We started the week by focusing on rhyming pairs. We read a great rhyming book titled Rhyming Dust Bunnies by Jan Thomas (not Dr. Seuss, but we needed a book to compare and contrast words that rhyme/don't rhyme). After listening and identifying rhyming pairs throughout the story, we pulled out pairs of pictures from a bucket and decided if they were rhyming pairs or not. We discussed our ideas with our elbow buddies and then gave a thumbs up or thumbs down to show our understanding. Look at our thinking:
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After finding out his real name, how he came up with his pen name, where he is from, and how he became a famous author and illustrator, we wanted to read ALL of his books! I wish I could have bottled up the excitement that filled our room that day.
Since we didn't have time to read ALL of the books, we started with the classic- The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss (of course). Before reading this familiar story (or movie), we learned about two words: mischievous and responsible. After learning the meaning of mischievous, the kids had SO many examples of how they have been mischievous before. We also had examples of how we have been responsible, but they just weren't nearly as funny. :)
Throughout the story we identified characters and settings as well as the events throughout. We decided if the events and characters were mischievous or responsible as well.
After reading, the kids discussed the parts of the story and helped create this chart:
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The kids also completed a directed drawing of The Cat in the Hat which also was a huge challenge in practicing following directions. The drawings are absolutely adorable! They are currently on display in the hallway and these little artists have received so many compliments already!
We started the day by sharing about our favorite Dr. Seuss books while also practicing our questioning skills during our morning meeting. Then we learned our poem for the week called "The Cat in the Hat" and had lots of fun learning the motions and singing to the tune of "The Addams Family".
When we came back to the room, we spent the remainder of the morning visiting lots of Seuss stations!
Mystery Sense Hats
The kiddos used their sense of touch to reach into a mystery hat and describe what they felt. Before making a prediction, I gave them one special clue. The mystery object would be something Dr. Seuss wrote about in some of his books! Oooooh! They made a prediction and wrote or drew it on their recording page. Once everyone shared their predictions, the object was revealed and we recorded what we saw.
What was in our hats?
1. Beanie Baby Cat (inspired by The Cat in the Hat)
2. Sweedish Fish (inspired by One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish)
3. REAL Green Eggs and Ham (inspired by Green Eggs and Ham)
Here's the recording page I made to go with it:
The kinders LOVED turning themselves into a "thing" and writing about what they would do if they were a thing with Mrs. Roeschley. You can really tell they learned that the things from Dr. Seuss's story were very mischievous!
The cat is tired of wearing his red and white striped hat. Can you create a new hat for the cat? The kinders were SO excited to have a chance to give the Cat's hat a make-over with Ms. Robertson!
I think this was the overall favorite activity during our Seuss stations. Thanks to Ms. Laurie, the kiddos got to "Pin the Hat on the Cat" using the SMARTBoard. I heard lots of great math vocabulary being practiced like "on" "above" and "next to" after laughing and giggling about where their hat actually ended up!
There was so much fun, learning, and laughter going on today. Dr. Seuss would be proud!