Lesson Plans for Dr. Suess Unit
Focus on Phonemic Awareness
Stage 1: Objective based on SLEs / The learner will:
  • explore the connection with between letters and letter combinations (graphemes) and sounds (phonemes) by identifying sound words, or onomatopoeia, in texts they hear (or read) and matching words to sounds they hear.
  • explore a variety of strategies to spell the sound words that they associate with sounds they've heard.

Stage 2: Assessment Evidence / - Observation
- Participation
- Rubric for Project: Poster : Words That Make Sounds
Stage 3: Learning Plan / Instruction and Activities
Letter and Sound Recognition
  1. Read Mr. Brown Can MOO! Can You? to students to familiarize them with the story before you begin looking for examples of sound words. Allow time for discussion of the book, and to answer any questions students have.
  2. Once you've read and discussed the book, explain that you're going to read the book again and look for examples of sound words. You'll also think about the reasons that Dr. Seuss used the words he did.
  3. Read the first page of Mr. Brown Can MOO! Can You? Ideally, students should be able to see the text as you're thinking aloud. If class size makes it difficult for everyone to see what you're reading, photocopy the page and make an overhead transparency for students to look at, or use the below PDF version of the text of the first page.
  4. Demonstrate how to find and think about the purpose of the sound words using that page as an example:
Think Aloud: Most of these lines just describe Mr. Brown and what he can do. Mr. Brown can make wonderful sounds, and one of the sounds is just "like a cow." The sound words are "Moo Moo." Dr. Seuss could have just said "He can go like a cow," but instead, Dr. Seuss adds the line "He can go Moo Moo." Without the "Moo Moo," I'd have to guess what sounds Mr. Brown makes. Cows make noises other than mooing — they could make a noise when they're running, they could make a sound when they're chewing, and they could make a noise when they're eating or getting a drink of water. If Dr. Seuss didn't say exactly which word it was, we'd have to guess.
Sound Word and Purpose: The word "Moo"on the first page of Dr. Seuss's book uses sound words to make it clear exactly what sounds both Mr. Brown and a cow make.
  1. Answer any questions students have about sound words before reading the rest of the book.
  2. As you read the book, pause on every other page. This lets you focus on two-page spreads (for instance, pages 2 and 3, pages 4 and 5, and so forth). Ask students to help you locate the sound words on the two-page spreads.
  3. Once you've read through the book, display the list of sound words on the board on white paper, or on an overhead projector. Alternately, you might make an overhead using the last two pages of the book.
  4. With students, examine the list and identify what things make each sound. Partially, students will be demonstrating memory by recalling the item in the book that makes the sound, but they might also brainstorm alternate items that make the sounds. For instance, the sound "Boom! Boom!" in the book is associated with thunder. However that sound might also be someone beating on a big drum.
After you've identified all the words in the book, play with sounds in the classroom that you can identify and add to the list. For instance, does the heater or fan in your classroom make a noise? What about the windows or door? Is there a sound when you drag a chair across the floor? Have students as a whole group think of things that make sounds in the classroom and then create words that capture those sounds.
9. The students will use the digital camera to take pictures of things in the classroom. Print the pictures, and allow the students to paste them on the poster board. During shared writing, allow the students to assist in writing the correct ontemontepea for each picture, ex. Paper – scrunch; pencil – snap.
Resources & Materials /
PDF version for Mr. Brown can MOO! Can You
A list ofsample sound words may help you get started with ontemontepea.
Rubric for Making A Poster.doc

Lesson Plans
Stage 1: Objective based on SLEs / The learner will:
  • Given a flip book with preprinted final sounds, students will write the initial sounds of rhyming words on left side flip pages.
  • Using flip books, students will recognize rhyming words have the same final sound but different initial sounds.

Stage 2: Assessment Evidence / - Observation
- Participation
- checklist
Stage 3: Learning Plan / Initial and final sounds
Introduce the lesson by asking the children to give examples of rhyming words. Students may give examples of words, books, songs or a definition. Discuss the concepts of initial and final sounds. Review with the class that rhyming words have the same final sounds but different initial sounds.
Development/Procedure:
Students can work independently for this activity. Instruct children to put everything away except for a marker and pencil. Distribute a piece of paper and one flip book to each student and ask them to set it aside. Read Hop on Pop by Dr. Seuss to the entire class. After reading, ask students to provide examples of words from the book which had the same final sound but different initial sounds. Initial sounds may be single letter or blends. Record students words on chart paper. Ask children to look at their flip books. The right side should have a final sound preprinted. Using the final sound on his/her book, instruct students to make a list, on a piece of 8 1/2 X 11 piece of paper of all words they can think of with that particular final sound. Once the list is complete, children will underline the initial sounds of each word. Then transfer each initial sounds to a separate page of the flip book. Once everyone has completed his/her book, ask students to share their books with the class.
Closure: Review initial and final sounds with the class. Provide the class with two rhyming words and ask what the difference between them is. Select a final sound next. Call on a student to make two words using the ending provided by the teacher. Repeat until all endings from Hop on Pop have been used. Once children has provided examples, he or she may put supplies away.
Resources & Materials /

Stage 1: Objective based on SLEs / The learner will:
  • match rhyming words while in the Cat in the Hay rhyming center.
  • Sing the Cat in the Hat song in unison.

Stage 2: Assessment Evidence / - Observation
- Participation
Stage 3: Learning Plan / Rhyming
1. Read aloud while using the below fingerplay
Fingerplay-(make 5 tiny hats for fingers)
One little cat on a sunny day
Put on his hat and went out to play
Two little cats when it started getting dark
Put on their hats and went to the park.
Three little cats when the sky was blue
Put on their hats and went to the zoo.
Four little cats by the kitchen door
Put on their hats and went to the store.
Five little cats on a sunny day
Put on their hats and they all ran away.
2. Shared Reading- Allow students to chorally read and ask them to find the rhyming words.
3. During Planning time: Make a pattern of a hat and one of a cat. Make many copies of each.
4. On the cat cut-outs you may wish to write the words - play, cat, man, gown, two, sunny, said, fear, ball, say, pot, you, hall, hook, cake, mat, go, fox, now, bump, yes, so, fish , sit, you, and hot. On the hat cut-outs you may wish to write - day, do, all, bit, jump, hat, rake, how, dish, away, funny, that, fan, head, not, know, box, look, down, hear, to , mess, no, wall.
5. During Center time: Now you need to laminate all of the cards and place them in an envelope. You now have a rhyming center! The children place the hat on the correct cat! (NOTE: You can make your own or get our CD # 3 It has this Rhyme Center - this includes everything you need for a Cat in the Hat rhyming center. Student matches the two rhyming hats at the center. This also includes a center sheet for the student to complete after the center.(K-2)
6. At the end of the day: Sing the Cat in the Hat Song
Have you ever seen a "cat" in a "hat"? (clap clap)
Have you ever seen a "cat" in a "hat"? (clap clap)
No I've never,
No I've never,
No I've never,
No I've never, ever seen a "cat" in a "hat"? (clap clap)
Optional: You could do the rhyme above in the pocket chart using rhymes that the children brainstorm (ex. Have you ever seen a whale in a pail?). Then illustrated a class book using some of their rhymes.
Resources & Materials /