The Ferris Wheel

imagery, interpreting text inference, knowledge building

The poem both describes and informs about the first Ferris wheel, which debuted in the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair. It aims to fill readers with wonder about the remarkable feat of engineering it took to create the wheel. 

The poem has three stanzas of five non-rhyming lines each.

Familiar language is mixed with some challenging words and phrases, such as “Ferris’s physics of delight.” It also contains figurative language and one double-entendre.

Awareness of what engineering and physics are will be helpful. The poem mentions the Eiffel Tower.

• Ask students whether they’ve ever ridden a Ferris wheel; have them respond with a show of hands (or with a “thumbs-up” or “raise hand” icon if you’re teaching remotely). Invite a few volunteers to describe for the class what riding a Ferris wheel feels like.

• Project the poem, or share it on your screen if remote. Point out the box with George Ferris, in the upper right-hand corner, and ask a student to read aloud the text in the box. Invite students to share what surprised them in the text.

• Have a volunteer read aloud the Up Close box.

• Read the poem aloud for the class a few times, or have students listen to the Poetry Read-Aloud. 

• Some of the vocabulary might be challenging. Preview hard words with our Poetry Kit (available in your Resources tab).

• The first stanza is made up of one long question. Restate the question in your own words. Use the information in the “Invention Story” box to help you. (interpreting text) Answers will vary but should be similar to: Who thought up the first Ferris wheel?

• What does the poet compare the Ferris wheel’s appearance to in the second stanza? What does she compare its movement to? (imagery) She compares the Ferris wheel’s appearance to the Eiffel Tower. (You might tell students that Ferris invented the Ferris wheel because he wanted a structure that would outdo the Eiffel Tower!) She compares its movement to “a blue whale plunging into deep sea.”
  
• A schooner is a kind of sailing ship. Why do you think the poet says that riders are “sailing” on a “sky schooner”? (imagery) The poet is comparing a ride on a Ferris wheel to sailing on a ship but up in the sky. She is probably trying to help readers imagine the feeling of moving smoothly through the air.
• How do you think the poet feels about Ferris? (inference) The poet seems to be in awe of Ferris’s brilliant mind for dreaming up the Ferris wheel. She thinks he created a clever invention that brings people great pleasure.
  
• Sometimes a poem, like this one, can teach you about something. What facts did you learn from this poem? (knowledge building) Answers may include: George Ferris invented the Ferris wheel; the first Ferris wheel was 264 feet tall; it carried more than 2,000 people.
  

Self-Awareness

The poem starts with the question “What kind of mind . . . ?” Discuss with students what kind of mind they think Ferris had. They might suggest he was smart, inventive, or creative. Then prompt them to ask that question about themselves: What kind of mind do you think you have? What strengths do you have, based on how you think? Tell students some ideas might be artistic, mathematical, analytical (thinking things through carefully), empathetic, musical, and so on. 

• Distribute or assign the Poetry Kit (available in your Resources tab), which will take students on a deep dive into the poem and help them make connections between the poem and the other “invention stories” in the issue.