The Wild Robot Escapes from Mrs. Bybee’s Class

Paintings of a lone humanoid robot amongst uninhabited woodland backdrops stripe the hallway in Sunset View Elementary. Why is there a robot in the forest? And what are these paintings of the robot for?

The paintings are from Mrs. Bybee’s reading unit on a book called The Wild Robot Escapes by Peter Brown. The reason for the jarring appearance of a futuristic robot in the bare wilds is a primary question of the novel– one that hooked Bybee’s students to read the first book called The Wild Robot, leaving them begging to read the sequel, The Wild Robot Escapes.

The main character of both The Wild Robot and The Wild Robot Escapes is Roz the Robot, a being who came to consciousness on an island uninhabited by humans, unaware of its past. Students in Mrs. Bybee’s class unravel who Roz the Robot is alongside the robot itself, which led to a perfect opportunity for students to identify character traits in a supported reading of their character.

Mrs. Bybee’s students discussed the quirky contrast of character and setting, and compared the differences in setting and character between the first and second books. Students then used quotes to support their character reading on a printout of Roz the Robot to accompany their quotations, illustrating the printout, too. For a second project, students practiced scene visualization, painting a scene from one of the two books, including the city and the mountains.

The student’s artwork and quotes demonstrate an engaged group of students, art, and quotations cleanly organized, assembled, and painted for a class of elementary students.

“I was very impressed with their responses and visuals,” says Mrs. Bybee. “It is always a treat as a teacher to see students excited about what they are reading.”

This article borrows from Lance Vandermark’s Sunset View Elementary website. To read more news about school on-goings at Sunset View, click here.