6:32 p.m.: Students go crazy over Dr. Seuss

Lynelle Miller

April 18, 2007 06:30 pm

— lynelle.miller@heraldbulletin.com
Dressed in brightly colored T-shirts, sparkling feather boas, wacky sunglasses and crazy top hats, the second-graders at Anderson Elementary looked like they popped right out of a Dr. Seuss book Tuesday afternoon.
And that was just the idea.
These were their costumes for “Seussical,” the popular Broadway play based on the works of Dr. Seuss, which they performed as a culmination of several months of work for a grant received from the Anderson Community School Foundation.
“We were awarded a total of $700,” said Carol Phillips, second-grade teacher, adding the grant was called “Cutting Loose with Dr. Seuss.”
According to Julie Wood, music teacher, it was a cross-curriculum grant for which the children read Dr. Seuss books, studied the author and learned about rhyming in the classroom, learned the music and choreography in music and then helped build and paint the sets and props for the play in art.
Their hard work in every area came together well.
Barely missing a beat, the students wiggled and moved to the music with their props, sang with strong voices and spoke on cue when telling several Dr. Seuss tales including “Green Eggs and Ham,” “Horton Hears a Who!” and “Oh, the Thinks You Can Think!”
Not only did they have fun, but Jala Powell, 7, who narrated the musical, admitted she’s learned a lot.
“I learned some people can like green eggs and ham, and I learned that no matter how small people are, anything’s possible,” she said. “My favorite part was singing. It was so fun. Dr. Seuss is my favorite author.”
The students performed the show four times during the day for their parents and other schoolmates. Each performance ended with great applause.
“They did such a great job,” said Amanda Rudd, mother of Ayanna Rudd, 8. “She has been so excited.”
Ayanna’s grandmother Teresa Ford said her granddaughter had been practicing hard. “A program like this is so good for the kids,” she said.
Ayanna said she’s just had a fun time. “My favorite part is the dancing,” she said. “We read a lot of Dr. Seuss books, and that was fun, too. I really liked this.”
Each educator involved said this grant really made a positive impact on the students’ education.
“They’ve learned so much; they’ve learned to appreciate an author,” said Phillips. “It has taught them to respect the author’s talent and imagination. We read all about Dr. Seuss and about his personality and learned that although he’s passed (away), his characters are still used to teach children non-fiction. They have enjoyed each part of this so much.”

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