Why I Picked It Up:
It’s October! This means the beginning of my favorite few months, not just for family, food, and celebration, but because of seasonal picture books. I love to peruse the book displays in our local Barnes and Noble. There are always the old favorites, but every year there are new holiday books to explore. This one caught my eye right away: monsters AND elections! How timely!
Why I Finished It:
First off, I *heart* the dedication page of this book (there is a special 
meaning as you read). The dedication alone would have convinced me to finish this book. But luckily there is so much more! It is cleverly written for a younger audience to understand the complexities of election requirements. I love the way that Czajak weaves in the requirements to run for office as well as what is needed to make a strong candidate. In addition to all the facts included in this book, there is a engaging story line that rhymes. Even the youngest students will enjoy listening and reading this story while learning important facts. Not only is the story fun, the illustrations of a lovable monster by Wendy Grieb are sure to attract eager listeners.
Who Would I Give It To:
This book will be a great addition to elementary teachers collection of books about elections, presidents, and government, as well as to Halloween/monster collections.
Integration Ideas:
Social Studies
The obvious lesson here is to have students, even young students, pull out the factual information about what is required to run for office. The age requirement to vote and to run for president, needing a platform, and passing laws are all included. In addition to the requirements, the book has a lot of great social studies vocabulary; mission, grassroots movement, debates, opposition, issues, campaign, etc.
Tech Moment: Use those facts to create an infographic! Look at some examples of infographics to see how people choose to represent information visually. Remind your students that the infographics they create do NOT have to be as involved and complex as the examples they’ll see! Start by looking the information you have. Are there numbers? Percentages? What kinds of images do you think about when you read the information? Then choose an infographic creation tool and get creative! Easel.ly and Canva are two of my favorites!
Examples: How to Become President of the United States, How Do I Become President?, Presidential Fun Facts
Writing
In this story, Monster is on a mission to discover his passion, because that will be make his speech heard. After all, passion always delivers the best message. Isn’t this what we want our students to do in writing? To find something they are passionate about and share their ideas in writing? Using this book as a mentor text, ask students how Monster discovered his true passion. Have students discuss something they are passionate about. This will be more difficult for some, so definitely have some ideas ready that will speak to the age of the students you are teaching. Six year olds might be passionate about a certain food, pets, saving animals, bed time, dessert, etc. Have students jot down their ideas. This is a great time to have students create a heart map. You can have them illustrate and write their own passionate speech, or have them research ideas first.
Rhyming
Most pages have a couple of rhyming words that make the story even more enjoyable to listen to. The words that rhyme are not obvious. I love that this will have students think about spelling, phonics, and sounds. Have students pull out some of the rhymes. Write them on a chart and as a class discuss spelling and what makes the words rhyme. The conversation is the crucial part of this lesson idea! Some examples are: lies/unwise, seasons/ reasons, you/overdue, and place/disgrace.
This is a great time to integrate some technology! Have the students create an app smash. The following is a third grade example using Doodle Buddy and Tellagami (click on the picture for the video example). The student was required to write out what he was going to say, prior to beginning. The requirement was that the words were written and spelled verbally and why the words rhyme was explained. After that, the creativity was left to the student!
Technology
There are so many student friendly websites that teach and explain government and elections to students. Here are just a few:
PBS Kids – The Democracy Project
Time For Kids – Election Articles
How to Become President Poster – Infographic
Another Technology Idea
Have a mock election! Maybe students could vote for the candidates in the book, or you could have them vote on speeches written by fellow students on a certain topic. There are lots of polling tools out there, but PollEverywhere is our favorite at the moment. Create a new poll, entering the candidates (using text or a picture) and start the poll. Just like voting on American Idol, students can text the unique number to a specific phone number to vote for their choice. The answers appear in real-time, so as students are voting, they can see who is winning! If students do not have phones, voting can also take place via a specific URL that can be entered on any internet-connected device (iPad, computer, laptop, etc.).
What is your favorite election book or website for kids?
Sounds like a great book for this upcoming election year. Having the students write about their passionate thoughts, then comparing it back to the candidates’ platforms to explain why the candidates are arguing.
This would be so useful for 5th grade teachers, but my 2nd graders will love the monsters.