A winner for teaching about how a bill is passed in our state government

I found this amazing book in Infosoup. It is appropriate for middle school readers. In this book, Mr. Tiffin (the educator) gets his students interested in creating a bill for a state cookie. There are a lot of steps to deciding such an idea and those are explored in the story. Among them are the committee process, the debating process, and the voting process. It is hard to come to consensus! What a good lesson! Ideas can come from any citizen, no matter what their age. Crafting a good idea means getting input from a lot of people and being willing to compromise. The state cookie they came up with reflects that: Apple Cinnamon Maple Syrup Oatmeal Cookie

Overarching lesson: Our state governments represent who we are. It is important to be a knowledgeable and active citizen. 

Fact: In Alabama, the Trinity Presbyterian School's (fourth grade class) cookie bill passed into law in 2023! The official state cookie is called the Yellowhammer. It has oats, brown sugar, and lots of pecans. Oat and pecans are grown in Alabama. 

 

A little lesson about how books can share a title!

Lovely book about the farm animals having a barn dance with scarecrow as the fiddler. The language in this book is rich. The "skinny kid" who joins in the dance is so cute and the kiddos laughed that he was going to bed in the MORNING (after). 

Look at the cover and realize that pig, horse, and sheep are going to have some accidents during the barn dance. Hovering owl will have something funny to share at the end of the book. 

It was fun to show participants at story time that books can share a title! Two children's literature GIANTS were the creators: Bill Martin Jr. and Pat Hutchins.