Illustration of cleat on soccer ball and a smiling shinguard
Art by Veronika Kotyk
Poetry Kit,

A Few Words From Your Shin Guard

Read this fun poem from a shin guard’s point of view.

By Elizabeth Steinglass
From the March/April 2023 Issue
Guided Reading Level: M
DRA Level: 20-24
Featured Skill: Rhythm and Meaning,
Topic: English Language Arts,
Common Core Standards
  • RL.2.4 Describe how words and phrases supply rhythm and meaning in a poem RL.2.10 Read grade-2-appropriate stories and poems RF.2.3.E Identify words with inconsistent but common spelling- sound correspondences.
TEKS Standards
  • ELA
    (9) Multiple genres: listening, speaking, reading, writing, and thinking using multiple texts--genres. The student recognizes and analyzes genre-specific characteristics, structures, and purposes within and across increasingly complex traditional, contemporary, classical, and diverse texts. The student is expected to: (B) explain visual patterns and structures in a variety of poems

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KTSDESIGN/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY/Getty Images
UFOs

noun, plural

an unidentified flying object. When something is unidentified, it means we don’t know what it is.
Ariel Skelley/Getty Images
mystery

noun

Something that is hard to figure out or understand. People can try to find clues to solve a mystery.
Aquarius Studio/Shutterstock.com
private eye/detective/spy

noun

These three words all mean a person who solves mysteries or gathers information that is hard to find.

Find me. I’m under the bed. 

Sure, I smell like something dead,

but who cares? Wear me.

Wear a pair of me. 

Tuck me in your sock,

and let’s get out of here.

I want to be kicked.

It’s why I exist.

I’m the shining armor

guarding your shin

while you run down the field

and go for the win. 

poetry selection titled: “A Few Words From Your Shin Guard” from Soccerverse by Elizabeth Steinglass. Text copyright © 2019 by Elizabeth Steinglass. Published by Wordsong, an imprint of Astra Books for Young Readers, a division of Astra Publishing House, New York, USA. All rights reserved.

video (1)
Activities (3)
Skills Activities
Answer Key (1)
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Activities (3) Download All Quizzes and Activities
Skills Activities
Answer Key (1)
Step-by-Step Lesson Plan
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ESSENTIAL QUESTION

The essential question of this issue is: What can sports teach us? The articles below connect to this theme.

  • Background Builder: “Sports for All!” p. 4
  • Big Read:  “Ready, Set, Race!” p. 6
  • Mini Graphic Novel: “Pine School Pals #5: Soccer Struggles,” p. 13
  • Past to Present: “The History of Sneakers,” p. 22
  • Poetry: “A Few Words From Your Shin Guard,” p. 32

Through the above texts, students will dig deep into this essential question and make text-to-text connections.

1. BEFORE READING

Show “The Big Question” Video (10 minutes)

  • Watch “The Big Question: What Can Sports Teach Us?” (This video also goes with other stories in this month’s Storyworks 2.)
  • After watching, tell students they are going to read a poem about a shin guard. Tell them that a shin guard is something people use when they play soccer.

2. READ THE POEM (10-15 MINUTES)

  • You can read the poem to the class first to model fluency and get kids familiar with the language. You can also click the Read Aloud button at the top of the digital issue to hear it read aloud by a professional voice actor.
  • Then read the poem chorally as a class.

3. AFTER READING: FOCUS ON ELA SKILLS

Pick and choose from a variety of activities:

Discuss the Poem (10-15 minutes)

  • Ask: “Who is speaking in the poem?" (A shin guard is speaking.)

ELA Focus: Quiz (15 minutes)

  • Assess students’ comprehension of the poem with a short quiz.

Enrich the Learning: Paired Text Opportunities 

ELA Focus: Sports Chart (time amount varies)

  • Making text-to-text connections builds knowledge and comprehension. We layer Storyworks 2 with many ways for your students to make connections.
  • Kids can compare the texts by using our “Sports Chart” printable. How are the texts alike, and how are they different?

 

Whole Issue Scavenger Hunt (15 minutes)

  • On our website, go to the Resources section of this article. Scroll down to Activities. The scavenger hunt is there.
  • This is a self-contained group of slides that guide students on a scavenger hunt through the whole issue. It helps them make text-to-text connections.
  • It can be done independently by students at home or during class time.

Text-to-Speech