Fun with Character: Woulda-Coulda-Shoulda By Shel Silverstein
All the woulda-coulda-shouldas
Layin’ in the sun,
Talkin’ ‘bout the things
They woulda-coulda-shouldas done …
But those woulda-coulda-shouldas
All ran away and hid
From one little did.
Use this poem to prompt the students to identify the woulda-coulda-shouldas in their life and then make one resolution to take some action that will turn one of them into a Did. For younger students, have them reflect on the past week to look for something they can decide to do differently.
When finished, process the reading with these or similar questions:
What did you think when I read the title?
What are woulda, coulda, and shouldas? Can you give me some examples?
What did he mean when he said they were layin’ in the sun?
Can you picture woulda, coulda, shouldas lying around in your room, in the house, or even in your desk here at school? What does it feel like to have those hanging around you?
Why is one little Did so scary to the woulda, coulda, and shoudas?
Do you think that if you did just one little task of a bigger project, it would chase away a woulda, coulda, shoulda?
Have you ever procrastinated so long on a task that when you finally did it, it didn’t take very long, or it wasn’t hard to do?
The next time you procrastinate on a task, will you remember the woulda, coulda, shoulda, and do at least one thing toward the task?
To reinforce this thought, you may want to hang some pictures in the room with woulda, coulda, shouldas that are appropriate to your classroom. They could even be from the examples the students gave and could even be their handiwork. Here are some ideas:
Coulda: I could have gotten a higher grade on my spelling test if I had studied.
Woulda: I would have picked up the trash in the hall but I didn’t feel like it.
Shoulda: I Should have been nicer to my sister and shared the cookie.