The Lorax

“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot,
Nothing is going to get better. It’s not.”

lorax

Dr Suess is an alliterative, rhyming, tongue twisting author who has written many books  that have stood the test of time. His books are fun to read and of course The Lorax has an underlying meaning.

I love reading The Lorax. It is not only a fun, imaginative read but it leaves the reader with hope and inspiration that they can do something – even something so small can make a difference.

Dr Suess explores the concepts of consumerism, greed and vanity. He also explores disregard for the natural world when pursuing money and power.

The Lorax begins it’s tale in a dark and gloomy world where there seems to be little hope, love and joy. The Once ler tells us his tale of his own destruction of not only himself but of the beautiful environment that once was. We learn about the destrcution Truffala trees, bar-ba-loots, swomee swans and humming fish and the creation of the Thneed which “Everyone, everyone, everyone needs! ”

So how can we share this book with our children?

TEACHING ACTIVITIES

Informative texts

  • How can we inform people about pollution and it’s consequences?
  • List the pollution made and the destruction it caused (in the Lorax) . Using a Venn diagram draw similarities to real life situations. (draw on newspaper articles)
  • Students write an informative text using factual information from Non-fiction books , newspaper articles and internet resources.
  • Encourage creativity and imagination in the informative text – linking examples from the Lorax.

Curriculum links

Draw connections between personal experiences and the worlds of texts, and share responses with others (ACELT1596)

Plan, draft and publish imaginative, informative and persuasive texts demonstrating increasing control over text structures and language features and selecting print,and multimodal elements appropriate to the audience and purpose (ACELY1682)

 

SHARED READING IDEAS

Before you read

– What is a Lorax?

-What is this story about?

AS you read

  • Discuss the animals & the names they have been given.
  • Have fun with alliteration & rhyme. Making up your own alliterative sentences & continuing with a rhyme.
  • Ask the child how they feel about what the Once-ler is doing.
  • Would you buy a Thneed?

When you finish

  • What might happen now?
  • How can you help to make sure your world doesn’t get as yucky as the world the Lorax once lived?

 

Go outside, talk about all of the natural things you can see. Talk about how you can help in small ways – get a worm farm, recycle, use less plastic. Draw links to The Lorax, discussing with your child that we don’t want our world to end up like his did and we can all do small things to make a difference!

 

Testimonials – Jack and Jill Kindergarten, Berowra.

Testimonials - Jack and Jill Kindergarten, Berowra.

Thanks so much Vanessa for coming out and sharing your book “The Bee Detectives” with our children 3-5 years old. The experience allowed them to learn so much more about Bees. We have had our native Bees for several years and had beekeepers out before. Your book took an in-depth look into classification, different ways they live, how they collect pollen and make honey.  It created lots of meaningful conversation with the children; your interactive book reading allowed them to share these ideas with each other. The extended activity afterwards of the magnifiers provided by Vanessa was a great extension to the book. The children were so excited to be their very own Bee detectives and really extended their learning.
Vanessa Ryan-Rendall
2021-05-17T03:33:47+00:00
Testimonials - Jack and Jill Kindergarten, Berowra. Thanks so much Vanessa for coming out and sharing your book “The Bee Detectives” with our children 3-5 years old. The experience allowed them to learn so much more about Bees. We have had our native Bees for several years and had beekeepers out before. Your book took an in-depth look into classification, different ways they live, how they collect pollen and make honey.  It created lots of meaningful conversation with the children; your interactive book reading allowed them to share these ideas with each other. The extended activity afterwards of the magnifiers provided by Vanessa was a great extension to the book. The children were so excited to be their very own Bee detectives and really extended their learning.

Author Visit: Jack and Jill Kindergarten Berowra

Thanks so much Vanessa for coming out and sharing your book “The Bee Detectives” with our children 3-5 years old. The experience allowed them to learn so much more about Bees. We have had our native Bees for several years and had beekeepers out before. Your book took an in-depth look into classification, different ways they live, how they collect pollen and make honey.  It created lots of meaningful conversation with the children; your interactive book reading allowed them to share these ideas with each other. The extended activity afterwards of the magnifiers provided by Vanessa was a great extension to the book. The children were so excited to be their very own Bee detectives and really extended their learning. 
Teacher notes written by Vanessa
2021-04-21T02:54:08+00:00
Thanks so much Vanessa for coming out and sharing your book “The Bee Detectives” with our children 3-5 years old. The experience allowed them to learn so much more about Bees. We have had our native Bees for several years and had beekeepers out before. Your book took an in-depth look into classification, different ways they live, how they collect pollen and make honey.  It created lots of meaningful conversation with the children; your interactive book reading allowed them to share these ideas with each other. The extended activity afterwards of the magnifiers provided by Vanessa was a great extension to the book. The children were so excited to be their very own Bee detectives and really extended their learning. 

Georgie Donaghey

I was impressed with Vanessa’s professionalism in preparing the teacher notes for my picture book, In the Shadow of an Elephant. Her depth of knowledge on the multitude of topics covered was just incredible! She has compiled a 15-page document that will allow Educators and students an opportunity to explore conversations and discover different layers within the book. Georgie Donaghey
Teacher notes written by Vanessa
2020-08-01T07:42:45+00:00
I was impressed with Vanessa’s professionalism in preparing the teacher notes for my picture book, In the Shadow of an Elephant. Her depth of knowledge on the multitude of topics covered was just incredible! She has compiled a 15-page document that will allow Educators and students an opportunity to explore conversations and discover different layers within the book. Georgie Donaghey