MIKE GRAFAuthor
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MIKE GRAF
Author
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May, Aug., Oct.,
Mike Graf has taught gifted classes in elementary schools, been a TV weatherman, and presently teaches at Chico State University. When Mike visits schools he gives presentations on weather, national parks, caving, writing children's books, the writing process, science, and gifted education.
Mike has backpacked the world's national parks, interviewed storm-chasers and special-effects wizards, met the last surviving Angel Island immigrant, rafted through spectacular caves, researched wolf restoration, rock-climbed in Yosemite, explored ghost towns, and much more. His children's books reflect all these experiences and more.
When Mike wrote a weather unit for teachers, his lesson plans, worksheets, and experiments became THE WEATHER REPORT which was picked up by The Weather Channel. His newest ventures take readers into the National Parks and to the many countries and continents of the world.
Mike Graf writes fiction as well and his books have a lot of dialogue, action, and dramatic tension. Cave Story and Tornado! follow the adventures of Tim who is caught in a tornado and lost in a cave. His other adventure book topics include coal mines, dinosaurs, wolves, and blackwater rafting.
Mike loves visiting schools. He has taught and conducted workshops and presentations on weather, national parks, speaking, children's book writing, and science, among other topics.
"To see a recent weather broadcast from Mike, click here".
Adventures With the Parkers -
Reviews A dramatic Parker Family adventure through the only National Park equal to its fame; Yellowstone. Visiting burbling geysers and viewing wild life galore create lots of things for the Parker twins to write about in their journals. But, it is their family back pack trip into the back country that brings them face to face with Mother Nature and the eyes of a grizzly bear. Great writing by Mr. Graf put me on the edge of my seat.--Marsha Holland Literacy Coordinator Garfield County Volunteer Center Tropic, Utah "I finished reading Eye of the Grizzly. It was fantastic as well as educational! I was especially intrigued by the episode with the grizzly! My heart skipped a few beats just reading about the Parkers' encounter with the bear! I used to live in Montana as a high school student and one of my fears was to encounter a bear. I think I would have died on the spot if I was in the Parkers' situation. It was all so realistic! The cover was impressive. It illustrates the story well. Thanks for sharing!" Sandy Johnson, librarian at Bryce Valley High School in Utah.
Review Climbing big granite walls, hiking high county trails, cruising giant sequoias groves, and mischievous campground raiding bears fill this Parker Family adventure in Yosemite. Yosemite is a National Park close to my heart; a place where I first went backpacking and spent many days hiking and climbing as well. Reading Mr. Graf's wonderful and often breathing-taking vacation adventures of the Parker family made me want to grab my back pack and head for the high country. --Marsha Holland Literacy Coordinator Garfield County Volunteer Center Tropic, Utah |
Weather Lab Kit
Complete Weather Station
Teacher Developed/Classroom Tested
A self-contained weather station with post spike.
The instrument box is double roofed with latticed double layered sides and a master key lock for security. Instruments include min/max thermometer, barometer, rain gauge, wind sock, pocket anemometer, sling psychrometer, liquid filled compass and clip board for data collection.
Instructions written by a working meteorologist. Designed to meet National Weather Service specs. Developed by Meteorologist Michael Graf. Some assembly required. 
New Science Kit - Cloud Kit 
Science Kit developed the Cloud Kit with Mike Graf. Mike taught fourth and fifth grade and gifted and talented students for nine years. Mike is a meteorologist, a former Weather-caster for several television stations in CA and has worked for the Weather Channel in the education department. We hope you enjoy these cloud activities. The kit includes two sets of lesson plans and student activities geared to Pre-K - 3rd grade and 4th grade - 8th grade. Also Included is a color-coded cloud identification chart and Daily Cloud Chart.
From Thomson Learning!
The Accident:
Wolves Water Dinosaurs Underground Measure for Measure |
OTHER TITLES
Lightning and Thunderstorms by Mike Graf Reading level: Ages 9-12 Paperback (August 1998) Athenaeum; 
ISBN: 0689820186 
What happens when a plane is hit by lightning? Why does lightning look like a streak one time and a ribbon or row of glowing balls another? How do rocket ships create lightning as they fly? These questions and many more are answered in this book that also includes unforgettable personal accounts by people who have been struck by lightning. Chock full of fun facts, fascinating activities, colorful photographs -- plus so much more!
The forecast is bright for this innovative new nonfiction series. Exciting descriptions are given of nature's most spectacular events, basic meteorological information, safety tips, and dramatic full-color photos.
Rock Climbing
by Mike Graf
Reading level: Ages 9-12 Library Binding: 56 pages
Publisher: Perfection Learning (August 1, 2003
Theme: Adventure
Flesch/Kincaid Reading Level 4.9
Levels Interest Level 4-9 )
ISBN: 0756913853
Paperback: Publisher: Perfection Learning (June 1, 2004)
ISBN: 0789160439
Glow Worms by Mike Graf is a book about Glow Worms, which is the larva stage of an insect called the fungus gnat. The book is part of the Making Connections program developed by Educators Publishing Service, a division of Delta Education, LLC and by Harcourt Education, a division of Reed International Books Australia Pty Ltd.
ISBN 0-8388-3331-4.
order from Mike by email)
email: mailto:mgraf@aol.com
Whale Rescue
email: mailto:mgraf@aol.com 
Cave Story
by Mike Graf
1998 Perfection Learning paperback
ISBN 078912145X An Underground Adventure. Tim started feeling claustrophobic. Panic set in. He tried to turn around but there wasn't room. It was too tight and narrow. "Calm down," he told himself. He took a few deep breaths. then he slid backwards using his hands and knees. Cave Story is an adventure story that interweaves fact and fiction. Readers will learn about cave exploration, etiquette, geology, and wildlife as they follow the exciting adventures of a young boy who is lost in a cave.
Tornado! the Strongest Winds on Earth
by Mike Graf
Reading level: Ages 9-12
Library Binding: 56 pages
Publisher: Perfection Learning (August 1, 1998)
ISBN: 078077860X
Paperback: Publisher: Perfection Learning (December 1, 1999)
ISBN: 0789128713
Tim gives his report on how tornadoes are formed
just before one touches down in his town.
MIKE GRAF'S National Park Books are non-fiction resourcebooks for children.
Mike says, "I am a national park fanatic and have written fiction, non-fiction, and teacher books on the parks for years. I also do school presentations and workshops on National Park education."
" In my summers, I often hike, camp, and backpack in our national parks."
"I visit parks all year long and have personal reference contacts in each park. As a teacher I have also developed school-wide, public national park fairs where the students become "rangers" of the national parks."
Just published books on the National Parks include:
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The Weather Report by Mike Graf Paperback (July 1989) Fearon Teacher AIDS; 
ISBN: 0822475111
The Weather Report has been used by The Weather Channel's education department ever since it came out. It is considered an outstanding teacher resource for weather education.
The Weather Report (Japanese Version) (1996) Translated version of The Weather Report. Published by The English Agency of Japan
National Parks Projects by Mike Graf Paperback (June 1993) Fearon Teacher AIDS;
ISBN: 0866539344
Using an integrated approach that encompasses all curriculum areas, students prepare posters, maps, speeches, debates, and displays to highlight their findings Students will be bussing with enthusiasm and energy as they creatively design ranger stations to feature their knowledge at a national parks fair.
National Parks Projects is sold at many national park visitor center book stores throughout the country.
These resource books can be used for school projects or fairs on national parks.
Other books
Weather (Scienceworks for Kids) Paperback: 80 pages Publisher: Evan-Moor Corp; (March 2002) 
ISBN: 1557998329
Weather presents information and investigations on these six concepts:
Weather changes from day to day and over the seasons.
Weather conditions can be described in measurable quantities.
Water circulates through Earth’s atmosphere.
Clouds directly affect weather.
Climate is affected by Earth’s features.
Local weather conditions can be used to forecast weather.
A finalist in the Association of Educational Publishers distinguished achievements award
The Nile River by Mike Graf
School & Library Binding: 32 pages
Publisher: Capstone Press; (January 2004) 
ISBN: 0736824847
The Amazon River
by Mike Graf
Reading level: Ages 9-12
Edition: School & Library Binding
32 pages
Publisher: Capstone Press; (January 2004)
ISBN: 0736824820 
White-Water Kayaking
by Mike Graf
Edition: School & Library Binding
School & Library Binding: 48 pages
Publisher: Capstone Press; (January 2004)
ISBN: 0736824138
Countries of the World Series
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Nonfiction Reading Practice, Grade 5, Publisher: Evan-Moor Corp; ISBN# 1557999449 Here you’ll find 20 content-specific topics in the following areas:
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In each of these units, you will find the following:
History Pockets Publisher: Evan-Moor Corp; ISBN# 1557999058
Each book in the History Pockets series contains 7 to 11 pockets of history activities. For every pocket book there are reading, writing, and “make-it” projects that extend the historical concept being presented and studied. The following resources are provided:
3 Books that are part of Rigby's 4th/5th grade literary reader series. They are published by Rigby Publishers as part of their literary reader series for upper elementary grades and can be ordered from the publisher by schools and districts.
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Weatherwise by Mike Graf 1998 (Frank Shaffer) 
Weather Wise is a complete guide to teaching the essential concepts of weather. It includes fun activities and worksheets, plus complete instructions for building your own weather station. Students will learn about air pressure, convection, wind chill, and forms of precipitation. These lessons will come alive when students do simple activities such as make a wind vane, a rain gauge, and even their own clouds, dew drops, and tornadoes.
Other Books
 by Mike Graf & Anne Kaske, illustrated by Steve WestonISBN: 0757898580 Mito and his father go into dinosaur canyon for a photo shoot. Mito isn't prepared for the effects the famous canyon seem to have on the toy dinosaurs they are taking pictures of. Mito sees strange and wonderful changes, will he and his father make it out of the canyon safely? |
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The World's Best Places : New Ways to Explore Diverse Cultures & Environments by Mike Graf Paperback ISBN: 0325000034 Publisher: Heinemann Publications 
ISBN: 0435081497
Now you can foster an appreciation of the world's diverse cultures and environments at the same time that you teach science and social studies. With The World's Best Places, Mike Graf offers an intriguing alternative to traditional upper elementary and middle school lesson plans, using thirty-two of the world's most popular natural national parks as a springboard for activities.
The activities in this book are divided into chapters that deal with particular topics of study: wildlife, plantlife, geography, and geology. The book can be easily organized around your own curriculum and is as flexible as you want to make it. You can explore the volcanic activity of a particular park to support a science unit on geology; or examine the effect of human activity on the environment to complement a social studies inquiry. Step-by-step instructions illustrate how the activities can be implemented to teach a range of other topics including:
* glaciers * endangered species * indigenous cultures * forest preservation and destruction * ecosystems * biological diversity * and much more.
In short, The World's Best Places will help you lead your students from curiosity to experience, from questions to knowledge, and from information to grand classroom displays.
MIKE GRAF'S Continent Series Titles
 by Mike Graf Reading level: grades 2-4. Edition: School & Library Binding 24 pages Publisher: Bridgestone Books ISBN: 0736814140 |  by Mike Graf Reading level: grades 2-4. Edition: School & Library Binding 24 pages Publisher: Bridgestone Books ISBN: 0736814167 |
 by Mike Graf Reading level: grades 2-4. Edition: School & Library Binding 24 pages Publisher: Bridgestone Books ISBN: 0736814183 |
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Mike Graf is a very talented and prolific author. He has over 70 books in print, including Cave Story, Tornado, Wolves, Rock climbing, Glowworms, Flash Floods, Dinosaurs and Whirlwind. Mike has taught elementary school, been a TV weatherman, and presently teaches at Chico State University. Mike has also developed many science kits for elementary and middles school classes.
He recently released and adventure series for children set in the NATIONAL PARKS. DANGER IN THE NARROWS (adventures in Bryce and Zion) and TALE OF THE SCORPION (adventures in the Grand Canyon) were the first two books to be released. Yosemite and Yellowstone titles are soon to follow, with the Great Smokey Mountains and Olympic after that.
Mike is an enthusiastic storyteller and presenter. He would be delighted to present at your school on this newly released National Parks series and/or the writing process itself. Many of Mike’s talks revolve around weather, caving, storm chasing, dinosaur digs, animal encounters, and other outdoor adventure and science related topics. Mike also does specialized, hands-on writing and weather workshops for smaller groups and GATE classes.
Mike has backpacked the world's national parks, interviewed storm-chasers and special-effects wizards, met the last surviving Angel Island immigrant, rafted through spectacular caves, researched wolf restoration, rock-climbed in Yosemite, explored ghost towns, and much more. His children's books reflect all those experiences.
Mike Graf is an instructor in the Child Development Department at California State University, Chico. His background includes:
Mike Graf is available for multi-class or single-class presentations (about 1 hour) at your school for the following:
* What it’s like to be a children's book author |
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Professional Fees: $250.00 per assembly. Up to three presentations per school day.
Flexible prices for in class talks or demonstrations and or GATE workshops.
Travel expenses vary and are flexible.
Comments about Mike Graf School Visits "I was told by a staff member that the kids talked about you all afternoon! It was a great morning!" "I want to thank Marian for getting our author here this morning. Mike Graf was just a wonderful speaker. Our 3-5 grades were just entranced with his stories from start to finish!" - Marian McHugh, Library Media Teacher, Paula Laub, Writing Specialist, Paradise Professional Development School, Las Vegas, NV "Great! We have had such great feedback from students and teachers alike. I don't think the teachers thought their students were capable of being engrossed for a stretch of time like that." - Katie Demsher, Assistant Principal, Plum Canyon Elementary School, Saugus, CA "We loved having you visit our school! I have been fielding compliments about your presentation for the last two days! The teachers, including myself enjoyed it as much as the kids did. Thank you so much for coming! Teachers were very impressed with how you kept the kids focused and how much they learned from you about writing. You are a dynamic speaker. Your talk didn't even seem like an hour." - Kathleen Gipson, Literacy Specialist, Monte Cristo Elementary, Granite Falls, WA "Thank you for your recent visit to our school...You did a remarkable job of altering your presentations so that the varying grade level presentations were age appropriate and clearly enjoyable for all. Your teaching experience was evidenced by your ability to command and hold the attention of the students...what an outstanding presentation you gave to the students. Our best yet!" - Barbara Danowitz, Principal, St. John Eudes School, Chatsworth, CA "I wanted to thank you again for coming to Bilbray yesterday. I have gotten so many positive comments today about the assemblies yesterday and the program last night. The students and teachers think you are amazing. I hope that you'll be able to come back to our school in the future. Good luck to you on your next books!" - Gayle Jefferson, Literacy Specialist, Bilbray Elementary School, Las Vegas, NV "It was a pleasure having you in our room on Wednesday. The students really enjoyed writing their realistic fiction stories. I know it was intense, but I do have to say, the students stayed focused, and really enjoyed the process. I have received nothing but positive feedback from parents and students. It was truly an honor to have you as a guest in our class." - Miss Rodriguez, 4th Grade Teacher, Alexander Dawson School, Las Vegas, NV "Thank you for coming to our class. I learned a lot about writing. I liked to write before, but now I love it! I learned what morbid vs. sugar-coated means now. I think I will never forget how to make your story interesting. Now I know that you should put an unusual situation in every story. Now I am using dialogue in my stories. I can't wait to finish my story. Thank you again." - 4th Grade Student, Alexander Dawson School, Las Vegas, NV "Thank you very much for everything. It was great. My daughter, a seventh grade student, said you were the best author we have ever had. I'd say that is quite a compliment since we have had some really great authors, and since the middle school age can be a difficult age to please, since they already know everything, lol." - Mary Larez, Librarian and parent of Mikaela Larez, 7th Grade Student, St. John Eudes School, Chatsworth, CA "Mike Graf is an excellent informative teacher/author. He walked into each class a natural and with excellent skills in capturing the audiences attention and getting across information and telling stories. Highly recommended!" - Paradise Valley Arizona "I very much enjoyed your presentations this morning at San Domenico... Your realistic fiction presentation was fabulous. I liked all aspects of it: grammar, vocabulary, different concepts for characters, recording excursions, real life experiences. All important contributions to the story. Very exciting...you were super!" - M. Schwerin, Librarian, Brookside Upper Campus, San Anselmo, CA "Please tell Mr. Graf that I thought he did an excellent job at the assembly! His talk was very informative, yet by defining vocabulary, bringing some physical objects, and using storytelling techniques he was able to connect with a young audience. I was also very impressed with his management skills; it was a pleasure to attend an assembly where an intrinsically interesting presentation engaged the students so much that virtually none of the students grew restless or bored. Obviously, Mr. Graf has a wealth of experience managing large numbers of students, and he was well prepared to discuss his books and the ways he gets his ideas. I hope that he can speak with our students sometime again in the future, and I am sure that any other district would be fortunate to have him present at their school." - Lisa Doig, Rescue Union School District Lake Forest School, El Dorado Hills, CA "If you have Mike Graf coming to your school during Nevada Reading Week are you in for a true adventure! Mike travels and writes about his real experiences in his Realistic Fiction Books. Mike has written over 70 books. His books are bursting with information. Students, parents, and teachers loved his presentations! Hold onto your hats... " - Ruby Sandoval, Teacher and Librarian, Lummis Elementary School, Las Vegas, NV "Over fall break, we drove up to the Grand Canyon. The kids really loved the book Tale of the Scorpion. Eliana kept mentioning to me that we were going to take a day hike. She packed up our backpacks with all the important things: water, food, a salty snack, flashlight, etc. We even bought a black light flashlight so we could hunt for scorpions! She reminded Mike and I to start drinking water well before our trip. When we got to the Canyon, we started walking on the trail. Eliana started going down, down, down. When I told her we weren't going to the bottom, she was shocked! She was so upset! She thought we were going to hike right to the bottom, just like in the book! It was priceless!! Thankfully, she was satisfied with our long hike around the rim." - Miriam Spizzirri, Parent of 4th Grade Student, Tesseract School, Phoenix, AZ "Mikes presentation was terrific. He held the students attention with experiments, hands-on cloud chart building and reading from his books." - Santa Clara, CA "Mike Graf was a great hit with the fifth grade teachers and students at our school. He tailored his presentation to fit the weather/extreme nature themes the fifth grade students had been studying in class." - Tiburon, CA "I found Mike Graf to be both professional and gracious when I worked with him. He was helpful in providing information and materials. I enjoyed his presentation and would gladly have him again." - Orland, CA "The kids really enjoyed Mike's lecture--in fact, the first grade teacher told me her students talked about the caves for the rest of the day. Every comment I heard was positive--from the kids and faculty alike." - Melissa Moore, Junipero Serra School, Carmel, CA "The children and adults were enthralled by Mike's presentation. Mike's stories really came alive for the children. Lots of positive feedback from all who attended." - Dixie Elementary, Marin County, CA "Mike's presentations were engaging, exciting, and informative. Both students and teachers will remember his visit for years to come." - Anna Lane, Glenn County Office of Education "I can't begin to tell you what a pleasure it was to have Mike at our school. The students and staff really enjoyed the presentations. I really liked the ease of working with him." - Dorothy Garrelts-- Johnstonville School, Susanville, CA "I am getting rave reviews about Mike's sessions....the teachers all loved him." - Lore Silva, Librarian, Vista Grande School, San Diego, CA"The best author we have had come and visit." - PTA president, Gold River School, Folsom, CA "We were really impressed at how Mike can keep the kids attention during the assembly. Great, interesting stories! We give Mike's talk rave reviews!" - Robert Lindsey, Principal, French Ford Middle School, Winnemucca, NV |
Mike loves visiting schools. His presentations can run the gamut of 1st through 8th grade.
Mike Graf
Phone 530-894-8825 emailto:Mjgraf@aol.com
Website http://www.mikegrafauthor.com
To return to state page click HERE. 05/01/08 dated last edited
Tail of the Scorpion was picked as a finalist in the children's fiction category as one of the best books for kids in 2006!" USABOOKS.COM
