Core Task Project
Whatif by Shel Silverstein
What a skillful way to incorporate Shel Silverstein, a wonderful author, into the classroom. Composed of three tasks, children are led through a series of text-dependent questions that force them to unveil the meaning of Silverstein's...
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Lesson: That Long Jakes
Cross-media analysis takes time and attention to detail. The class analyzes the painting Long Jakes and the poem "Backward Bill." They pay attention to the similarities and differences in each piece, looking for details that describe the...
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Genre Lesson: Poetry
Hook kids into a study on poetry elements by asking them to bring in the lyrics to their favorite song. Discuss the elements in one or two songs (preferably that demonstrate rhyme, figurative language, or a repeating phrase). Groups do...
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Flashlight Poems
Students read various forms of poetry and identify poets, both contemporary and traditional. They discover how Shel Silverstein rhymed great stories in his poems. Afterwards, they read Shel Silverstein's poems and write verse in a...
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Bridge to Terabithia: Visualizing to Optimize Comprehension
Good readers visualize. And in our image-rich culture it is imperative that children are provided with opportunities to practice this important skill. A selection from Shel Silverstein’s Where the Sidewalk Ends and Bridge to Terabithia,...
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Recycling/Solid Waste Education with Shel Silverstein: "Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout"
Both poetry analysis and waste disposal are more engaging topics for young readers with a worksheet to accompany the Shel Silverstein poem 'Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout Would Not Take the Garbage Out" from Where the Sidewalk Ends. Not only...
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A Light in the Attic
Review selections from Shel Silverstein's A Light in the Attic and recognize characterization and tone used. Discuss and compare the various tones of each poem. Learners complete a character map and a pair share activity as well. Have...
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Visualize and Draw to Increase Comprehension
Improve readers' comprehension with a pair of visualization opportunities. First they listen, eyes closed, as you read a description from Roald Dahl's James and the Giant Peach, and discuss ideas about what they "see." After you read...
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Words and Phrases that Support the Author's Voice
Third graders examine the author's voice. In this author's voice lesson students read poems by Shel Silverstein. Students choose words and phrases that indicate the author's voice.
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Comparing Author's Voice
Third graders compare various voices. In this author's voice lesson students read poems from two books, Spooky ABC and Where the Sidewalk Ends. Students choose words that indicate the voice of the author.
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Runny Babbit
Students are introduced to elements of poetry through the book Runny Babbit. In this poetry instructional activity, students learn about the newest Shel Silverstein book, then examine the poem's form, rhythm, and rhyme. Students look for...
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Personify This
Eighth graders study personification in published works of poetry, then create their own through the use of diamante or cinquain poetry. They read and discuss poetry by Shel Silverstein, William Jay Smith, and Elinor Wylie.
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Analyzing Story Structure
Young scholars explore language arts by completing a graphic organizer in class. In this story structure lesson, students read the poem "Sick" by Shel Silverstein and discuss the different elements in the piece which make it an effective...
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Trash Collage
Pupils create a collage. In this collage lesson, students read a poem from Shel Silverstein and create an illustration to accompany the poem.
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Giving Cheer
Students explore kind behavior. In this values development and literacy lesson plan, students listen to The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein, then generate a class list of ways the tree helped the boy and ways in which the boy helped the...
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Shel Silverstein Poetry Math
Fifth graders explore the connection between poetry and math by reading poems that involve numbers. In this Shel Silverstein poetry math lesson plan, 5th graders listen to 5 poems read aloud and discuss how math was used in the poems. ...
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Hug O' War
Students discuss philanthropic behavior. In this philanthropy lesson, students read Shel Silverstein's Hug O' War and brainstorm ways of working together.
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Trash or Treasure?
Students identify things that can be reused. In this environmental lesson, students read the poem "Hector the Collector" and discuss the difference between junk and treasure. Students complete a reflection about what they read by...
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There Is No Away
Students identify how trash is disposed of. In this environmental lesson, students read and discuss the poem "Sarah Sylvia Stout" by Shel Silverstein and discuss the ways people treated the items in the poem. Students discuss how trash...
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Cool School Poetry
Students generate a word bank drawing on vocabulary from fifteen school related topics. They use the word bank to write poetry in the styles of Shel Silverstein and Jack Prelutsky.
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Let the Bugs do the Rhyming
Students listen to limericks and write their own about a favorite insect.
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Making Inferences and Drawing Conclusions
Second graders make several inferences based on the reading of Shel Silverstein poems. They write their own poetry and complete an assessment in which they differentiate between sentences that are stated or inferred.
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Compassion
Students discuss respect, responsibility, and honesty, and participate in a project that reaches beyond the classroom.
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Syber-Silverstein: Poetry in Motion
Sixth graders explore the writing of Shel Silverstein. They listen to the story, The Giving Tree, explore the Shel Silverstein website, read poems, and create and write a humorous poem.