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Lesson Plans and Teaching Resources for The Giving Tree

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Use The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein to strengthen your students' comprehension skills, build their vocabulary, and help them understand how words work.

Beloved for generations, the parable of The Giving Tree gives young readers ample opportunity to think deeply about the author's broader reasons for writing this story. The simplicity of the characters and events also makes this text a good fit for supporting lessons on retelling and summarizing, and making inferences.
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Explore lesson plans and activities to help you teach with The Giving Tree in the drop down below.

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Identifying the Author's Purpose with The Giving Tree

Though the author's message in The Giving Tree is not clearly stated, young readers will be able to interpret and discuss the various messages they identify through the emotional connections they make with the book.
Common Core State Standards Alignment
RL.1.2,RL.1.6,RL.1.10,RF.1.1,RF.1.2,SL.1.1b,SL.1.2,SL.1.3,W.1.5,W.1.8,L.1.6
TEKS Alignment
1.7E,1.13E,1.13D,1.10E,1.10C,1.10B,1.10A,1.8C,1.8B,1.8A,1.7F,1.1A,1.7D,1.7C,1.7B,1.6I,1.6G,1.6E,1.6A,1.1D,1.1C
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Making Inferences with The Giving Tree

This book and lesson plan work well for showing students how making inferences can enhance comprehension. Even though "the tree is happy," readers will need to connect to their own emotions in order to infer what else the tender Giving Tree might be feeling.
Common Core State Standards Alignment
RL.1.1,RL.1.7,RL.1.10,RF.1.1,RF.1.2,SL.1.1b,SL.1.2,SL.1.3,W.1.5,W.1.8,L.1.6
TEKS Alignment
1.7D,1.13E,1.13D,1.10E,1.9C,1.8C,1.8B,1.7F,1.7E,1.1A,1.7C,1.7B,1.6I,1.6F,1.6E,1.6A,1.1D,1.1C
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Retelling & Summarizing with The Giving Tree

The Giving Tree is ideal for readers who are beginning to practice retelling and summarizing to deepen their understanding of a text. It's simple for readers to identify the characters, events, problem and conclusion, and the illustrations clearly match up with the events in the story.
Common Core State Standards Alignment
RL.1.1,RL.1.2,RL.1.3,RL.1.7,RL.1.10,RF.1.1,RF.1.2,SL.1.1b,SL.1.2,SL.1.3,SL.1.5,W.1.5,W.1.8,L.1.6
TEKS Alignment
1.7F,1.13E,1.13D,1.10E,1.10A,1.9C,1.8D,1.8C,1.8B,1.8A,1.1A,1.7E,1.7D,1.7C,1.7B,1.6I,1.6G,1.6A,1.1D,1.1C
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Blends with The Giving Tree

This word work lesson plan and set of teaching resources use The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein as a springboard for instruction focused on blends.

By anchoring word study to the text, students will benefit from seeing how initial consonant blends are used inside of the text before engaging in both guided and independent practice with blends.

Common Core State Standards Alignment
RF.1.3,RF.1.4
TEKS Alignment
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Vocabulary Connections with The Giving Tree

This set of vocabulary development resources for The Giving Tree highlights the words that are most important for students to know and understand while reading the book. Through engaging in fun word games, matching words to definitions and pictures, and practicing how to categorize words, students will develop the vocabulary necessary to comprehend this story and many others.

Common Core State Standards Alignment
L.1.4a,L.1.5c,L.1.6
TEKS Alignment
1.7F,1.3A,1.3B,1.3C,1.3D
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Comprehension Assessment with The Giving Tree

Use this Common Core aligned comprehension assessment to evaluate students' comprehension of The Giving Tree.
Common Core State Standards Alignment
TEKS Alignment
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Running Record with The Giving Tree

Use this Running Record to assess oral reading fluency with The Giving Tree. Track meaning, structure, and visual accuracy using the first 100 words of the text to determine whether or not this book is a good fit for the readers in your classroom.

Common Core State Standards Alignment
TEKS Alignment
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Cause and Effect Matching with The Giving Tree

Read The Giving Tree then have some fun matching cause and effect sentences from the book. By using these cause and effect cards, students will demonstrate both their comprehension of the text and their understanding of cause and effect relationships in hands-on and interactive way.

This resource includes matching/sorting cards and a sorting mat for four cause and effect sentences in The Giving Tree. Each cause card is marked with a square and each effect card is marked with a circle, making it easy to support students who struggle with matching cause and effect relationships.
Common Core State Standards Alignment
TEKS Alignment
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Cause and Effect Sentence Stems with The Giving Tree

Understanding cause and effect is a key comprehension and language skill. The text structure of The Giving Tree includes several examples of cause and effect relationships, making it easy to use as a springboard for modeling or independent practice.

This simple resource includes four sentence stems. Each sentence stem presents an effect. Students will use what they know about the book to fill in the cause of the effect.
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Writing with The Giving Tree

The BookPagez extension activities are a great way to push student engagement beyond the pages of the text. Try using this activity with early finishers, with students who show a deeper connection with the text, or as a center activity.
Common Core State Standards Alignment
TEKS Alignment
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Identifying the Author's Purpose with The Giving Tree (Spanish)

  • Student Practice Page and Answer Key
  • Reader's Notebook Prompt
  • Graphic Organizer
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Making Inferences with The Giving Tree (Spanish)

  • Student Practice Page and Answer Key
  • Reader's Notebook Prompt
  • Graphic Organizer
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Retelling & Summarizing with The Giving Tree (Spanish)

  • Student Practice Page and Answer Key
  • Reader's Notebook Prompt
  • Graphic Organizer
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Writing with The Giving Tree (Spanish)

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About the Book

The cover for the book The Giving Tree
Title: The Giving Tree
Author: Shel Silverstein
Genre: Fantasy
Themes: Bullying, Friendship
ISBN: 9780061965104
Publisher's Summary:
The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein is a beloved classic that explores the evolving relationship between a boy and an apple tree over the course of a lifetime. In this beautifully illustrated tale, the tree offers unconditional love and generosity, always giving what it can to meet the boy's changing needs as he grows from a playful child into an aging man. The boy, in turn, visits the tree at different stages of his life—sometimes seeking fun and comfort, but more often returning only when he wants something tangible: apples for money, branches for a house, or the trunk for a boat. The story unfolds in a simple, poetic style that invites discussion about selflessness, gratitude, and the balance between giving and taking in relationships.

Teachers will find The Giving Tree to be a profound resource for classroom conversations about empathy, kindness, and the complexities of love. Its gentle yet powerful message resonates across age groups, making it an excellent springboard for lessons in social-emotional learning, character education, and even environmental stewardship. The book's open-ended conclusion and rich symbolism allow for diverse interpretations, encouraging students to reflect on themes of sacrifice, happiness, and what it means to give. Whether used for read-alouds, literary analysis, or values-based discussions, The Giving Tree remains a compelling and timeless addition to any classroom library.
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