Once the introductory elements of my unit are completed, each poem will be examined in generally the same manner. Though much of this approach has been mentioned before, I will list the general sequence of steps I will take with each.
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1. Any difficult vocabulary will be discussed.
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2. The poem will be read silently.
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3. I will read the poem orally.
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4. Pupils will take turns reading parts or the entire poem.
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5. Elements of poetry in the poem will be discussed. "Is there any rhyming at the end of lines? Where? Is there any rhyming within lines? Are there any sounds, words or phrases that are repeated? Where are they? What two things is the poet comparing there? Can _____ really be _____? Why does the poet say it is? How many syllables do you hear in that line? What word describes the sound? Name some descriptive words in the poem."
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6. The content of the poem will be examined. "Is the poem telling a story? What do you think the story says? Is the poem giving us a message or trying to teach us something? What do you think that message or story is? Does it remind you of anything you have experienced? Would you add anything to the poem?"
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7. The illustration will now be examined. Attempt to show the link between poem and illustration. Discuss the advantages and limitations of each.
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8. Students will be encouraged to write their own poem inspired by the Silverstein poem, which they have just read. They will be urged to include an illustration related to their poem.
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9. Original poems and illustrations will be saved in their Poetry Folders.
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10. Poems may be shared with students from their own and other classes.
Once the students are able to complete these steps, we will now be ready to begin using selected poems to develop their writing skills. Once more, the choice of poem used to develop these writing skills should depend on the abilities and interests of the students involved. Silverstein gives the teacher many appropriate poems to choose from. Since the next steps are rather lengthy, not all poems will go beyond the ten steps listed above. To illustrate my general approach to the next phase of this unit, I will use the poem "Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout Would Not take the Garbage Out," the tale of a little girl who refuses to accept her responsibility to take the garbage out. Though she is willing to perform other tasks, she allows the garbage, presented by Silverstein in vivid detail, to pile up "From New York to the Golden Gate," until she meets a horrible fate in the very garbage she hated so much. Children are left with a warning to remember Sarah when they are asked to take the garbage out or to do anything else that adults ask children to do on a regular basis.
