Michael Recycle

                                                 Michael Recycle

                                                     By Colton Glover

       In the book Michael Recycle, Michael is looked upon as a hero in the town of Abberdoo-Rimey. Abberdoo-Rimeny was a town that was growing full of garbage because the people there became rather lazy. Everybody would throw all of their trash outside of their house, which caused the town to become slimy, smelly, and caused the air to become all hazy. The people were used to littering and dumping garbage wherever they felt like until Michael Recycle showed up. Michael arrived in a way none could explain, “A green-caped crusader soared through the air, with a colander hat on top of his hair. He bounced off the earth with a thump and a bump, and then landed in a town garbage dump.” After Michael’s arrival he showed the town the importance of recycling their old trash. They then began to take pride in their little town and began to recycle and take care of what they had. They also started a “Be Greener Campaign.”

          This book would be a great read aloud. An activity that I think would go along well with this book would be after the read aloud break the students up into small groups. Instruct the students to come up with one main idea each and proof that supports it from the story and share why they choose that particular part from the story. After everybody in the group has given a key point the group should come up with an illustration to represent the main ideas given by the group. This not only helps the students summarize the story together by pulling out the main ideas but also allows them to work together to come up with a illustration to represent the story.

          This book would be a fun way to show the importance of recycling. More now than ever, we need to teach our students to start recycling because the damage it causes to our planet. Providing a comic read aloud not only gets the students involved but it teaches a meaningful life lesson.

Click, Clack, Moo Cows That Type

CLICK, CLACK, MOO COWS THAT TYPE

By Colton Glover

             

       Click, Clack, Moo Cows That Type is a great read for younger students. This book provides students with a great example of personification. Any time animals, in this case cows, are acting as humans students seem to be very entertained and engaged. This book also provides great pictures throughout to help students visualize what is taking place. You can read a part of the story and have the students try to create their own image of what is happening throughout the story. Even though this is a fiction book with cartoon sketches, providing students with a fun activity can help them maximize their learning potential.

            The cows in Click, Clack, Moo Cows That Type happen to find an old typewriter in the barn they are in. After finding this typewriter they begin to type letters to the farm owner advising him they are not producing any milk until they are given the electric blankets they have requested. The farm owner is in disbelief that the cows can even type but that they are not going to produce any milk for his farm. After the farm owner tells the cows he is not going to give them their electric blankets the cows get the hens involved and they also leave the farm owner a letter stating they will not produce any eggs until they also have electric blankets. The farmer was furious that he has, “Cows that type. Hens on strike!” There is a duck that is a neutral party, and he was taking the farmer’s rejection letters to the animals and advising that he demand milk and eggs from them. The cow’s last message advised they would trade their typewriter for the blankets they requested! So the duck brought the blankets and the cows turned over their typewriter to the duck. The next morning the farmer got a note from the ducks stating their pond was quite boring and that they would like a diving board.

            Even though this is a fictional book it allows the students to get the mind going and allows them to create visual images of cows typing, an angry farmer, and a duck transporting letters and jumping off of a diving board. Fun activities may seem silly to some, but who is to say they are silly if they turn out to be very productive.

          

Monster Math

Monster Math

By Colton Glover

                        

Monster Math is a fun way for students to learn basic subtraction. This book shows students that they can use a number of ways to learn subtraction. By allowing students to step away from worksheets and textbooks they can engage in a fun filled style of learning. This book provides examples with monsters, but you can allow students to use a number of things such as candy, coins, dominoes, etc. Each page sets the student up to really pull from former information and to even figure out rhyming words. For example on one page it will say, “Twelve little monsters wake up at seven. One jogs away now there are….” Though some may find this style of learning absurd and unrealistic, as long as the students are able to learn then who are we to say not to try something different?

            This book is a great way to help students connect to math. We all have had times when we have become frustrated with basic learning styles, or at least I know I have. Students can relate to these illustrated monsters, which may be all they need to kick start active learning. Books similar to this may have pictures that remind them of a favorite character on a show and by finding an activity that students are able to learn from they may now have a personal interest in learning not only math but other subjects as well. When students are able to connect with fun and interesting forms of instruction it helps keep them positively engaged in their schoolwork.