COURSE TITLE:
LIFE LESSONS FROM DR. SEUSS: KINDNESS IN THE K-5 CLASSROOM
NO OF CREDITS:
3 QUARTER CREDITS
[semester equivalent = 2.00 credits]
INSTRUCTOR:
LAWRENCE RZEZNIK, M.S.
845/226-8462
ldrez1@optonline.net
WA CLOCK HRS:
OREGON PDUs:
30
30
LEARNING ENVIRONMENT:
This course requires assignment responses to be posted in a password-secured ONLINE website hosted
by The Heritage Institute.
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
Dr. Seuss books, poems and movies have been used to entertain and teach reading to our youth for
decades. If one delves deeper into his works, Dr. Seuss used his literature to deliver valuable life lessons
as well. In The Lorax, for example, Dr. Seuss sends out the idea of environmentalism by describing our
place in the environment and how important it is to protect nature around us. Beyond environmentalism,
his works also touch upon the topics of being yourself, loving yourself, accepting others as they are, use
of imagination and reflection, outlooks on success, treating others respectfully, spirituality, changing
points of view, facing adversity, not bragging, as well as many other life concepts. Throughout this course
participants will look for the deeper meaning which can be found in the works of one of the most popular
childrenʼs authors.
Participants will dissect and explore how Dr. Seussʼ writings can be used to go beyond the standard
curriculum to help form their studentsʼ character and help mold their thinking for the rest of their lives.
LEARNING OUTCOMES:
Upon completion of this course, participants will:
1. Have a list of Dr. Seuss books and videos and identified which life lessons each demonstrates.
2. Understand and be able to communicate to students how these stories translate into life lessons in
their own lives.
3. Have created usable lesson plans from the Dr. Seuss material included in this course.
4. Have researched other texts/videos for content to use in the classroom and to use creating lesson
plans.
5. Have created hands-on activities that can be used across curriculum.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
Participants will complete assignments and post responses online to specific questions outlined for each
assignment. Completion of all specified assignments is required for issuance of hours or credit. The
Heritage Institute does not award partial credit.
HOURS EARNED:
Completing the basic assignments (Section A. Information Acquisition) for this course automatically earns
participants their choice of 30 Washington State Clock Hours or 30 Oregon PDUs. The Heritage Institute
is an approved provider of Washington State Clock Hours and Oregon PDUs.
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UNIVERSITY QUARTER CREDIT INFORMATION
REQUIREMENTS FOR UNIVERSITY QUARTER CREDIT
Continuing Education Quarter credits are awarded by Antioch University Seattle (AUS). AUS requires
75% or better for credit at the 400 level (Upper Division) and 85% or better to issue credit at the 500 level
(Post-Baccalaureate). These criteria refer both to the amount and quality of work submitted.
1. Completion of Information Acquisition assignments
30%
2. Completion of Learning Application assignments
40%
3. Completion of Integration Paper assignment
30%
CREDIT/NO CREDIT
Antioch University Seattle (AUS) Continuing Education (CE) Quarter credit is offered on a Credit/No
Credit basis; neither letter grades nor numeric equivalents are on a transcript. 400 level credit is equal to
a “C” or better, 500 level credit is equal to a “B” or better. This information is on the back of the transcript.
AUS CE quarter credits may or may not be accepted into degree programs. Prior to registering determine
with your district personnel, department head or state education office the acceptability of these credits.
ADDITIONAL COURSE INFORMATION
COURSE MATERIAL and/or TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS:
You will need high-speed (DSL) Internet access in order to easily view online resources. Some of the
reading materials may be provided in the online course environment as PDF documents, a format
readable by computers with Adobe Acrobat Reader. You may download a free copy of Acrobat Reader
from our website, if it is not already on your computer.
REQUIRED TEXT
Building Character in Schools: Practical Ways to Bring Moral Instruction to Life by Kevin Ryan and Karen
Bohlin, 1999; approximately $22 from Amazon.
OR
Character Under Attack: & What You Can Do About It by Carl Sommer, 2005; approx $12 from Amazon.
GETTING STARTED:
• After registering for the course, you will be sent an email with the website address, password and
course key you need to access your online course, along with log in instructions.
• Access each assignment listed here in the online course environment and enter your responses.
• Write your responses in a WORD document and then ʻcopy/pasteʼ them into the Responses box.
• When all assignments are completed, CLICK the 'ALL ASSIGNMENTS COMPLETED'. The instructor
will be notified that you have completed all assignments.
• After the instructor reviews your work and enters his responses you will be notified by email. You will
be instructed to log in and view those responses. SAVE a copy of assignments and responses.
NOTES TO ALL PARTICIPANTS:
• You are not required to be present (i.e. online) specific days or times. You will work at your own pace.
• All responses will be posted online. Large documents, files, photographs or PowerPoint presentations
may be attached as part of your response by using the “Share A File” option.
• You may work collaboratively and submit similar responses on all assignments except the Integration
Paper, which must be individually authored.
• To maintain privacy, please do not refer to students in your papers by their actual names, but rather
use an alias or designation such as “Student A.”
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ASSIGNMENTS REQUIRED FOR HOURS OR UNIVERSITY QUARTER CREDIT
A.
INFORMATION ACQUISITION
Assignment #1:
Read either Building Character in School: Practical Ways to Bring Moral Instruction to Life by Ryan &
Bohlin or Character Under Attack: & What You Can Do About It by Sommer. These books describe the
need and methods for character building like those expressed in the works of Dr. Seuss.
After reading, write the equivalent of a 1– 2 page paper on what character education is, why it is
important, and how teachers as well as parents can cultivate it through meaningful curriculum. Integrate
into your writing how the works of Dr. Seuss are valuable tools in helping to get these important values
instilled into the youth of our country.
Assignment #2:
Create “Life Lesson Concept” worksheets for two Dr. Seuss books of your choice that you will be able to
use in your class. Your worksheet should include all the value clarification questions you want to enforce
through use of your text. These worksheets will be used to help start discussions with your class
centered on life lessons. After using these worksheets in class, critique the results. Write 1-2 paragraphs
in the response box indicating what went well and what needs to be revamped.
A partial example of a worksheet is shown below.
Book Title
Value questions(Question to discuss with class)
1. Why was the Lorax so concerned about the
trees?
2. What do you think the trees would have said to
the Lorax if they could talk?
Class answers
3. Do you think any character changed during the
book? How? Why?
Assignment #3:
Read all of the required stories listed in the bibliography for assignment #3. Keep a journal and for each
story list which life concepts could be used to illustrate values and how they were illustrated in the story.
After reading all of the stories, use your journal to create a quick check reference table that can be used
as a reminder before teaching a lesson as to which ideas or concepts can be taught by the story. In the
online response space, write the equivalent of a 1-2 (250-500 words) page paper summarizing your
journal and include the table that you created.
Assignment #4:
Utilize the website and follow the links to find 10 useable activities associated with Dr. Seuss books. List
which activities you will include in your lessons and explain how you will use them to teach life lessons.
http://www.atozteacherstuff.com/Themes/Dr__Seuss/index.shtml
This completes the assignments required for Hours.
Continue to the next section for additional assignments required for University Quarter Credit.
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ADDITIONAL ASSIGNMENTS REQUIRED FOR UNIVERSITY QUARTER CREDIT
B.
LEARNING APPLICATION
(Required for 400 and 500 Level)
In this section you will apply your learning to your professional situation. This course assumes that most
participants are classroom teachers who have access to students. If you are not teaching in a classroom,
please contact the instructor for course modifications. If you are a classroom teacher and start or need to
complete this course during the summer, please try to apply your ideas when possible with youth from
your neighborhood, at a local public library or parks department facility, (they will often be glad to sponsor
community-based learning), or with students in another teacherʼs summer classroom in session.
Assignment #5:
Keeping the concept of life lesson at the forefront, research the Internet and create 3 hands-on activities.
They do not need to be Dr. Seuss related, just activities that you would be able to use in your own
classroom.
These activities should meet the following criteria:
a. They are grade appropriate.
b. They clearly integrate one or more life lessons.
c. They are directly related to Dr. Seuss texts or other literature.
d. The activity gets all students involved.
Post a description of your 3 hands-on activities in the online response box or use the “Share-A-File”
option to upload your documents.
Your Activity Description should include the following:
a. The life lesson that will be incorporated and how.
b. The book that will be used.
c. A list of discussion topics you will use with your children during the projects.
Assignment #6:
Conduct 2 (two) of your lessons with your students and provide in the online response space the
equivalent of a 2-page written summary of how the lesson went. Include in your paper any student
feedback on the lesson.
500 LEVEL ASSIGNMENT
Assignment #7: (500 Level only)
In addition to the 400 level assignments, complete one of the following:
Option A) Dr. Seuss incorporated into his literature an almost magical method of telling stories while
teaching character development. In all of his pieces, he shows the ups and downs that occur throughout
life and how we can learn to overcome this adversity and achieve our goals. He teaches us the
importance of the big picture, the larger themes of being ourselves, being honest, and just being happy.
In this assignment, you are to write a 1-2 page paper on what you currently do and have done to foster
these larger themes of life lessons throughout your teaching. You are also required to include the areas
in which you will be working on in the future and the ideas from this course that you will be implementing
in your future classes.
OR
Option B) Another assignment of your choice with the instructorʼs prior approval.
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C.
INTEGRATION PAPER
(Required for 400 and 500 Level)
Assignment #8:
Complete the requirements for university quarter credit by submitting a final Integration paper (2-3 pages).
A heading is required. Please use the following format:
Your Name:
Date:
Course Name:
Course Number:
Number of Credits:
Level (400 or 500):
Advisor Name:
Respond to each of the 5 questions below. (First list the question and then write your answer)
1. What did you learn vs. what you expected to learn from this course?
2. What aspects of the course were most helpful and why?
3. What further knowledge and skills in this general area do you feel you need?
4. How, when and where will you use what you have learned?
5. How and with what other school or community members might you share what you learned?
INSTRUCTOR COMMENTS ON YOUR WORK:
Be sure to mark the “All Assignments Completed” section in the online course environment as
this will notify the instructor that you have completed the course.
Upon receiving notification of your completion of all your course assignments, your instructor will post final
written comments in the HOL online environment.
QUALIFICATIONS FOR TEACHING THIS COURSE:
Lawrence Rzeznik, M.S., majored in Biology/Education at State University of New York, Geneseo; and
has a B.S. in Biology/Education from S.U.N.Y. Geneseo. Larry has been a High School Science teacher
for 15 years and an adjunct Biology and Chemistry instructor for Nursing colleges for the past year. He
has created curriculum for animal behavior, environmental biology, general biology, and forensics science
courses. Larry is currently involved in creating various professional development courses, as well as
participating in graduate courses to stay up to date on current topics.
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LIFE LESSONS FROM DR. SEUSS
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Ryan, Kevin & Bohlin, Karen, Building Character in Schools: Practical Ways to Bring Moral Instruction
to Life; San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1999 or 2003 Edition, 304 pages.
For those willing to take up the task of teaching ethics, the book provides a practical blueprint for
teachers, schools and parents.
Sommer, Carl Character Under Attack: & What You Can Do About It, Houston, TX: Advance Pub, 2005,
st
1 Ed, 112 pages or 2006 expanded edition.
In a nation that has drifted far from its core moral system, Carl Sommerʼs hard-hitting expose reveals the
underlying causes and offers common-sense solutions for improving Americaʼs education and moral
climate.
*Required Stories for Assignment #3:
The Cat in the Hat Comes Back
Fox in Socks
Gerald McBoing Boing
Gertrude McFuzz
Creative Quotes
Green Eggs and Ham
The Grinch Grinches The Cat in the Hat
Horton Hears a Who!
How The Grinch Stole Christmas
Hunches in Bunches
If I Ran The Zoo
The Lorax
Maybe You Should Fly A Jet!
Oh, The Places Youʼll Go
Pontoffel Pock, Where Are You?
Sneeches
What Was I Scared OF?
Yertle The Turtle
The Zax
*Other stories may be substituted with instructor permission.
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