Read “Smart” alongside “ Ickle Me, Pickle Me, Tickle Me Too,” another Shel Silverstein poem from the Paired Texts tab, to help students understand the use of humor in each poem. At the end of the poem, the speaker proudly announces that he has ended up with five pennies, since five is more than one. This poem tells the story of a speaker who naively believes he is getting more money by trading a dollar bill for two coins. Have you ever become friends with someone who was different than you? Why is it important to be friends with people who are different from you?” The speaker shares how they communicate with the giant and how the two develop a friendship despite their differences in size.Įngage young learners in making text-to-self connections with Discussion Question 3, “The giant and the speaker are very different from each other. In this poem, Silverstein uses figurative language to describe the speaker's friendship with a giant. Engage students in this critical thinking by assigning Assessment Question 1, “Another title for this poem could be –”. Finding the central message or main idea of a text is a critical reading comprehension skill for 3rd grade. These questions are carefully crafted to match the rigor and standards covered on high-stakes reading assessments. Teachers can assign assessment questions included within each digital reading lesson on CommonLit.

At the end of the poem, she realizes that it is Saturday and decides to go outside to play. In this popular poem by Shel Silverstein, a young girl presents a long list of unusual illnesses to explain why she cannot go to school today. Silverstein’s poems are also a great resource for teaching additional poetic devices, such as rhyme, repetition, and word choice. Assign these Shel Silverstein poems to engage students in a rigorous and compelling study of figurative language in poetry. Shel Silverstein is one of the most commonly-read children’s poets, known for his popular anthology, Where the Sidewalk Ends. CommonLit’s digital library includes texts by hundreds of well-known and award-winning authors and poets.

Sick poem from where the sidewalk ends