Shel Silverstein's Poems About Life, Wisdom, and Whimsy
During this six-week course, students will read, laugh, and discuss the joys of living through the lens of some of Shel Silverstein's poems on the subject.
Mrs. Rae Marie (Writing, Poetry, ACE Educator)
Average rating:
4.9
Number of reviews:(398)
What's included
6 live meetings
6 in-class hoursHomework
1 hour per week. Homework will be light and will vary depending on the events and progress of the live meetings. The tasks to be expected will include filling in the graphic organizer pertaining to each week's lesson, reading poems assigned for the following session, some discussion questions about the assigned poems (for discussions during the following session), writing small poems to be shared, and finding poems by other authors that share our course topic (to be shared in class).Assessment
Informal assessments will be done through our discussions, class activities, and the final project. No formal grades will be given. If a certificate of completion is desired, I am happy to provide one.Grading
includedClass Experience
US Grade 4 - 7
Have you ever asked yourself the question, "How should I live my life?" Whether you have or not, Shel Silverstein's poems provide a good deal of insight and examples for living a happy life. Let's take some time to read his poems, learn about his perspectives, discuss how these thoughts and suggestions might be applied in our own lives, and share our own opinions about his works and their subjects. We'll probably have several opportunities to laugh about the way Silverstein expresses these insights along the way. Join in! Each of our six weeks, we'll read at least one Shel Silverstein poem, discuss its theme and the language he used to express it, learn about various poetic devices he used, study paired texts by Silverstein (and sometimes other poets), enjoy small and often whimsical writing tasks, and more! A graphic organizer will be provided at the start of the course for compiling important notes as we progress from week to week. Below, you'll find the main texts or topics for each week. WEEK 1: Shel Silverstein (Author Study)/Introduce and Discuss "Where the Sidewalk Ends." (Theme - We should allow ourselves to go to places of wonder in our imaginations, where we are free from normal daily rules.) WEEK 2: Introduce and discuss "Growing Down." (Theme - We should value being childlike and make it a point to have fun when we can.)/PAIRING - "Growing Down" & "Where the Sidewalk Ends" (Comparing and Contrasting) WEEK 3: Introduce and discuss "The Clock Man." (Theme - We should regard time as being highly valuable, and understand that it will run out one day.)/Comparing and Contrasting "The Clock Man", "Growing Down", and "Where the Sidewalk Ends" WEEK 4: Introduce and discuss "Masks." (We should value who we truly are. Doing so will bring us more happiness than if we hide behind false personas.)/Introduce and discuss "Yesees and Noees." (Theme - Our thinking should be just that. We aren't required to think like everyone else.)/Comparing and Contrasting these two poems Week 5: Introduce and discuss "Underface" (Theme - We should understand that we are all special people with inner beauty, and we should not require perfection of ourselves.)/Review and discuss all of the content we've covered to this point./Discuss the project that will be shared during the final session. WEEK 6: Final Projects will be shared. These will include student-written poems on how we should live our lives (using some of the poetic devices we learn through our sessions) and a one-two paragraph summary explaining the meaning of what has been shared in the poem along with an explanation of the poetic devices used.
Learning Goals
Students will be able to:
1) cite evidence and support claims for our texts;
2) analyze and discuss the themes of each poem and the overarching theme of the course;
3) offer oral and written explanations for various content and discussion questions;
4) learn about and use various poetic devices;
5) analyze and discuss the way a poet uses poetic devices to express meaning;
6) perform simple writing tasks (poems and paragraphs).
Other Details
Supply List
Students will need to have paper and writing utensils, or be able to type into a document. As long as each student can write and retain information and work products for sharing, we're in great shape! I'll supply all other needed materials, including poems, questions, graphic organizer, etc.
External Resources
Learners will not need to use any apps or websites beyond the standard Outschool tools.
Joined February, 2019
4.9
398reviews
Teacher expertise and credentials
Master's Degree in Education from LeTourneau University
I've happily taught reading, writing and poetry to multiple ages for several years, and I also have served as an instructional coach to educators.
I love writing poetry and sharing that joy with students. Oftentimes, students have not yet found the pleasure in reading or writing poetry, and I find it fun to help them see that it can be captivating, powerful, and sometimes, quite silly.
Mrs. Rae Marie (M.Ed.) (Reading, Writing, Poetry, Fantasy Fiction, ACE Educator)
B.A. (Education/cum Laude), M.Ed. (Curriculum & Instruction/Magna cum Laude), and M.Ed. (Educational Leadership/Summa cum Laude)Reviews
Live Group Class
$132
for 6 classes1x per week, 6 weeks
60 min
Live video meetings
Ages: 9-14
3-6 learners per class
