Illustration of a girl sitting on a chair with a rose on the back as it snows around her
Illustration by Dave Wheeler
Poem,

When My Noisy Mind Quiets

By Georgia Heard
From the February 2021 Issue
Featured Skill: Poetry,
Common Core Standards
  • Anchor Standards
    R.10, W.3
  • Grade 6
    RL.6.10, W.6.3
  • Grade 7
    RL.7.10, W.7.3
  • Grade 8
    RL.8.10, W.8.3
TEKS Standards
  • Grades 6, 7, 8
    3a, 4a, 5a, 5b, 5d, 5e, 5f, 5g, 5h, 5i, 6a, 6b, 6c, 6d, 6e, 6g, 6h, 7a, 8b, 9a, 9b, 9c, 9d, 9e, 9f, 11a

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Want to hear this poem read aloud? Click here!

Want to hear this poem read aloud? Click here!

When My Noisy Mind Quiets

Here in this chair

my noisy mind

settles into quiet.


I leave all my to do’s

in a place

asleep like winter trees.


Then I become friends

with the seasons of my breath,

and my own voice blossoms.

 

From MY THOUGHTS ARE CLOUDS. Text © 2021 by Georgia Heard. Reprinted by permission of Roaring Brook Press, a division of Holtzbrinck Publishing Holdings Limited Partnership. All Rights Reserved. 

Writing Prompt

Explain what the speaker means when she says her mind is noisy. Then explain—in your own words—what happens when the speaker quiets her noisy mind.

This poem was originally published in the February 2021 issue.

Audio ()
Activities (2)
Skills Activities
Writing Support
Answer Key (1)
Audio ()
Activities (2)
Skills Activities
Writing Support
Answer Key (1)
Step-by-Step Lesson Plan

Close Reading, Critical Thinking, Skill Building

1. READING THE POEM

As a class, read the poem aloud a few times or listen to the poem read aloud.

2. ANALYZING THE POEM

As a whole class or in small groups, answer the questions in the Analyzing Poetry Activity (available in your Resources tab).

Text-to-Speech