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VOICES OF COMMUNITY
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 Singer/Songwriter Julie Kabat

Post Activities                                                                    

Asking Questions - "Newborn Baby"

Grade Level:   2 - 4
Subject Area:  ELA

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Objective:  Students will exercise the comprehension skill of inference - helping them go beyond the literal text..

Background:  "Newborn Baby" is an example of a poem written by a class of 2nd graders, inspired by Adolff's poem, "Baby Foot."

As part of the writing process, students were asked to close their eyes and imagine holding a newborn baby.  An open-minded question helped them begin writing the class poem, and each phrase became in turn the basis of another open-ended question.

Materials
"Newborn Baby"

Procedure
a.  Read the poem "Newborn Baby" with your students.

b.  Examine each line using these questions, which ask students to go further in their search for detail.  Where appropriate, you may want to have your students find the answers in the text.

- "Imagining - and using your senses - if you were holding a baby, what would you feel?"  ... the baby's skin

- "How does the baby's skin feel?"  ... soft

- "And how does it feel to hold the baby?" ...cuddly

-  "Where do you feel the baby touching your body?" ...my arms

-  "Just your arms?" ...and chest

-  "How is the baby's skin touch you?"  ... (after various tries) ...rubbing against me ...

- What is the baby doing as you hold him or her in your arms?   ... asleep (Aren't you glad?)

- "Sound asleep?"  ...starts to fall asleep

What are you doing?

c.  To continue the discussion:  Can you  and your students guess what the next questions were?

Reflection/Assessment:  Stop and wonder...
How might asking questions help you when you're writing?  When you're reading?

Extension:  This poem is an example of free verse>
Poetry Definitions