In My Desk

Question: What do you think the poem is going to be about when you read the first stanza?

Title: In My Desk

They've canceled recess, time to play,
Instead, it's clear-out-desks today.
Though all I've got is junk in there,
So let them clean it-- I don't care.

• A child's disappointment at canceled recess

• A child's unwillingness to clean out their desk

• A child's excitement about finding treasures in their desk

• A child's determination to organize their desk

Tags

CCSS.RI.1.1

CCSS.RI.2.1

CCSS.RI.3.1

CCSS.RL.2.1

CCSS.RL.3.1

Title: In My Desk

They've canceled recess, time to play,
Instead, it's clear-out-desks today.
Though all I've got is junk in there,
So let them clean it-- I don't care.

Inside they'll find one holey sock,
The insides of a broken clock,
A bag of feathers, three brown stones,
A pair of moldy old pinecones,
My last year's textbook, tons of tests,
All marked in red, a real conquest.

A blue jay's nest, a note from Mary Ellen White,
My braces that were much too tight,
A lunchbox with a great big hunk
Of rotting cheese. You see- just junk.

No-- wait-- each piece can tell a tale.
It's not just junk that's old and stale.
I'll do that cleaning out, you see,
Each piece of junk's my history.

QUESTION: How is your understanding different now that you have read the whole poem?

• The child's desk is full of surprises, including hidden treasures.

• At first, the child thinks their desk is filled with useless things, but later they realize each item holds a story.

• The child's desk seems messy at first, but it turns out to be tidy and organized

• First, the child enjoys cleaning out their desk, but later they become frustrated with the ta

Tags

CCSS.RI.3.2

CCSS.RL.3.2

CCSS.RL.4.2

CCSS.RI.2.2

CCSS.RL.2.2

What items did the child mention finding in their desk?

• Pencils and notebooks

• Toys and games

• A holey sock and a broken clock

• Candy and snacks

Tags

CCSS.RI.3.2

CCSS.RL.3.2

CCSS.RL.4.2

CCSS.RI.2.2

CCSS.RI.4.2

Last Stanza: No-- wait-- each piece can tell a tale.
It's not just junk that's old and stale.
I'll do that cleaning out, you see,
Each piece of junk's my history.

Question: Was there something new in the last part of the poem that was very different from the rest? What was it?

• The child find something surprising in the last part of the poem

• The child understood that each thing in their desk is special because it's part of their past

• The child choose not to clean their desk

• The intention to throw away everything in the desk.

Tags

CCSS.RI.3.2

CCSS.RL.3.2

CCSS.RL.4.2

CCSS.RI.2.2

CCSS.RI.4.2

What words in the last stanza give you the main idea of the poem?

• "No-- wait-- each piece can tell a tale."

• "It's not just junk that's old and stale."

• "Each piece of junk's my history."

• "I'll do that cleaning out, you see."

Tags

CCSS.RI.3.2

CCSS.RL.3.2

CCSS.RL.4.2

CCSS.RI.4.2

CCSS.RL.2.2