Printable Funny Poem Reading | Grade 3 ELA

This printable Grade 3 ELA resource provides the complete text of Jack Prelutsky's humorous poem, "Be Glad Your Nose Is on Your Face." Students read the engaging verses to build oral reading fluency, practice rhythm, and explore poetic structure. The silly subject matter keeps young readers highly motivated and entertained.

At a Glance

• Grade: 3 · Subject: ELA
• Standard: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RF.3.4.B — Read poetry orally with accuracy and expression
• Skill Focus: Reading Fluency
• Format: 1 page · 0 problems · No answer key · PDF
• Best For: Fluency practice
• Time: 5–10 minutes

This single-page download includes the full, beautifully formatted text of the classic funny poem. The layout features clear, readable stanzas and a playful illustration that provides visual context for the poem's theme. Because this is a reading passage rather than a question set, there are zero problems to solve and no answer key is required. It serves as a perfect anchor text for poetry units.

• Print (1 minute): Simply print the single-page PDF. No special formatting or double-sided copying is needed.
• Distribute (1 minute): Hand out the poem to individual students or project it on the smartboard for whole-class choral reading.
• Review (0 minutes): Since there are no questions to grade, teacher review time is completely eliminated.

Total teacher prep time is under 2 minutes. This makes it an ideal, stress-free addition to any emergency sub plan or last-minute literacy center.

Aligned to primary standard CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RF.3.4.B: Read on-level prose and poetry orally with accuracy, appropriate rate, and expression on successive readings. It also supports general reading comprehension and vocabulary development. Both standard codes can be copied directly into lesson plans, IEP goals, or district curriculum mapping tools.

Use this poem during whole-group literacy instruction to model expressive reading and proper pacing. Alternatively, place it in an independent reading center where students can practice reading aloud to a partner. As a formative assessment, listen to individual students read a stanza aloud to check for accuracy and expression. Expected completion time is 5 to 10 minutes per reading session.

This resource is designed for Grade 3 students, though its engaging content makes it suitable for Grades 2 through 4. It is especially helpful for reluctant readers who benefit from short, humorous texts. Pair this poem with a mini-lesson on rhyming schemes or an anchor chart detailing the differences between prose and poetry.

Developing oral reading fluency is a critical component of early literacy instruction. According to Fisher & Frey (2014), repeated readings of engaging, rhythmic texts like poetry significantly improve students' word recognition and reading rate. By practicing with this specific text, students directly address CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RF.3.4.B, which requires them to read poetry orally with accuracy and expression. The humorous nature of the poem lowers the affective filter, encouraging even hesitant readers to participate in choral reading or reader's theater activities. Providing students with high-interest, accessible poetry ensures they build the necessary automaticity to tackle more complex texts later in their academic journey. This targeted fluency practice bridges the gap between basic decoding and advanced reading comprehension.