Tennessee Grade 1 English

Hear and Feel the Words in a Poem

Identify words suggesting feelings and sensory experiences. Start with the short original text below, discuss the reasoning, and apply the same reading skill to a fuller classroom text.

Curriculum reference: Tennessee English Language Arts Standards, current state-linked 2019 edition, from the Tennessee English language arts standards page.

Tennessee Grade 1 references for this activity

The Tennessee State Board identifies the English language arts standards approved in February 2019 as the current edition through the transition to 2029–30. The department lists 2029–30 for implementation and assessment of a future revision. This page uses the currently linked 2019 document rather than treating a review or proposed revision as current. The activity addresses one selected reading reference; the complete curriculum also includes foundational skills, writing, language, speaking, and listening.

These selected reference labels identify an activity focus, with the correct grade and PDF page linked separately. Read the complete standards selected by the school and its learning sequence, including reading, writing, language, speaking, and listening. This short original example does not fulfill the entire curriculum or establish a student’s grade-level proficiency.

Rain outside, light inside

This original classroom example is separate from official assessment questions.

Rain taps on the roof.

My cold coat drips by the door.

A warm lamp lights my book.

I smile and read some more.

Try the activity

Read or listen to the poem. Which word helps you imagine a sound? Which words describe how something might feel? What suggests the speaker feels pleased?

Follow the reasoning

“Taps” helps a listener imagine the rain making a light sound on the roof. “Cold” and “warm” suggest contrasting sensations: the wet coat and the lamp’s warmth. “I smile” suggests that the speaker feels pleased, although the poem does not use the word happy. The child can point to these words or say them aloud before explaining the connection. Identifying a word and naming the experience it suggests is more useful than simply labeling the whole poem nice or sad. Read the lines aloud and return to the particular wording when a child gives an answer.

Notice what needs more practice

The poem is invented. A warm lamp in this poem is an imagined detail, not a direction to touch a lamp. A smile suggests a feeling but does not prove everything about the speaker’s day. Other answers should be considered when the child can connect them to the words.

Use the next session to build independence

1. Listen once for the whole scene.
2. Read again and point to a word that suggests a sound or sensation.
3. Explain a feeling with a particular word or phrase.

With the teacher, choose another short poem. Find a sensory word and a feeling word or phrase, then explain what each suggests. Compare how the words change the scene without requiring every poem to name every sense.

For more general reading and writing resources, visit the Grade 1 English Online Center.

Tennessee Grade 1 English: useful planning questions

Must a poem name a feeling directly?

No. Actions or phrases can suggest a feeling. Explain the connection to the actual words rather than adding an unsupported account of the speaker’s life.

Which standards does the school use?

The Tennessee State Board identifies the English language arts standards approved in February 2019 as the current edition through the transition to 2029–30. The department lists 2029–30 for implementation and assessment of a future revision. This page uses the currently linked 2019 document rather than treating a review or proposed revision as current. The activity addresses one selected reading reference; the complete curriculum also includes foundational skills, writing, language, speaking, and listening. The school’s sequence also includes reading, writing, speaking, listening, and language work beyond this example.