for a giant squid!)

Happy Teaching! Kim x