illustration of a sailboat on the ocean
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Poetry,

Storyboat

A poet invites you to join her on reading adventures.

By Bobbi Katz
From the September 2020 Issue

Learning Objective: Students will identify the meaning of this rhyming poem that describes reading in terms of boarding a boat bound for adventures. 

Featured Skill: Theme,
Common Core Standards
  • R.1, R.2, R.4, R.5, R.6, R.7, SL.1, SL.2, L.1
TEKS Standards
  • 1a, 1c, 4a, 6a, 6c, 6d, 6e, 6f, 6i, 7a, 7b, 7e, 7g, 8a, 9b, 10a, 10d, 12a

Presentation View
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Poem’s Meaning

In this poem, the poet compares reading a story to sailing on a boat. As you read, think about what the poet is saying about how stories and adventures are alike.

It’s time to read a story,

so climb aboard with me,

and we can sail a storyboat

across a magic sea.

We can visit jungles

or rub noses with a bear.

We can visit anyplace

and sail to anywhere.

We can learn a lot of stuff

from sailing storyboats—

like how to ride on elephants

or how skinks got striped coats.

We can meet a bunch of kids

that we’ll be glad to know,

and when the summer gets too hot,

we’ll sail in seas of snow!

COPYRIGHT © 1996 BY BOBBI KATZ. USED WITH HER PERMISSION.

Audio ()
Activities (3)
At-Home Activities
Skills Activities
Answer Key (1)
Audio ()
Activities (3) Download All Quizzes and Activities
At-Home Activities
Skills Activities
Answer Key (1)
Can't Miss Teaching Extras
Meet the Poet

Head to author Bobbi Katz’s website to learn some tips for aspiring writers and hear the answers to some of her most commonly asked questions!

Fun Fact

Some skinks have striped coats and blue tongues! Meet Floyd, a blue tongued skink. Your students will love learning about these unusual creatures in this 2-minute video from the San Diego Zoo.

More About the Article

Essential Question

Why are stories important?

Key Skills

theme, text features, fluency, rhyme, figurative language, compare and contrast, author’s craft, supporting details, main idea

Step-by-Step Lesson Plan
Download the Lesson Plan

1. PREPARING TO READ

Set a Purpose for Reading (10 minutes)

  • Begin by inviting a student to read aloud the poem’s title and author. Ask students what they think a storyboat might be and to predict what the poem is about.

  • Read aloud the blue bubble labeled Poem’s Meaning. As students read, they should look for ways that stories and adventures are alike.

Preview Text Features and Poem Structure

  • Some of the lines in this poem rhyme. Ask students to look for the rhyming words at the ends of the lines as they read.

2. READING AND DISCUSSING

  • Read the poem to the class, play the audio version, or use text to speech.

  • Next, ask students to take turns reading aloud each line in the poem.

  • Discuss the Close-Reading and Critical-Thinking Questions (available in your Resources tab in PDF and interactive formats).

Close-Reading and Critical-Thinking Questions (15 minutes)

  1. Read the first four lines. Which words rhyme at the ends of these lines? (rhyme) me, sea
  2. What does the poet mean when she asks you to “climb aboard” a story with her? (figurative language) She is asking you to join her in reading and enjoying a story.
  3. The poem compares reading a story to sailing on a boat. How are boats and stories alike? Hint: Where do both things take you? (compare and contrast) Both stories and boats take you to other places. Boats take people to actual places, and stories take you somewhere else in your imagination. They might both take you on adventures.
  4. What does the poet compare stories to throughout the poem? (author’s craft) She compares them to boats and refers to stories as storyboats. 
  5. Read lines 5-8. In these lines, what are some of the things you can do while on a storyboat? (supporting details) You can visit places—like jungles—and go anywhere.
  6. What does the poet mean by “rub noses with a bear?” (figurative language) She means that reading a story about a bear can make you feel like you are right next to one.
  7. Read lines 9-12. In these lines, what are some of the things you can learn while on a storyboat? (supporting details) You can learn to ride elephants or why skinks are striped.
  8. Read the last four lines. Which words rhyme at the ends of these lines? (rhyme) know, snow
  9. In the last line of the poem, what does the poet mean when she writes that “we’ll sail in seas of snow”? (figurative language) She means that you can read about a cold place and imagine you’re there.
  10. According to the poem, why are stories great? (main idea) Stories can make you feel like you’re visiting a new place or meeting new people.

3. SKILL BUILDING

Featured Skill: Theme

  • Distribute our Picturing a Poem Skill Builder (available in your Resources tab) and have students complete it in class or for homework.  

  • After completing the Skill Builder, students can share their pictures in class or online.

GREAT IDEAS FOR REMOTE LEARNING

  • Have students record video or audio of themselves reciting the poem. Invite them to share the recording with you, or if they would like, with the class.

Differentiate and Customize
For Struggling Readers

Read the poem aloud as students follow along. Pause after every four lines to discuss what is happening in those lines. Afterward, work with students to complete the first two prompts of the poetry Skill Builder. Have them work on the drawing portion on their own.

For ELL Students

Have students find the words and phrases in the poem that have to do with boats: climb aboard, sail, sea, sailing, storyboats, seas. [When students read the poem online in Presentation View, they can use the highlighter tool to mark the text.] Explain that the poet compares stories to boats because they can both take you places. Ask: How can a story take you someplace?

For Advanced Readers

Have students write an additional four lines for the poem. Their lines should tell about another adventure you could have on a storyboat. Remind them to rhyme the second and fourth lines using the same pattern as the poem.

For School or at Home

Ask each student to write a short paragraph about where they would like to go on a storyboat and why. They might want to accompany their paragraph with illustrations! 

Text-to-Speech