Horton Hears His Egg

Since I am talking about some Dr. Seuss books my 1st graders enjoy, I've decided to share one story of my favorite character's, Horton. It's common for me to mix them up, the two stories Seuss wrote about him. The one I'm writing about today involves "the egg."
Today I'm also, in my home taking out all my pysanky supplies to begin making my mostly yearly eggs. Maybe things will fit together and this will talk about how I use books to extend into activity within my classroom in March.

(noting I'm out until back surgery so this will be scenes from the last few years )

Horton is an elephant. You no doubt know that if you've been Seussickled.
So far in the videos, movies, clips for me he hasn't been voiced as I hear him in my head.
I want a Red Skeleton Horton.
I just never hear him as goofy as the voice-overs make him...But Horton perhaps is one of the kindest, gentlest, and most aware of the Dr. Seuss creations. (And I've yet to see Jim Carrey attempt him. Oh my.)
In Horton Hatches The Egg he also appears to be rather easily duped.
I have an affinity for that too.
This year my school was mandated to study idioms, lest you think the egg is not well represented check this out.
Back to Horton, of course.....
A wayward momma bird, Maizee seems easily able to convince Horton that she needs a bit of a break from her egg and nest duties, and he gets to try out some egg sitting.
I always liked this story because it was an opportunity to say to children maybe just a little bit about how it is to wait for a child to be born. Often I ask as a homework for them to ask if someone can remember at home waiting for them....and write a few sentences together (which sometimes we save and use as a cute mothers day or father's day card idea) I suppose it's a little bit my affection for the guilt of that. Or so my daughter pointed out recently rather pointedly. However, in the story Horton is going to take on the responsibility of the nest.
And the egg.
You can see that unfold in this rather plain creation...



Now if you were to stop this here and talk to students about things they've just seen in 1st grade you could construct a re-tell. You could then even have them write a few sentences to do that. You could illustrate those. You could even watch again.
Or, perhaps, you might talk about emotions. How was Maizee feeling at first? Why did Horton stop? How does Maizee feel when she can leave her job (a bit careful how you handle this)? How does Horton feel when he begins sitting on the nest? How does Horton feel during the storm? How does he feel when his friends tease him?

Then you can dig deeper asking why?
Why would a momma bird do that?
Why did Horton do that?
Why did the animals tease him?
Why does Horton keep repeating that he honors his word?

What you are doing then is using the reading, then the video cli to begin with young children looking at the meaning of the text, as well as just reading the text.

So the story of this elephant that agrees to nest sit, despite the pressures of weather, teasing, continues onward...



Now you get some trouble..."the plot thickens", perhaps some comment on mothering, with the appearance of the hunters.
Horton puffs up to say "I said what I meant, I meant what I said..."
But of course the novelty of the nest sitting elephant becomes an idea to the men for some profit margins. And Horton is transported with nest and tree by ship to a place to sell...hopefully for tickets.
But poor Horton. 100% sea-sick.
Right to a circus, sold. I love to look up on maps all the places Horton went with that nest...Seuss does a great job of taking you all over America in this story.
And in a town close to Palm Beach, Horton gets visited by Maizee, the wayward Momma.
Who wants back her egg.
But something really charming happens.
One of the charming things about Dr. Seuss. He decides to give an interesting ending. I try to shut down the movie here so kids can guess.
Did you guess.....???

******spoiler alert******

Yes, Horton watches the birth of the elephant bird. It loves him so much.

Because, after all....he was a part of how this egg came to be hatched.

It's a wonderful way to introduce the idea of saying what you mean, meaning what you say.
And , parental love.
And, elephant affection.

The 1942 Warner Brother's Version is great to then play....children love versions.
I prefer this one of course.



Actually hearing the story turns out to be helpful to beginning readers.
I've watched my students sound out things then in their own reading, rather more ready from the process of having heard the story. It's not uncommon in my room for the third graders to come in, one I once had included, to read these stories to their peers.
Also tremendous.

So at this point you can go several directions.

Suppose you decided to go "with the egg."
Well you could teach all about eggs right now. It's spring, goodness. Birth. How beautiful. Get good egg books to read. I love this one and
just got it last year:

An Egg Is Quiet.


If you click on that title you go to a beautiful reading of Sylvia Long's book.
It's egg-cellent.

The next thing I found was thiis fascinating author interview.
It's a link to a really nice "book talk."
I like book talks. This one is lovely.




PLEASE LISTEN TO THAT LINK. The Booktalk tells you EVERY REASON TO STUDY THE EGG.

I like to then ask the children to watch a great Reading Rainbow, Chicken's Aren't The Only Ones, based on a Ruth Heller book. Trying to find it is a bit of a bear though now.
Too bad a blow was dealt Reading Rainbow...
Then we watch the Reading Rainbow based on Rechenka's Egg.
There was a program, Reading Rainbow, that will never be matched. Not ever.

And so...after learning all about eggs, and being introduced to Pysanky, I ask them to design Horton's Egg.
You might get something that looks like this:
(black paper, colored chalks)



So from there you are left open to go further, set up bird studies, enter the world of eggs and birds. OR you could go learn about "the elephant."
Not today though for me.....
Oh my.
You'd be busy.
I'm not even quite ready today to do that, you know why?
In a few minutes I begin my yearly pysanky.
I don't really do the traditional designs, but I do attempt the methods.
Last year I ordered goose eggs. Once you use goose eggs it's hard to return to chicken eggs. You have to hollow the eggs. I just ordered 48, they are supposed to come today! I'm excited.
Almost as excited as I was once when we raised "the ducks."

Here are the results from last years designing...





However you go...you really can enjoy 'the egg' with your students especially through the story "Horton Hatches An Egg."

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