Last month, I was at a district media specialist meeting when fellow media specialist, Randy Schlede, shared a fantastic resource with our group! The website was Storyline Online. When I browsed the site, I found some excellent read alouds by well known actors and actresses. I noticed the book entitled, I Need My Monster, written by Amanda Noll, illustrated by Howard McWilliam and read by Rita Moreno. I mentally tucked it away thinking it would be perfect for my students this week! Little did I know what a treat we had in store!
I came back to it this week and finally listened to Ms. Moreno read the book! I was alone after school in the media center, but that didn't stop me. I laughed out loud in my big empty library. This book is so well illustrated, and the idea of "needing" a monster is such a clever turn on the familiar theme of scary monsters under the bed. The illustrations and clever plot, together with Rita Moreno reading it with the most hilarious accents, it was the perfect blend of fabulousness! My first graders were glued to this video read aloud! When each new monster appeared in the story, they grew still with nervous anticipation.
After it was all done, we brainstormed what characteristics we would choose if we could pick a monster under our beds. My students were surprisingly detailed! Along with claws, a single eye and horns, some of my students thought their monsters should be humorous, smell like flowers and be able to grant wishes! All in all it was fun hearing them share their imaginative ideas.
We took a few minutes to create monsters using a fun web based Monster Creator by the British Council. To make their monsters, students added monster arms, legs, eyes, mouths, ears and noses. Once their monsters were created, students could make them dance, sing, sneeze, shout and blowup! The monsters and 1st graders had a great day in media!
We took a few minutes to create monsters using a fun web based Monster Creator by the British Council. To make their monsters, students added monster arms, legs, eyes, mouths, ears and noses. Once their monsters were created, students could make them dance, sing, sneeze, shout and blowup! The monsters and 1st graders had a great day in media!
