Read Across America & Dr. Seuss Activities and Lesson Plans

To help you celebrate Dr. Seuss’ Birthday we have provided you with a variety of resources and interactive ideas that explore the world of Dr. Seuss. We have organized them by general activities, activities by various book titles and finally, general web sites. Enjoy!

Your creativity can help other teachers. Submit your Read Across America Day activity today. Don't forget to include additional resources-documents, web sites, or a photo.

This indicates resources located on The Teacher's Corner.

Read Across America was created by the National Education Association. Read Across America Day is held on the birthday of Dr. Seuss.

Read Across America Day occurs every year on:
March 2nd

Check our March Events Calendar for more important dates

General Dr. Seuss Activities

• General Activity Ideas Grades Any
  • Plan Seuss-themed snacks and food. Here are some ideas to get you started:
    • Green Egs and Ham (use food coloring)
    • Goldfish (any flavor)
    • Swedish Fish
    • Green M&M's
    • Who Hash
    • Roast Beast
    • Grinch Cupcakes
  • Bookmarks - Access the Educator Guide and printables section of the Random House web site. Use the images to create your own custom bookmarks.
  • Send Dr. Seuss a birthday card.
  • Write a poem in Dr. Seuss's honor.
  • Using various Dr. Seuss books, have students create a new endings.
  • Have a costume party...students dress as their favorite Dr. Seuss character.
  • Depending on the age of your students, create custom story frames to help them write their own version of the story.

• Dr. Seuss Book Reports Grades Various
  Provide your students the opportunity to share the favorite elements of a Dr. Seuss book. Below you will find report forms for the following elements: favorite character, favorite scene, the setting, the problem, and the solution.
  
• Dr. Seuss Author Study Grades Various
  Use various books and online resources to complete an author study. Learn about the man behind Dr. Seuss, Theodor Seuss Geisel. Where and when was he born? What was he like as a child? Where did he get his story ideas? Download and use the worksheet below.
• Compare & Contrast Grades Various
  Use this worksheet to help students compare and contrast up to three Dr. Seuss books.
• Favorite Seuss Book Graph Grades Various
  At the conclusion of your Dr. Seuss work, have your students vote for their favorite Dr. Seuss book. Use either paper/pencil or computer software to graph the class results. Download and use the worksheet below.
• Dr. Seuss Story Map Grades Various
  Students can use this worksheet for any of the Dr. Seuss books your class reads.
• Dr. Seuss Writing Prompt Grades Any
  March 2nd is “Read Across America Day” in honor of Dr. Seuss’ birthday.  Explain to a younger student why it’s important to learn how to read. Taken from our March daily writing prompts.

• Make custom "Read Across America" puzzles and worksheets Grades Any
  We have some premade Dr. Seuss word puzzles ready to go for these books:
  • One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish
  • Green Eggs and Ham
  • If I Ran the Zoo
  • McElligot's Pool
  You can find them on their perspective book areas below.
• Seuss Visualizing Grades Various
  Dr. Seuss stories lend themselves nicely to creative art projects. Depending on the age/ability of your students, select either part or all of a book to read aloud. While reading, do not show them the pictures. Instead, encourage them to visualize what you are reading and draw their own illustration. If you are reading one of the longer stories, you may want to give each student a different page to illustrate. Once students are done, display the illustrations and see if their classmates can guess which portion of the book they illustrated. We have provided a worksheet for you to use.
• Dr. Seuss Display
  Surround your favorite Dr. Seuss books with stuffed animals and a Seuss hat to create your display. Add a few glass pebbles and wire, metallic strings with stars and your display will be complete.
  
  Find some of your favorite Dr. Seuss quotes and print them. Mount them to colored paper and include them in the display. Here are a few Seuss quotes, and links to more at the bottom:
  
  • "Sometimes the questions are complicated and the answers are simple." - Dr. Seuss
  • "I meant what I said and I said what I meant." - Dr. Seuss (Horton Hatches the Egg)
  • "And will you succeed? Yes indeed, yes indeed! Ninety-eight and three-quarters percent guaranteed!" - Dr. Seuss (Oh, The Places You'll Go)
  • "Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting. So... get on your way." - Dr. Seuss (Oh, The Places You'll Go)
  • "Only you can control your future." - Dr. Seuss
  • "Oh, the things you can think up if only you try!" - Dr. Seuss (Oh, The Things You Can Think)
  More Dr. Seuss Quotes: Dr. Seuss Quotes and Top 10 Dr. Seuss Quotes

Activities by Book Title

• One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish
  We have a great goldfish graphing activity, one fish two fish vocabulary cards, word search puzzles and more.
  
  

• Green Eggs and Ham
  We have several activities for you including vocabulary cards w/activity ideas, a word search and word scramble, a lesson plan idea and more.
  
• The Cat in the Hat
  We have vocabulary, word puzzles, hat activities, poems, and more.
• My Many Colored Days
  We have a printable day organizer to list their feelings and colors, and sun catcher patterns for a colorful art display.
  
• If I Ran the Zoo
  We have several activities for you including vocabulary cards w/activity ideas, word puzzles, some vocab lists, and more.
  
• The Foot Book
  What is a Foot? Grades Various
  Provide each student with a copy of the worksheet provided. Have them go around the room and make a list of items they think are one foot in length. For homework, have the students take their paper home and find items around their house that are one foot in length. Once the students have their lists, they have use a ruler to actually measure the items. Depending on the age of your students, provide them with directions as to how close you would like them to be. (i.e. Have them put a + next to each item that they were within one inch on their estimate.)
  
  

• McElligot’s Pool
  We have several activities for you including vocabulary cards w/activity ideas, a word search and word scramble, a lesson plan idea and more.
  
• Fox in Socks
  Several activities include vocabulary, puzzles and a tounge twister activity
  
• Wocket in my Pocket
  Creature Creation Grades Various
  Students select one of the creatures from the story (ie: Wasket in your Basket) and draw their own interpretation. You can have students use either paper or digital software.
  
  Writing Extension Grades Various
  For several of the creatures it states the main character’s feelings about them. Using the worksheet provided, have students explain why he might have these feelings.

I Can Lick 30 Tigers Today! Grade 1
A lesson plan that uses a Dr. Seuss story to teach subtraction.

Websites

NEA: Cat's Birthday Grades Any
A Teacher Activity Guide from the NEA.

Seussville Grades Any
The official "Cat in the Hat" web site.

EMAIL us your favorite Read Across America Day Activity!