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Bed in Summer by Robert Louis Stevenson
1. Why is the child in this poem upset?
In the winter, the child has to get up when it's still dark, In the summer, he has to go to bed when it's still
light outside. He feels that going to bed when it's still day is unfair.
2. What is still taking place
when the child has to go to bed?
Birds still hop in the branches of the tree outside. The child also hears
people walking in the street (or what would be the sidewalk today). It is assumed that the child hears these things through
a window near his bed.
3. How does the child appeal to the reader?
The child asks the reader
if the reader thinks it's fair that the child has to go to bed when it's still light outside (day) and the child wants
to play so much. In some ways, this poem captures the feeling of being left out of something, without knowing exactly what
you are being left out of. But the child frames his persuasive argument on the knowledge he has for the age he is. He does
not understand the changing seasons or the rotation of the earth. He merely wants to know why he has to go to bed when it's
still light outside because in the winter he doesn't have to do that.
4. What in this poem is no longer
true for children today? What is still true?
The child dresses by the light of candles, and people walk in
the street. That says the child lived before electricity and perhaps cars. The part of the poem that is still true is that
children still don't like going to bed, especially when it's light outside. Regardless of the technology, the feeling
is the same. When days grow longer because of the season, young children often have to go to bed before it gets dark. Because
they are such concrete thinkers, it's hard for them to understand that they are really going to bed at the same time in
the summer and in the winter.
5. Write a summary paragraph over "Bed in Summer."
The poem "Bed in Summer" can be found online.
It's in the public domain. You can use the online version or immediately download it in SL3: Comprehension Questions and Reading Sheets, along with many other third-grade reading sheets for stories and poems. Preview this eBook by clicking on the title.
The Lamplighter by Rober Louis Stevenson
1. Who was Leerie? What was his job?
Leerie was a lamppost lighter. Before electricity, some cities had gas lampposts that needed to be lit every evening
around the narrator's bedtime. Leerie lit the lampposts in the narrator's area.
2. What were some
of the jobs people did or wanted to do? What did this child want to do?
There were divers, probably of carriages,
such as Tom wanted to be, and sailors, such as Maria wanted to be. The child's father was a rich banker. This child, though,
wanted to light lampposts like Leerie did every evening.
3. How rich was the child's family?
This child's family was very rich. The father was a rich banker. The other clue in this poem comes from where the
lamppost stood. There was a lamppost right outside this family's door, and it was lit every night.
4.
What was Leerie's job?
Leerie went from lamppost to lamppost in the city and lit them in the late evening.
He carried a ladder and a light. With the ladder, he climbed to reach the top of the lamppost. Then he used the fire from
his light to light the lampposts.
5. What did the child in this poem want from Leerie?
This
child was fascinated by the ritual lighting of the lamppost outside his door. He wanted Leerie to notice that he was watching
the lamplighter from his window. Then he wanted Leerie to acknowledge him with a nod.
The poem "The Lamplighter" can be found online. It's in the public domain. You can
use the online version or immediately download it in SL3: Comprehension Questions and Reading Sheets, along with many other third-grade reading sheets for stories and poems. Preview this eBook by clicking on the title.
Little Things by Ebenezer Cobham Brewer
1. How could drops of water make an ocean?
If enough drops of water came together, they could make a large body of water. Consider raindrops. If there
were too many raindrops in an area, a city might flood. A flood, which is large and destructive, is made up of many
small raindrops. Although an ocean is larger than a flood, if there were enough drops of water, the water drops could form
an ocean.
2. How could a grain of sand make a land?
The answer to this follows the same
principle as the drops of water in question one. In this case, though, many, many grains of sand would need to be put in the
same place so the land could form.
3.
Why are minutes thought to be humble?
The minute is small and almost seen as an unimportant part of time. People
are willing to "wait a minute" or be put off for "just a minute" because the minute is a part of time
that is fleeting. Humbleness is a characteristic that comes when you have power or are important but you don't push what
you want or force anyone to know just how great you are. The minute can be described as humble because it is important but
it does not force others to recognize its importance in their lives.
4. How can minutes make "the
ages" and "eternity"?
"The ages," which can refer to the past or the future, and "eternity,"
which is the future, are a collection of many minutes. The past is a collection of minutes that have gone by; the future is
a collection of minutes to come. In that way, minutes have made the ages and make eternity.
5. Write a
summary paragraph over "Little Things."
The
poem "Little Things" can be found online. It's in the public domain. You can use the online version or immediately
download it in SL3: Comprehension Questions and Reading Sheets, along with many other third-grade reading sheets for stories and poems. Preview this eBook by clicking on the title.
Merry Sunshine by an unknown author
1. What did the child in this poem think the
sun had done that morning?
The child was surprised at how early the sun had woken up. In addition to waking
up, the sun, according to the child, had already scared away the stars and shone so brightly that it had outshone the moon.
2. What did she think the sun did at night? What did she wonder?
The child thought the
sun went to sleep because it grew dark while the child was still playing. She wondered how the sun traveled so far in such
a short time because it had gone from one side of the sky to the other.
3. How did the sun disagree with
the child?
The sun told the child that it had not gone to sleep, as the child thought, but had traveled around
the world.
4. What did the sun do on its way back to see the child?
The sun visited with
children in the East and woke up all the birds, bees, and flowers on its way. Then it returned to see the child who had been
playing when the sun had left the previous night.
5. Write a summary paragraph over "Merry Sunshine."
The poem "Merry Sunshine" can be found
online. It's in the public domain. You can use the online version or immediately download it in SL3: Comprehension Questions and Reading Sheets, along with many other third-grade reading sheets for stories and poems. Preview this eBook by clicking on the title.
The Miller of the Dee by Charles Mackay
1. What
was the miller like? What was his song?
The miller, who lived by Dee River, was a singer. He was a hard worker,
and he was happy. He was married and had three children. He was able to make enough money to support his family. The main
point of his song was that he didn't envy anyone and no one envied him.
2. How did the king feel in
verse two?
The king was sad, even though he knew he shouldn't be, because he had so much as the king. Yet
the miller had something that the king did not have. The miller had a light heart and was joyful and grateful.
3.
What made the miller joyful?
The miller was joyful because he was able to work. The River Dee turned the mill
stone, which in turn ground the corn. This is how he made his living. The miller also loved his wife and his three children.
Finally, he did not owe money to anyone.
4. What was no longer true about the miller's song?
The miller sang that no one envied him. The King (Hal) said that wasn't true because he envied the miller.
5. Write a summary paragraph over "The Miller of the Dee."
The poem "The Miller of the Dee" can be found online. It's in the public domain.
You can use the online version or immediately download it in SL3: Comprehension Questions and Reading Sheets, along with many other third-grade reading sheets for stories and poems. Preview this eBook by clicking on the title.
My Shadow by Robert Louis Stevenson
1. Of what use was the child's shadow?
Who did it look like?
The narrator of this poem is a child. He couldn't see any purpose for his shadow
and does not understand how his shadow is a result of his body blocking the light. Instead, he sees the shadow following him,
wherever he goes, and jumping into bed before he does. From what the child can tell, the shadow is very similar to the child.
2. What was funny about this child's shadows?
The child narrator found the shadow's
growth funny. "Proper children" grew a little each year. A shadow, on the other hand, might suddenly be a giant
(perhaps in the evening when shadows are long) or be small (perhaps at noon when shadows are merely puddles directly
beneath people's feet). When there isn't a strong light source, such as the sun (perhaps on a cloudy day), the child
may not see his shadow at all.
3.
How did this child's shadow play?
The child narrator appears upset that his shadow isn't following
what he (the narrator) has been taught about interacting with others. He is ashamed of the shadow's behavior and sees
it as cowardice. If the child hid behind his nurse or clung to her in the same way that the shadow did to this child, the
child would feel ashamed and embarrassed. It is implied that he would be considered a baby and not a child.
4. In the last stanza of the poem, where was the shadow?
The
child narrator woke up before the sun rose. Without light, he was unable to see his shadow, but the child did not know this
scientific principle. Instead, he thought his shadow had stayed at home and was still in bed sleeping late.
5.
Write a summary paragraph over "My Shadow."
The poem "My Shadow" can be found online. It's in the public domain. You can use the online version
or immediately download it in SL3: Comprehension Questions and Reading Sheets, along with many other third-grade reading sheets for stories and poems. Preview this eBook by clicking on the title.
The Swing
by Robert Louis Stevenson 1. How is the reader pulled into this poem?
The author
uses second person (you) and asks the "you" a question. As the reader, you feel like the author is asking you
his question. The question asked is one that most children can answer. They are asked to give an opinion about swinging on
a swing. The tone of the question isn't condescending or mean. It is light. When a person talks to another person like
this, it shows interest in the other person and a respect for the other person. The tone and the question are what draw the
reader into this poem.
2. How might
the author feel about swinging on a swing?
Even though children may know that this author is an adult, the
author calls swinging one of the most pleasant things that a child can do. He talks about children liking it, but by his description
of it, it appears that the author may have liked to swing as a child, or maybe even as an adult. His feeling of enjoyment
is captured in this poem.
3. What
can a child see when she is high in the air? What have you seen high in the air on a swing?
According to Robert
Louis Stevenson, children can see trees, cattle, and the rest of the countryside when they are high enough in the air to see
over the wall (fence) that surrounds their yard. (The fence in this poem could have been made out of stone so the child could
not see through it.) Stevenson is talking about a child who lives in the country. You can make this poem more personal for
your students by asking what they see when they are high in the air on a swing. Their answers will vary. Accept all reasonable
answers.
4. How does this poem make
you feel the up and down motion of swinging?
The rhythm of the poem hints at the swinging that it is described
within the poem. The second verse helps the reader feel as if she is flying in the air. Room is given to feel the flight and
freedom. Then the final verse talks about her descent and motion back into the air. Meter, word choices, and what is described
all give the reader the feeling of swinging.
5. Write a summary paragraph over "The Swing."
The
poem "The Swing" can be found online. It's in the public domain. You can use the online version or immediately
download it in SL3: Comprehension Questions and Reading Sheets, along with many other third-grade reading sheets for stories and poems. Preview this eBook by clicking on the title.
Two Dead Boys
by Author Unknown
1. What
are three opposites in this poem?
Students can list any three of the following opposites: It was bright outside,
but it was during the darkest part of the night. The boys were dead, and they stood up. (They were not zombies; the poem said
boys.) They looked at each other, but their backs were toward each other. Swords don't shoot. If the policeman was deaf,
he couldn't hear the noise. Most people don't arrest dead people. Lies are not true, and blind men can't be witnesses
to something that needs sight.
2. What do
you find humorous about this poem?
Children will probably give you specific examples of the opposites that
they liked in this poem. From there, guide them to see the overall pattern of the humor. The contrariness of each line takes
the reader by surprise and if the surprise is big enough, it makes the reader laugh. The reader keeps reading to see how the
author will continue putting opposites together. In this case, the author put the lines together with a flowing meter that
rolls off the tongue.
3. Could this poem be a nonsense poem?
Although opposite things happen
in this poem, which makes it seem nonsensical, the poem somewhat makes sense. There is a fight, a policeman shows up, and
there is a witness. Have students see if they can tell the difference between this poem and a true nonsense poem, such as
the "Jabberwocky" from Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll: "‘Twas brillig, and the slithy
toves / Did gyre and gimble in the wabe." The "Jabberwocky" is a nonsense poem because its words don't
make any sense. The sounds are interesting, and it makes you think that you almost know what is being said, but you don't.
Or consider this rhyme by Mother Goose: "Hey diddle, diddle, / The cat and the fiddle. / The cow jumped over the moon.
/ The little dog laughed to see such fun, / And the dish ran away with the spoon." The reader knows the individual words,
but the lines aren't connected in a logical manner. Still, the sounds in this poem are interesting. "Two Dead Boys,"
on the other hand, makes sense, but twists what is happening in each line to make the individual lines humorous. Of course,
depending on which book about nonsense poems you are reading, some experts say "Two Dead Boys" is a nonsense poem,
and some say that it isn't.
4.
If this isn't a nonsense poem, what kind of poem is it?
Let students guess, and allow them to make up their
own categories. Then explain that this poem is called a tangled-word poem. Something contrary or opposite appears in each
line or set of lines. People wrote tangled-word poems to be humorous. They were written mostly during the fourteenth century
to the nineteenth century. Although there are many different versions of this poem, children have enjoyed it and its many
forms for many centuries.
5. Write
a summary paragraph over "Two Dead Boys."
The poem "Two
Dead Boys" can be found online. It's in the public domain. You can use the online version or immediately download
it in SL3: Comprehension Questions and Reading Sheets, along with many other third-grade reading sheets for stories and poems. Preview this eBook by clicking on the title.
Simple Literature. Copyright © 2006 by Sheila Seifert. Printed electronically in the United States of America. All rights reserved.
No part of these comprehension questions and answers may be commercially reproduced in any form or by electronic or
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Individual home-school, private school, and public school teachers may print this material for personal use in their classrooms.
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