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.

Johnny Appleseed

Johnny Appleseed

by Colton Glover

Johnny Appleseed was an American pioneer and missionary who spread and planted countless nurserys of apple trees across the United States. Even though Johnny Appleseed is no longer alive his legacy continues to live on through books like Johnny Appleseed and even through the CCGPS SS1H2, “Students will read or listen to American Folktales and explain how they characterize our national heritage. The study will include John Henry, Johnny Appleseed, Davy Crockett, Paul Bunyan, and Annie Oakley”, and they are all able to continue to share a part of what has helped shape our heritage.

            Johnny Appleseed is a great text to share with our students. Not only does this book show the kindness of a person, but it also symbolizes leadership. Johnny traveled barefooted in ragged clothing, but because he was passionate about spreading his apple nurserys, he touched and helped many people along the way. Throughout this book we are able to see how Johnny went about planting and sharing his passion for apples. Johnny would carry around baby apple trees and would trade people for whatever they could give whether it was dirt, a pan, or a ham. Because of Johnny’s works many could come home after a long day in the fields and enjoy a nice apple pie.

Johnny Appleseed shows us, regardless of our age, that when we find something we are passionate about we should stay determined regardless of what people may say or think because you never know what legacy you're leaving behind.

Forms of Water

Forms of Water

By: Colton Glover

            Water Changes by Brenda Parkes is a great read for young students who are learning about the many forms of water. This is a very simple yet informative book. It provides detailed pictures for the students that may struggle with reading, which assists the students in comprehending the text. I think this is a good read for children because it helps teach them the difference between solid and liquid forms of water while connecting to the CCGPS S1E2 B:  “Identifying forms of precipitation such as rain, snow, sleet, and hailstones as either solid (ice) or liquid (water)”. These forms of water are mentioned throughout Water Changes.

We learn that water comes in many forms. Water can be found as rain, snow, fog, hail, or even freeze to make ice. Not only is this an educational lesson but it also allows emergent readers to get some great practice using their reading skills. This opens up the students' minds to thinking more outside of the box. Now they are able to recognize snow as a form of water and not just a frozen white blanket that covers the ground. It also teaches them that fog is not just a low cloud but also a form of water vapor that is held in the air. Throughout Water Changes we are able to plug science into situations that we may encounter in our everyday lives.

            This book provides a simple science lesson for students. It allows students to see water in different forms that they come across on a daily basis. From this book we can apply some simple in-class experiments so the students can see and relate to the different forms. This would allow them to apply what they just read and hopefully keep them interested in reading this type of nonfiction material. 

The Mission to Learn Addition

The Mission to Learn Addition

By: Colton Glover

           

Mission: Addition by: Loreen Leedy is a great book for young children to read, specifically for math. This book contains many engaging strategies that not only allow the children to read but also apply what they are reading. Addition can be a tricky task for students to learn especially when other math methods are brought into play, such as subtraction, division, and multiplication.  Luckily, in this particular book it focuses solely on addition, which allows children to devote all their attention to this method of mathematics. Throughout this book we learn that addition is a fact. You can change the order of the addends and it does not change the sum. I think that fact links well to the CCGPS MCCK.CC.4 B: which states, “understand that the last number name said tells the number of objects counted. The number of objects is the same regardless of the arrangement or the order in which they were counted.” Mission: Addition allows children to view math in a fun way, which can help keep the interested in this content.

Though it may seem ridiculous that a child could learn from a book with students that are talking animals, it shows us how a math topic can be fun and interesting. One stormy day Miss Prime, the teacher, has her students pretend they are detectives and has them find clues left behind by a mysterious person who ate all the cookies off her desk. Each student checks a different place in the classroom. Each student found something a little different at each location. For example, Talley checked the windows for evidence, Fay checked for hair, and Ginger checked for the footprints. When the students thought they knew who did it they reported back to Miss Prime with their evidence. As they are regrouped to discuss who they thought ate all of Miss Prime’s cookies, Miss Prime had each student add up all their evidence. Talley added up each window, Fay counted each piece of hair, and Ginger counted each fingerprint. In the end, with all the evidence added up, they found out Miss Prime was the culprit.

Even though this may seem far-fetched to some, it provides a great learning strategy for young children to practice addition. It is amazing what children are capable of when we allow them to use their imagination to apply the things they learn throughout life. If we don’t find ways to keep them engaged they will lose interest. It is harder to regain the same initiative, than it is to maintain what you already have. 

Different For A Reason

Different For A Reason

By: Colton Glover

           

"They never asked Rudolph to play." You guessed it—Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer. Rudolph is a typical fantasy genre that contains specific elements such as living at the North Pole, talking reindeer, and Santa Clause. There was no better time of the year during my childhood than Christmas. It meant family, friends, food, and best of all, presents. We would all wait up on Christmas Eve to try to catch a glimpse of Santa or Rudolph leading the way through the night sky. Children really connect with this type of story because they truly believe in the magic and excitement. This would be a great read to children not only because it is a well-known Christmas tale, but because it teaches a valuable life lesson as well.

            Even though the story of Rudolph can seem very cliché, it actually conveys a great moral lesson. Rudolph displays a common conflict of person versus person, which is probably the most common type. The other Reindeer mocked him, "Ha-ha! Look at that Red Nose!" They wouldn't even try to include Rudolph in any of their games because he did not fit the stereotypic image of a normal reindeer. However, Rudolph's unique nose became very popular when Santa was having trouble seeing his list of children. Santa immediately noticed Rudolph's "bright, shiny nose" and insisted, "you will show us the way." Being able to help Santa made Rudolph feel accepted, which is what most children strive for with their peers.

We go throughout life trying to fit in even though we were created to stand out. Rudolph wanted to fit in with the other reindeer until he realized that he was unique for a specific purpose. This story is great for children because they are able to read about a time of year that they love while gaining a life lesson. It is important for children to understand that everyone is their own person for a reason. Children need to be taught to use their talents and differences to serve others and change the world.