The Lorax Review and Lesson Plan

The Lorax by Dr. Seuss teaches children (and adults) the necessity of taking care of the Earth. Suess paints a tale in his well-known, lyrical verse of the most lovable creatures being forced out of their paradise by retail greed and the overuse, abuse, and destruction of their natural home. In the end, a child with a seed equals hope for the future. This book makes readers feel empowered to save the Earth.

K-3 is a perfect time for teachers to incorporate Earth Sciences and taking care of the Earth in their curricula. Children this age are old enough to understand and to care about the world around them. They are young enough to be influenced, and their future habits may form out of lessons they learn in school.

K-3 is a prime time in child development to form values and standards of behavior outside of the home. Teachers and schools can take advantage of this by encouraging and modeling socially responsible behavior.

Begin by reading The Lorax to the class. Take your time when reading to children, and hold up the book at each page so they can all enjoy the pictures. The pictures in this book happen to paint the story extremely well.

After reading, discuss with the class what kinds of things they can do today to protect our Earth. Encourage their thinking and creativity; afterward, be prepared to set up some beneficial classroom habits.

Start recycling bins. Every classroom can have a box for paper to be recycled. Some classrooms and schools are able to set up plastic and can recycling bins. (Glass is inappropriate because it can break.) When your students bring disposable plastics to school in their lunches, instruct them to rinse and place in the recycling bin, not the trash.

Take a field trip to a local recycling plant. Let the children see the amount of stuff that would end up in a landfill, but instead, it will be recycled.

Discuss various ways of reducing, reusing, and recycling with the class. Give the children big pieces of art paper and instruct them to color their favorite method. Then, display their ideas on the wall.

Look at The Lorax (Classic Seuss).