Shel Silverstein
Lesson plans for The Giving Tree and other works

|Biography and Background| |The Giving Tree| |Other works by Silverstein|

Biography and Background

Shel Silverstein
The author's official site. Don't miss "Ideas for Teachers and Parents," with link to printable activities.

Shel Silverstein
The author's Wikipedia page.

The Giving Tree

The Giving Tree
Summary, brief bio, and 10 activities, including vocabulary.

The Giving Tree
Several crosscurricular activities to support the book.

The Giving Tree
Students learn about both trees and sharing.

The Giving Tree Lesson
Students write about the gift they would most like to give.

If Trees Could Speak, What Would They Say?
Designed for upper elementary, this lesson uses The Giving Tree and other sources to explore seasonal changes in nature.

Uses of Trees
After reading The Giving Tree, students identify how trees are used and create leaf rubbings.

Other works by Silverstein

The Missing Piece and The Missing Piece Meets the Big O
Activities to explore the concepts of fable, sequel, symbolism, and more. Includes a T-chart.

A Moment in Time
Students study poems to see how punctuation, line length, rhythm and word choice can be used to create a memorable moment. This lesson uses "Writer Waiting" by Shel Silverstein, "The Base Stealer" by Robert Francis and "Foul Shot" by Cory Bogner. Copies of the poems are available at the site. This lesson is designed for middle schoolers.

Our Environment
Using "Sara Jane Amanda Stout Wouldn't Take the Garbage Out" as a starting point, students identify steps they can take to improve the environment and conduct a project.

Reading and Responding
This scripted lesson uses the poem "Whatif" as a model for reading and analysis. It is designed for eighth graders and requires Adobe Reader for access.

Seuss and Silverstein: Posing Questions, Presenting Points
"Working in small groups, students select and read books or short stories by Dr. Seuss and Shel Silverstein. Each group then prepares critical thinking questions and leads a class discussion about the issues raised in the story. Students use the interactive Literary Elements Map to explore the conflict in their selected texts."

"Smart"
This copy of the poem requires Adobe Reader or compatible application for access.

Where the Sidewalk Ends
A variety of activities and printables to support study of the book. This 12-page document requires Adobe Reader or compatible application for access.

Writing Poetry like Pros
This extensive set of lessons includes an activity using Silverstein's "Jumping Rope" in Lesson 2, Group 4.

Writing "W" Poems
Using "A Light In the Attic" and other sources, students write a poem using a specific letter of the alphabet.