Illustration of kid making birthday wish and all of them coming true
Sebastià Serra
Poetry,

Birthday Time

This poem is a 30th birthday present to Storyworks from one of our favorite poets!

By Rebecca Kai Dotlich
From the September 2022 Issue

Learning Objective: Students will look for the author’s message: that a birthday is a time for dreaming about everything that’s possible in the year ahead.

Complexity Factors
  • Purpose
    The purpose of this poem is to prompt readers to think about how a birthday is a joyful time to dream about new adventures in the year ahead.
  • Structure
    The poem has three stanzas with an ABCB rhyme scheme.
  • Language
    The language is mainly familiar, although some inferences will be necessary to comprehend creative use of language.
  • Knowledge Demands
    No special knowledge demands are required.
Featured Skill: Author's Craft, Author's Purpose,
Other Key Skills: interpreting text, poetic structure
Standards
  • Common Core
    Anchor Standards: R.1, R.2, R.4, R.6, SL.1, SL.2, L.4, L.5 Grade 4: RL.4.1, RL.4.2, RL.4.4, RL.4.6, SL.4.1, SL.4.2, L.4.4, L.4.5 Grade 5: RL.5.1, RL.5.2, 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.6.4, 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; 4.4a; 4.6b, d, e, f, g; 4.7b, c, f, g; 4.8a, d; 4.9b, f; 4.10a, b, c, d, e Grade 5: 5.1a, c, d; 5.3a, b; 5.4a; 5.6b, d, e, f, g; 5.7b, c, f, g; 5.8a, d; 5.9b, f; 5.10a, b, c, d, e Grade 6: 6.1a, d; 6.2a, b; 6.3a; 6.5b, d, e, f, g; 6.6b, c, f, g; 6.7a, d; 6.8b, f; 6.9a, b, c, d, e

Presentation View
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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: Author's Purpose

What big idea about birthdays does the author express in the poem?

Birthday Time

A birthday’s the time

for envisioning brand-new

a calendar of daydreams

just waiting for you,


with wishes and wonder

and dreams and surprises,     

like a treasure of stars

and a bagful of prizes . . .  


when everything’s better

and everything’s bolder

and it’s marvelous being

one year older.

This poem was originally published in the September 2022 issue.  


Audio ()
Activities (2)
Skills Activities
Quizzes (1)
Answer Key (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’s happening in the picture. Ask: What is the connection between the girl blowing out the candles and what is shown in the swirl rising up from the cake?
  • Point out the bubble on the right side of the poem. Ask students what else in this issue celebrates Storyworks’ 30th birthday? (the cover)
  • Have a volunteer read aloud the Up Close box. 

2. Reading the Poem

  • Together as a class, listen to the Author Read-Aloud of the poem or call on a student to read the poem out loud.
  • Discuss the poem together by answering the questions below. 

3. Discussing the Poem

  • In line 3, what is “a calendar of daydreams”? Why might you think about that on your birthday? (interpreting text) “A calendar of daydreams” refers to all the days ahead on which you can dream about doing new and exciting things. You might think about that on your birthday because your birthday is a moment that marks the beginning of a new year and a time to consider what it will bring.
  • In line 7, why do you think the poet compares birthdays to “a treasure of stars”? (interpreting text) “A treasure of stars” sounds like something wonderful and magical, the way birthdays often feel.
  • What pattern do the rhymes follow in the poem? What feeling do the rhymes create? (poetic structure) The second and fourth line in each stanza rhyme; this is also called an ABCB rhyme pattern. Answers will vary, but students might say that the rhymes create an upbeat, happy feeling.
  • What big idea about birthdays might the poet want you to think about? (author’s purpose) The poet probably wants you to think of your birthday as a special time to dream about all the wonderful things that you could do in the year ahead. And because you’re one year older, you can do more than before! 

4. Skill Building

Distribute or assign the Poetry Kit (available in your Resources tab), in which students will be able to write their answers to the above questions and more. It is available to print or as an interactive slide deck that students can complete digitally.

Can't-Miss Teaching Extras
Explore the Storyworks Archive

Check out these other excellent poems by Rebecca Kai Dotlich: “What Is Science?,” “What Was That?,” and “Wild Home.”

Teach Rhyme Schemes

Your students can learn about rhyme schemes in poems from this article by Poetry4Kids.com. Afterward, see if they can identify the rhyme scheme in “Birthday Time.” (It’s ABCB.)  (Note that the webpage contains some ads.)

Text-to-Speech