Hi fellow teachers! Are you looking for a new twist on a read-aloud? “Timber & Clover’s Northern Lights Adventure” is a fun, narrative poem about two little moose calves who set off in search of the northern lights.
You can use it in your classroom as a time filler or bell-ringer activity, or to tie in with curriculum goals about animals of Canada, animal habitats and behaviours, Canadian provinces, or geographical features.
See the teaching ideas below and grab the PPT version or print-ready PDF for Grades 1, 2, or 3. You have full permission to use the poem for teaching purposes within any educational setting, including online learning and homeschool.
Let me know if you use the poem – I’d love to hear how it goes.
Watch a video of the “Timber & Clover’s Northern Lights Adventure” poem below:
Original poem by Kim T. Harrison. Video created in Canva.
Download a PDF, black & white, printable version of the poem:
Download a PPT slide version of the poem:
Teaching Ideas
- Introduce or complement classes on animal habitat or behaviours: use inquiry questions inspired by the events in the poem to discover what moose can and cannot do, where moose live in Canada, and what kinds of habitats they prefer
- Discuss colour blindness in humans and animals (teacher note: moose are considered to be colour blind. See this article by Paul Smith for more information)
- Use inquiry questions to discover more information about the northern lights, including where in Canada they can be seen from
- Sharing stories and opinions: ask students if they have ever seen the northern lights or if they’d like to.
- Critical thinking and response: ask students why Clover and Timber say “It’s even better” in the poem. How could seeing the northern lights be even better for the moose? Could being colour blind be an advantage?
- Poetry reading and performance: use the poem as a reading out loud or performance text
- Creativity and art: ask students to illustrate the poem. They could choose one scene or could work together to illustrate the full poem
- Creative writing: ask students to imagine Clover & Timber setting out on a new adventure. Where would they go? What do they want to see or experience now? Students can say or write their new adventure story in poetic form or prose
Happy Teaching! Kim x
