LEARN NC

K–12 teaching and learning · from the UNC School of Education

Who's Theodor Seuss Geisel?: Meet the real Dr. Seuss

Students will search internet resources, print and multimedia encyclopedias to research information on Dr. Seuss. Students will use a "Biography" template to document information, site resources, and write a simple biography report.

A lesson plan for grade 2 English Language Arts and Information Skills

By Amy Rhyne, Paulette Keys, and Sarah Carson

Learn more

  • Seussville Welcome to Dr. Seuss’s Seussville, an online environment inhabited by all the kooky characters from his well known books. Come on inside and learn all about who Dr. Suess really was and play all sorts of games with Thing 1 and Thing 2, Horton, the Cat in the Hat, and all of your other favorite Seuss friends.

Related pages

  • Strategy lesson: KWL: This lesson activates students' prior knowledge about famous North Carolinians and helps them organize thoughts and questions before they read biographies.
  • Beginning biography research: Encyclopedia research skills will be taught using biographies of famous people. This is one lesson in a collaborative unit taught by both the classroom teacher and the library media coordinator.
  • Resource recon: Teams of students will search for the answers to questions using various information resources. The questions will be in categories such as: biography, current events, historical events, geography, language. Besides competing for the fastest answer, the students will learn (1) how to use the resource effectively and (2) which resource is best for finding different types of information.

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Learning outcomes

Students will learn how to use multimedia encyclopedias, print encyclopedias, and internet sources to gather information on Dr. Seuss. They will also learn to paraphrase information for a report and cite sources for a simple bibliography. Students will use the collected information to write a simple report.

Teacher planning

Time required for lesson

2 weeks

Materials/resources

Technology resources

  • Computers with a word processing program, Internet and CD-Rom access
  • World Book Multimedia Encyclopedia or any appropriate K-2 level multimedia encyclopedia.
  • Overhead Projector
  • AverKey or Smart TV

Pre-activities

The Media Coordinator and the Classroom Teacher will work collaboratively on this lesson. Time will be scheduled according to the Media Center schedule and Classroom schedule. Students must have an AUP (Acceptable Use Policy) and Internet permission form on file before accessing internet sites and have knowledge of computer operation. Dr. Seuss websites may also be bookmarked for ease of retrieval. Students may be paired according to reading ability. A transparency of the Biography Template should be made. The information required for a bibliography should be determined. A sample bibliography template is included.

Activities

Week 1

Introduce students to Dr. Seuss in the Media Center by reading the biography Oh, The Places He Went: a Story About Dr. Seuss and using the AverKey or Smart TV to show students the various Internet sites about Dr. Seuss. The classroom teacher will read a Dr. Seuss book (a recommended list may be found in the Supplemental Resources section of this lesson plan) each day following the introduction in the Media Center.

Week 2

  • Day 1: Classroom Teacher and Media Coordinator will introduce the project on Dr. Seuss and discuss the definition of biography, copyright laws, acceptable use policy, print encyclopedias, multimedia encyclopedias, bibliography, paraphrasing, and research in the Media Center.
  • Day 2: Classroom Teacher and Media Coordinator will review the definitions from Day 1 then introduce the research form (biography template) to students in the classroom using an overhead projector. Each area should be discussed including the information the Media Coordinator and Classroom Teacher choose to require in a simple bibliography.
  • Day 3: Media Coordinator and Classroom Teacher review definitions from Day 1, and biography template from Day 2. A quick review will be given on the various Dr. Seuss Internet sites. Students then use the internet, multimedia encyclopedias and print encyclopedias to research Dr. Seuss sites and articles in the Media Center. Students will begin filling out the biography template.
  • Day 4: Students will complete the biography template in the Media Center and begin writing a rough draft of the Dr. Seuss report.
  • Day 5: Students will type the final report on Dr. Seuss in the classroom or Media Center.

Assessment

Classroom Teacher and Media Coordinator will assess student proficiency in the North Carolina Standard Course of Study goals listed in this lesson plan by using the attached Rubric.

Supplemental information

The following Dr. Seuss books and/or videos may be used:

  • And To Think That I Saw It On Mulberry Street
  • Horton Hatches the Elephant
  • Horton Hears A Who
  • The Sneetches
  • The Cat In the Hat
  • The Lorax
  • Hop On Pop
  • One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish
  • Mr. Brown Can Moo, Can You
  • I Can Read With My Eyes Shut
  • The Foot Book
  • Dr. Seuss’ A, B, C
  • Oh, the Places You’ll Go

Comments

This lesson plan works best with second graders who are reading on or above grade level and have knowledge of computer operation. The class we chose to participate in this lesson is a diverse group. The Classroom Teacher and I found that some students needed a buddy to read with them and help them understand the information. We also found that it worked best to assign students into groups and rotate them around the different areas (internet, print encyclopedia, multimedia encyclopedia) while researching information for the biography template. The students were allowed to type their biography on the computer.

The Media Coordinator is part of the “duty-free” schedule for Classroom Teachers. Therefore, this lesson had to be planned and taught around the fixed schedule in the Media Center.

In teaching this lesson again, we will probably use whole group instruction and then divide the students into small groups to work on the biography template in the Media Center as time allows. This lesson plan can be adapted for use with any author.

North Carolina curriculum alignment

English Language Arts (2004)

Grade 2

  • Goal 3: The learner will make connections through the use of oral language, written language, and media and technology.
    • Objective 3.02: Connect and compare information within and across selections (fiction, nonfiction, poetry and drama) to experience and knowledge.
    • Objective 3.03: Explain and describe new concepts and information in own words (e.g., plot, setting, major events, characters, author's message, connections, topic, key vocabulary, key concepts, text features).

Information Skills (2000)

Grade 2

  • Goal 4: The learner will EXPLORE and USE research processes to meet information needs.

  • Common Core State Standards

    • English Language Arts (2010)

      • Writing

        • Grade 2
          • 2.W.2 Write informative/explanatory texts in which they introduce a topic, use facts and definitions to develop points, and provide a concluding statement or section.