Dr+Seuss+Comes+to+Town



“Look at me! Look at me! Look at me NOW! It is fun to have fun But you have to know how.” ― [|Dr. Seuss], [|The Cat in the Hat (Deluxe Edition)]

In this unit we will:
 * ==Explore what makes poetry different from other forms of writing==
 * ==Analyse the reasons for the popularity of his work with children and adults alike==
 * ==Investigate the life and works of Dr Seuss==
 * ==Explore the writing and illustrative style of Dr Seuss's books==
 * ==Produce a poster in the style of Dr Seuss==
 * ==Produce a children's vocabulary book (individually or in small groups) to be presented to Reception students.==

Why study Dr Seuss?
//"Dr. Seuss showed a respect for literature, poetry, and the essence of childhood that many other authors have failed or not come near enough to achieve."// Michelle Ossa

[[image:Seussville.jpg width="183" height="96" align="left" caption="Click to vist Seussville. Explore away." link="@http://www.seussville.com/?home#/home/"]]
Well, this website is a great reason to study Dr Seuss. Check it out for lots of information and activities about the most popular children's author of all time.

Visit this great Pinterest site for more chances to explore.

PADLET ACTIVITY - Share your reasons that you think people like Dr Seuss books.
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Who was Dr Seuss?
Using your fabulous research skills, investigate the life and work of Dr Seuss. //**Present this information in a Powerpoint, Prezi, or other presentation tool.**// Viewing the video here might help. There is also an excellent amount of BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIAL on the Seussville Website above - just follow the appropriate links.

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Now let's read and view some of Dr Seuss's most famous stories and poems.
First I will read to you //Hop on Pop// live in class. Pretend you are 3!!

Now for the famous //The Cat in the Hat.//

Now we will view the animation of //The Cat in the Hat//

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**Poetic Techniques used by Dr Seuss**

Although Dr Seuss stories and poems appear to be simple and childish, there are some wonderful poetic techniques that are used and that are worth us analysing. **METER: This is the Rhythm of a poem.** Dr Seuss is famous for his distinctive rhythm or beat. Without getting too technical, you should be aware of the number of SYLLABLES in the lines of the stories. Follow this link for a more detailed description of some of the Rhythmic devices used. https://literacymethods.wikispaces.com/Seuss **RHYME:** Here is a list of a few important Rhyming devices used by Dr Seuss. (from https://literacymethods.wikispaces.com/Seuss) From "Average Joe" the dog was blue standing with 1 shoe he looked at me kindly and asked "howdy do?" I said 1 I said 2 next thing I knew blue took a poo (within the lines there are rhymes as well as at the end of the lines) back to top
 * Internal Rhyme: rhyme within a line instead of just at the end[[image:Green eggs and ham.jpg align="right"]] **

 From "Bear's Bath" Splish, Splash, Sploosh, Splauch. Something is in the bath, oh gosh! back to top
 * Onomatopoeia: words that sound like what they are--"splash" sounds like water splashing **

 From "Bear's Bath" Where is bear? On a chair. Where is hare? Over there. back to top
 * Assonance: repeated vowel sound, in this case "air" **

 From "MugSmuggler" Sorting not by color, but by stank Stinky, Stinkier, stinkiest! The smellouraous he's gifted with super-sonic scent
 * Alliteration: several words that begin with the same sound **

Now it's your turn. **Making a Dr Seuss Poster** Dr Seuss set himself the challenge of writing poems and stories using a certain number of words. Your first CREATIVE TASK is to use the //**50 words from below**// (these are the words used in //The Cat in the Hat//) to write a Dr Seuss story or poem and then create a poster using this poem. The poster can be either in Digital or paper form


 * Summative Task**

Now we will bring it all together and produce an original Dr Seuss style Children's poem or story. //**Your task will be to work either individually or in groups of no more than THREE. You are to write, illustrate and publish a poem or story that will form part of our Anthology of Children's stories. Why not make your story into an Animation?**// //It is highly recommended that you establish a Google doc or some other online collaborative document to work on. This is fantastic if one of your group is absent or you need to work on the project together at home.// With luck we will then present these stories to a Reception class at the Junior School. Your group will read the story/poem to the Reception children.

**Due Date:** to be advised. As usual, your formal Assessment Task sheet will be emailed to you closer to the due date.



Our final part of this unit will be to view //How The Grinch Stole Christmas OR The Cat in the Hat// - just for fun!!