My Vacation

• Explain to students that Neil Armstrong was an American astronaut famous for being the first person ever to walk on the moon, in 1969. (If your class has already read “The Visit,” this issue’s fiction story, remind students that Neil Armstrong is mentioned in the story on page 12!)
• Direct students to read the title of the poem and look at the photo. Invite them to make a prediction about what the poem will be about.
• Ask volunteers to read aloud the Up Close box and the blue bubble for the class. Then ask students to imagine what it might have been like to be the first person to walk on the moon.

• Read the poem aloud, or play our Audio Read-Aloud.
• For fluency practice, have students take turns reading the poem aloud in pairs.
• Ask students to underline words or phrases from the poem that they enjoy or have questions about. Invite your students to share what they underlined and why in small groups or in a whole-class discussion.
• Discuss the poem as a class, using the questions that follow as prompts.

• Read lines 1-2. Saying that the moon is “made of green cheese” is a humorous way to explain what the moon is, often told to children. Why do you think Neil Armstrong includes this line in his poem? (author’s purpose) Armstrong probably includes this line to make a lighthearted reference to what people say about the moon. It makes his awesome accomplishment seem like a fun trip that ordinary people could make. Also, it’s a funny way to refer to the fact that he actually went to the moon to make discoveries about it.
• Read lines 5-6. Use context clues to explain what remarkable means. (vocabulary) We can guess that remarkable means amazing, impressive, or extraordinary because of the imagery in Armstrong’s poem. Lines 5-6 help us to imagine an incredible view of Earth from far away on the moon. The word remark in remarkable also gives us a clue about the meaning of remarkable, because one meaning of remark is “to notice.”
• What is the tone, or author’s attitude, in the poem? Use text evidence to explain your answer. (tone) The tone of the poem is whimsical, playful, and inspiring. We know this because in the first stanza, Armstrong playfully mentions the dreamlike ways that people have imagined the moon (like as green cheese). In the second stanza, he addresses readers directly with the hopeful belief that they too will see the moon one day.
• What do you think Neil Armstrong wants readers to think or feel about the moon based on the poem? (author’s purpose) Armstrong probably wants us to think about the moon as both wondrous and a fun place to explore. He may also want us to know that it is possible to get to the moon and that maybe we will visit one day too.

Distribute or digitally assign the Poetry Kit, which will take students on a deep dive into the poem and offer opportunities for students to connect the poem with other stories in the issue.