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emhof85 's review for:
The Giving Tree
by Shel Silverstein
A boy. A tree. And the rest is history. Since 1964, The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein has been teaching children and adults alike the value of friendship, forgiveness, and love. In this classic children’s picture book, a young boy and a tree have a unique bond. The boy visits the tree every day, collecting her leaves, eating her apples, and sleeping under her shade. As the boy grows, he visits the tree less and less. After collecting all her apples to sell for money, cutting down her branches to build a house, and finally her trunk to build a boat to sail away, the boy is now an old man. The boy finally returns with nothing left to ask of the tree, so he rests upon her stump. And the tree was happy.
The Giving Tree is a tale for all ages, but I love reading it with my second graders every year. There are many ways to use this story within an elementary classroom. One way that I use this book is to teach theme. It has a clear topic that is easy for students to pick out and support with evidence, which is great for younger kiddos who are just learning how to identify the theme of a story. I also read this story during a class meeting to teach friendship. Students can identify qualities of a good friend by analyzing the behavior of the tree and the boy. Although it is a wonderful teaching tool, it can also simply be used as a read aloud. Every child should come to know the selflessness and tenderness of The Giving Tree.
The Giving Tree is a tale for all ages, but I love reading it with my second graders every year. There are many ways to use this story within an elementary classroom. One way that I use this book is to teach theme. It has a clear topic that is easy for students to pick out and support with evidence, which is great for younger kiddos who are just learning how to identify the theme of a story. I also read this story during a class meeting to teach friendship. Students can identify qualities of a good friend by analyzing the behavior of the tree and the boy. Although it is a wonderful teaching tool, it can also simply be used as a read aloud. Every child should come to know the selflessness and tenderness of The Giving Tree.