Celebrate Dr. Seuss and Read Across America Day!
from NCTE INBOX 2-28-06

Better known to most readers as Dr. Seuss, Dr. Theodor Geisel was born 102 years ago this week. Mark his birthday with NEA's Read Across America, the largest reading event in the United States, by celebrating with read aloud, read along, and reading marathon activities.

For background on the event and additional information, visit the ReadWriteThink Calendar Entry, and use the following activities to explore reading and celebrate Dr. Seuss with students:

• Reading Everywhere with Dr. Seuss (E)
  As they create a book modeled on the rhythm and rhyme of Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss, students discover all the special places they can read, in this ReadWriteThink lesson plan.
  
  
• Dr. Seuss's Sound Words: Playing with Phonics and Spelling (E)
  Focus on sound words from Mr. Brown Can Moo! Can You? with this lesson, which helps students develop spelling strategies by moving from phonemes (the sounds they make) to graphemes (the written representations of those sounds).
  
  
• "What Picture Books Do You Recommend for Use in the English Language Arts Classroom?" (M) from English Journal includes an activity based on Dr. Seuss's The Sneetches, which asks students to analyze the story and connect it to history, current events, and their own lives. The article includes additional ideas using books by other authors as well.
  
  
• Id, Ego, and Superego in Dr. Seuss's Cat in the Hat (S-C)
  Read Dr. Seuss's The Cat in the Hat to your secondary or college students to introduce psychoanalytical criticism. The simple examples in the book can then be applied to more sophisticated works that students read.