Article

Art by Randy Noble

What Do You Need?

Read a poem about using your imagination to have adventures.

By Eric Ode

From the May/June 2023 Issue

Guided Reading Level: K

Topic: Science,

What do you need

to soar to the moon,

or drift with the clouds

in a hot air balloon?

Or race through the sea

in a sleek submarine,

or fly through the years

in a great time machine?

What do you need?

Not as much as it seems—

a big cardboard box

and a handful of dreams.

video (1)

Activities (3)

Answer Key (1)

video (1)

Activities (3)

Download All Quizzes and Activities

Answer Key (1)

More About the Article

English Language Arts Focus

Craft and structure

Phonological awareness

Essential Question

The essential question of this issue is Why do we go on adventures? The articles below connect to this theme.

Big Read-Aloud: “The Great Octopus Escape,” p. 10

Fiction: “Mouse on the Moon,” p. 22

What Do You Think?: “Vacation in Space: Fun or Foolish?,” p. 28

Poetry: “What Do You Need?,” p. 32

Through the above genres, students will discuss:

What is an adventure?

Where do we go on adventures?

How can we travel to faraway places?

IMPLEMENTATION SUGGESTION

Shared Reading

After you introduce and explore the meaning of the poem, use it as a daily shared reading experience to build fluency and phonological awareness through rhyme.

Paired Text

Pair this poem with “Not a Box” by Antoinette Portis. This delightful picture book and our poem have similar themes. Children can compare the genres, illustrations, and details.

1. BEFORE READING

Show a Video (10 minutes)

Tell children that they are going to watch a video about going on adventures. (This video also goes with other stories in the issue.)

Preview Text Type and Illustration (5-10 minutes)

Now tell students they will read a rhyming poem about having an adventure with your imagination. Open your magazines to “What Do You Need?” Point out the illustrations. What are the children doing?

Point out the features that many poems have: a title, lines, and rhyming words.

2. READ THE POEM (10-15 MINUTES)

Read the poem and encourage children to listen for rhyming words. You can also click the Read Aloud button at the top of the digital issue to hear it read by a voice actor!

Discuss the meaning of the poem. Point out the verbs like fly, race, and swim. Are the characters in the poem really doing these things, or are they using their imaginations? How can students tell?

3. AFTER READING: FOCUS ON SKILLS

ELA Focus: Craft and Structure (10 minutes)

The A Box Can Be... skills page allows children to demonstrate their understanding of the main idea of the poem while using their imagination.

ELA Focus: Writing (10 minutes)

This version of the A Box Can Be... skills page allows children to engage with the poem at a lower skill level.

Text-to-Speech