http://www.shelsilverstein.com/html/home.

html
Born to a Jewish family, in Chicago on
September 25, 1930
Began drawing and writing at 12 years old
He wasnt impressed by any ones work, so
he developed his own style.
He became a very successful and
enthusiastic author and illustrator of
childrens books
He had 2 children
o Daughter: Shoshanna (Shanna) born
June 30, 1970, died April 24, 1982 at
age 11 from cerebral aneurism
o Son: Matthew born 1983
He Passed on May 8/9, 1999 from a heart attack
Found by 2 housekeepers on May 10, 1999
He was an American poet, singer-songwriter,
musician, composer, cartoonist, screenwriter
and author of children's books. He styled
himself as Uncle Shelby in his children's books.
Translated into more than 30 languages, his
books have sold over 20 million copies.
Grammy Awards for Best Country Song, "A Boy Named Sue":1969.

Grammy Awards for Best Children's Recording was for Where the
Sidewalk Ends in 1984.

ALA Notable Book for Where the Sidewalk Ends in 1974.

Outstanding Book Award for Where the Sidewalk Ends in 1974.

Best Book Award in 1981 for A Light in the Attic.

Children's Choice Award for The Missing Piece Meets the Big O in
1982.

William Allen Book Award for A Light in the Attic in 1984.

INTO . . . . .

I will do a couple of read alouds. I will display
some of Shels illustrations for the poem I am
reading so that the students can make
connections while I am reading the poems
straight out Shels books.

The Loser
By Shel Silverstein
JIMMY JET AND HIS TV SET
By Shel Silverstein
Through . . . . .
Students will choose a poem from any of Shel
Silversteins books.

Students will pair up and practice reading their
chosen poem to their partner. They will practice
reading with fluency and expression. They will take
a copy of their poem home to practice.

Each student will do a read aloud in front of our
class with the picture from the book on the
overhead/smart board.
Movement Activity
The infamous . . . . .
Boa Constrictor
BOA CONSTRICTOR

Oh, Im being eaten
By a boa constrictor,
A boa constrictor,
A boa constrictor,
Im being eaten by a boa constrictor,
And I dont like itone bit.
Well, what do you know?
Its nibblin my toe.
Oh, gee,
Its up to my knee.
Oh my,
Its up to my thigh.
Oh, fiddle,
Its up to my middle.
Oh, heck,
Its up to my neck.
Oh, dread,
Its upmmmmmmmmmmfffffffff. . .

Beyond . . . . .
Children will be able to access Shel
Silversteins fabulous web-site I introduced
earlier.

Children will write and illustrate their own
poem with their own style. Their work will be
displayed on our classroom bulletin board for
a couple of weeks. Then, they will be bounded
as a book of poetry and added to our class
library.
Activity

Students will create their own poem
and illustrations on a sheet of blank
white paper. I chose to attempt to
mimic the style of Shel Silverstein, but
they will be able to let their
imaginations soar.

I chose not to design this activity
around mirroring Shels style. In his
life, he didnt have anyone to
impersonate and so he developed his
own style.
Works Cited

http://www.shelsilverstein.com/play.asp


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shel_Silverstein