Illustration of a bear caught in the action of stealing honey from a beehive
Art by Macky Pamintuan
Poetry,

Bear's Nose

A lighthearted poem about a bear’s motivation

By Beverly McLoughland
From the March/April 2024 Issue

Learning Objective: Students will use this poem as inspiration to write their own poems during National Poetry Month.

Complexity Factors
  • Levels of Meaning
    On one level, “Brave Like Jackie” is a fictional poem about a girl playing baseball. On another level, it is about how the girl is inspired by baseball legend Jackie Robinson.
  • Structure
    The poem contains 11 stanzas. The last words of the first nine stanzas rhyme. The last words of the last two stanzas also rhyme. These words have a similar sound to the first nine rhyming words.
  • Language
    The language is mostly simple but contains a few words—like clench and whizzes—that may be unfamiliar to students.
  • Knowledge Demands
    No prior knowledge is needed.
Featured Skill: Poetry Writing,
Other Key Skills: elements of poetry, rhyme, plot, key idea, figurative language, inference, text features, narrative writing
Standards
  • Common Core
    RL.3.1, RL.3.2, RL.3.3, RL.3.4, RL.3.7, W.3.3, SL.3.1, SL.3.2, L.3.4, L.3.5
  • TEKS Grade 3
    1a, 1c, 3a, 3b, 4, 6a, 6c, 6d, 6h, 6i, 7b, 7c, 7f, 7g, 8a, 8c, 9b, 10b, 10c, 10d, 12b

Presentation View
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Bear's Nose

Bear follows his nose

Wherever it goes—

All the rest of him

Shuffles behind.


His nose is so clever

It never—no—never

(Good nose that it is)

Fails to find


A beehive of honey

All golden and runny,

So complaining 

A bear never does,


But, poor nose, being first,

Dives into the worst

Of the wings and the stings

And the buzz.

THINK AND WRITE: ELEMENTS OF POETRY 

Explore how the poet brings this scene to life. Then celebrate National Poetry Month by writing a poem of your own! 

Audio ()
Activities (4)
Skills Activities
Answer Key (1)
Audio ()
Activities (4) Download All Quizzes and Activities
Skills Activities
Answer Key (1)
Step-by-Step Lesson Plan
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Table of Contents

1. Preparing to Read

2. Close Reading

3. SEL Focus

4. Skill Building

5. Differentiate and Customize

Struggling Readers, Multilingual Learners, Advanced Readers, Creative Writing

1. Preparing to Read

Set a Purpose for Reading

  • Read the title of the poem along with the poet’s name. Ask students to describe the illustration and predict what the poem will be about. Review the predictions after reading the poem.
  • Explain that the poem has four stanzas. A stanza is a group of lines in a poem. Explain that the last word of the first two lines in each stanza rhyme. This means each stanza has an AABC rhyme scheme.

 

Preview Text Features and Vocabulary 

  • Before reading, point out the words shuffles (slides feet along the floor without picking them up) and clever (smart) to students, and review their definitions. Go over any other vocabulary terms that may be challenging for your students.

2. Reading and Discussing the Poem

  • Read the poem to the class, play the audio Read-Aloud, or use Text-to-Speech.

  • Next, ask students to take turns reading aloud each line in the poem.

  • Discuss the Close-Reading and Critical-Thinking Questions. 

Close-Reading Questions

  • Read the first two stanzas. Which words rhyme in this part of the poem? The rhyming words in the first two stanzas are nose, goes; clever, never; behind, find. (rhyme, elements of poetry)
  • Why does the bear follow his nose “Wherever it goes . . . ”? The bear follows his nose because it is sniffing a smell in the air. The bear follows this smell wherever it goes. (interpreting text)
  • Read the next two stanzas. What does the bear’s nose never fail to find? The bear’s nose never fails to find a beehive full of honey. (plot, key idea)
  • What do the words “All golden and runny” help you imagine? The words help me imagine what the honey looks like. (figurative language)
  • Why doesn’t the bear complain after finding the beehive filled with honey? The bear doesn’t complain because he loves to eat honey. The bear isn’t thinking about bees, he’s only thinking about the delicious honey. (inference)
  • What happens to the bear’s nose in the last stanza of the poem? After the bear sticks his nose into the beehive, he gets stung by bees. (plot)
  • In the final stanza of the poem, the poet says the bear’s nose “Dives into the worst.” She gives clues about what the worst is, but doesn’t name it. What is the worst? Which words are clues that help you know what it is? The worst is the bees. The words that are clues are beehive, wings, stings, and buzz. I also can use the illustration to help me. The illustration shows the bear about to be stung by bees. (inference, text features)

3 Skill Building

Featured Skill: Poetry Writing

Distribute or digitally assign our Poetry Writing Skill Builder and have students complete it in class or for homework.

Text-to-Speech