IMPORTANT: Comprehension questions will be in chronological order as you read through the story. Page numbers are approximate, and will vary with different editions of the book.
Section 1: September 12-December 13
Vocabulary
- downy: fluffy or soft
- anonymous: by someone unknown
- depend: to rely on or trust
- immortal: living or lasting forever
- stanza: lines in a poem that are grouped together
- loll: to move lazily
Vocabulary Usage in the Book
- Of easy wind and downy flake. (Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening, Robert Frost)
- (And what does anonymous mean?…) (November 6, pg. 11)
- I don’t understand/the poem about/the red wheelbarrow/and the white chickens/and why so much/depends upon/them. (September 27, pg.3)
- …What immortal hand or eye/Could frame thy fearful symmetry?(The Tiger)
- *First stanza (The Tiger, William Blake)
- Under a maple tree/The dog lies down/Lolls his limp/Tongue,yawns,/Rests his long chin/Carefully between/Front paws; (Dog, Valerie Worth)
Vocabulary Sentences
- A million dollars was given by an anonymous donor to the museum.
- The newborn baby goose had downy feathers all over its body.
- Our teacher required that each stanza of the poem have four lines.
- After a long day at work, my father likes to loll on the couch.
- I depend on the mailman to delivery my mail every day.
- Many people believe that our souls are immortal.
Comprehension Questions
- Answers will vary.
- Jack doesn’t want to write poetry because he says that only girls write poetry, not boys. (pg. 1)
- “The Red Wheelbarrow” has four stanzas. (see back of book)
- The writer of “The Red Wheelbarrow” is a man named William Carlos Williams. (see back of book)
- Jack says that short lines can make any words into a poem. (pg. 3)
- “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” has four stanzas. (see back of book)
- Robert Frost describes the woods as lovely, dark, and deep. (see back of book)
- “The Tiger” has one stanza. (see back of book)
- Some of the tiger sounds are still beat-beat-beating like drums in Jack’s ears. (pg. 9)
- Answers will vary.
- Jack can’t write a poem about his pet because he doesn’t have one. (pg. 12)
- Jack likes the small poems because he can read a lot in a short time. (pg. 15)
- Jack has pictures in his head after reading the small poems. (pg. 15)
- See Some of the poems used by Miss Stretchberry in the back of the book.
- “dog” has one stanza. (see back of book.)
- Answers will vary. (see back of book)
Section 2: January 10-March 7
Vocabulary
- shelter: a place for unwanted animals
- totter: to mover unsteadily
- vocabulary: a collection of words
- screech: a shrill, harsh cry
- caution: being careful
- pasture: a grassy area where animals graze
Vocabulary Usage in the Book
- …and so I went/and we drove and drove/until we stopped at a/red brick building/with a sign/in blue letters/ANIMAL PROTECTION SHELTER. (January 24, pg.25)
- I mean:/somebody;s going out/to the pasture/to clean the spring/and to get/the little tottery calf/while he’s out there/and he isn’t going/to be gone long/and he wants YOU.. (January 10th, pg. 20)
- slamming from bus tires/and taxi horns and engines/of cars and trucks in all/ v o c a b u l a r i e s/… (Street Music, Arnold Adoff)
- …of/clash/flash/screeching /hot metal l a n g u a g e/c o m b i n a t i o n s: (Street Music, Arnold Adoff)
- At both ends/of our street/are yellow signs/that say/Caution! Children at Play! (February 15, pg.33)
- I really really really/did NOT get/the pasture poem/you read today. (January 10, pg. 20)
Vocabulary Sentences
- Our neighbor has twenty dairy cows that graze in his pasture.
- We could hear the tires screech when the man slammed on his brakes.
- When my mom and dad said, I could get a dog, we decided to visit the animal shelter first to find one.
- The forest ranger had to act with caution when approaching the grizzly bear that was in the campground.
- My teacher assigns us ten vocabulary words every week for homework.
- We watched our one-year-old clumsily totter across the living room floor.
Comprehension Questions
- Jack thinks Robert Frost has too much time on his hands. (pg. 21)
- “The Pasture” has two stanzas. (see back of book)
- Robert Frost describes an outdoor nature setting in both “The Pasture” and “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening.” (see back of book)
- Jack thinks the wheelbarrow poet and Mr. Robert Frost are making pictures with words. (pg. 22)
- Jack and his father drive to the animal shelter. (pg. 25)
- Jack imagines all the dogs are saying, “Me! Me! Choose me! I’m the best one!” (pg. 26)
- Answers will vary.
- Three noises that the city makes are slamming bus tires, taxi horns, and planes roaring. (see back of book)
- Jack’s street is on the edge of a city. (pg. 31)
- Jack’s street has quiet music that sounds like a whisp, meow, and a swish. (pg. 32)
- Jack quotes “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” at the end of his street music poem. (pg. 34)
- Jack’s brain was pop-pop-popping when he looked at the poems shaped like an apple and a house. (pg. 35)
- Jack wants his shape poem typed up on yellow paper. (pg. 38)
- Jack feels a little embarrassed when people say they like his poem. (Pg. 39.)
- Answers will vary.
Section 3: March 14-April 24
Vocabulary
- reason: an explanation
- evening: the early part of the night
- inspired: to be influenced by
- friendly: kind
- answer: a correct reply
- publisher: a company that prints books
Vocabulary Usage in the Book
- Because of two reasons/I liked it: (March 14, pg. 44)
- And I’d call him/every morning/every evening/Hey there, Sky!(March 22, pg. 48)
- …Inspired by Walter Dean Myers. (April 4, pg. 50)
- …and I understand/if you can’t come/to our clean school/and reason some of your poems/to us/and let us se2 your face/which I bet/is a friendly face. (April 17, pg.59)
- Did he answer yet?(April 20, pg. 60)
- I didn’t know -/until you explained-/that the letter has to go/to Mr. Walter Dean Myer’s/publisher company/and then someone/at the publisher company has to sort the mail…(April 24, pg. 61)
Vocabulary Sentences
- Evening approached, it became darker and colder.
- The person who could give the first correct answer to the final question would be the winner of the trivia contest.
- The young pianist was inspired by the music of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
- At my favorite restaurant, the servers are extremely friendly to all of the customers.
- After finishing the manuscript of his new book, the author delivered it to his publisher for review.
- The reason I felt so tired was because I stayed up very late.
Comprehension Questions
- In “Love That Boy,” he loves that boy like a rabbit loves to run. (see back of book)
- Jack thinks the “Love That Boy” poem is the best poem ever. (pg. 42)
- Jack copies the poem and hangs it on the wall over his bed so he can see it when he is lying down. (pg. 43)
- One of the reasons he likes “Love That Boy” is because his dad calls out to him in the morning the same way. (pg. 44)
- When Jack’s dog jumps on him, he says it’s like he was trying to hug the insides out of him. (pgs. 46-47)
- Jack doesn’t want his secret poem to be typed up because he thinks Mr. Walter Dean Myers will be mad at him for using too many of his words. (pg. 49)
- Miss Stretchberry types “Inspired by Walter Dean Myers” at the top of Jack’s secret poem. (pg. 50)
- Jack feels that Mr. Walter Dean Myers would rather hear from his teacher because she uses big words, and knows how to spell and type. (pgs. 53-54)
- Jack asks Mr. Walter Dean Myers to visit his school. (pg. 57)
- Jack thinks Mr. Walter Dean Myers might have a friendly face. (pg. 59)
- Miss Stretchberry says it might take months for Jack to get a response to his letter. (pg. 61)
Section 4: April 26-June 6
Vocabulary
- miracle: a very special and unlikely event
- flattered: to feel good because of praise
- heave: to lift with great effort
- honored: respected
- bloom: to grow
- veins: tubes that move blood through the body
Vocabulary Usage in the Book
- It is like a miracle/little brain/in there/a little helper brain. (May 8, pg. 67)
- …but we thank you/for answering every which one/and especially for saying/that you would be/flattered/if someone used/some of your words… (June 6, pg. 84)
- …Sky/was just there/in the road/lying on his side/with his legs bent funny/and his side heaving/and he looked up at me/and I said/“Sky! Sky! Sky! (May 14, pg. 71)
- And he would be/honored/to visit/our clean school/and meet the mostly nice kids/who like his poems? (May 21, pg. 76)
- The bulletin board/looks like it’s/blooming words/with everybody’s poems/up there/on all those/colored sheets of paper/yellow blue pink red green. (May 28, pg. 77)
- All of my blood/in my veins/was bubbling/and all of the thoughts/in my head/were buzzing/and/I wanted to keep/Mr. Walter Dean Myers/at out school/forever. (June 1, pg. 81)
Vocabulary Sentences
- Because my skin is very pale, you can see the veins on the back of my hands.
- I have been waiting many months for my sunflower plants to bloom.
- When he retired, the brave fireman was honored at a banquet.
- It was considered a miracle when Moses parted the Red Sea.
- The lumberjack had to heave a very heavy ax in order to cut through the thick trunk of the tree.
- The artist felt flattered when the students put on an exhibition of his work.
Comprehension Questions
- Jack says his brain feels like a squashed pea when he is trying not to think about something but it keeps popping into his head. (pg. 64)
- Jack wants to learn how to use the computer so he can type his own words. (pg. 66)
- Jack thinks that spell check inside the computer is like a miracle little brain. (pg. 67)
- Jack is not sure he wants his poem posted on the board because it might make people sad. (pg. 73)
- Jack thinks the best, best, BEST news ever is that Mr. Walter Dean Myers is coming to his school. (pg. 75)
- Jack says the bulletin board looks like it’s blooming with everybody’s poems. (pg. 77)
- Jack says the bookcase looks like it’s sprouting all of Mr. Walter Dean Myers’ books. (pg. 77)
- Jack thinks that Mr. Walter Dean Myers likes his visit to the school because he smiled all over the place. (pg. 82)
- Jack describes Mr. Walter Dean Myers’ voice as low and deep and friendly and warm. (pg. 83)
- Jack describes Mr. Walter Dean Myers’ laugh like it came from down deep and then bubbled up, and rolled and tumbled into the air. (pg. 83)
- Jack signs his letter to Mr. Walter Dean Myers as his number one fan. (pg. 85)