Too Much Glue: Review and Giveaway

Love is like glue.  Having the right glue will supply the necessary bond to make that which was once broken, even a heart, just like new.  Cute quote right?  To tell you the truth, I truly have a love, hate relationship with glue.  It's a crucial component to our instruction with interactive the name of the game.  But seriously, glue can be found anywhere and everywhere.  Control is so challenging for a six year old.  In their mind, a dot of glue will NEVER do!  It's my goal to establish strong routines so that I keep myself from making a regular appearance in the school supply section but allow balance so that my kids soar with creativity!

A mind blowing tip from Dinah Zike, the originator of foldables,  has become the way I manage glue in my classroom.   Don't take my word for it, watch and see!!!

One of the first lessons I did with my then Kindergarten class was teaching my kids specific gluing techniques.  I used Krissy Minor's Top Secret Gluing Techniques, a fantabulous freebie on TpT. It's amazing how a five year old will absorb and hang onto your every word. What I find, students need constant reinforcement!! The above freebie gave my kiddos practice in dotting, creating lines, and a cute little poem that we so proudly chant before pulling out the wet glue!

This leads me to why I'm here writing you today!  I was over the moon with excitement when given the opportunity to review Elmer’s World of Glue: A Cross Curricular Investigation of Adhesives, for grades K through 5^th from the Elmer’s Teachers Club.   The kit includes the book, Too Much Glue by Jason Lefebvre, The World of Glue Activity Booklet (22 pages), 3 Glues (Classic, Naturals, and Glitter), and a Teacher's Pamphlet!

As well as the kit, Elmer's has created a Teacher's Club which is free to join.  The site is packed full of lessons and project ideas!

The World of Glue Activity Booklet is filled with content aligning to common core standard!  Wowzers, they were really thinking out ever step of their prep.  Included...

Academic Objectives

Recommended Reading Lists

Lesson Introduction

Adhesive Investigation

Polymers Activity

Compare and Contrast

Letter to Author

Glue Suit Activity

Reading Comprehension

Elmer's Timeline

Additional Extension Lessons

Parent Involvement

and Student Reproducibles!

There was so much content available in the toolkit that I had to figure out the most appropriate steps for my now first graders!  After being together for more than a year, I wanted my approach for these lessons to be new and exciting.  Nothing could be more exciting than the story Too Much Glue. What a hoot!  The kids were engaged and highly intrigued with the illustrations.  Zac Retz did a magnificent job creating such vivid images that truly showed the spirit of young Matty, the main character!

This book is filled with different ways to approach curriculum standards.  The first lesson that comes to mind is Onomatopoeia!  The pages are filled with vivid verbs and descriptive writing.  Oh the predictions that can be made.  A teacher's dream!

Following the story, the kids created their own glue suit.  To ensure I allowed some creativity, I pulled a small group of gifted students to complete an interactive book which turned my focus from the mess that was to ensue.  My small group discussion content was well above the average first grader's head but tailored made for my young fellas with a deeply scientific mind!

The kids were eager to know more about the three bottles of glue from the kit.  The following day, we read through the comprehension story on the evolution of Elmer's Glue and recorded the dates and events.  A major focus for our class this past month has been timelines.  We worked on timelines for Martin Luther King Jr. and Jackie Robinson!  This fit right in with the core standards for first grade!  Following our interactive journal, we tested the three glue samples.

The final piece for kiddos was to observe the change as the glue dried.  This change was recorded by comparing and contrasting each sample. 

Each of the above lessons were completed whole group, prior to students working independently.  The lessons used strong vocabulary that needed to be broken down for a first grade class to understand.  The examples above are samples from the teacher journal.

And for those of you that are interested in what educational standards the above activities have met then see below...

Common Core:

• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.R.2
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.SL.4
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.SL.5
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.SL.6
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.R.9
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.R.10

National Science Education Standards:

• Science and Technology Content Standard E
• Physical Science Content Standard B
• The Nature of Technology: 3C

If you are interested in the activities shown above, link here. The fun doesn't stop here.  If you are interested in a toolkit and copy of Too Much Glue by Jason Lefebvre then enter with the rafflecopter below!  Due to the my on again, off again absence from the classroom this past month, this giveaway is long overdue. Good Luck!!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway