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:

KTH-PDF-WhichMolluscAmI-2Download

Download a PPT slide version of the poem:

KTH-PPT-WhichMolluscAmIDownload

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

Valentine’s Day Writing Warm-Ups for Picture Book Creators

Hey there fellow writers. Love is in the air … and the kitchen … and the fox den in these writing warm-ups for picture book creators. The warm-ups will get your writing muscles working and might also spark some fresh ideas for stories or characters.

Happy writing, love Kim xx

Listen to these prompts here:

Writing warm-up 1

Think of an object from your kitchen. Now think of an object from your yard or garden. Brainstorm 5 ways the two objects could have a “meet cute.”

Writing warm-up 2

Let’s play with the word LOVE:

  • If love were a colour, what colour would it be?
  • If love were a smell, what smell would it be?
  • If love were a sound, what sound would it be?
  • If love were a texture, what texture would it be?
  • If LOVE were an acronym, what would each letter stand for?

Writing warm-up 3

Two arctic fox brothers have lived together since they were cubs. They love playing in the snow together and tagging along with polar bear on a hunt. Then, one morning, after unwrapping his warm, fluffy tail, one arctic fox can’t find his brother anywhere. He loves his brother so much, so …

Fast draft what happens next! (Aim to write 250-500 words.)

Write Your Own Joy: 31 Poetry Prompts is out now in ebook and paperback formats. Read for free on Kindle Unlimited! For beginner or more experienced poets.

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Fun Valentine’s Day Poem, K-2

Hi fellow teachers! Here’s a fun Valentine’s Day poem for you to use in your Grades K-2 (ELL, grade 3; ESL, elementary) classrooms. I put some 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 “Valentine’s Day” poem here:

I made a heart just for you
Painted it red, with eyes of blue

Sprinkled glitter all over the glue
Gave it a mouth, a nose, a shoe

Taped a treat and left a clue
It’s on your bed, from you know who

Ooops! The treat is gone!
Good thing I made two

(Poem by Kim T. Harrison)

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

KTH-PDF-ValentinePoemDownload

Download a PPT slide version of the poem:

KTH-PPT-ValentinePoemDownload

Teaching Ideas and Curriculum Tie-Ins

Inference

  • Read the plain-text version of the poem and ask students to guess: Who made the heart? Why do you think that? What kind of treat might be taped on the heart? Why is the treat gone?
  • Then show the video to see if the guesses were correct. (You can pause the video before the final screen too to see if students spotted any visual clues that it was a cat who made the heart.)

Visual Arts

  • Students make their own version of the heart inspired by the poem. They can draw or make a “treat” to tape on.
  • Variation of the above: Students make a heart or card from a different animal to another animal. A dog to a cat, for example, or a zebra to a chipmunk! Have fun generating different animal matches.

English Language Arts

  • Use the poem to explore rhyme. What other words rhyme with “you”? Students create their own rhyming couplets.
  • Use the poem to explore syllables. How many syllables are there in each line? Students create their own lines with a set number of syllables.

Download a PDF of the poem with teaching ideas:

KTH-PDF-ValentinesDay-TeacherDownload

Happy Teaching and Happy Valentine’s Day! Kim x