Build Background
Ask students to explain what they know about poetry. Invite them to share favorite poems and/or poets. Explain that there are many different types of poetry. Invite students to identify types of poetry they know about.

Discuss free verse poetry. Explain that free verse poetry is free of the normal rules of poetry. The poet may choose to include rhyming words, but the poem does not have to rhyme. A free verse poem may be just a sentence or pages of words. The object of free verse is to use colorful words, punctuation, and word placement to convey meaning to readers.

Preview the Poems
Discuss phenomena that occur in nature (hibernation, adaptation, and so on). Show students the front and back covers of the book and read the title. Turn to the title page. Discuss the information on the page (title, author's name). Discuss the illustrations. Invite students to explain what they see in the photographs and what they think the poems might be about.

For detailed lessons on teaching the elements of free verse, click here.

During Reading
Have students listen as you read the poems. Read the poems expressively and, where applicable, emphasize the words that rhyme in each pair of sentences. Discuss the line breaks in each poem and how they affect both the reading and meaning of the poem.

Use think-aloud strategies to remind students to use what they already know to help make sense of each poem. React to parts of the poem with facial expressions and gestures. Allow students to stop to ask questions during reading, especially if they do not understand something. Invite students to identify characteristics of poetry (it uses lots of description, it expresses emotions and feelings, it allows a reader to see a topic in a different way through the concise use of vocabulary, and so on).

After Reading
Reader Response
Ask students what they thought of the poems. Have them describe their favorite poem.

Comprehension
Ask specific questions that allow students to demonstrate their understanding of the poems.

• What nature topics were highlighted in the poems?
• How do the actions of spiders and butterflies illustrate the concept of instinct?
• What does a porcupine use for defense? What do other animals you know of use for defense?