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Eating Words
Katherine Hauth
About Katherine Hauth
Katherine Hauth, raised in Michigan, US, is a children's author and poet. On her hikes in the desert and mountains, she was drawn towards the patterns of nature that existed around her. Having developed a keen interest in poetry, she began expressing her observations through simple poems with captivating imagery. Hauth published an entire collection of poems about the animal world that help children access complex science concepts in an easy way.
When you know
that vore means eat,
you will know
that insectivores feed
on grasshoppers, moths, and butterflies,
mosquitoes, bees, and plain-old flies.
When you know
that carni means meat,
you will know
that carnivores eat
snakes and lizards, deer and lamb,
carrion, birds, fish, and ham.
When you know
that herb means plant,
you will know
that herbivores CAN'T
eat anything that moves on a foot,
just foods that spring up from a root.
When you know
that omni means all
you will know
that omnivores call
Everything
they can suck or chew−−
sometimes even me or you−−food.
Available Answers
- 1.
What did you enjoy about the poem? Tick all the correct answers.
- the humor in the last stanza
- the information about animals' eating habits
- the rhythm
- 2.
Pick out two pairs of rhyming words from stanza 1.
- 3.
What is the rhyme scheme of the poem?
- 4.
What does the poet mean by the following line? Explain in your own words.
that herbivores CAN'T
eat anything that moves on a foot,
just foods that spring up from a root.Why is the word 'can't' in capital letters?
- 5.
The poem tells us that because 'omni' means 'all', it is easy to understand that 'omnivores' eat everything. Use the dictionary to find two more words which begin with 'omni-'. Can you guess their meanings easily now?
- 6.
The poet mixes two ideas to build her poem - the eating habits of animals (a science topic) and how the English language works.
Let's borrow her style to write a creative poem of our own. Here are some ideas for science topics that you have studied and can use.
- Safety and first aid
- Nutrients in food
- The nervous system
- The atmosphere
Make notes in this table to start writing.
- Choose a topic.
- Why? (What details about the topic interest you?)
- Close your eyes and think about the topic. What images come to your mind?
- Write three or more verbs that show the action(s) that go with your topic.
- What questions about this topic do you think the reader would find interesting?
- Think of phrases related to the topic which are key to understanding it.
- What words, phrases or lines, when repeated, will help convey the theme?
1 more answer(s) available.