Shel Silverstein In Hebrew and English

"Where the Sidewalk Ends" is a favorite Shel Silverstein book of poetry read to the children during library time. At HDS, that's actually where the sidewalk begins... Special at HDS is the tag-teaming of the English speaking librarian and a Hebrew speaker (parent or teacher). Together they read literature originally written in English, and translated into Hebrew; and sometimes they read literature originally written in Hebrew. This week a parent and the librarian took turns reading stanzas - first in Hebrew, then in English, and then again in Hebrew to allow the students to hear the words again after they knew what to listen for. Among the poems read were: "Peanut Butter Sandwich," "Smart," and "Lazy Jane." Many times, the translation didn't match the original meaning. The children determined that to maintain the rhyme and rhythm of the poetry in a different language, sometimes different words were necessary.

The lesson was fun and engaging! It also focused on a number of language arts common core academic standards:

· RL.3.1. Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to the text as the basis for the answers.

· RL.3.4. Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, distinguishing literal from nonliteral language.

· RL.4.1. Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.

It was a great walk on a sidewalk that will continue around the block, through the neighborhood, and back home again - until the next walk with Shel Silverstein or another favored author - in both Hebrew and English.

Dina