Best Poems for Comprehension

             "A thing of beauty is joy forever"

The poems published here could be used for your language teaching and learning process. They have been carefully selected to suit the young reader. The teacher can turn these short poems on to a platform where the young learner is motivated towards poetry. 

      Sajendra Kumara

      A trained teacher of English

      Voice: 07775978775

Dear teachers, 

Do not merely get your students to answer these simple poems and switch on to another. First build up a fine bridge between your students and the poem.  Your students will walk over slowly into the poetic world. Let them have that fun with you. 

Then let your students attempt the questions and finally make sure that you lead a healthy discussion. The poems I publish here create a background for you to guide them deeper into the poems. 

Today, most of our teachers have become quite mechanical and do not let the students to peep into the literary world. 

I was made to leave this remark here because I chanced to listen to some young lady teacher explaining a poem in her language class. She did not treat the poem the way she should have done it and roughly touched upon the surface of the poem for the sake of doing it. 

Do justice to the poems and the poets by discussing them with your students. Listen to what your students speak of them. Let your students truly enjoy a poem. Do not steal that right from them. Be well prepared before discussing a poem with your students. 

 I humbly regret if I have hurt you my readers. 

Blogger Sajendra Kumara.

Poem 1: 

Read the following poem and answer the questions given below. 

         What Will You Be
What will you be when you grow up?
A dancer? or A doctor?
A teacher? Or A cricketer?
There are so many careers you can    
                                    choose to do
It's very very hard to decide you know
Sometimes you may keep on thinking
Doing many jobs and never deciding.
Monday you will be a street keeper
Wednesday you will chart the skies with 
                                          the navy
Thursday you will go for the war with 
                                           the army
Friday you will be happy on sea, as a sailor
Saturday you are back to be a tailor
And on Sunday again you will 
                                          keep wondering
What the years that lie ahead will 
                                          likely bring
------------------------------------------

1. List the jobs mentioned in this poem?
2. On which day will you not wonder about any job?
3. What can you do if you join the army?
4. Which lines say that you are still not old enough to do any job?
5. Find similar words from the poem for the following words.
      a) jobs - .................
      b) difficult - ............
6. Find two rhyming pairs from the poem.
     a) ......................... b) .........................

Discussion: 

The young live in a word of ambitions. They are naturally attracted to the different professions they see. They form images of their future professions based on different reasons. For example, one may like to be a doctor because the family doctor may be a friendly person closer to him. Another, could hate to be doctor simply because he , the doctor,  may have prescribed him some 'bitter medicinal stuff'. A child who hates to see blood may never like to be a doctor. 

One student told me that he wished to be a beggar. I was surprised and asked the reason. He told me that beggars led a free life. "They don't have to study, make a house , buy new clothes , work hard and earn......"   the child went on explaining.  

Well, talk about your students' ambition and don't forget to ask them why they choose that particular profession. I am sure you will be surprised to hear what they speak of their future professions. 

Sajendra Kumara

Poem 2:  Read the following poem and answer the questions.

                   Excavation
  If I should meet with the boy that I was,
               How should we look?
               What should we say? 
 So have I changed in the years that I think
               Both would be dumb.
 Yet there is nothing that came from without
               Nothing of new.

               Built on the old
What I am now was asleep in me then,
               Waiting its hour.
Slowly, as men who unbury a vast
               City that lay
               Sunken in sand,
Thought and the powerful spade of the world
                Dig out the self.             [ By Clifford Bax]

1. Whom does the narrator want to meet?
2. What has happened to the narrator with time? 
3. Is there anything that has come new? 
4. What help man dig out 'the self'? 
5. Find words similar in meaning to the following words and phrases. 
a) do not speak - 
b) very strong -   
[ source- Government OL English T/B - Old Syllabus]

Poem :3

    The Bus Driver's Wail
     

Discussion: 

The thoughts of 'a poor errant driver'  who has been jailed for not paying the fine for driving fast are presented in this poem. 

'The rule of law must be equally applied to all wrong doers' is one strong message this poem delivers to the society. Though at the outset one feels compassionate to hear the 'driver's wail' , if his wrong doing: driving fast, is considered in depth one can justify the man's imprisonment. Suppose, he knocks down another poor pedestrian who feeds a family similar to his , then 'how do we look at this errant driver?'. Do we sympathize with the errant driver or the victim? 

👉Well, just wanted to make your eyes open. Help your children look at problems in different corners. 

👉  You can have a debate in the class. Get their views. 

Poem 4 

        The Pedlar's Caravan 

Poem 5 

                                Model Activities for OL - 

                      The Best Guide to realize your dream

Poem 6

                           The Merry Mice

   1) What do the mice do during the day? 

  2) When do they come out? 

  3) Mention four food the mice eat?

  4) When do the mice run away and hide themselves? 

  5) Find words from the poem similar in meaning to the following  words.

       a) happy -                   c) like -

       b) thieves -                 d) gently bite -

👉 

Guidelines for discussion: 

 😽The traditional enmity between cats and mice.

 😺 The dramatic quality of the poem.

 😻 Visual image

 😸    The poem reminds one of the aged old saying,

       "When the cat is away mice are at play." 

 😼    Metaphor: rogue 

Poem 7 

             Spring : A poem written by Mary Howitt

1) What does the little bee say? 

2) You can see a ................ flying high up in the sky.

3) Pick the names of two flowers mentioned in the poem.

    a) ...................   b) ..................

4) a) Where do primroses grow?

    b) What is their shape? 

5) Find rhyming words for the following words. 

    a) green -              b) wing - 

6) According to the poem what do you see in the spring time? 

   Add three more to the list.

   a) little bees humming.

   b) ...................               d) .............

   c)  .................. 

Poem 8

                The Moon

    1) What is the moon compared to ? 

    2) Name the animals that likes the moon light? 

    3) Who like to sleep when the moon is up in the sky? 

    4) Write the 'animal sounds' mentioned in the poem? 

    5) Find the rhyming words for the following.

        a) eyes -                       b)  noon- 

Discussion: 

The beauty of nature when the moon shines over it. 

Poem 9: Read the poem and answer the questions. 

               The Cow

1. Why does the speaker love the cow? 

2. Where is the cow? 

3. What does the cow eat? 

4. Which line says that the cow's freedom to move has been confined? 

5. Which the adjective that best describes the attachment between the cow and the speaker. 

💓💓💓

Guidelines for discussion. 

* A simple nature poem.

* It evokes compassion for animals in the reader's mind. 

Deeper analysis:

A cow never willingly allow humans to enjoy the milk it produces for the survival of its babies. The poet probably understand this reality. Therefore, what humans can do to show their gratitude in return is showing compassion to this animal. On the other hand, the cow is an animal in human captivity. It lives in a meadow and does not have a much choice of food for enjoying.

Poem 10: Read the poem and answer the questions. 

                  Reuben Bright

1) What was Reuben Bright? 

2) What happened to Reuben Bright's wife? 

3) Who cried first? ( underline ) 

     a) the women    b) Reuben Bright

4) What did Reuben do to the things his wife used? 

5) Which line says that Reuben Bright was a good man? 

6) Find synonyms for the following words.

          a) box -     b) cut -  

💓💓💓

Guidelines for discussion: 

It is not fair to judge people by their appearance or by the profession  they are engaged in. A person whom we may think the toughest may have a soft corner somewhere in the heart. The society provides us many examples for it. 

You cannot judge a book by its cover. 

Poem 11: Read the poem and do the activity given below.

                 The Daffodils

 Guidelines for discussion: 💓💓

William Wordsworth could be introduced as the best nature poet ever. His language is simple. A thing of beauty is joy forever. Nature keeps one happy. It is the best place to enjoy solitude. Nature carries you away from the boredom of life. Once you glue your eyes on the beautiful creations of nature you can lose in your own imagination. It is a kind of meditation. Then you speak in mind with the things you see in nature. Daffodils do the same to Wordsworth here .

  

Poem 12 

The poem Grocer's Shop

Read the poem and answer the questions. 

 

1) Where is the grocer's shop? 

2) How often does the poet visit the shop? 

3) Write two things the grocer does there? 

4) Mention two food items you can buy there? 

5) Pick the line which says that the grocer is a courteous man.

6) What is the poet's ambition? 

7) Find the words that rhyme with the following.

   a) be: ...... b) tea: .......

Guidelines for discussion

A simple poem. The value of exposing children to social experience. Children learn from what they see. They learn to respect those who provide us services.  

👉poem 13

      The Red Rose : (A teen love poem)

Read and enjoy a poem written based on a true incident. 👉👱👩 Teenagers in your classroom would definitely love this story. 

(Later I wrote a short story on this same incident to the Daily News) 

A poem for life: Written by Sajendra Kumara

 

                           Daily News - Poetry/Artscope

     Published: Wednesday, January 21, 2009

👉

The incident discussed in the above poem happened when I was serving at  a school in the Gampaha Education Zone. I am usually an early bird to school. The incident left me an indelible mark in my teaching life. It was so impressive that later it came out in the form a poem. I haven't met the two students in the incident discussed after I left that school on a transfer. I leave this poem for the whole world to enjoy. 

👴 I hope I have not done any harm to the privacy of the two kids.  

Poem: 14: The Queen Flora: A nature poem

vocabulary: hither- here ( old English ) thither- there ( old English) thou - you ( old English)  doth - does ( old English) thy - your (old English) bewitch - enchant (old English)

'The Queen Flora' is a poem written by me to the Daily News Poetry corner on the 22nd, July 2009. It highlights the value of trees. 

Poem 15: The statue of a war hero. ( A war poem) 

Vocabulary- hark - listen (Old English) all and sundry - everyone 

This poem was written by me in August 2009. The poem deals with the sentiments of the future generation towards the war heroes of the old day. 

What I am discussing here has already happened in Sri Lanka to some extent. Now, people have completely forgotten 'the war time Sri Lanka'. Specially, the young today does not have that bitter experience which the Sri Lankans went through. They do not know of the fear-psychosis that gripped the island nation as a result of terrorism after 1982 and during 88/89. 

A major part of the fault falls on the elders. It is our responsibility to talk with them about this dark era. One might say, to read this, that there is no point in dwelling on what is already gone. But we should never forget that history helps us , not to mention the great human quality of being grateful,  reshape future. 

This short poem is a small attempt made towards the young in order to tell them to be grateful to the people who paved the way for them  to enjoy their life. 

Being teachers we have a human responsibility to make the young honour our ancestors.         

Poem: 16

Nature Poem: Dew

Vocabulary- mantle - cloak 

This poem was published in Daily News Artscope magazine on Wednesday, 2nd May 2012. 

Activity: 

1) Where does 'she' come from? 

2) What time of the day is it? 

3) Who or what is referred to as 'she'? 

4) When does 'she' promise to return?

5) Why does 'she' vanish?  

A dew drop is a simple thing that goes ,possibly, unnoticed. Falling dew is a natural phenomena.  However, these little things which seem trivial at times could carry you to a world rich in imagination.  Enjoy the beauty of nature. Look at the world in a different point of view. 👫Teach children how to enjoy the little things they see in the environment. 

Poem 17 : College Poems

The Headmaster : A Poem

The poem, Headmaster,  carries you to the system of education that existed a few decades ago. It was a time when copral punishment was largely practised in colleges. Though there can be an argument for the use of cane , it formed a part of school culture. The poem 'The Headmaster' discusses the theme of copral punishment. 

👉

To the teacher

Get the students to draw a picture of the incident.  

Poem 18: The Day Break ( Morning Poem )

Poem 19:  (Peace Poem / War Victory)

In Peace I Can Close My Eyes

At my half score, did it begin,

Butchery of the worst kind.

Weeping, wailing and sorrow,

Resounding in the gloomy skies.

A blitz in the far North, 

And a tit for tat in South. 

The pearl of the Indian Ocean,

Gripped in fear-psychosis. 

The poor islanders, undeterred,

Murmured silent prayers. 

Yet, the mayhem continued unabated,

Till the Messiah, long awaited arrived.

The liberation launched, Satan smashed!

The 'sleeping lion' woke up!

A sigh of relief today, at my two score!

In PEACE, I can close my eyes at four score!

                                    Sajendra Kumara

The poem centers around the annihilation of terrorism from Sri Lanka. The little island is enjoying the fruits of peace today. The poem briefly discusses the end of the dark gruesome era and the dawn of peace.

The poem does not aim at any particular community. It discusses only the fact of terrorism. 

As a person who was born during the era when terrorism was lifting its ugly head with bombs exploding in every nook and corner of the county, today, I truly feel the value of peace. Anyone, can travel anywhere in the island without any fear. So, we must be grateful to those who brought about peace to this paradise island. 

 Poem 20: College Poems. 

'The College Staffroom' is a poem written by me in 2010 when I was serving at a rural school in the Gampaha Education Zone, namely Alawala Maha Vidyalaya. The school had a small staff. So, we often met in the staffroom whenever we had free time. 

Poem 21: 

                More to punishment