Minds On

Notice and wonder

Brainstorm

What do you notice?

What do you notice about the poem?

What do you think is the meaning of the title of the poem?

Three pairs of people salute, talk, fight each other.

Action

Words that rhyme

You may have noticed that the Minds On poem contained rhyming words.

Authors use rhyming words to create a rhythm and flow in their poems. Rhyming words share the same or similar endings.

Can you determine which of the following words are a rhyming set? Determine the rule for each set.

Press ‘Hint’ to reveal how to determine a rhyming set.

Examine the ending of the words, and sort them accordingly.

Brainstorm

Brainstorm sorting rules

After sorting the words, think about the rule that all words followed. Then, formulate a sorting rule for each group of words.

Complete the Sorting Rules activity in your notebook or using the following fillable and printable document.

Sorting Rules
Words Sorting Rule
dice, mice, rice  
hat, bat, sat  
lock, sock  
Sorting Rules

Press the Activity button to access Sorting Rules.

Activity (Open PDF in a new tab)

Press ‘Answers’ to reveal all sorting rules for the words.

dice, mice, rice

Sorting Rule #1: The word ending is “ice.”

hat, bat, sat

Sorting Rule #2: The word ending is “at.”

lock, sock

Sorting Rule #3: The word ending is “ock.”

Once we understand the sorting rule for a set of rhyming words, we can use that as a reading strategy to explore new vocabulary.

Let’s return to the poem “Ations” by Shel Silverstein.

Identify the words in the poem that share the same ending. Next, explain the sorting rule. You may choose to create a list, an audio clip, or highlight the words in the worksheet below to record your work.

Complete the Ations Rhyming Words activity in your notebook or using the following fillable and printable document.

Ations Rhyming Words

Press the Activity button to access Ations Rhyming Words.

Activity (Open PDF in a new tab)

"Ations" by Shel Silverstein

Student Success

Think-Pair-Share

If possible, work with a partner to answer the following questions: Do you notice anything about the way the poem is structured? Is there a pattern?

Press ‘Answers’ to reveal the poem and answers to the questions you've dicussed.

Ations by Shel Silverstein

If we meet and I say, “Hi,”

That’s a salutation.

If you ask me how I feel

That’s consideration.

If we stop and talk awhile.

That’s a conversation.

If we understand each other,

That’s communication.

If we argue, scream and fight,

That’s an altercation.

If later we apologize,

That’s reconciliation.

If we help each other home,

That’s cooperation.

And all these ations added up

Make civilization.

(And if I say this is a wonderful poem,

Is that exaggeration?)

The rhyming words all share the ending “ation.” That might be why Shel Silverstein gave the poem the title “Ations.”

At the end of every second line of the poem, there is a rhyming word, which introduces a word that describes that type of communication.

Presenting the poem

The poem has a rhyming word at the end of every second line. This creates a rhythm in the poem. Consider how you could recite or express the poem to emphasize the rhythm.

For example, you could change your tone or slow your pace for each rhyming word. Or perhaps you might choose to raise the volume of your voice, or use visual aids or props.

Review the presentation and communication strategies below, and choose a few strategies you would like to use.

Press the name of each presentation strategy to check their definitions.

We can use specific words or vocabulary to help the audience clearly understand our message.

We change our tone to express emotions. Our voice might also go up and down when asking a question.

When we change our pace, it means that we might present our ideas quickly or slowly. If we present too quickly, the audience may not be able to understand our message.

Volume is how loudly or quietly you communicate. We can adjust our volume based on the size and type of audience. Pitch is when we make our voice go high or low, and is connected to our tone.

When we present, we can change our expressions to tell the audience how we feel about the information that we are sharing.

We can use body movement or hand gestures to help communicate meaning.

Positive or friendly eye contact can help us connect to our audience during a presentation.

Using visual aids or props is a way to share information with our audience.

Put it together

The poem discusses different ways that we communicate. Now that you have considered which presentation strategies to use to present the rhythm and rhyme in the poem, let’s think about how to express the meaning of the poem.

How could you use body language, facial expression, gestures, tone, and/or visual aids or props to express each example of communication?

For example,

“If we meet and I say, “Hi,”

That’s a salutation.”

How could you represent a salutation? You could wave, smile, use open body language, and/or a happy tone.

Go through the rest of the verses and decide how you would like to use different presentation strategies to present the poem. Next, it’s time to practice!

Consolidation

Let’s present

It’s time to present the poem “Ations” by Shel Silverstein! You may present the poem aloud to a partner, if possible, or create an audio clip or description.

Student Success

Think-Pair-Share

What kinds of strategies did you use in your presentation? How did they help to communicate the rhyme in the poem? How did they help you communicate the message of the poem?

Note to teachers: See your teacher guide for collaboration tools, ideas and suggestions.

Reflection

As you read through these descriptions, which sentence best describes how you are feeling about your understanding of this learning activity? Press the button that is beside this sentence.

I feel…

Now, record your ideas using a voice recorder, speech-to-text, or writing tool.