Unit Study with Dr. Seuss
byKathryn Martinez

The Dr. Seuss books present the perfect opportunity to let your child's (and yours as well) imagination run wild. Have fun with this unit study...almost anything goes!

GENERAL RESOURCES:

Other than using the books themselves, I would recommend On the Loose With Dr. Seuss by Shirley Cook. There are activities to go along with almost any of the Dr. Seuss books and as the book was designed to develop reading, writing, and thinking skills this book can be used with the upper elementary student as well as with the preschool level. (ISBN 0-86530-233-2)

WEB RESOURCES:

Dr. Seuss Page for Teachers: http://web.olivet.edu/gradusers/kpatchet/

Seussville: http://www.randomhouse.com/seussville/

Carol Hurst/Dr. Seuss: http://www.carolhurst.com/authors/drseuss.html

Index to Dr. Seuss: http://www.primate.wisc.edu/people/hamel/seuss.html

PREPARED LESSON PLANS:

http://www.learningcompanyschool.com/school/prods/seuspln.htm

http://www.sinc.sunysb.edu/Class/est572/alhota/lesson1.htm

http://www.eduplace.com/tview/tviews/smith42.html

http://www.lessonplanspage.com/LASoundsWDrSuess1.htm

http://teachers.net/lessons/posts/470.html

http://www.lessonplanspage.com/LanguageArtsDecodingPhonograms24.htm

http://www.lessonplanspage.com/ReadingCatInHat.htm

http://www.lessonplanspage.com/LAPhonogramsSneeches1.htm

http://www.sd5.k12.mt.us/glaciereft/bottr312.htm

http://trackstar.hprtec.org/main/display.php3?trackid=550

ACTIVITIES:

1. Just reading the Dr. Seuss books with your children is a fun activity!

2. Have green eggs and ham for breakfast: Make your normal scrambled eggs recipe, but add a good dose of green food coloring before you begin to cook them. When you serve them as a surprise, watch their faces!

3. Read the biography of Dr. Seuss: http://www.seuss.org/seuss/seuss.bio.html

4. Listen to some .wav (sound files) online of Seuss material: http://www.afn.org/~afn15301/seussfiles/wavs.html

5. Read some of the earlier works of Dr. Seuss: http://www.afn.org/~afn15301/seussfiles/early.html

6. To go along with the book If I Ran the Zoo you could take a trip to the zoo or design your own zoo and make up unusual animals to live there. Or, you could learn about endangered animals and populate your zoo with them.

7. To go along with The Cat in the Hat you could make up a clean schedule. Talk about how important it is to keep things clean and what are the consequences when you don't.

8. Read the story Yertle the Turtle and then talk about how important it is to stand up for what we believe in despite with others may say or do.

9. Read Gertrude McFuzz and then create a piece of art by painting with feathers. You could also learn about birds and go bird watching.

10. Read Wacky Wednesday and then find something wacky that you can do....or have a wacky day: put your clothes on inside out and backwards, wear two different colored socks, etc.

The opportunities for using the Dr. Seuss books in fun and educational ways are almost limitless. Use your imagination and let your child's imagination run wild!

VIDEOS and FICTION/NON-FICTION:

Most of the Dr. Seuss books and videos are now available through your local library. Of course you can always buy your own at a bookstore, yard or garage sale, by mail, etc.