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...
Curated OER
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...
Curated OER
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...
Curated OER
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...
Curated OER
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,...
Curated OER
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 instructional activity to accompany the Shel Silverstein poem 'Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout Would Not Take the Garbage Out" from Where the Sidewalk...
Curated OER
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....
Curated OER
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...
Curated OER
Words and Phrases that Support the Author's Voice
Third graders examine the author's voice. In this author's voice instructional activity students read poems by Shel Silverstein. Students choose words and phrases that indicate the author's voice.
Curated OER
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.
Curated OER
Runny Babbit
Students are introduced to elements of poetry through the book Runny Babbit. In this poetry lesson, students learn about the newest Shel Silverstein book, then examine the poem's form, rhythm, and rhyme. Students look for other Shel...
Curated OER
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.
Curated OER
Analyzing Story Structure
Pupils explore language arts by completing a graphic organizer in class. In this story structure activity, students read the poem "Sick" by Shel Silverstein and discuss the different elements in the piece which make it an effective...
Curated OER
Trash Collage
Students create a collage. In this collage lesson plan, students read a poem from Shel Silverstein and create an illustration to accompany the poem.
Curated OER
Giving Cheer
Pupils 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...
Curated OER
Shel Silverstein Poetry Math
Fifth graders explore the connection between poetry and math by reading poems that involve numbers. For this Shel Silverstein poetry math lesson, 5th graders listen to 5 poems read aloud and discuss how math was used in the...
Curated OER
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.
Curated OER
Trash or Treasure?
Learners 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. Learners complete a reflection about what they read by...
Curated OER
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...
Curated OER
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.
Curated OER
Let the Bugs do the Rhyming
Students listen to limericks and write their own about a favorite insect.
Curated OER
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.
Curated OER
Compassion
Students discuss respect, responsibility, and honesty, and participate in a project that reaches beyond the classroom.
Curated OER
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.