Dr.

Seuss Lesson Plan

Grade Level: 2 grade
st

Subject: English/Language Arts

Standards (KCCRS):
Grade 2 #6 - With guidance and support from adults, use a variety of digital tools to produce
and publish writing, including in collaboration with peers
Lesson Performance Objective:
Student will break into groups and use computers and Google Slides to create a collaborative
poem based on the works of Dr. Seuss. Students will then share their portion of the poem with
the class.
Materials:
Computers with Internet access (one for each group of children)
Access to Google Slides
Cards with a single line of a Dr. Seuss story enough for each child
Pencil and paper for each child

Background Knowledge required

Dr. Seuss book and poem knowledge
Understanding of rhyming scheme
Reading and Writing and Typing skills
Basic Computer skills
How to research
How to judge images
Comprehension of material
Collaboration and communicating with a peer

Student Grouping(s)
Whole group
Small Group - discussion of quotes
Guided practice - Split students up into pairs
Closure - whole group staying with partners

THE PLAN
Anticipatory Set: (The HOOK)
1. Click on the Powerpoint file on the computer labeled Dr. Seuss. The first six slides have
a random line from a Dr. Seuss story. Underneath each have three multiple choice
answers
2. Show the class the first slide
3. Have students discuss with a shoulder partner what they think the answer is to each of
the slides. (Give them around 30 seconds for this)
4. While they are discussing the answer with a partner walk around the room and ask
random groups what they think the answer is and why they think that way.
5. Go to the second slide and again have them discuss what the answer is with their
shoulder partner. (Make sure to walk around again and ask new sets of partners)
6. Do the same for slides three through six and again allow time for discussion with a
shoulder partner
7. Slide by slide starting with slide one read off the answers and have the groups of
shoulder pairs hold up their hands for which answer they thought was correct.
8. Reveal to the class that all of the slides answers were Dr. Seuss
9. Ask class to hold up their hands if they have ever read Dr. Seuss.
Introduce the Lesson:
So, today we are going to be working with a partner to create an original four line poem that
sounds like Dr. Seuss. We will be creating these poems on Google Slides and combining them
all into one giant poem. We will also be sharing each groups poem with the whole class at the
end!

Instruction: STEP BY STEP going over dr seuss info and refresher on his
Modeling I do at end of instruction Write Dr. seuss stanza and adding picture Think aloud
throughout two check for understanding at end of instruction (watch them, KWL, ask
questions and have them discuss)
1. Pass out cards with different lines of Dr. Seuss stories on them to all students.
2. Have students pair up with someone with a different line on their card that they feel is
related to their card in some way, that they have not worked with before and have them
get a computer and move somewhere in the classroom that they normally do not sit.
3. Demonstrate and show students how to log into the shared Google Slide document that
you have created. Give each pair a number and tell them that will be the number on their
slide (Number 3-20)
4. On slide seven and eight of the Powerpoint will be general knowledge about Dr. Seuss
and highlights about what made his work unique. Talk to students about his career and
how very far reaching his books are today.
5. Ask your students what they remember about Dr. Seuss and his poetry and what makes
it different from other childrens book authors. Make sure to highlight the way he tended
to write poems in a four stanza pattern, with a rhyme scheme of ABCB, which means
that the second and fourth lines end in words that rhyme with each other and the first
and third ending words are different. Or you can tell the class the you could use a
different rhyming scheme of AABB where the first two lines rhyme and the second set of
lines rhyme at the end.Make sure to share with the class that often time when he was
stuck Dr. Seuss would often make up words as well.
6. Instruct students that they will be creating their own rhyme based on two that you have
created in the Dr. Seuss style
7. Tell them that it needs to be four lines with the last word on the second and fourth lines
rhyming
8. Tell them that they need to include a picture of either a Dr. Seuss creature or something
that is appropriate for their rhyme
9. Go to the first slide of the Google Slide document that students have pulled up and on
the first slide should be the poem Young cat! If you keep Your eyes open enough, Oh,
the stuff you will learn! The most wonderful stuff! The more that you read, The more
things you will know. The more that you learn, The more places youll go. On the slide
will also be a picture that ties into the poem which will be a cat on a road.
10. Tell the class that you will now demonstrate to the class how they should be constructing
their own poem when it is time to work on it.
11. While you are looking at the next slide start talking to your class about what thought are
going through your head while you try to think of a poem to tie in with the previous line
12. Ask out loud to yourself what the previous slide was about and answer that it was talking
about reading and learning taking you places in your mind. I think of sitting down and
reading a good book, but I will also tell the class that I feel like the young cat in the first
part of the poem is resistant to reading so I will write the line Young cat, listen! Just
open a book!
13. Then talk to the class about how very strongly you feel that the young cat should just
open a book by coming up with the line It would be so amazing if youd only just peek!
 14. After writing it talk to them about how you decided to use the AABB rhyme sequence but
you notice that the last two words of the first two lines don't rhyme. After trying to think of
synonyms for peek for a moment suddenly strike on the work look and replace peek
with it.
15. Talk to your students about how now you feel like making up words like Dr. Seuss.
However you also want to talk about your personal feelings of being swept away and
meeting new people in the books you read so write the line The scramptious,
fantabulous people youd meet,
16. Then discuss with your students how you want to wrap up your poem reminding them
that it has to rhyme on the last word as well. Talk to them about you imagine that all the
characters in your books live in the same street on your library shelf and use that as a
reference point in your final line In stories while sauntering right down the street.
17. Then talk to your students about adding in a picture and go to Google and type in Dr.
Seuss creature under the image search and click search. Talk to them about how you
are looking for an illustration directly from a Dr. Seuss book, but they are allowed to use
any picture they want as long as it relates to what they are talking about in their poem
and is appropriate for school.
18. Check for understanding by asking students questions about the project that they are
going to be doing. Ask the what the requirements are for their part of the project. Ask
them to tell you what the parameters of the assignment are (rhyme scheme, number of
lines, picture stipulations)
19. After going over it have your students hold up numbers in their hands, five being they
understand it fully and a closed fist meaning that they do not understand. Ask any
student with a two or less and ask them what they are unclear on and clarify their
questions for them.

Guided Practice:
1. Tell students that before they get to work on their own they now have to work with you
as a class to help you create one more piece of the poem
2. Work with them and ask the what they think the lines of the poem should and ask them if
they think the lines that they create related to the other two that you created. Ask them
what they think the poem should be about and take many suggestions from the class
before starting to write the poem
3. Ask them whether the end of the second and fourth lines are the best rhyming words.
4. Ask students what picture that should be added into the slide and find it on Google and
add it in as long as it is appropriate.
Independent Practice:
1. Release students to work on their own.
2. Go over the criteria for the assignment one more time and then tell them to create a
poem on the number that you assigned earlier.
3. Give students 15-20 minutes to work on their slides
4. Walk around and check to make sure that students understand what they are working
on.
5. If students have any problems help them and guide them by reminding them of the
criteria, but do not give them the answer or help them with their poem.

Closure:
Class will now come back together as group but the partner pairs will still sit together
with their computer in front of them with their slide pulled up.
 Starting with the original slides with the teacher reading those have each group stand up
read their slide to the class with the partners of each group splitting up the lines of the
poem
Continue working your way through the slides until each group has had a chance to
present their four line poem to the class.
Talk to the class about the fact that although everyone came up with their own unique
poem with their partner, when they are combined together they somehow form an even
greater poem. Ask students to discuss why the think that is with their partner and then
choose 4-5 groups to share their answers.
Check for understanding- After all the students in your class have read their poem go
around the room and ask them questions and debrief them about what they liked about
the assignment, what they learned today and what the did not like or found challenging.

Assessment/Evaluation: *
To assess this project I will be looking to see whether each person in the group participated in
the share aloud. I will also look at each groups slide and evaluate it on whether it is a four line
poem with rhyming words at the end of the second and fourth lines. I will also be determining
whether they wrote it in the style of Dr. Seuss rather than another poet or author (using silly,
made up words, exciting tone). I will also look at the picture that students inserted into their
picture and decide whether it is an appropriate picture both in quality and how it relates to their
poem.

Post Lesson Reflection

What went well? Why?
What needs work? What will I do to improve the lesson?
What do I need to do in the next lesson? How will I get it done?
What special considerations are there, and how should I handle them?
Additional comments and thoughts: