1. humour
1.1. My Beard
1.2. Batty
1.3. Prayer of the Selfish Child
1.4. Everything On It
1.5. poetry can have different purposes - some is to entertain, some is to provoke thought, some does both
1.6. elements of humor: irony, unexpected endings, absurdity, illustration
2. unusual linguistic/ structural choices
2.1. unusual word pairings/ sentence structure
2.1.1. Where the Sidewalk Ends
2.1.1.1. "moon-bird"
2.1.1.2. "peppermint sky"
2.1.1.3. "asphalt flower"
2.1.1.4. imagery creates imaginary space in-between sidewalk and street
2.1.1.5. word choice/ order helps to create unique voice and to enhance imagery
2.1.1.6. activity: developing author voice/ self-expression
2.2. unusual poem structure
2.2.1. Lazy Jane
2.2.1.1. way poem is organized helps to convey meaning
2.2.1.2. words are a part of illustration
2.2.1.3. visually interesting, grabs reader's attention
2.2.1.4. activity: shape poetry
2.3. poems without words
2.3.1. The Thinker of Tender Thoughts
2.3.1.1. no words but still conveys a powerful message
2.3.1.2. is this poetry? how do we define poetry?
2.3.1.3. activity: using illustration as a form of communication
2.3.1.4. cross-curricular ties with art
3. rhyme
3.1. almost any Silverstein poem contains this
3.2. rhyme can help develop rhythm
3.2.1. Task
3.2.2. Prerequisites
3.3. activity: rhyming poems
3.3.1. Task
3.3.2. Prerequisites
4. words as sources of inspiration
4.1. Where the Sidewalk Ends song
4.1.1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzjLUqZ5Rtg
4.1.2. combines 3 Silverstein poems
4.2. The Unicorn song
4.2.1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4bc9UwZsYs
4.2.2. actually put to song by Silverstein himself, & then covered by many
4.3. The Giving Tree song (Plain White T's)
4.3.1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ek5u8zKiQQQ
4.3.2. doesn't use text as lyrics, just uses Silverstein's book as inspiration
4.3.3. activity: listening skills development, students fill in blanks on sheet of lyrics