Don't Bump the Glump! And Other Fantasies By: Shel Silverstein

Shel Silverstein is a fantastic poet! During my student teaching experiences, I would read his poems before lunch or at the end of the day to help my students wind down.  His poems greatly fostered my students' imagination as well as fostering great class discussions.

Title: Don't Bump the Glump! And Other Fantasies

Author: Shel Silverstein - Shel Silverstein was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois.  He attended  the University of Illinois in pursuit of a degree in art.  Eventually, he transferred to Roosevelt University in pursuit of an English degree.  At Roosevelt University, Silverstein discovered his writing talent.  During his time in the military, Silverstein developed his art of cartoon illustrations.  Through the influence of friends, Silverstein published his first children's book in 1960  and has been a famous author since then.   Shel Silverstein Biography

Genre: Poetry

Grade Level: All

Theme/Skill: Poetry

Brief Synopsis: This is Shel Silverstein's first collection of poetry.

Pre-Reading Activity: How would you define a poem?  What types of poems have you heard of?  Do all poems rhyme? Students can look for patterns while the teacher reads various poems aloud.  After each poem stop to discuss it.  

Post-Reading Activity: What was a popular pattern in the poems?  What lines in his poems rhymed?  Was it first and second?  Was it first and third?  After discussing the format of different types of poems, explain the significance of rhyming.  For younger elementary students, Silverstein's poetry is a great model to foster their imagination during various projects.  For older elementary students, introduce a rhyming dictionary and have students brainstorm words to look up.  After the class has modeled various examples, students can work with partners and write their own rhyming poem using the rhyming dictionary.

Silverstein, S. (1964) Don’t Bump the Glump! And Other Fantasies. New York: Harper Collins Publishers.