Illustration of a mini person sitting on a camera next to a fallen salt shaker & looking out window
Art by Loe Lee
Poetry,

Open Your Eyes

A poem about seeing the everyday world with fresh eyes

By Georgia Heard
From the May/June 2023 Issue

Learning Objective: Students will identify the theme of a poem about seeing the ordinary anew; they will make connections to their own lives.

Complexity Factors
  • Levels of Meaning
    The poem celebrates looking at the ordinary things in life with fresh eyes and offers instructions for doing so.
  • Structure
    This non-rhyming poem is comprised of two stanzas, the first containing seven lines and the second containing five. The six sentences in the poem are imperatives addressed directly to the reader. One bubble containing a question is designed to guide readers to better understand and appreciate the poem.
  • Language
    The poem includes metaphors, an idiom, and descriptive details.
  • Knowledge Demands
    To understand the poem, students will need to interpret the figurative language.
Featured Skill: Theme,
Other Key Skills: vocabulary, simile, author’s purpose, making connections
Standards
  • Common Core
    Anchor Standards: R.1, R.2, R.3, R.4, R.6, SL.1, SL.2, L.4, L.5 Grade 4: RF.4.4, RL.4.1, RL.4.2, RL.4.3, RL.4.4, RL.4.6, SL.4.1, SL.4.2, L.4.4, L.4.5 Grade 5: RF.5.4, RL.5.1, RL.5.2, RL.5.3, RL.5.4, RL.5.6, SL.5.1, SL.5.2, L.5.4, L.5.5 Grade 6: RL.6.1, RL.6.2, RL.6.3, RL.6.4, RL.6.6, SL.6.1, SL.6.2, L.6.4, L.6.5
  • TEKS
    Grade 4: 4.1a, c, d; 4.3a, b; 4.4; 4.6; 4.7a, b, c, d, f, g; 4.8a; 4.9b, f; 4.10a, b, c, d Grade 5: 5.1a, c, d; 5.3a, b; 5.4; 5.6; 5.7a, b, c, d, f, g; 5.8a; 5.9b, f; 5.10a, b, c, d Grade 6: 6.1a, c, d; 6.2a, b; 6.3; 6.5; 6.6a, b, c, d, f, g, h; 6.7a; 6.8b, f; 6.9a, b, c, d

Presentation View
See Student View

Want to hear this poem read aloud by the author? Find the audio read-aloud in your Resources tab. 

Want to hear this poem read aloud by the author? Click here!

UP CLOSE: Big Idea

As you read, notice what the poet asks you to do. How do you think taking these steps might affect you? 

Open Your Eyes

Turn off the television.

Put down your phone.

Notice one small, everyday thing

and gaze at it softly:

tiny salt crystals spilled on a kitchen table,

the fresh page of a new notebook

opened on your desk.


Lose yourself.

See like an ant

or a tree.

Focus your heart like a camera 

and the ordinary will shine brand-new.

FROM MY THOUGHTS ARE CLOUDS: POEMS FOR MINDFULNESS BY GEORGIA HEARD. COPYRIGHT © 2021 BY GEORGIA HEARD. REPRINTED BY PERMISSION OF ROARING BROOK PRESS, A DIVISION OF HOLTZBRINCK PUBLISHING.  

This story was originally published in the May/June 2023 issue.

video (1)
Audio ()
Activities (2)
Skills Activities
Quizzes (1)
Answer Key (1)
video (1)
Audio ()
Activities (2) Download All Activities
Skills Activities
Quizzes (1)
Answer Key (1)
Step-by-Step Lesson Plan
Download the Lesson Plan

Table of Contents

1. Preparing to Read

2. Reading the Poem

3. Discussing the Poem

4. Skill Building

5. Can’t-Miss Teaching Extras

1. Preparing to Read

  • Ask students to read the title of the poem and look at the illustration. Discuss what they see  in the picture. What does it make them curious about?
  • Point out the word gaze in line 4 and its definition (to look steadily) in the bubble on the left. Discuss the difference between gazing at something and giving that same thing a quick look, or a glance. Ask: What types of things do you usually gaze at? What usually gets a quick look from you? 
  • Ask a volunteer to read aloud the Up Close box for the class. 

2. Reading the Poem

  • Read the poem aloud or play our special video to hear poet Georgia Heard read her poem. 
  • Invite a student to do a second read of the poem. This time, pause for the class to discuss the question next to the poem. (This question is also included in the “Discussing the Poem” section below.)
  • Discuss the poem together by asking the questions below.

3. Discussing the Poem

  • In lines 1 and 2, why do you think the poet says to put away your electronic devices? (cause and effect) The poet probably says this because electronic devices are distracting. Being on them makes it harder to notice and appreciate the everyday things in life.
  • Read the first line of the second stanza. What does it mean to “lose yourself” while doing something—for  example, reading a book or playing a game? How might losing yourself help you be able to see things in a different way? (theme) To “lose yourself” means to give all of your attention or thought to something, to become totally absorbed in what you’re doing. Losing yourself might help you focus on what you’re looking at instead of being distracted by other parts of your life. This could allow you to look at things in a fresh way.
  • Read line 11. “Focus your heart like a camera” is a simile. What do you think it means? (simile) A camera focuses on one subject at a time  to create a clear and detailed picture of it. When you focus with your heart, you pay close attention to one thing, like a camera does. You look at it closely and think about it carefully and create a photo in your mind that is clear and detailed. 
  • Think about the whole poem, which is written as a series of sentences that ask or tell you to do something. What does the poet want you to do? Why? (theme, author’s purpose) The poet wants you to take the time to pay close attention to and appreciate the everyday details of life. Doing this will help you see how the ordinary can be extraordinary and how daily life can feel fresh and exciting.  
  • Would you like to follow the instructions in the poem? How do you think taking these steps might affect you? (making connections) Answers will vary.

4. Skill Building

Distribute or assign the Poetry Kit (available in your Resources tab), in which will take students on a deep dive into the poem and offer opportunities to connect the poem to other stories in the issue. 

Can't-Miss Teaching Extras
Explore the Storyworks Archives

Introduce your students to another Georgia Heard poem, “My Inner Weather Report,” from our February 2021 issue. Point out that this poem is also about learning to be more observant. Discuss how the two poems are similar and how they’re different.

Create a Heart Map

In this two-minute video, poet Georgia Heard shows you how to create a “heart map,” a simple way to honor the things that are important to you. It’s a lovely and creative follow-up activity for a poem about looking at the everyday with fresh eyes. (Note: The video starts after a short ad.)

Write About Everyday Objects

At her website, writer Katie Hale offers “Five Ways to Write About Objects,” ideas that can be easily adapted for use with your students.

Play a Guessing Game

Practice seeing “like an ant” by looking at a close-up photo of something and guessing what it is.  You can play this fun game with your students by visiting the webpage “Can You Identify Everyday Objects By These Close-Up Pictures?” from Reader’s Digest. (Note: The site contains ads and links to other articles.)

Text-to-Speech