Comparing Comfort
Standards
CCRS Reading Anchor 4
Interpret words and phrases as they are used in the text, including determining technical, connotative, and figurative meanings, and analyze how specific word choices shape meaning or tone.
Level C: Determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific words and phrases in a text relevant to a topic or subject area.
Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative language such as metaphors and similes.
CCRS Reading Anchor 9
Analyze how two or more texts address similar themes or topics in order to build knowledge or to compare the approaches the authors take.
Level C: Integrate information from several texts on the same topic in order to write or speak about the subject knowledgeably.
ELP Standard 1
An ELL can construct meaning from oral presentations and literary and informational text through level appropriate listening, reading, and viewing.
Level 4-5: An ELL can use an increasing range of strategies to:
- determine a central idea or theme in oral presentations and spoken and written texts
- retell key details
- analyze the development of the themes/ideas
- cite specific details and evidence from texts to support the analysis
- summarize a text.
Objective(s)
- Identify and cite at least three textual features (words, images, tone) in The Rabbit Listened and a selected poem that convey comfort or resilience;
- write a comparative sentence that includes evidence from both texts and explains how the authors convey comfort differently;
- compose a haiku or brief poem using tone and imagery inspired by texts
Vocabulary
- comfort
- resilience
- solitude
- presence
- brevity
- compare
- contrast
- convey
- evidence
- haiku
- imagery
- sensory
- support
- theme
- tone
Materials and Resources
- images from nature
- nature sound recording (e.g., EARTH.fm, Mixkit)
- The Rabbit Listened by Cori Doerrfeld (Dial Books, 2018)
- one selected poem (print copies for participants):
- “The Peace of Wild Things” by Wendell Berry; or
- “When I am Among the Trees” by Mary Oliver; or
- “I Go Among the Trees and Sit Still” by Wendell Berry; or
- "Green Mountain" by Li Po
- sample haiku poems (e.g., H is for Haiku by Sydell Rosenberg)
- whiteboard or large tablet
- writing materials: pen and paper
Instructional Procedures
Welcome/Ice Breaker
Show an image from nature. Play nature sounds as participants enter the room.
Welcome! As you enter, take a breath and let the sounds and image of nature draw you in. Notice the colors, sounds, and how your body feels.
Ask: What words come to mind when you see/hear this? Invite participants to share one word.
Discuss time in nature: being on/by water, standing in the company of trees, gardening, listening to the sounds of birds/animals/frogs, hiking, fishing, watching the clouds or stars, feeling the warmth of the sun, feeling grass/soil beneath your feet, witnessing a seedling/weed/plant grow.
Nature often feels calming. Authors use specific words and images to create that same sense of comfort.
Review Objectives
Today we’re going to look at how authors create a calming, comforting feeling through their use of tone and imagery. We’ll explore how two different texts, The Rabbit Listened and a poem, show comfort and resilience in their own ways. We’ll talk about the choices each author makes, compare their approaches, and then you’ll have a chance to try it yourself by writing a short poem, a haiku, using the techniques we notice.
- Identify and cite at least three textual features (words, images, tone)
- write a comparative sentence
- compose a haiku
Opening Activity
Read The Rabbit Listened.
- What type of comfort are the animals offering? (possible responses: talking, fixing, distracting, or listening)
- What feels different about the rabbit’s approach?
- Review the illustrations, noting the soft presence, the color palette, and the connection conveyed with expressions and proximity of characters. Turn and tell your partner one specific illustration detail that shows comfort.
The Rabbit Listened shows comfort through presence. In this poem about finding peace in nature, listen to the language. How does it make you feel?
Central Ideas and Practice
Share “The Peace of Wild Things” by Wendell Berry or “When I Am Among the Trees” by Mary Oliver. An excerpt, or a shorter poem like "Green Mountain" by Li Po, may be used to support accessibility for emerging readers. Distribute copies for each participant and encourage them to mark words or phrases.
Read the poem aloud once without interruption. Invite participants to listen for how the speaker moves toward comfort.
After the first reading, ask participants to briefly summarize with a partner:
- What seems to bring comfort?
Invite a few responses. Encourage participants to reference specific words or phrases from the text.
Read the poem a second time. Pause as needed to allow time to notice language choices.
Guide discussion with open prompts:
- What mood or tone do you sense?
- Where do you notice a shift in feeling?
- What specific word or phrase contributes to that shift?
- Why might the author choose nature instead of human characters to show comfort?
As participants respond, prompt for textual evidence: What in the text makes you say that?
Briefly clarify key terms:
Tone: the author’s attitude revealed through word choice and style.
Imagery: language that appeals to the senses and creates mental pictures.
Participants identify examples of tone and imagery directly from the text and explain how those choices contribute to the overall theme of comfort or resilience.
Direct Instruction
Create a two-column chart labeled Tone and Imagery.
Rather than providing answers, use the chart as a tool to capture thinking. Ask participants to suggest:
- Words that describe the tone
- Specific words or phrases from the poem that create imagery
- Evidence from The Rabbit Listened that conveys comfort
Encourage participants to explain how each example supports the theme.
This chart is intended to support facilitator questioning rather than provide fixed responses. The focus remains on learner-generated evidence:
|
Tone: how does it feel? |
Imagery: what sensory details create that feeling? |
|
| The Rabbit Listened |
|
|
| “Peace of Wild Things” |
|
|
| “When I Am Among the Trees” |
|
|
Both texts explore comfort, yet they approach this differently – one through connection, the other through nature imagery.
After examining the tone and imagery in both texts, ask participants to write one comparative sentence explaining how the two texts convey comfort differently. Invite a few volunteers to share and briefly identify the evidence used.
Sentence should include:
- A reference to both texts
- A specific word or phrase from the poem
- A comparative transition (e.g., while, however, both, in contrast)
Optional support stems:
- While The Rabbit Listened shows comfort through ______, the poem conveys comfort through ______.
- Both texts explore resilience, but they differ in ______.
Guided Practice
We have gathered tone words and images from both texts. Now, we’ll use these to create a new poem, a haiku. This will apply what we learned about tone and imagery in a creative way.
Haiku is a traditional Japanese form of poetry. A haiku captures a moment using sensory words and tone. Traditionally, haiku is taught using 5-7-5 syllables. However, current haiku poets and scholars note that the Japanese “on” (sound unit) is not the same as the English syllable. Because of this, English haiku often focus less on strict syllable counts and more on brevity, imagery, and tone.
Share sample haiku poems (from H is for Haiku or other sources).
How does this writing make you feel? What images stand out?
Some key features of haiku:
- Haiku often uses sensory imagery and draws upon nature or observation.
- Can be read in one breath.
- Words selected to create vivid images.
- Verbs are often in present tense.
- Does not rhyme.
- Less is more.
Using at least one word from the list, let’s compose a haiku together, drawing inspiration from human connection, nature, or both. If desired, we can check syllables, but our main focus is on meaning, tone, and imagery.
Haiku helps us to notice small details. It is about capturing a small moment in just a few words.
For example:
Soft rabbit listens
Warm fur and quiet presence
Calm returns with breath
Wild things resting near
Stars lean close and whisper peace
for a while, weight lifts
En calma el bosque
mi espíritu descansa
bajo sus hojas
The forest peaceful
my spirit finds its rest
beneath its leaves
Independent Practice/Formative Assessment
Try creating our own haiku. Your haiku should capture a moment using tone and imagery. Remember that haiku is about noticing small details and expressing them briefly.
Take a moment to think of a place that brings you solace. This could be inspired by nature, human connection, or both. You can use words from the board to get you started if desired.
As participants compose their haikus, circulate around the room to support them with syllable counting and offer optional word suggestions as needed. Encourage students to pay attention to tone and imagery, and help them identify how these elements strengthen their poems. For visual learners or lower-literacy adults, provide the option to draw a calming moment instead of writing about it, and invite them to add three descriptive words to accompany their illustration.
Invite to share.
Writing a haiku helped us apply tone and imagery creatively to create a sense of calm and peace. Comfort can come through presence, nature, or small acts.
Looking ahead, what is one way you can bring this comfort into your week?
Choose a strategy and write one sentence linking it to the text that resonates most with you.
For example, “I will spend 10 minutes outside because the poem reminded me that nature restores calm.” OR “I will write some more haiku because it helps me to slow down and notice small details.”
Review Objectives
Today we explored how authors use tone and imagery to convey comfort and resilience. We compared two approaches and practiced creating our own haiku.
- Identify at least three textual features (words, images, tone)
- write one short comparative sentence describing how the texts’ approaches differ
- compose a haiku using tone and imagery
Wrap-Up/Closure
Some people find comfort in quiet or nature; others through presence and connection. Comfort looks different for everyone, and understanding these approaches helps us build empathy in our families, workplaces, and communities.
Extension/Further Study
Invite participants to read the LOC Families Blog post: “Screen-Free Poetry: Haiku” and then try writing haiku together with family members. Craft haikus that hint at a natural object or scene without naming it directly. Afterward, share the poems to see if others can guess what inspired each one!
Go on a nature walk and collect leaves, acorns, or seed pods. As you notice small differences in colors, shapes, and textures, share playful comparisons like: “This stick is as crooked as a wizard’s wand,” “The rock is wearing a moss sweater,” or “This acorn is a tiny hat for a forest creature.”
Create a collage using nature images, whether photos, magazine clippings, or your own snapshots, that evoke feelings of comfort, resilience, or calm.
Related Lesson Plans
Exploring Shapes
Build a block structure, while identifying, describing, and comparing shapes based on how they look and support construction.
Building Blocks
Families explore how block play supports literacy, problem-solving, and meaningful connection.
Listen First
Learn to support emotional growth through stories, listening, and breathing strategies.
References
Cheney, Matthew A. “Expanding Vision: Teaching Haiku.” The English Journal, vol. 91, no. 3, 2002, pp. 79–83. https://doi.org/10.2307/821517.
Collaborative for Academic Social and Emotional Learning. Fundamentals of SEL. https://casel.org/fundamentals-of-sel/
Hudson, Zach. “Haiku in the Classroom: More Than Counting Syllables.” The English Journal, vol. 102, no. 6, 2013, pp. 54–57. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/24484126.
Jack, Belinda. “Poetry and emotion.” The Lancet, Feb/Mar. 2018, pp.732-733, https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(18)30265-4.