Read Across America

Dr. Suess Celebration

Kay Vonderschmidt kindergarten

The Cedar Bluffs kindergarten class celebrated Dr. Seuss’s birthday on Monday, March 3rd. Dr. Seuss would have been 104 years old on March 2nd. We celebrated Read Across America with several activities during center time. Our activities included stencil art, language, writing center, and math. They were all based on stories from the wonderful world of Seuss. Seussville, an interactive program had online games and activities at one of our centers. Monday afternoon we were invited to the 2^nd grade room to see some of our favorite characters and stories. Our sixth grade partners read to us and our 1^st grade friends at the end of the day.

Please enjoy our slideshow. Read Across America

I have included some information from the National Education Association Web site.

Dr. Seuss's Biography

A person's a person, no matter how small," Theodor Geisel, a.k.a. Dr. Seuss, would say. "Children want the same things we want. To laugh, to be challenged, to be entertained and delighted."

Brilliant, playful, and always respectful of children, Dr. Seuss charmed his way into the consciousness of four generations of youngsters and parents. In the process, he helped millions of kids learn to read.

Dr. Seuss was born Theodor Geisel in Springfield, Massachusetts, on March 2, 1904. After graduating from Dartmouth College in 1925, he went to Oxford University, intending to acquire a doctorate in literature. At Oxford, Geisel met Helen Palmer, whom he wed in 1927. Upon his return to America later that year, Geisel published cartoons and humorous articles for Judge, the leading humor magazine in America at the time. His cartoons also appeared in major magazines such as Life, Vanity Fair, and Liberty. Geisel gained national exposure when he won an advertising contract for an insecticide called Flit. He coined the phrase, "Quick, Henry, the Flit!" which became a popular expression.

Geisel developed the idea for his first children's book in 1936 while on a vacation cruise. The rhythm of the ship's engine drove the cadence to And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street.

During World War II, Geisel joined the Army and was sent to Hollywood where he wrote documentaries for the military. During this time, he also created a cartoon called Gerald McBoing-Boing which won him an Oscar.

The Cat in the Hat is born

In May of 1954, Life published a report on illiteracy among schoolchildren, suggesting that children were having trouble reading because their books were boring. This problem inspired Geisel's publisher, prompting him to send Geisel a list of 400 words he felt were important for children to learn. The publisher asked Geisel to cut the list to 250 words and use them to write an entertaining children's book. Nine months later, Geisel, using 220 of the words given to him, published The Cat in the Hat, which brought instant success.

Winner of the Pulitzer Prize in 1984 and three Academy Awards, Geisel authored and illustrated 44 children's books. His enchanting stories are available as audiocassettes, animated television specials, and videos.

While Theodor Geisel died on September 24, 1991, Dr. Seuss lives on, inspiring generations of children of all ages to explore the joys of reading.

(Courtesy of Random House.)

Tips for reading to young, school-age children

(Courtesy of Nebraska Education Association)

Your child has started school, but he still needs you to read to him at home. Your child will do better in school, and you'll enjoy the time spent together.

Here are helpful tips for reading to and with young children in school, kindergarten through third grade:

Keep reading to your child even when he can read. Read books that are too difficult or long for him to read alone.
Try reading books with chapters and talk about what is happening in the story. Encourage your child to make predictions about what will happen next, and connect characters or events to those in other books and stories.
Talk with your child about reading preferences that are beginning to develop. Ask whether she likes adventure stories, mysteries, science fiction, animal stories, or stories about other children. Encourage her to explain the reasons for preferences.
Talk with your child about favorite authors and help him find additional books by those authors.
Take turns reading a story with your child. Don't interrupt to correct mistakes that do not change the meaning.
Talk about the meaning of new words and ideas introduced in books. Help your child think of examples of new concepts.
Talk with your child about stories using the notions of the beginning, middle, and end of the story to organize thinking and discussion.
Ask your child to tell why a character might have taken a specific action. Ask for information from the story to support her answer.
Enjoy yourself and have fun. The most important thing you can do to help your child become a successful reader is communicate that reading is valuable and enjoyable.