Archive for the 'biography' Category

Teaching Geography with Children’s Literature: Alice Ramsey’s Grand Adventure

Published by Kristin on October 31, 2009 in history, geography, biography and book review. 1 Comment

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Have you ever heard of Alice Ramsey?  I hadn’t, until I read the book Alice Ramsey’s Grand Adventure, written and illustrated by Don Brown.  This book tells the story of the first woman to drive across the United States!  With its simple text and great illustrations, the book might be used in a geography lesson to teach about different areas of the country, or could also be used as an introduction to a history or biography lesson on Alice Ramsey herself.

The straightforward, informative way this book is written makes it perfect to be read aloud.  The book begins, “On June 9, 1909, Alice Ramsey drove out of New York City and into a grand adventure.  Alice Ramsey wanted to be the first woman to drive across America.”  From there, it goes on to tell, step-by-step, each location Ramsey visited.  The descriptions of each place highlight important things, as well.  For example, Brown describes Chicago’s railway system: “Chicago, Illinois was a railroad center.  The car bounced over mile after mile of rail until the women were dizzy.”   The book ends when the women (Ramsey traveled with her two sisters-in-law and a close friend) reach San Francisco, and goes on to explain that after her first trip, Alice drove across the country more than 30 times by the time she was seventy.  The text provides a lot of information, but presents it in an easy to understand format — this is what makes it great for use in the classroom.

Curriculum Connections

Alice Ramsey’s Grand Adventure could be used to teach a geography lesson about the United States while students also learn about who Alice Ramsey was and what she accomplished.  The states mentioned in the book include New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Nebraska, South Dakota, Wyoming, Utah, and California.  Since Ramsey made her journey in 1909, students could research what the United States was like then and imagine what it might have been like for Ramsey to travel through all of those states.  SOLs USII.1 and USII.2 focus on Social Studies skills and Geograph, and the book could be used to focus on the geography of the states mentioned and to get students thinking about life in the early twentieth century.

Additional Resources

  • AliceRamsey.org is a great resource for more information about our book’s heroine and includes a section just for educators.  The website also contains information about a movie made focusing on Ramsey, as well as more pictures and materials to help students delve deeper into the story.
  • This Digital History website has information about everyday life in the 1900s.  Students can learn how their families and lives today are different from everyday life in the beginning of the 20th century.  Although the information provided is basic, it could serve as a jump-start to a lesson on Geography.
  • MrNussbaum.com contains a huge amount of information about the 50 states in a kid-friendly format.  Each state is featured on his interactive maps, and there are also links to find out more info about the history and traditions of the states.  This site could be useful to collect background information for geography or history lessons, but could also be used by students for individual research!

General Information

Book: Alice Ramsey’s Grand Adventure
Author: Don Brown
Illustrator: Don Brown
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Company
Publication Date: 1997
Pages: 32
Grade Range: 3-6
ISBN-13: 978-0618073160

Teaching Life Science with Children’s Literature: Animals Robert Scott Saw: An Adventure in Antarctica

Published by Cory on September 14, 2009 in nonfiction, history, life science, environment, geography, science, biography and Uncategorized. 0 Comments

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Animals Robert Scott Saw: An Adventure in Antarctica, written by Sandra Markle, is a book that goes into detail about the first exploration of the South Pole.  Much of what was experienced in Antarctica was influenced by the animals the explorers were surrounded with.

Robert Scott was an explorer from Scotland who wanted to learn more about the South Pole.  He found other researchers to travel with him on his expedition, got together a group of sled dogs, and traveled south.  Throughout this book, different animals that Scott and his friends saw in the wildlife, as well as used to aid their travels, either as guides, food, or for warmth.  It also discusses the dangers their research several animals affected.

“Why Hunt Whales and Seals? In the 1800s, whale oil for lamps was in great demand.  Lightweight, bendable whalebone was used to make womens clothing, such as hoops skirts, which were fashionable at the time.  Seals were hunted for their fur.  Years of hunting and greatly decreased the numbers of whales and seals in much of the world, so hunters had to search for them in more remote places - even as far away as Antarctica.”

The book also provides children with tidbits of information about the animals the researchers saw in little additional bubbles next to the animal’s pictures.

“Daddy Duty.  After mating, female Emporer penguins each lay one egg in May or early June, during the Antarctic winter.  Having used up a lot of energy to produce the eff, the female then heads for the sea to fee.  The male balances the egg on its feet and overs it with a fold of skin on its belly.  That way, the egg is kept warm for three to four months while the chick inside develops.”

An added bonus to this book, apart from its nice illustrations are the inclusion of real photographs from the expedition of some of the explorers, and even Robert Scott’s dog Scamp.  This helps the story of the explorer seem more real to life, and also gives students a good idea of what kind of environment they were living in, as well as what the explorers has to do to adapt to their new environment.

Curriculum Connections:

This book can be read as an extension resource for the VA Science SOL 4.5d which discusses how plants and animals interact with each other and their environment to survive in their habitat.  It also highlights 4.5f which discusses how humans can interfere with their environment and potentially cause damages.  By highlighting the different animals the explorers saw, and the way the animals reacted to the humans in their environment, and the changes the sled dogs had to go through, children will be able to see that animals survive very differently depending on their surroundings and how humans treat them.

Additional Resources:

The Laboratory for Ecophysiological Cryobiology has a great page with lesson plans for students to either plan their own expedition to Antarctica, as well as  lesson plan for an Antarctica Webquest.

The College of William and Mary website has a unit plan about Antarctica including science, math and reading lessons that could be used as an extension after students have read this book.

The National Geographic Website has a lesson idea for children to do a web search to research animals in Antarctica, and the use their drawings and research to hypothesis about and create a giant food web of Antarctic creatures.

General Information:

Book: Animals Robert Scott Saw
Author: Sandra Markle
Publisher: Chronicle Books LLC
Publication Date: March 2008
Pages: 48
Grade Range: 4-5 grade
ISBN-13: 9780811849180

Teaching Life Science With Children’s Literature: The Woods Scientist

Published by Susie on September 13, 2009 in life science, nonfiction, biography and book review. 0 Comments

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The Woods Scientist by Stephen Swinburne is a biography of Susan Morse. All the photography represented is by Susan Morse. Susan is a forester, habitat ecologist and professional tracker who educates others on the importance of preserving the forests and the wildlife who call it their home.

Swinburne takes students on an adventure as they follow Susan through the forest. She points out various markings on trees that were made by deer, moose, bears and other animals. She draws attention to the droppings of animals and explains that this is an important part of seed dispersal. Through these observations she highlights the interdependence of wildlife and nature.

Curriculum Connections
 The Woods Scientist is a great resource for 4th and 5th graders who are interested in learning more about animal behavior, their habitat and the influences human activity has on ecosystems, habitats, life cycles and behavior adaptations. (VA SOL 4.5)

The reading level is that of a 4th or 5th grader but some 3rd graders who are advanced readers and have a special interest in wildlife will also find this book interesting.

There is a glossary of terms included that will be helpful for students.

Additional Resources

Title: The Woods Scientist
Author: Stephen R. Swinburne
Illustrator: Susan C. Morse
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Company
Publication Date: 2002
Pages: 48
Grade Range: 4-5th grade
ISBN:061804602X

Teaching Physical Science with Children’s Literature: How Ben Franklin Stole the Lightning

Published by Natalie on September 6, 2009 in physical science, biography and book review. 0 Comments

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Summary
How Ben Franklin Stole the Lightning by Rosalyn Schanzer is a creative and colorful biography of the life of Benjamin Franklin.
As the story begins, Schanzer runs through all of the different inventions and innovations that Franklin created in his life starting with his childhood.  The inventions pile up and the reader begins to realize how much Ben Franklin did for society from inventing bifocals to the Franklin Stove and the musical armonica.
The book then focuses on how Franklin played with electricity and introduces the reader into the famous experiment involving the kite and the key.  Schanzer captures the moment by saying

“Just as Ben and WIlliam were about to give up, the hair on that wet kite sting began to rise up and stand at attention.  Ben put his knuckle near the key and YIKES!!!!  Out jumped a bright sprk of genuine electricity!  Real Lightning had traveled all the way down the kite string!  Ben had stolen electric fire out of the heavens and proven that he was right.”

As the book finishes up it goes on to say how the results of Franklin’s experiment effected everyday society and prevented homes and ships from frequent fires.

Curriculum Connections
The students will work towards an understanding of electricity, electrical currents, light, and conductors. (SOL 4.3)  Since this is a biography, this can also be tied into a history lesson plan.

Additional Resources
1.  This is an introductory activity where students will learn the use of electricty and learn about its dangers.
2.  This activity about electricity will help the students play with different materials and learn which ones conduct electrical charges.
3.  This is an activity based on light pollution.  It will help kids underatand how to reduce pollution in relation to electricity.

General Information
Book: How Ben Franklin Stole the Lightning
Author/Illustrator: Rosalyn Schanzer
Publisher: HarperCollins
Publication Date: December 2002
Pages: 40
Grade Range: 2-4
ISBN: 0688169937

Teaching Process Skills with Children’s Literature: Rare Treasure

Published by Ann R on August 31, 2009 in process skills, biography and book review. 0 Comments

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Rare Treasure Mary Anning and Her Remarkable Discoveries written and illustrated by Don Brown is a brief biography of her life and a small window into the field of paleontology.

The story begins by letting the reader know that Mary was born in 1799 to a very poor family living in an English port town.  Her father taught her and her brother how to look for fossils at the nearby beach.  A fascination that started as a hobby became her life’s work at the age of 20.  Although she was able to sell the treasures she found, she remained quite poor.  “In 1823, Mary discovered her first complete fossil of a plesiosaur…a nine-foot-long creature.”  She went on to make many more important discoveries before she died in 1847, at the age of 48.

Curriculum Connections:  Rare Treasure Mary Anning and Her Remarkable Discoveries could be used as an introduction into the science of paleontology.  Students could learn about the simple tools used in her research (SOL 1.1b) and how and why their findings are arranged and classified (SOL 1.1c), utilizing measurement to the nearest centimeter (SOL 3.1e).  Building on that, students could learn how two or more attributes are used to classify their findings (SOL 2.1c), then, how the data from those findings are gathered, charted and graphed (SOL 3.1g). 

Additional Resources:

  • “Smithsonian Education” offers a lesson plan, activity, and worksheet to help students understand how an archaeologist does his/her job, as well as how to make and record observations in this field of study.  This directly relates common practices between archaeologists and paleontologists.  
  • “Discovery Education” offers a lesson plan, activities, and worksheets to help students understand the concept of scientific theory through the examination of information and artifacts related to dinosaurs, and how evidence helps to support a scientific theory.  
  • This interactive website allows students to independently utilize the computer to reinforce their understanding of paleontology through a simulated dig site, general information, and videos of students working an actual dig site.  

Book: Rare Treasure: Mary Anning and Her Remarkable Discoveries
Author/Illustrator:  Don Brown
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Publication Date:  2003
Pages:  32 pages
Grade Range:  K - 3
ISBN: 9780618310814

Teaching Process Skills with Children’s Literature: Starry Messenger

Published by Cory on August 31, 2009 in space science, process skills and biography. 0 Comments

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Starry Messenger, written by Peter Sís is an extremely child friendly biography of the famous philosopher and astronomist Galileo Galilee.  This book could be used with a wide variety of children of different ages and reading levels.

The main story line is easily followed by younger children, and is accompanied with extra information and quotes written in cursive for older students.  The illustrations, also done by Peter Sís, are interesting, yet very complex and filled with extra information for older students to pick out using the knowledge they acquire from the extra facts.

Starry Messenger begins by describing the world that Galileo lived in, giving more information about beliefs and traditions of the time:

“For hundreds of years, most people thought the earth was the center of the universe, and the sun and the moon and all the other planets revolved around it.  they did not doubt or wonder if this was true.  They just followed tradition… In those days, Italy was a country where many great artists, writers, musicians and scholars lived…In the city of Pisa a little boy was born with stars in eyes.  His parents named him Galileo.”

Some of the extra information provides more fact filled tidbits for older children to consider when reading the story:

“Italy was a quilt of city-states, each with its own laws and government.  A common religion, the Catholic faith, was one thing they all shared, and the Church was a powerful influence…Until the age of eleven, Galileo was taught at home by his father.  Then he was sent to the Benedictine Monastery of Santa Maria di Vallonbiosa where he studied Latin, Greek, religion and music.”

Starry Messenger also helps explain to children an important aspect that is often glossed over:  the importance of the traditions of the ancient world, and that those traditions were so important to the leaders of the country, i.e. the Church, that Galileo was disowned for his beliefs because they were different.

“Galileo was afraid.  He knew that people had suffered terrible torture and punishment for not following tradition.  It could happen to him… Galileo was condemned to spend the rest of his life locked in his house under guard.  But he still had stars on his mind and no one could keep him from thinking about the wonders of the skies and the mysteries of the universe.”

Curriculum Connections 

VA SOL Science 1.1b and 1.1f: The student will conduct investigations in which b.) simple tools are used to enhance observations and f.) predictions are based on patterns of observation rather than random guesses

VA SOL Science 2.1a, 2.1g and 2.1h: The student will conduct investigations in which a.) observation is differentiated from personal interpretation, and conclusions are drawn based on observations and g.) unexpected or unusual quantitative data are recognized and h.) simple physical models are constructed.

Additional Resources

  • Peter Sís’ own website provides multiple lesson extension ideas and lesson ideas for many standards of learning in subject areas such as geography and history.
  • TeacherVision provides a lesson plan for older students, grades 6-8, including measuring with scales and using pendulums like Galileo used in his studies.
  • 400 Years of the Telescope expands upon the biography of Galileo, as well as gives extra information about the telescope.

Book: Starry Messenger
Author/Illustrator: Peter Sís
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Publication Date: September  2000
Pages: 40 pages
Age Range: 4-8
ISBN-13: 978-0374470272

Teaching Process Skills with Children’s Literature: The Tree of Life

Published by Natalie on August 30, 2009 in process skills, biography and book review. 0 Comments

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The Tree of Life by Peter Sís offers an interesting portrayal of Charles Darwin’s life as a scientist. This book begins with a very good introduction.  It begins,

“Charles Darwin opens his eyes for the first time!  He has no idea that he will (a) start a revolution when he grows up, (b) sail around the world on a five-year voyage, (c) spend many years studying nature, and (d) write a book that will change the world.  Luckily, he is unaware that (e) not everyone will see things his way, and that (f) he himself will have doubts about revealing his grand conclusions.  Here is his story.”

This book is written in an unconventional way in which the text is not in paragraph form.  The different facts, statistics, and information on in the book are dispersed in different areas of each page.  It offers a look inside (an distinguishes between) Darwin’s ‘public life’, ‘private life’, and ’secret life.’  It also gives a pretty detailed summary of his five year journey around the world in which he studied and recorded data about different animals (with a strong focus on South America).  There are several illustrations in the book- a few of the pages are fully covered with different species that Darwin studied on his voyage.  There are also several diagrams and maps that help further explain Darwin’s findings.  His personal life is also one of the larger aspects of the book and is illustrated throughout it.

Curriculum Connections
SOL 5.1 (e) data are collected, recorded, and reported using appropriate graphical representation6.1 (a)- observations are made involving fine discrimination between similar objects and organisms 6.1 (b)- a classification system is developed based on multiple attributes.

Additional Resources 

  • Students can participate in a lab in which they will look at a variety of birds from all around the world.  They will be able to draw comparisons and differences from the birds after this lab.
  • Students can recreate Darwin’s experience by writing their own Darwin Diary.   The students will record observations of plants, animals, and organisms in their ecosystem.
  • The students can participate in an activity in which they learn about the adaptations of camels. Continuing with Darwin’s idea of evolution, it is important to note adaptations in certain animals around the world!

Book: The Tree of Life
Author/Illustrator: Peter Sís
Publisher: Walker Books Ltd
Publication Date: October 2003
Pages: 40 pages
Grade Range: 5-6
ISBN: 0744598702

Teaching Process Skills With Children’s Literature: Manfish: A Story of Jacques Cousteau

Published by Susie on August 30, 2009 in process skills, nonfiction, biography and book review. 0 Comments

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Manfish: A Story of Jacques Cousteau by Jennifer Berne and illustrated by Eric Puybaret takes children on a journey through the life of a curious boy who later became an inventor, film maker, explorer and marine conservationist.

“From the very beginning little Jacques loved water-the way it felt on his hands, his face, his body. And water made him wonder. He wondered why ships floated. Why he floated. And why rocks sank.”

It was this curiosity that led him to push the limits, and explore a part of our world yet to be known. ”…people all over the world discovered the wonders of the sea for the very first time, with Jacques, Philippe, Didi and their adventurous crew.”

Jacques eagerness to breathe under water brought us the invention of ”aqualungs”, ”rubber suits to keep themselves warm and flippers to help them kick better.” (Scuba diving)   He even “created a waterproof case for his camera”.

Curriculum Connections
Manfish is suitable for 2nd and 3rd graders and compliments Virginia SOL 2.1 and 3.1. While the reading level is quite easy for a third grader the story is applicable as it reinforces observation, prediction and questioning skills and inspires children to look beyond the surface and consider things that have not yet been discovered. Students are motivated to explore and question how and why things happen. They are encouraged to follow Cousteau’s example, observe what is around them, and develop their curiosity to explore the unknown.

Additional Resources

  • Cousteau Kids offers additional reading material about Cousteau’s accomplishments, and provides a wealth of knowledge concerning environmental projects, expeditions, conservation news, environmental issues, society activities, books and movies. Children can subscribe to the bi-monthly magazine. There are also packages for teachers which include classroom subscription and student activities.
  • This website offers observation activities and other scientific investigations for various grade levels.
  • An experiment allowing students to observe differences between salt water and fresh water.

Book: Manfish: A Story of Jacques Cousteau
Author: Jennifer Berne
Illustrator: Eric Puybaret
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Publication Date: April 2008
Pages: 40
Grade Range: 1-3
ISBN: 978-0811860635

Teaching Process Skills with Children’s Literature: Darwin

Published by Emma on August 30, 2009 in process skills, biography and book review. 0 Comments

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Do you want your students to be as excited and interested about science as Charles Darwin was? Check out the book Darwin by Alice B. McGinty and illustrated by Mary Azarian, and let their curiosity roll.

In this beautifully illustrated book, children can follow the life of Darwin from his childhood to his death. We learn about his unstoppable curiosity as a student, his explorations as a naturalist, and how he discovered the theories of natural selection and evolution. McGinty clearly models his thinking process (a great model for students learning how to make observations):  “Charles was astonished. Some of these birds had long beaks. Some had short beaks. Some had thin beaks and some thick. How could they all be finches? Charles thought carefully about what his discovery meant. Why were there so many species of finches on these islands? Had all of them been around since the world began? Or had the finches come from the same ancestors and changed?” Almost each page has letters written by Darwin to his family, friends and colleagues  during his years of controversial research. Children will be able to learn how and why Darwin came to the conclusions he did through his tireless observations, trials, and errors. (We even see how world-famous scientists made mistakes sometimes)!

Curriculum Connections
In terms of process skills, this is a great book to include for instruction geared towards learning how to make observations and predictions. SOLs from the strand Scientific Investigation, Reasoning and Logic for grades 1-5 (1.1, 2.1, 3.1, 4.1, 5.1) can all be covered with this reading. Specifically, McGinty’s book targets the portions of the SOLs concerning how students make inferences and hypotheses based on their observations, and how objects or events can be classified according to their attributes and/or properties.

Here are some activities/sites to check out when using this book in the classroom.

  • This site may answer some of your students’ questions (and spark their interest with some great pictures) in the “For Kids” section.
  • Darwin and Evolution for Kids provides more kid-friendly information on Darwin along with 21 activities.
  • Want a more simple activity? Have kids color in a picture of Darwin.

Book: Darwin
Author: Alice B. McGinty
Illustrator: Mary Azarian
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children
Publication date: April 2009
Pages: 48 pages
Grade range: 1-5
ISBN-13: 978-0-618-99531-8

Teaching Civics With Children’s Literature: Rosa

Published by Laura on November 19, 2008 in civics, biography, book review and social studies. 0 Comments

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Have you ever been curious at the story of Rosa Parks? Nikki Giovanni tells the story of how Rosa Parks refused to get out of her seat along with a brief synopsis of the civil right’s movement and the final ruling by the supreme court that “segregation on the buses, like segregation at schools, was illegal” in her book Rosa.

The book starts off by describing Rosa as a good citizen, taking care of her sick mother and being the best seamstress in Montgomery.  Giovanni describes Rosa leaving work early and getting on the bus.  She pays the 10 cents at the front, gets off the bus, and goes to the back door to enter the bus from the rear.  The section for blacks was full so Rosa went to the neutral section in the middle, reserved for both whites and blacks.  An officer yells at Rosa to give up her seat but she refused to get up.  The officer threatened to call the police, but Rosa refuses to get up.  Here is an excerpt from what happens next:

As Mrs. Parks sat waiting for the police to come, she thought of all the brave men and women, boys and girls who stood tall for civil rights.  She recited in her mind the 1954 Brown versus Board of Education decision, in which the United States Supreme Court ruled that separate is ‘inherently unequal.’  She sighed as she realized she was tired.  Not tired from work but tired of putting white people first.  tired of stepping off sidewalks to let while people pass, tired of eating at separate lunch counters and learning at separate schools.  She was tired of ‘colored’ entrances, ‘colored’ balconies, ‘colored’ drinking fountains, and ‘colored’ taxis.  She was tired of getting somewhere first and being waited on last.  Tired of ’separate’, and definitely tired of ‘not equal’.

Giovanni continues to explain how a group of women snuck into Alabama State and made posters all night long that read “no riders today; support Mrs. Parks; Stay off the buses; walk on Monday.”  Giovanni tells the story of Emmett Till, of Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., and how people walked and walked.  And finally on November 13, 1956, almost a year after the arrest of Rosa Parks, the supreme court ruled that segregation was wrong.  ”The integrity, the dignity, the quiet strength of Rosa Parks turned her no into a YES for change.”

The book is very well written and contains beautiful illustrations.  Students would definitely love reading this book and would gain a lot of information from doing so.

Curriculum Connections
This book offers a great way to teach students about Rosa Parks and give an introduction to the Civil Right’s Movement.  The book brings up important decisions, people, and events in civil right’s history as well as describing the individual story of Rosa Parks.  The book is very simple and well written and students would enjoy reading it.  In Virginia, this book could be used to identify the contributions of Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King, Jr., as well as describing the individual rights to equality under the law (Standards of Learning for Civics 3.11).

Additional Resources

Book: Rosa
Author: Nikki Giovanni
Illustrator: Bryan Collier
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.
Publication Date: 2005
Pages: 40 pages
Grades: 2-4
ISBN: 0439898838