Stripe It Up With Seuss And Show Me A Pattern!

Let’s face it, when you have a lot of little munchkins and not a whole lot of time to get assessments done, it’s nice to be able to do some whole-group activities with your students, so that you can see at a glance who has the concept and who is still struggling.

An effective, as well as fun way to do this, is by making the assessment into a hands-on activity.  To assess patterning, run off my stripe template on a variety of colored construction paper and then laminate.

There are 20 stripes per sheet, so if you have 25 students in your class, you will need 5 pieces of each color, so they can make an ABAB pattern and fill their hat.

I like to use every color, as being able to recognize colors is a report card standard for the Y5’s. I can use this game as a “teachable moment” to hold up different colored stripes and have students say the colors in English, Sign Language, as well as Spanish.

Laminate the construction paper and then cut out the strips using a paper cutter.  If you want to keep colors organized keep them in plastic baskets.

This also helps students practice sorting and several life skills, or you can opt to dump them all into plastic shoe boxes and set one on each table.

Run off the Seuss hat on white construction paper, laminate and cut out.  Tell students that you want them to show you various patterns using the stripes.

Explain to them that the white stripe will always be one of the color stripes.  This will help expedite the game.  Call out a pattern that you want the children to show you such as ABAB.

The students pick up 4 stripes of one color and place them on their hat: red-white-red-white etc. Other patterns I assess:  ABCABC -  ABBA  &  AABBAABB. You look around the room and see that everyone has it correct and help strugglers.

If you want to have a sample to show students one that is done correctly, run off extra copies of the hat and color in the various patterns, or put magnet strip on the back of the hat and strips and demonstrate on the white board.  I've also included a spinner and tally sheet if you want to make this into an independent game.

Children play with 2-4 players taking turns spinning the Cat In The Hat spinner.  Whatever pattern they land on they stripe their hat and make a tally on their "I Can Pattern How About That!" sheet.  Play continues 'tl the timer rings.  Teacher walks around to check and see how everyone is doing.

After the game, pass out copies of the hat for students to cut out and color whatever pattern and colors that are their favorites.

Remind them that the stripes no longer have to be white and could even be rainbow-colored.  Students write their name on the brim.

To help strengthen finger muscles, students can also do a rip & tear Dr. Seuss Hat. For a nice variety, allow students to choose whatever colored construction paper stripes they want.

Click on the link to view/download Dr. Seuss Hat Patterning Activity

When everyone is done, give them a "Hats Off To You!" Cat in the Hat bookmark.  Click on the link to view/download the Dr. Seuss Cat in the Hat bookmark.

Do you have a patterning tip you’d like to share?  I’d enjoy hearing from you.  diane@teachwithme.com or feel free to comment here especially if you use one of my ideas.   Thanks in advance.

Seuss-tastic!

Even though I’m celebrating a theme day like Dr. Seuss’ birthday or  doing something special for March is Reading Month like having a Cat in the Hat Day, I still nail all of my report card standards.

I simply design things with that particular theme.  To say I LOVE doing that is an understatement!  There is just not enough time in the day to make all of the ideas, nor was there ever enough time in the day to get in all of the activities I wanted to do with any of the grade levels I taught!

You may have found it difficult to find things to teach those tough 3-D shapes.  Me too, so I designed  Dr. Seuss: The Case Of Cat’s Missing Hat.  Can you imagine what he’d say if we stuck a beach ball sphere hat on his head?

Hopefully your students will giggle at the craziness, as they trace and then write the words, figuring out that the cat’s hat is a cylinder and the March wind blew it away.

I’ve included word and picture cards so students can make an Itty Bitty booklet.  Print off extra copies (words on one color, pictures on another) to make Memory Match games easier to play.

Laminate them for something fun to do when students complete tasks.  Click on the link to view/download Dr. Seuss: The Case Of Cat’s Missing Hat

If you’re looking to make some awesome Dr. Seuss 3-D shapes the Truffula tree has a cylinder trunk and a sphere top.  I would love to visit Mrs. Lodge’s library to see her lovely Truffula trees.

She made them from inexpensive pipe insulation and tissue paper.  Click on the link for her step-by-step directions.  Dr. Seuss Day Truffula trees.

I also made a flat-shape Cat in the Hat - Dr. Seuss booklet.  I think your little ones will enjoy Cat On A Shape.

Students also trace and write the shape words and then color the shapes.

When everyone is done, read the booklet as a whole group to reinforce concepts of print.

This packet includes a Dr. Seuss hat art extension.  Students design their own Cat in the Hat hat.  Brainstorm with your students what words rhyme with hat and write all of the At Family words on the board.

Students can include them on their hat.  To really make these a keepsake, enlarge their school photo, cut them into ovals and have students glue their hats as if they are tipping them.

Your bulletin board caption:  Tipping Our Hats To Good Readers!  Hats off to you and all of your efforts in helping to make reading extra special and fun during March is Reading Month!

Click on the link to view/download Dr. Seuss: Cat On A Shape packet.

Be sure and pop back tomorrow for more fun!

I hope you and yours have a delightful Dr. Seuss Day!

1-2-3 Come Do Some Seuss Activities With Me

The Cat in the Hat’s hat seems to be the most recognized symbol for Dr. Seuss.

I like using it for a variety of activities during a Dr. Seuss is on the Loose celebration. If you want to make a quick and easy 3-dimensional stovepipe hat out of a paper plate and construction paper Click on the link. Dr. Seuss Hat

Why not have students design a new Dr. Seuss hat. Instead of stripes, why not stars or polka dots?  Run off my template on white construction paper and tell students that the sky’s the limit.

They’ll make a cute bulletin board. Click on the link for Dr. Seuss hat template. I LOVE dressing up for theme days and make my own costumes via a trip to the Good Will, + some felt, no sew glue and a bottle of puffy paint.

You can easily slap on a character to a jumper, blazer or vest. I found some cute costume ideas, including this adorable little girl who is truly a cat IN the hat at Mom’s Best Nest.

Click on the link to check them out. Dr. Seuss Day Costume Ideas.

Dr. Seuss certainly colors our world with whimsy!

To help you review colors and reinforce color word recognition, you’ll enjoy The Colors Of Seuss On The Loose.

This 4-on-a-page mini booklet, features some of Seuss’ most colorful characters like the brightly colored yellow Sneeches.

Students read the simple sentences, trace and then wrtie the color words.

There’s a color version as well as a black and white template so that students can color the Grinch green and the Lorax orange etc.

The packet includes color words and Seuss hats so your students can make Itty Bitty booklets as well as play Memory Match games. Two graphs provide math extensions.

Click on the link to view/download The Colors of Seuss On the Loose Booklet

Dr. Seuss’s My Many Colored Days is the perfect book to read to accompany this activity. It’s one of my all-time favorite Seuss books.

Because it’s about colors as well as feelings, I designed My Seuss-Hat Feelings Booklet.

This is also a 4-on-the-page mini booklet to save on paper when printing and features a blank-faced cat so that students can fill in his emotions.

This is a great writing prompt booklet that will help reinforce the use of adjectives and description as well as review color words and how they are associated with emotions.

Jamie Lee Curtis’ book Today I Feel Silly as well as Glad Monster Sad Monster are also great “Feelings” books with fabulous use of color and make nice comparison contrast stories.

Books are a great vehicle to explain this concept to children and introduce them to Venn diagrams, as well as give them more experience with graphing.

I’ve included 2 Venn diagrams, 2 graphing extensions + an assessment tool in this packet.

I truly believe that “Children don’t care how much you know ‘til they know how much you care.” Little ones have more going on in their young lives than we realize.

Giving this easy assessment every few months can really be an eye-opener for you.  Children are not always as happy as they seem.

Click on the link to view/download My Seuss-Hat Feelings packet.

Scroll down for more Dr. Seuss activities.  Whether you’re celebrating Dr. Seuss’ birthday or planning a Cat in the Hat day, I hope it’s simply purrrr-fect!   

Launch March Is Reading Month by setting up a quick and easy TV tray - table center.

I picked up my wooden TV tray tables at a garage sale for only $3.00.

They are perfect to set up a small center for students to stamp at or pick up supplies to do a quick project and are great space savers because they take up very little room, and fold up nicely for storage.

These Dr. Seuss “Thing 3” Banner-Bookmarks are sure to become a cute keepsake. You can either print off color copies or use the black and white template and have students color their own.

Make up your own sample ahead of time, to show children the appropriate colors.

Cut students’ school pictures into ovals and lay them out on the TV tray along with pre-cut construction paper, a glue stick, a hole punch, and 18 inch strips of red, white or blue 1/8^th wide ribbon.  You can also use yarn.

Students can hang them on their doorknob or use them as a bookmark.

If you’re putting up a March is Reading Month bulletin board, these make an adorable boarder, or scatter them kitty whompus on a black background with the caption: Reading’s The Thing In ________________’s Room.  Come Read Along With Us!

Click on the link to view/download Dr. Seuss Thing 3 Banner-Bookmark