Nick and Tesla's Super-Cyborg Gadget Glove



Last updated Friday, November 2, 2018

Author: Bob Pflugfelder
Illustrator: Steve Hockensmith
Date of Publication: 2014
ISBN: 1594747296
Grade Level: 4th    (GLCs: Click here for grade level guidelines.)
Date(s) Used: Nov. 2018

Synopsis: Einstein is running amok! Darwin is losing his head! The science museum in Half Moon Bay is in big trouble because its robotic replicas of history’s greatest scientists keep going kablooey! As 11-year-old amateur inventors Nick and Tesla Holt try to uncover the cause, they’ll need to keep adding all-new gadgets to their latest creation, a customized super-cyborg glove. Follow the action, and then follow the illustrated instructions to build your own gadget glove with four incredible functions: LED signal light, emergency alarm, sound recorder, and UV secret-message revealer!

Note to readers:
•  Today is also College Spirit Day, so please talk to your group about college, share your college stories, and ask them what they think about college!
•  This is one of 4 books in the series, Nick and Tesla's Adventures.

Discussion topics for before reading:
•  The story is set in the "Hall of Geniuses", which features Nikola Tesla, Marconi, Benjamin Franklin, Eli Whitney, Louis Pasteur, Louis and Mary Leakey, Dian Fossy, Jane Goodall, Johannes Kepier, Carl Sagan, Stephen Hawking, Isaac Asimov, George Washington Carver, Sigmund Freud, Albert Einstein, Thomas Edison, Isaac Newton, Galileo Galilei, Rene Decartes, etc.
•  Have you heard of any of these famous scientists?
•  Do you know of other famous scientists? What are they famous for?

Vocabulary

•  tarragon - an herb used in chicken salad
•  curator - the person in a museum or display responsible for choosing what to include and how to set up displays.
•  hooligan - a violent young troublemaker.
•  animatronic - the technique of making and operating lifelike robots, typically for use in film or other entertainment.
•  petri dish - a shallow, circular, transparent dish with a flat lid, used for the culture of microorganisms.

Discussion topics for during/after reading:
•  What does "the you-know-what" mean? What do you say when you are talking about a secret that you don't want others to hear?

Craft ideas:
•  Make museum tickets.
•  Trace your hand and cut out in the shape of a glove. Attach a strip of paper to the inside of the glove, so your hand will fit in it (like a mask, but for your hand).
•  Make Thanksgiving cards, place-cards for the table, and a menu.
•  Check our craft ideas on Pinterest!
https://www.pinterest.com/readingtokids/november-2018-science-tech/

*Note: These craft ideas are just suggestions. You can use them, but you don't have to use them. You can expand upon them, or add your own twist. Remember, though, that the focus of your time should not be on the development and execution of a craft; the focus should be on the read-aloud and the enjoyment of the book!