Flashlight Poems

Looking for truly imaginative poems? Read Shel Silverstein! Write creative verses and display them on a beam of light.

1.

Shel Silverstein shook the world of children's poetry in 1974 with the publication of Where the Sidewalk Ends. It is the top-selling children's poetry book. Read some of his poems from A Light in the Attic or Where the Sidewalk Ends.
2.

Read poetry by other poets, too, and compare their styles, topics, and other characteristics.
3.

Use your imagination to create a great story in poetry! What's going on that intrigues you? What animals or behaviors do you find captivating? Write your draft with Crayola® Colored Pencils.
4.

Ask a classmate or an adult to read and critique it with you. How can you improve your imagery and clarity of ideas? Edit your poem until you are satisfied that it is the best you can write. Check spelling and grammar.
5.

Draw a flashlight on paper with a wide beam of light coming from it. Color it in with Crayola Washable Markers. Cut it out with Crayola Scissors. Use a Crayola Glue Stick to attach it to black construction paper.
6.

With a Crayola Fine Tip Marker, copy your poem in the beam of light coming from the flashlight.

Benefits

Students read various forms of poetry and identify poets, both contemporary and traditional.
Students discover how Shel Silverstein rhymed great stories in his poems.
Students read Shel Silverstein's poems and write verse in a similar style inside a beam of light.

Turn out the lights and read your poems to each other using a flashlight.
Students with special needs might work in pairs to read and write poetry. Provide a template if necessary to spark their creativity. Encourage students to illustrate their poetry.
Write a humorous poem. Enhance it with a drawing like Shel Silverstein does.
Write your poems with Crayola Gel Markers on black construction paper. Read them by flashlight.
Find more books of poetry to share, such as Hailstones and Halibut Bones, The Pig in the Spigot, Cricket Never Does: A Collection of Haiku and Tanka, Read-Aloud Poems for Young People, or Seuss-Isms: Wise and Witty Prescript

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