The Cat in the HatBy: Dr. Seuss

Marybeth Leitch

As a class, we would first read the book and discuss words that rhyme and why they rhyme. Then as a class we would put together a rhyming wall with different words that we found in the book, The Cat in the Hat.

1st GRADE CLASS

Next, students would practice their hand writing and new found knowledge on rhyming words and create a hat with rhyming words on it that resembles the hat that the cat wore during the book.

1st GRADE CLASS

The last activity that our class would complete that includes phonics, writing development and alphabet awareness would be making a Cat in the Hat ABC book. Each student would get a letter in the class. That student will have to create a sentence using a word that begins with that specific letter. All the students will have to use the sentence stem. ____ is for ___________. Then students will have to think of a word that rhymes with the letter they just came up with. For example, if I did C is for Cat . My next sentence would be, Cat rhymes with Sat. This activity will help students focus on writing development such as capital letters, punctuation and finger spacing. It will reiterate and make students aware of the beginning letter sounds corresponding to alphabet letter given to them and makes them think of rhyming words.

1st GRADE CLASS

1. Does the book tell an interesting story?

This book is a very basic read. I would say it does not tell the most interesting story because the setting does not change or the characters, but for this age group it tells about a fun day in the house while it is raining and cold outside.

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2. Is the story appropriate for the intended age range and does it appeal to them?

I believe this book is appropriate for the age group of 3-7 year olds depending on the level of their reading. This book has lots of rhyming words in it with a sing song type read which will help beginning readers. This book appeals to males and females and would be a good book for readers to read on their own or with a partner for comprehension and fluency.

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3. Is the book well-written?

This book has lots of rhyming words in it. It is an upbeat book and perfect for beginner readers. This book is well- written for the intent of reading fluency and easy reads for young children.

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4. Is the theme worth conveying to children?

I believe the theme of this story and what I would talk about with my students after reading the book would be honesty with parents, adults and peers. At the end of the book the children do not know if they should tell their mother of the wacky things that went on with the Cat in the Hat. It asks the reader what they would do. I would discuss being honest with the mother and how we always need to be honest and trusting towards each other. Another theme I would say that is involved in this story is that with imagination and attitude you can have fun doing anything. Students now a days get bored easily because they are spoiled with technology and I think students need to learn how to entertain themselves rather than relying on technology.

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5. Is the plot well-constructed?

The plot of this story is not well- constructed because it’s more of an easy read rather than a main plot. The plot includes Cat bringing a cheerful, exotic form of chaos to a household of two young children, brother and sister, one rainy day while their mother leaves them unattended. The Cat performs all sorts of wacky tricks to amuse the children, with mixed results.

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6. Are the characters convincing and credible, and do they grow and change from their experience?

The main character is the title of the story, The Cat in the Hat. Then there are two children, Sally and a boy that remains unknown who is the author of the story. Characters also in the story are the Fish and the Things. The characters do not change from their experience. The Cat in the Hat performs exotic tricks to entertain the children while the Fish keeps reminding the children to not take part in these antics.

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7. Is the dialogue natural and suited to the characters in the story?

The dialogue is natural and suited for the characters in the story. Again this story has beginning level vocabulary and rhyming words in it. The dialogue comes from the Cat, Children and Fish. The Cat continues to talk to the children in a natural way and the children respond. This would be a great book to also discuss dialogue and what the importance of it in a book to young readers.

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8. If there are illustrations in the book, do they add significantly to the text, and vice versa?

The book has illustrations on every page. They do add significance to the text because it makes the book more exciting by showing the cat with a stripped hat on his head. The book shows illustrations of all the wacky activities the cat takes part in and makes it more engaging for the readers. On page 16, the cat is showing the children all the stuff he can hold while standing on a ball. I believe this illustration definitely adds to the text because the children can actually see all the objects and how the cat is balancing. Children can also see the facial expressions or emotions on the children’s faces.

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9. Does the story avoid sex, race or other stereotypes?

The story does not include any sex, race or other stereotypes.

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10. Does the author know much about the location/ time period/people/subject he/she is writing about?

The location of the story is in the children’s home during the day while their mother is out. This book is an easy read and does not include a main subject other than the exotic cat entertaining the children for the day.

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