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March 02
Read Across America Day celebrates Dr. Seuss.
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| Grades | K – 2 |
| Calendar Activity Type | Author & Text |
Better known to most readers as Dr. Seuss, Dr. Theodor Geisel was born over 100 years ago this month. Mark his birthday with NEA's Read Across America, the largest reading event in the United States, by celebrating with read-aloud, read-along, and reading marathon activities.
Dr. Seuss changed the landscape of children's books with his controlled-vocabulary tales of antic cats (The Cat in the Hat), colorful meals (Green Eggs and Ham), and dozens of other zany tales.
When Dr. Seuss set out to write The Cat in the Hat, he wanted to write a story that used simple, mostly monosyllabic words that readers could readily comprehend. His use of the patterned, rhyming text has become the foundation for many controlled-vocabulary texts for young readers.
After sharing The Cat in the Hat and some other patterned books with students, divide the class into groups and ask them to brainstorm sets of words which rhyme with snake. Then, once the lists are compiled, students can create a story about the snake and its adventures (perhaps The Snake in the Cake?). These stories can be illustrated and shared with elementary school students. See the NEA Read Across America site for more ideas.
- Dr. Seuss Went to War
This special collection from the University of California contains the political cartoons of Theodor Geisel.
- The Advertising Artwork of Dr. Seuss
The Dr. Seuss Collection, housed at the Mandeville Special Collections Library at the University of California, San Diego, contains many examples of Dr. Seuss's advertising artwork.
- NEA's Read Across America-Building a Nation of Readers
NEA's Read Across America website offers ideas, information, and inspiration-everything you need to plan a reading event to celebrate reading and Dr. Seuss's birthday.
- Seussville
Celebrate Dr. Seuss with a visit to this site where students can explore various aspects of Geisel's work and career. A variety of games and activities, and information about favorite Seuss characters such as the Cat in the Hat and the Grinch are also included.
Grades K – 2 | Lesson Plan | Standard Lesson
Dr. Seuss's Sound Words: Playing with Phonics and Spelling
Boom! Br-r-ring! Cluck! Moo!—Everywhere you turn, you find exciting sounds. Students use these sounds to write their own poems based on Dr. Seuss's Mr. Brown Can MOO! Can You?
Grades K – 2 | Lesson Plan | Unit
Reading Everywhere with Dr. Seuss
Young readers create a classroom book modeled after Dr. Seuss's Green Eggs and Ham to celebrate all the places they can read.
Grades 9 – 12 | Lesson Plan | Standard Lesson
Seuss and Silverstein: Posing Questions, Presenting Points
Students will enjoy this blast from the past as they read the works of Dr. Seuss and Shel Silverstein to analyze the way social issues are addressed in selected works.
Grades K – 2 | Lesson Plan | Standard Lesson
Teaching Short-Vowel Discrimination Using Dr. Seuss Rhymes
Through the contrast of short-vowel patterns and use of Dr. Seuss rhymes, students apply their knowledge of vowel sounds in reading and spelling new words.
Grades 9 – 12 | Lesson Plan | Standard Lesson
From Dr. Seuss to Jonathan Swift: Exploring the History behind the Satire
Use Dr. Seuss's The Butter Battle Book as an accessible introduction to satire. Reading, discussing, and researching this picture book paves the way for a deeper understanding of Gulliver's Travels.
Grades 9 – 12 | Lesson Plan | Unit
Id, Ego, and Superego in Dr. Seuss's The Cat in the Hat
Dr. Seuss's The Cat in the Hat is used as a primer to teach students how to analyze a literary work using plot, theme, characterization, and psychoanalytical criticism.
