Thursday, October 4, 2018

Where the Sidewalk Ends


Where the Sidewalk Ends 

Author: Shel Silverstein
Illustrator: Shel Silverstein 
Grade Level: 2-4
Genre: Poetry 
Awards: New York Times Outstanding Book Award (1974), Michigan Young Readers' Award (1981)

Summary:  In this work, Shel Silverstein creatively and humorously shares his works of poetry.  This award winning book includes some of Silverstein's more well-known works such as "Smart," "Boa Constrictor," and "Sick."  "Smart" tells the story of a young boy who trades his dollar bill for five pennies because five is more than one.  "Sick" tell the story of a young girl who has two dozen reasons why she can't go to school.  When she finds out it's Saturday, all of her symptoms seem to magically go away.

Evaluation: This was (and still is!) one of my favorite books as a child.  The poems are funny, amusing, and creative.  I have already begun using this work in my student teaching placement.  So far, the students have loved it!  This is one that will definitely be used in my future classroom.

Second through fourth grade student should have no problem understating and enjoying this book.  I guarantee you will get a couple of giggles when reading these poems.

The used this book during my lesson on the Writing Process.  I did a read aloud through "Sick" and showed that excuses do not help your writing process.  I shared a personal story on how I used many similar excuses when I needed to write a paper.  It wasn't until I finally sat down and started writing that I saw how silly my excuses were.  

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