A Light in the Attic

Summary:
This is a remarkable collection of poems for children. Shel does an amazing job of using silly language and interesting pictures to capture the hearts of children and adults alike. For example his poem "Stop Thief!" is a short five line poem that claims a person stole a pair of knees and that their feet and legs won't connect. These poems stimulate the imagination and are great examples to get kids started into a poetry unit.




About the Author: Shel Silverstein
Shel actually had beginnings of his career with Playboy magazine as a cartoonist. He continued on to publish another famous book The Giving Tree. Shel's way with words has made an imprint on readers even after his death. Books are still being published of his work and you are able to work with the poems  and other fun games on his website. Sadly, Shel pasted away in 1999 due to a heart attack.


Theme/Skill: Poetry, Fantasy, Fiction
Grade Level: Read Aloud: K-2. Reading and assessing 3-12


Pre-Reading Activity:
Introduce Shel Silverstein as a person. Ask the students if they have ever read his other books such as The Giving Tree or Where the Sidewalk Ends. Also you can introduce him and his work by using his interactive website.


Post-Reading Activity:
After reading any of his poems, ask the students how it made them feel or what emotions were stimulated. Shel's magical work is able to strengthen creativity. Assign students to try and model his work and create a poem totally outside the box.


Reflection:
As a person who is afraid of poetry, I would use this book during a poetry unit. The poems are short and easy to read. Shel captures the essence of childhood so well that older students would feel youthful while reading and would find this a refreshing mix to their heavy workload. One aspect that I wish was different was that Shel included color in his illustrations. Color would provide these images with a more vivid meaning. But perhaps Shel was trying to not take away from the poems.

One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish

Summary:

Unlike The Lorax the plot of this story isn't as clear. The story provides teachers with a great resource to discuss rhyming words and easy decodable words that are fun to say. There are many words that have one syllable and follow long and short vowel patterns. The fish pattern does not continue through the whole book, the consistent theme of nonsense does. The Cat in the Hat is briefly seen but his name isn't mentioned. The silly story of silly daily activities end with two children sleeping with their pet Zeep. This story seems to be in the in print version of how young children would love to follow their imagination and spend their days.

 

About the Author: Dr. Seuss

The famous Dr. Suess or Theodore Geisel has written many beloved classics for children. One theme that remains is that many of his books have a deeper meaning that adults would understand as well as children. The Lorax is one of these books as well as The Sneetches. Born in modern day Germany, Seuss began his career as a political cartoonist. He has written some of children's favorite books and critics need to look at why his books are still favorites after so many years. Seuss created new words and rhyming techniques that engage children and keep them wanting more. A child could never predict what would happen next in a Seuss book.  Many authors have tried to write like the famous Seuss, but few are able to even compete.

Theme/Skill: Rhyming, Fantasy, Fiction, Poetry

Grade Level: K-2

Pre-Reading Activity:

Introduce/revisit short and long vowel sounds. Remind students of the consonant-vowel patterns that will help them read real and nonsense words correctly. Briefly provide students with some examples and a short sorting activity.

Post-Reading Activity:

Ask students to find five short vowel words, long vowel words and six words that rhyme. Depending on the level of the class these number of examples can change.

Reflection:

This book is an easy way to introduce word patterns and a way to begin poetry in an older grade with a familiar text.  To start my ESL students with poetry I would use this book because their vocabulary is so low. But the nonsense words may throw them for a loop since they may think that the words are real. Dr. Seuss never ceases to amaze readers with his catchy words and phrases. What would children (and teachers for that matter) do without him?