Outside the Box

Funny, Clever, Imaginative, Entertaining, Inventive

Outside the Box by Karma Wilson

Illustrated by Diane Goode

Published by Margaret K. McElderry Books an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing Division, Copyright 2014

This Shel Silverstein-inspired book is filled with hundreds of amusing and creative poems about everything imaginable, from puppies and hippos to aliens and vampires! 

Grade level: 3

Lexile Measure: NP

Description: Poetry

Suggested delivery: Independent read 

Electronic Resources:

Author's Website

This website includes information about the author and all of her other books that students can look at for more book ideas if they enjoy her writing style. It offers a teacher resource page with teaching activities for some of her other children’s books. There is also a place for kids to submit their own silly poem to the author.

Shel Silverstein's Website

This book is inspired by another children’s author, Shel Silverstein. His website has lots of resources for teachers including discussion questions, writing activities, and Poetry Month event kits with tons of activities for students. The website also includes some information on Shel and his books. 

Teaching Strategies

Key vocabulary:

·         Impenetrable – impossible to pass or see through

·         Obscene – disturbing or shocking

·         Flaunt – to show off something

·         Pillaged – to take things from a place by force

·         Bedeck – to decorate 

·         Abide – to accept and be guided by something

Before reading: Discuss and define the different characteristics of poetry such as rhyme, repetition, personification, and imagery. 

During reading: Have students mark in a chart the different characteristics that they find throughout the book with sticky notes and note topics that they might enjoy writing about.

After reading: Talk about how poems use a lot of details and description to help us visualize what the poem is about. Come up with a class word wall using https://padlet.com/  of good descriptive words to use that students can refer to while writing their own poem. 

Writing activity: Have students write their own poem using the style from the book. They should include at least two of the elements (rhyme, repetition, personification, imagery) that they learned in their poem. Once they have finished writing have students create a Voki of themselves (or a character that relates to their poem) reading their poems aloud. 

 Wilson, K., & Goode, D. (2014). Outside the Box. New York: Margaret K. McElderry Books.