Dr. Seuss Biography

Introduction

Dr. Seuss BiographyDescription:With Dr. Seuss' birthday coming up, you will work with a partner and use the internet to research information on the famous author and illustrator to create a biography.Grade Level:Second gradeCurriculum:English/ Language ArtsKeywords:Dr. Suess, Biorgraphy, Internet, Research, Books, Birthday, Second Grade                IntroductionCelebrating birthdays is always fun and exciting!  Do you love celebrating birthdays? Famous author and illustrator, Theodor Seuss Geisel better known as Dr. Seuss, has a birthday coming up!    In honor of his birthday, you will research information about Theodor Seuss Geisel, the creator of the Dr. Suess books.  You already know about all of his books, now you are going to learn more about the  person who created them. 

Task

We have already talked about what a biography is.    You and a partner are going to use resources on the internet to write a biography of Theodor Seuss Geisel! 

Process

STEP 1 (Monday):   You and your partner will choose a roll of either being the reader, or the writer.   If you choose to be the reader, you will read all the information and say it out loud to your partner. If you choose to be the writer, you will write down the information your partner has read to you.    STEP 2 (Monday): You and your partner will examine the following questions on Theodor Seuss Geisel:  

  1. When was Theodor Seuss Geisel born?
  2. Where was Theodor Seuss Geisel  born?
  3. When did Theodor Seuss Geisel die?
  4. What was Theodor Seuss Geisel's first published book?
  5. What jobs did Theodor Seuss Geisel have?
  6. Who did Theodor Seuss Geisel  give credit to for his ability and desire to create rhymes?
  7. What made Theodor Seuss Geisel start going by the name of "Dr. Seuss?"
  8. What were some other accomplishments of Theodor Seuss Geisel?
  9. What other information makes Theodor Seuss Geisel special?

 STEP 3 (Tuesday): Visit the website about Theodor Seuss Geisel and click on the first link labeled "Timeline." http://www.seussville.com/#/author  * In order to move from event to event, click on each balloon then hit the [X] on the top right of the photo and move onto the next balloon* You may also find information on this website about Theodor Seuss Geisel: 

http://www.catinthehat.org/history.htm

  STEP 4 (Wednesday): You will locate the information needed for the biography. *  But remember your roles!  * If you are the reader, for this step you will locate the information.  STEP 5 (Thursday):  You will be using the information you found to answer the questions from Step 2.  If you are the reader, you will read the information for the biography out loud to help the writer answer questions. If you are the writer, you will write the answers to the questions from Step 2.  Your response to these questions will be used to form the biography. STEP 6 (Friday): Now you and your partner will work together and use the information you noted to create your biography of Theodor Seuss Geisel.   

Evaluation

-Does not use complete sentences.-Addresses only a few of the questions.-There are many spelling, punctuation, and capitalization mistakes.-Does not use the correct source of information.        -Uses some complete sentences.-Addresses some of the questions.-There are some spelling, punctuation, and capitalization mistakes.-Uses some of the correct sources of information.  

 

-Uses mostly complete sentences.-Addresses most of the questions.   -There are few spelling, punctuation, and capitalization mistakes.  -Uses most of the correct sources of information.

 -Uses complete sentences.-Addresses all of the questions.-There are no spelling, punctuation,and capitalization mistakes.-Uses all of the correct sources of information.

Conclusion

You have completed your biography on Theodor Seuss Geisel!  You know a lot of information on this famous author and illustrator.  You have learned how to create a biography through working with a partner to visit websites on the internet and gather information.  You learned how to use the information gathered and connect it with a set of questions in order to form a biography. You are now aware of the steps to take when it comes to creating a biogrpahy in the future.  This assignment can be adjusted for biographies of many authors.   Now that you have completed your biography, visit Dr.Suess' website to find lots of super cool games, activities, videos, books, and information on all the characters! http://www.seussville.com

Credits

All artwork is copyrighted by Theodor Seuss Geisel.

All of the Dr. Seuss images were copied from the Dr. Suess website, Seussville.  

http://www.seussville.com

 

Teacher Page

Before this assignment, I had no idea what a WebQuest was.  I think WebQuests are a fun way to get all students to engage with an assignment.  However, they take a lot of time and planning to create.  I liked the idea of creating a whole lesson based around the guidelines of a WebQuest. 

I felt a biography on Dr. Suess was a beneficial lesson for second grade because most classes spend about a week or so celebrating Dr. Seuss’ birthday.  With this lesson, students will get to learn not only about the famous author and illustrator himself, but also how to create a biography on their own. 

Having the questions to answer will help lead students into the project.  By the time they finish researching the information to answer the questions, they will have their biography ready to write.  I also believe this broken down, step-by-step process to following with colorful images and interesting web links will keep students with varied exceptionalities engaged.  Having them work with partners will also allow students to keep focused on the project.

The websites and links provided for this lesson are also easy and fun to navigate.  In my opinion, the WebQuest allows for better organization and will cause less confusion for all students. 

WebQuest created by: Selena Murray