Archive for the 'nonfiction' Category

Teaching Economics with Children’s Literature: Money Madness

Published by Emma on October 21, 2009 in history, nonfiction, book review and social studies. 0 Comments

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David A. Adler’s brand new book, Money Madness, is not only highly-informative, but interactive and fun for young kids at the same time. The engaging illustrations by Edward Miller use both collages and images of real money.

The book begins with the question “What’s all this money madness?” and proceeds to tell its readers why people want and need money. Money Madness utilizes many scenarios in order to simplify topics for young readers. Within the first few pages, the author prompts children to “imagine a world without money…If there was no such thing as money and you needed new clothes, you would have to make them. Imagine if you had to knit your own sweater. Imagine if you had to raise a sheep to shear it, spin the wool to make the yarn, and then knit the sweater yourself.” Through Adler’s book, children not only learn the importance of money, but of it’s history as well.

Adler introduces his readers to the idea of bartering before there was such a thing as money. He shows children through many examples how it would be difficult to barter, because the trades wouldn’t always be fair, and sometimes what you wanted that person did not have. Adler also shows children the many different forms of money before it became what it is today: “At one time cows, sheep, camels, rocks, feathers, salt, dried fish, fishhooks, animals skins, and strings made of beads made from clamshells were all used as money.” Then Adler uses real images of metal money to introduce to students the concept of money as a metal, and how it eventually developed into the coins we have today, and finally into bills as well. On one fun page, the author shows the bills and their names from all over the world. At the end of Money Madness, Adler does a brief introduction to inflation and using credit cards and checks as a substitute for money. Young readers will learn through this book not only the history and use of money, but of it’s importance in our world.

Curriculum Connections

This highly informational yet simple book can be used when introducing students to money and its importance. But it can also be used for more complex topics, such as different currency, bartering, and inflation. Money Madness would correlate well with the SOLs 2.8, which introduces the idea of bartering, or 2.9, which shows how limited resources require people to make choices about what to produce and/or consume. Money Madness could also be used for Virginia Studies, for example for SOL VS.4d, where students have to describe how Virginia colonies used money, barter and credit.

Additional Resources

  • Allow your students to follow Wise Pocket’s friends in their stories about earning, spending, and saving money.
  • This website shares many great activities for teaching your students about bartering. 
  • The US Mint’s kid-friendly site has many great economics activities, including this one where students can examine currency from all over the world.

General Information
Book: Money Madness
Author: David A. Adler
Illustrator: Edward Miller
Publisher: Holiday House
Publication Date: 2009
Pages: 24
Grade Range: 2-5
ISBN: 0823414744

Teaching Earth Science with Children’s Literature: What Makes Day and Night

Published by Kelly on September 21, 2009 in nonfiction, earth science, resource links, book review, teaching, reading and science. 0 Comments

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What Makes Day and Night, written by Franklyn M. Branley and illustrated by Arthur Dorros, is a book answering children’s questions as to what causes ‘day to be day,’ ‘night to be night,’ and how the sun appears and disappears during these times.

This book follows a group of inquisitive children on their journey into finding out exactly what causes these events to happen, starting off with the basics of how our planet, Earth, is constantly spinning and rotating on its axis and the daily evoluations it makes around the sun.  The illustrations provide children with a clear sense of the Earth’s full rotation around the sun and shows the different stages of sunrise, day, sunset, and night, as well as providing insight into the moon’s lunar phases.  In addition to providing solid, factual information on these concepts, the children in the book conduct their own experiements at home with a flashlight in order to have a hands on understanding of how days and nights are created and the effects of light and darkness on Earth.

This book can surely serve as an anticipatory resource prior to a unit on Earth’s movement and motions within the solar system, and can be read aloud to the class or read independently by students because of the simplicity and student-friendliness of the text.  The author and illustrator do an excellent job of allowing students to grasp and process these abstract concepts through facts, home experiments, and detailed illustrations, leaving them with a sense of pride and curiousity to learn more about our plant and solar system.

Curriculum Connections

What Makes Day and Night serves as an excellent and useful resource to help teach, reinforce, and emphasize the third grade learning objectives in accordance with the Virgiia Standards of Learning (SOL’s).  Investigating and understanding the basic patterns and cycles of the Earth in relation to the sun and moon (SOL 3.8) is supported throughout the entire book through its discussion and illustrations of the stages and time of Earth’s rotation, its effects of the sun on the planet, and the phases of the moon (SOL 3.8a).

Additional Resources

  • Eye On The Sky offers an excellent lesson plan, demonstration, and printables for teaching students the Earth’s rotation and how it causes day and night - plus, this lesson can be adapted for grades 1 - 3.

  • Jefferson County Schools‘, located in Tennessee, website dedicates a page full of classroom lesson plans, activities, and numerous resources aimed at teaching students all about the Earth’s rotation and its effects on people, plus interactive websites for students to work with at school or at home!  Additionally, this site provides a range of lesson plans and activities on other units covering Earth Science.

  • SkyTellers provides a multitude of resources for activity ideas, books, and websites links for students and teachers solely devoted to how Earth rotates and it’s implications on day and night, seasons, lunar phases, and the sun.  Also, this website offers insights on other Earth Science concepts, such as the origin of starts, constellations, meteors, and the solar system.  This is definately a website to have on hand for many Earth Science lessons, no matter the grade level!

Book: What Makes Day and Night
Author: Franklyn M. Branley
Illustrator: Arthur Dorros
Publisher: Harper Collins
Publication Date: March 1986
Pages: 32pp
Grade Range: 3rd Grade
ISBN-13: 9780064450508

Teaching Earth Science with Children’s Literature: The Three R’s: Reuse, Reduce, Recycle

Published by Jennifer K. on September 21, 2009 in earth science, nonfiction, environment, book review and science. 0 Comments

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Introduction and Summary:
The Three R’s: Reuse, Reduce, Recycle, written by Nuria Roca and illustrated by Rosa M. Curto, is a great resource to use when teaching students about conservation.  The book discusses the ways in which the main character, Paul, can reduce, reuse and recycle items found in his everyday life.  For example, Paul tries to reduce his water and electricity consumption at home, and wears tee shirts his brother has outgrown (reuse).  The book also discusses how Paul recycles at his home and school.  “In the kitchen at Paul’s home there is a container for things made of plastic, metal or glass, and another for all other garbage,” (page 25).  The author does an excellent job putting the three R’s in concise terms that are understandable and relatable to students.  The book also explains landfills, and how trash and pollution ultimately impact plants, animals and people.  “Plastic bags are very handy, but sometimes they end up in the sea where they can be dangerous for animals.  Turtles may take them for jellyfish and eat them, or they may get tangled up in the plastic rings used to hold cans together,” (page 17).  The end of the books contains fun activities students can do to recycle items found in their homes.

Curriculum Connections:
The Three R’s: Reuse, Reduce, Recycle is appropriate for use in the kindergarten curriculum to show how everyday materials can be reused, recycled and conserved.  The Three R’s does a great job showing how materials can be used over and over again, such as bags at the grocery store (SOL K.10 A).  Pages 18-27 do a great job describing what everyday materials can be recycled, as well as the process used to recycle materials (SOL K.10 B).  Page 13 is particularly useful in illustrating how water and energy conservation, at home and in school, helps preserve resources for the future (SOL K.10 C).   

Additional Resources:
-This word search is a great way to reinforce vocabulary. 
-This activity is a great means to see how your school handles recycling and garbage.  Note: This is a worksheet from the UK and uses the word “rubbish” instead of trash.  Modify.
-This link contains many crafts that can be made by recycling items that students would normally discard.

General Information:
Book: The Three R’s: Reuse, Reduce, Recycle
Author: Nuria Roca
Illustrator: Rosa M. Curto
Publisher: Barron’s Educational Services, Inc.
Publication Date: February 2007
Pages: 36
Grade: K-1
ISBN-10: 0-7641-3581-3

Teaching Earth Science with Children’s Literature: What Makes a Shadow?

Published by Sydney on September 20, 2009 in earth science, nonfiction, science and Uncategorized. 0 Comments

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 What Makes a Shadow, written by Clyde Robert Bulla and illustrated by June Otani, is a part of the Let’s-Read-and-Find-Out Science book series that explains the simple and easily observable scientific concept of shadows for young children. The book begins by identifying and defining shadows and broadens by explaining what makes shadows, why some shadows are different than others, and where we see shadows everyday without even realizing it.

“The sun…shines on you. But the sun does not shine through you. There is a dark place behind you where the sun does not shine. The darness is your shadow.”

“Sometimes the sky is dark with clouds…The shadows make the day dark. We say, “This is a cloudy day.”

“Watch the sun go down. Watch the night come. Night is a shadow.”

 

Curriculum Connections
What Makes a Shadow? is a great book for introducing the concept of shadows for the kindergarten curriculum (Virginia SOL K.7a). The book broadens from the simple observation of a child’s shadow following behind him or her on a sunny day to more abstract observations such as the darkness of the sky on a cloudy day and the darkness of night. Not only are readers presented with a definition of shadows, but they also are given the opportunity to observe how shadows change based upon the distance of the object from the light as well as the amount of light that shines through the object.

Additional Resources

  • This is a fun, live performance of a hand puppet artist creating different images on a large screen accompanied by the music of Louis Armstrong.
  • This is a simple, interactive poem about shadows. Students can either read it themselves or listen as the computer reads it to them.
  • This is an interactive java applet with shadows. Move the images and/or the light bulb and see how the shadow changes.
  • This interactive day and night webquest teaches students how day and night are created as the Earth turns. Students can read the text or have it read to them as they follow the directions of the text.

Book: What Makes a Shadow?
Author: Clyde Robert Bulla
Illustrator: June Otani
Publisher: Collins, Rev Sub edition
Publication Date: 1994
Pages: 32
Grade Range: K-3
ISBN: 0060229160

Teaching Earth Science with Children’s Literature: Atlantic

Published by Natalie on September 20, 2009 in earth science, nonfiction and book review. 0 Comments

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Atlantic, by G. Brian Karas, is a colorful, fun ,and informing children’s book about the Atlantic Ocean.

Summary
This book begins by explaining that the Atlantic Ocean stretches from North America to Europe and Africa and continues to discuss its different characteristics.  It goes on to explain that all the bodies of water in the world (Pacific, Arctic, Antarctic, and Indian Oceans) are all connected:

My water doesn’t stay in just one place
It travels from continent to continent
So that iceberg floating past someone’s window one day
will sometime find itself lapping at your toes on a warm, sandy beach

It also discusses the impact of the sun and the moon as well as a brief mention of the work of explorers and scientists.  The last page of the book give several different facts about the Atlantic Ocean to end the story.

Curriculum Connections
The students will get an introduction into how water flows throughout the world.  They will have a look at the ocean environments and what is going on within them; what effects them, what lives inside of them, where they flow, etc.  (This connects to VA SOL 3.9 and can be extended to 5.6)

Additional Resources
1. This link from Science Up Close offers an interactive diagram on the water cycle that can be used in conjunction with this book.
2. This activity allows students to learn about conserving water.  The students will visit different websites and learn about water conservation
3. This is a full lesson plan that works through the concept of the water cycle.

General Information
Book: Atlantic
Author: G. Brian Karas
Illustrator: G. Brian Karas
Publisher: Puffin
Publication Date: March 2004
Pages: 32 pages
Grade Range: 2-5
ISBN: 0142400270

Teaching Earth Science with Children’s Literature: The Moon Book

Published by Kim on September 16, 2009 in solar system, space science, earth science, nonfiction and science. 0 Comments

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The Moon Book written & illustrated by Gail Gibbons describes the phases of the moon, it’s revolation around Earth, and how we have studied the moon.

The Moon Book, with it’s brightly colored pictures, is all about the light in our sky, the moon. “It outshines all the stars and planets, which appear as small points of light.” It goes on to describe how the moon does shine since it doesn’t make it’s own light, and why we see the different shapes, or phases, of the moon. “During a new moon, the moon is almost directly between the sun and Earth. The moon looks dark. We see no reflected light.” It also talks about what people in ancient times thought about the moon, and the history of Americans traveling to the moon. “In 1961 President John F. Kennedy made a commitment to put Americans on the moon before the end of the decade.” It goes on to talk about the first Americans to get close to, and the first ones to walk on the moon. In the back of the book, it has milestones, legend and stories of, and facts all about the moon.

Curriculum Connections

The Moon book is a great resource when you are studying the moon. It talks about different aspects of the moon from the motions and phases to the historical contributions in understanding the moon. It is connected to the VA SOL Earth Patterns, Cycles, and Change 4.7. The student will investigate and understand the relationship among the Earth, moon, and sun.

Additional Resources

  • For a lesson plan that has students using computers try the Educator’s Reference Desk Phases of the Moon.
  • Students can use the Label Moon’s Phases Diagram worksheet. It has both the terms and the definitions in a word bank, and students label the moon phases in the diagram.
  • Moon Phases is a podcast that describes the some of the history, the phases of the moon, talks about a lunar eclipse, and new moon. It has some great pictures to go along with it.
  • If your students can sing the song “If Your Happy and You Know It”, then they can learn the Moon Phases Song.
  • This edible activity on the phases of the moon will have your students wanting more.

General Information

Book: The Moon Book
Author: Gail Gibbons
Illustrator: Gail Gibbons
Publisher: Holiday House
Publication Date: 1997
Pages: 28 pages
Grade Range: 2-6
ISBN: 9780823413645

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: How Do Birds Find Their Way?

Published by Michael on September 14, 2009 in life science, nonfiction and book review. 0 Comments

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The migration of birds is something that has been studied for centuries and still is an amazing feat that we still don’t fully understand.  How Do Birds Find Their Way,written by Roma Gans and illustrated by Paul Mirocha, is a stage 2 Let’s-Read-and-Find-Out Science book that explains in simple terms much of what we know today. The book begins by explaining some basics about birds and migration.  Throughout the rest of the book explains what is known about how birds know which way to go, where they go, how they get there, and how fast they get there.  Each questions is explored in simple terms easily understood by children.  The book is great for a read aloud as it contains great pictures and plenty of opportunities to pause and engage students in discussions.

Curriculum Connections
This book is great to teach children about migration among birds.   It would be useful for 3rd grade.  It works on VA SOL 3.4.

Additional Resources

  • Great Lakes Kids provides an online game that gives students an opportunity to see how long birds migrate in an interactive game.  It also gives some information on the birds involved in the game.
  • HowStuffWorks provides a project that can be assigned to your students or more appropriately as a group activity outside
  • Science and Technology for Canadians provides this video that looks at the migration patterns of birds as well as how the changing climate is affecting these patterns.

Book: How Do Birds Find Their Way?
Author: Roma Gans
Illustrator: Paul Mirocha
Publisher: Collins
Publication Date: January 1996
Pages: 32 pages
Grade Range: 3-4
ISBN-13: 978-0064451505

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 Life Science with Children’s Literature: Leaving Home

Published by Kelly on September 12, 2009 in nonfiction, life science, resource links, book review, reading and teaching. 0 Comments

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Leaving Home, written by Sneed B. Collard III and illustrated by Joan Dunning, is an endearing book that takes students on a journey around the world to visit a variety of habitats and learn about some of the animals found in them. 

From the sea to the jungle, from the forest to the desert, students will begin to build insight on why the physical and behavioral adaptations animals have are necessary for survival in their given environment.  A page is dedicated for each animal discussed and provides information on the animals general life cycle from birth through adulthood.  Each page begins with how the animal simply moves about, providing a simplisitic yet effective way to show the many means in which animals travel; for example, on the shark page, it says, “some of us swim,” while on the jaguar page it says, “some of us walk.”    

The author also presents the behavioral and physical adaptations specific to each animal, such as if babies resemble their parents upon birth, how they gather or store found, where they make their shelter, how they rear their young (laying eggs versus giving birth, providing milk or not), and if hibernation, migration, camouflage, instinct, and learned behaviors are aspects to their species.  The illustrations are superb and enticing to view by offering great detail that clearly allow students to see how the animal’s physical adaptations coincide with their surroundings. 

The writing flows easily and offers students a concise yet vast amount of information needed in order to further explore these adaptations in more detail.  This book can surely serve as an effective anticipatory resource prior to a unit on animal life cycles and adaptations or as a tool for review prior to testing.  The author will leave students knowing so much more about these animals and instill a desire to want to learn even more about them.

Curriculum Connections

Leaving Home serves as an appropriate and useful resource to help teach, reinforce, and emphasize specific second and third grade science life processes objectives in accordance with the Virginia Standards of Learning (SOL’s).  Investigating and understanding that animals undergo a series of orderly changes in their life cycle (SOL 2.4) is supported throughout the entire book due to the wide spectrum of animals discussed, including invertebrates, vertebrates, reptiles, amphibians, mammals, birds, and insects.  Also, the author discusses the distinct stages during each animal’s life and how they can vary from one animal to another (SOL 2.4a).   The behavioral and physical adaptations necessary for an animal’s survival (SOL 3.4), such as methods of gathering and storing food, finding shelter, rearing young (SOL 3.4a), migration, instinct, and learned behavior (SOL 3.4b) are explained in explicit detail for each animal discussed. 

Additional Resources

  • Mrs. Becky Wick , a current second grade teacher from Missouri, has designed an absolutely amazing website that offers almost everything you and your students will need in order to thoroughly investigate and explore animal life cycles, including activity and project ideas,  interactive online games, and lesson plans!  This site is a must to visit!

  • The Teacher’s Guide website has dedicated an outstanding page full of lesson plans, printables, and project suggestions dedicated to the frog.  If your looking for any resources to supplement your teaching on this amphibian’s life cycle, including metamorphosis as part of their of physical development, and/or behavioral adaptations, you will not need to look any further than here!

  • TeacherVision offers a wide proposal of lesson plans, activities, and projects on animal adaptations, covering the aspects of migratation, hibernation, mimicry, and learned behaviors specific to each animal.  This site also offers all of these resources for different grade levels, so you are certain to find something that fit’s each of your student’s needs!

Book: Leaving Home
Author: Sneed B. Collard III
Illustrator: Joan Dunning
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Publication Date: March 2002
Pages: 32pp
Grade Range: 2nd and 3rd Grade
ISBN-13: 9780618114542