Read the Prereading information on page 210 and look at the pictures included with each of the selections. Then look at the layout of the two poems. Since there are no stanzas in these poems, you must use the punctuation to help you read the lines. Look through both poems, noting commas, periods, semicolons, dashes, and question marks. As you read, add a short pause at the end of thoughts with a comma. Add a long pause after thoughts that end with a dash, a period, a semicolon, or a question mark. Do not pause at the end of a line if there is no punctuation. Pause in the middle of a line if there is punctuation in the middle.
Read each poem silently, using long and short pauses whenever you encounter punctuation.
If you are having difficulty reading the poems, find a partner and read the poems aloud, practicing and using pauses. When you finish reading “Big Wind,” answer the Guided Reading Questions on the page 212. Then write two questions and answers for “Child on Top of a Greenhouse.”
When everyone has finished reading the poem, have volunteers read the poems aloud, demonstrating how to pause at punctuation marks.