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Teacher Activities to Go With Dr. Seuss Literature

Theodor Seuss Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss, was a poet, writer and cartoonist who wrote and illustrated more than 60 children's books. The imaginative rhymes, silly pictures and fun story lines have long made them a favorite with children. But these books are more than just entertainment; they can be used in the classroom as a teaching tool. The vocabulary, rhymes and pictures in these books inspire creativity and help youngsters better understand the concept of rhyming while expanding their vocabulary.
  1. Rhyming Practice

    • Explain to your students how Dr. Seuss books contain words that rhyme at the end of each sentence, perhaps even reading them a page or two from the book to help them better understand the concept. Tell the students they must come up with the rhyming word in the book. Continue reading the book but leave off the last word of each line or phrase. Have one student suggest what the word should be (it can be the one that is actually in the book or a different word). Have the next student do the same at the end of the next phrase.

    Place Mats

    • Dr. Seuss helps encourage youngsters to try new foods.

      After reading "Green Eggs and Ham" to the students, discuss how Sam helped encourage his friend to try something new. Even though his friend didn't think he would like green eggs and ham, he ended up loving them. Give each of your students a piece of construction paper and have them cut out magazine pictures of foods they like and don't like and glue them to the paper to make a place mat. Encourage them to use the pictures they have chosen as a reminder to give new foods a try.

    Balancing Games

    • Read "A Cat in the Hat" to your students. In one scene from book, the cat stands on a ball while balancing a great number of objects before crashing to the ground and making a huge mess. Have each student take a turn standing on one foot while holding out his hands. Have other students stack things in his hands for him to balance, such as a book, cup, paper plate, block, etc.

    Puzzles

    • Puzzles help students solve problems as well as improve hand-eye coordination.

      Puzzles encourage logical thinking, problem solving and hand-eye coordination. There are a number of colorful puzzles with pictures and rhymes from various Dr. Seuss books. Organize the students into groups, and have each group put together a puzzle while you read his stories aloud to them. See which group can put together their puzzle the fastest.

    Rhyming Cards

    • Make a set of 12 playing cards by gluing pictures to index cards. Each card should have a matching card with a rhyming picture. For example, a picture of a cat and a picture of a hat might make up one set of matching cards. Place all the cards, picture side down, on the desk. Each student takes a turn to flip two cards over. When the student finds two pictures of words that rhyme, the student has made a match. When all the cards are gone, the student with the most matching sets wins the game.

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