We found “The Spendosaur” in Hungry For Math: Poems to Munch On. It’s filled with fun, quirky poems that reinforce math concepts in an accessible way.
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Matt Hunt
The Spendosaur
A humorous poem about the antics of a dinosaur on a shopping trip
By Kari-Lynn Winters
From the December 2018 / January 2019 Issue
Learning Objective: In this nonsense rhyming poem about the spendthrift Spendosaur, students will identify examples of math ideas and rhyme.
Other Key Skills: Math ideas, rhyme, figurative language, interpreting text, author’s purpose, compare and contrast
Standards
Audio
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Activities
(2)
Skills Activities
Answer Key
(1)
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There's An App For That!
Since the poem relies on made-up words, you can share this app so students can think of their own fun, silly words.
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Key Skills
Math ideas, rhyme, figurative language, interpreting text, author’s purpose, compare and contrast
Step-by-Step Lesson Plan
1. PREPARING TO READ
Set a Purpose for Reading (25 minutes)
- Begin by reading the Math Ideas bubble for the class. Read aloud the second stanza and write the multiplication problem on the board. Prepare students to listen or look for other examples of addition and multiplication problems in the poem.
- Point out that this is a nonsense poem, which contains made-up words about a silly event that couldn’t happen in real life. Ask students to look at the illustration. What is the Spendosaur doing? What makes the picture funny?
- Write the words Spendosaur and dinosaur on the board and identify the word parts that are the same and different in each word. Discuss the meaning of spend.
- Explain that a Spendosaur is an example of a made-up animal. Have students look for two other examples of made-up things as they read the poem. What kinds of things are they?
2. READING AND DISCUSSING
- Read the poem for the class or play our audio version.
- Project or distribute the Close-Reading and Critical-Thinking Questions and discuss them as a class while students refer to the poem in their magazines.
Close-Reading and Critical-Thinking Questions (15 minutes, activity sheet online)
- Which words rhyme in the first stanza? (rhyme) Spendosaur, roar, store; spend, friend
- What do the first three lines of this stanza help you hear? (figurative language) These lines describe the loud noise the Spendosaur makes on his way to the candy store.
- In the third stanza, how much money does the Spendosaur spend on gum drops? (math ideas) He spends 10 cents.
- If each gumdrop costs 5 cents, how many does he get? (math ideas) He gets two gumdrops.
- In the fourth stanza, which is a made-up word? (interpreting text) “Gloppy-plops” is a made-up word. It is the candy that the Spendosaur buys.
- Why do you think the poets end the fifth stanza with the words THE SHOP in capital letters followed by an exclamation mark? (author’s purpose) The poets want readers to say the words in a loud voice because they are important. It’s surprising that the Spendosaur would buy the entire candy store.
- How does the Spendosaur change from the first stanza to the sixth stanza? (compare and contrast) In the first stanza he goes to the candy store because he wants to spend money. In the last stanza, he runs away with the candy store because he has bought it. Now he has no money left.
3. SKILL BUILDING
- Call on a volunteer to read the Think and Write box at the bottom of the page.
- Distribute our Write Your Own Poem Activity. Students can write a nonsense poem about a funny made-up event or animal. They can read their poems in small groups.
Text-to-Speech