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Teaching Economics with Children’s Literature: You Can’t Buy a Dinosaur with a Dime

Published by Megan on October 10, 2008 in economics, math, book review and social studies. 0 Comments

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Harriet Ziefert’s You Can’t Buy a Dinosaur with a Dime is a wonderfully illustrated book that highlights how young children save, earn and spend money. Illustrator Amanda Haley uses simply line drawings with bold colors to highlight the main character, Pete, and the other objects in the foreground. The drawings a simple, yet show the characters’ expressions well and give the book a very realistic feel that children will definitely connect with.

The language in the book is best for young children and will not cause any confusion. Ziefert explains in the story different ways Pete earned his money, saved his money and counted his money. On several pages there are also thought bubbles in the corners that have questions for teachers to ask their class for more interaction while reading aloud. The book switches between a narrative form and speech bubbles and uses words on the page that many young children will like to read aloud or point out to the teacher. The book also contains pages in the back about class activities with money and spending, as well as interesting facts about money and the history of coins.

Curriculum Connections
As young as kindergarten and first grade, students begin to study economics through buying and selling goods and services, saving money, using money and making choices. You Can’t Buy a Dinosaur with a Dime includes different ways the students can learn about these topics, with the inclusion of a math curriculum as well. Pete buys goods, offers his services, saves money and contemplates what to buy to include most of the necessary economic information needed for the younger primary grades. For Virginia, this book covers social studies SOLs K.7b, 1.7, 1.8, and 1.9 in economics as well as math SOLs K.4, K.6, K.7, 1.3 and 1.10.

Additional Resources

  • Labor, Choice, and Sales Tax is a lesson plan for third grade that talks about working, tax and saving money to buy objects. It is designed for third grade, but can be modified for younger grades as well.
  • Counting Money is a site that includes other books about money, additional websites about counting money, coins and math related activities.
  • Family Money Matters is a lesson plan designed for preschool to kindergarten (which can be extended for 1st or 2nd grade) about price tags, consumers, sorting objects based on price, and the various jobs in a store.

Book: You Can’t Buy a Dinosaur with a Dime
Author: Harriet Ziefer
Illustrator: Amanda Haley
Publisher: Blue Apple Books
Publication Date: 2003
Pages: 32 pages
Grades: K-3
ISBN: 1593545916

Teaching Economics with Children’s Literature: Rock, Brock, and the Savings Shock

Published by Elvira on October 10, 2008 in economics, book review and social studies. 0 Comments

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Are you interested in seeing the results that occur when a person does not save as opposed to someone that does?  In Rock, Brock, and the Saving Shocks, written by Sheila Bair and illustrated by Barry Gott, the reader is introduced to twin brothers that have two distinct saving habits.  Learn what happens when one saves and the other does not.

Illustrated by Barry Gott, this book attracts young readers because of its animation like characters.  Gott does a great job at showing kid friend pictures that not only seem realistic but entertaining. Sheila Bair, who is also a member of the FCIC, has extensive knowledge about saving money.  Furthermore, Bair is able to relate all the information that she has learned about money to the younger readers.

The story of Rock, Brock, and the Savings Shock begins with the two twins that are complete opposites. Rock is the cleaner, healthier,  early bird, and studious while Brock is not.  Rock was almost a perfect guy but he loved to buy while Brock like to save his money.  One summer their gramps gave them a dollar and proposed a savings plan.

For ten straight weeks each Saturday,
I’ll give you each one dollar’s pay
to mow my lawn and wash my car.
These simple chores will get you far
because I’ll  do a little trick:
each buck you save, I’ll match it quick!
Spend it- there’s no extra dough,
so save you can and watch it grow!

So Brock saved his dollar while Rock went straight to the mall and spent it.  Rock kept spending his dollar while Brock was receiving double from gramps.  At the end of the ten weeks Brock had saved 512 dollars and Rock had none.  Brock than bought nice things like a telescope, robe, shirt, and a book.  With the 50 left over Brock opened a joint savings account his brother and him.

From that day on the twins saved their money, and when their hair had turned gray they had become millionaires!

Curriculum Connections
Rock, Brock , and the Savings Shock  would serve as a great closer to a lesson about savings.This is a great tool for teacher to use when they want students to recognize that people save money for the future to purchase goods and services this correlates to sol 1.9 Virginia.

Additional Information

  • Money Word Problems - The Change Game this online math activities allows children to find out how much change they need or how much change they will receive.
  • This Little Piggybank Went to Market This lesson provides students with the opportunity to learn about saving money and banking.  This activity is more appropriate for students in lower elementary.
  • The Hundred Penny Box Great lessons for students in upper elementary. The students analyze the advantages of regular saving and how savings grow with compounding.

Book: Rock, Brock, and the Savings Shock
Author: Sheila Bair
Illustrator: Barry Gott
Publisher: Albert Whitman & Company
Publication Date: 2006
Pages: 32 pages
Grade: K-5
ISBN: 978-0807570944

Nonfiction Monday - Looking Closely

Published by Tricia on October 6, 2008 in nonfiction, book review and science. 1 Comment

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I have always been a fan of the Games Magazine puzzles called “Eyeball Benders.” These are a type of puzzle in which the reader must identify a common object pictured in a close-up and generally uncommon view. Here is an example from the July 2008 cover of the magazine.

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Why do I mention these puzzles in a book review? Because the new series Looking Closely from Kids Can Press uses this type of visual puzzle as an introduction to natural environments. Written and photographed by Frank Serafini, the books challenge readers to guess the identity of each close-up photo. The cropped images on the right hand page are framed in black. The small circle that is visible allows readers to focus on just one part of the larger image. The left hand page in each spread begins with “Look very closely. What do you see?” What appears next are two ideas designed to get readers thinking. The page ends with the words, “What could it be?” On the next page each object is shown in its habitat and accompanied by a description.

The first page from Looking Closely Inside the Garden is focused on the wing of a butterfly. The next page begins with the words “It’s a Monarch Butterfly.” The text reads:

In autumn, when the weather grows cold, monarch butterflies fly south to Mexico and Central America. They follow the same path every year.

At the end of their long journey, monarch butterflies lay their eggs on milkweed plants. When caterpillars hatch from the eggs, they munch on milkweed leaves until their bodies are large enough to form a smooth chrysalis. Eventually they emerge as butterflies.

Each of the books highlights nine plants, animals or objects from the environment. The last page features a double-page photograph of the environment.

Looking Closely Across the Desert features plants and animals, as well as sandstone and sand dunes. One close-up photograph is focused on the foot of a spiny lizard. The full page photograph shows why these lizards blend in with their environment. The text describes why this camouflage is so beneficial.

Each book ends with the following photographer’s note.

Photographers pay attention to things that most people overlook or take for granted. I can spend hours wandering along the shore, through the forest, across the desert or in my garden, looking for interesting things to photograph. My destination is not a place, but rather a new way of seeing.

It takes time to notice things. To be a photographer, you have to slow down and imagine in your “mind’s eye” what the camera can capture. Ansel Adams said you could discover a whole life’s worth of images in a six-square-foot patch of Earth. In order to do so, you have to look very closely.

By creating the images featured in this series of picture books, I hope to help people attend to nature, to things they might have normally passed by. I want people to pay attention to the world around them, to appreciated what nature has to offer, and to being to protect the fragile environment in which we live.

Dr. Serafini succeeds beautifully in getting readers to attend to the small details found in nature. His images will surely capture the imagination of children and adults alike.  Readers will delight in this photographic introduction to natural environments. I know I did. I highly recommend these engaging titles, and can’t wait to get my hands on the rest of the series. Other titles include Looking Closely Along the Shore and Looking Closely Through the Forest.

Books: Looking Closely Inside the Garden and Looking Closely Across the Desert
Author/Illustrator: Frank Serafini
Publisher: Kids Can Press
Publication Date: 2008
Pages: 40 pages
Grades: K-4
Source of Book: Review copies received from Raab Associates.

This post was written for Nonfiction Monday. Head on over to Anastasia Suen’s blog and check out all the great posts highlighting nonfiction this week.

Teaching Earth Science with Children’s Literature: Snowflake Bentley

Published by Emily on September 24, 2008 in earth science and book review. 1 Comment

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Jacqueline Briggs Martin lives in Vernon, Iowa with her family. She is an award winning author who has been honored as the recipient of the Bulletin Blue Ribbon book, SLJ Best book, ALA Notable, and many more. The way she is able to truly incorporate history into a fun and interesting children’s book in just incredible. Snowflake Bentley is based on a true story of W.A. Bentley and his early recordings of snowflakes. The book begins with W.A. Bentley as a child, playing in the snow and absolutely loving each and every snowflake. It then shows W.A. Bentley growing into a teen and how his family spent all their life savings on a camera for Bentley to use to photograph snowflakes. It then leads us to him in his older age, and how because of W.A. Bentley we now get to see pictures of snowflakes.  Another aspect about this book that was really enjoyable was on the side of each page there were true facts about W.A. Bentley himself. Therefore if you had a child which was really interested in learning more about this topic, you could refer him to this book. For example one page talked about how he got a camera, but the side information explained

 The camera made images on large glass negatives. Its microscope could magnify a tiny crustal from sixty-four to 3,600 times its actual size.

This book is truly a wonderful book for children of all ages.

Curriculum Connections
This book would be a wonderful asset to a lesson dealing with weather, observation, change of habitat, and many more. This book can help you cover many of the Virginia SOL’s for second grade.

Additional Resources

  • Jacqueline Briggs Martin   herself has a website with different materials which directly relate to her different books. This is a wonderful way of incorporating different materials along with her books. This is a great site with tons of different activities, check it out!!!
  • It would be really awesome to show the children Wilson Bentley’ actual site with real pictures of snowflakes he actually took pictures of.  This is a sight that you would project up in your classroom and actual read more about  Wilson Bentley himself, and observe some of his work.
  • This is actual a really awesome lesson plan dealing with snowflakes. I found it to be very cute and something that you could very realistically use in the classroom.

Book: Snowflakes Bentley
Author: Jacqueline Briggs Martin
Illustrator: Mary Azarian
Publisher:  Houghton Mifflin
Publication Date:  1998
Pages: 32 pages
Grades: 1-3
ISBN: 0395861624

Teaching Earth Science with Children’s Literature: Down Comes the Rain

Published by Cara on September 24, 2008 in earth science and book review. 0 Comments

 

Have you ever wondered where raindrops come from? Do you want to learn how they form?

Down Comes the Rain, by Franklyn M. Branley and illustrated by James Graham Hale is an informative and brightly colored approach to learning about the life of a raindrop. The book begins simply by stating where raindrops come from: clouds. Children will learn that clouds are made of tiny drops of water that have gone through many phases before they reach the earth. These phases are described by examples of everyday activities children can observe, such as the evaporation of water as clothes dry outside on a line in the sun. Children will learn all the different places that this water in the air comes from and then finally, why it falls to the earth.

In these high, cold clouds,water vapor changes to droplets, and the droplets change to drops. The drops freeze into ice.

 The book then transitions and teaches about hailstones and their creation. This type of weather may be fascinating to a child because it is so rare. In recapturing the child’s interest, the author is again reinforcing the stages that occur in order for it to rain. At the end, there is a recap of all that was covered in the book. The bright and busy pictures and the way that some of the text reads like a comic book, create a more exciting approach to learning about rain.

Curriculum Connections
This book may help a child observe the weather in his/her everyday life (K.8). The student will understand basic types, changes, and patterns of weather (2.6). The student will understand the processes involved in the water cycle (3.9). The student will investigate certain weather phenomena (4.6).

Additional Resources

Book: Down comes the Rain
Author:  Franklyn M. Branley
Illustrator: James Graham Hale
Publisher: Harper Collins
Publication Date: 1997
Pages: 32
Grades: 2-4
ISBN: 0-06-445166-6

Teaching Earth Science With Children’s Literature: Fossils Tell of Long Ago

Published by Hilary on September 24, 2008 in earth science and book review. 0 Comments

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“Magic School Bus” with a splash Jurassic Park for kids crossed my mind when I read this classroom friendly book about fossils! The book Fossils Tell of Long Ago, by Aliki, provides an in depth look at the different types of fossils, how they form and even a simple in class activity to do!

Aliki unfolds the book as a story that explains the formation of fossils to a group of students who looks like they are at a museum learning about fossils. The book clearly explains some of the scientific vocabulary associated with fossils but never gets so technical that a young student would be lost:

“Millions of years ago a fly was caught in the sticky sap of a tree. The sap hardened and became a fossil called amber. Amber looks like yellow glass. The fly was perfectly preserved in the amber (Page 20).”

The text is also nicely complemented by illustrations that further clarify the text. Throughout the book the students examine fossils of fish, plants, dinosaurs and even fossils found in the Arctic and in amber. Not only does the book explain the formation of fossils but it explains how they are used, where they can be found and who finds these “stones”. One of the most impressive aspect of the book is that is has some repetition that drives home the key concepts about fossils but never becomes boring or unnecessary. The book ends with a quick activity that could be done in your class, where students make imprints of their hands in clay. If you are familiar with the “Magic School Bus” series, this book gives off a very similar vibe with both the layout and approach but seems to more manageable for a younger student to read.

Curriculum Connections
This book can provide students with an introduction to fossils and how animals lives are impacted by the land environments around them. Students can learn about the change over time that occurs in natural things. In Virgina this would address the SOL where students need to understand that change occurs over time at both fast and slow rates and that these changes can be noted and measured in natural things (Science Standards of Learning K.9 a, b).

Additional Resources

Book: Fossils Tell of Long Ago
Author&Illustrator: Aliki
Publisher: HarperTrophy
Publication Date: 1990
Pages: 32 Pages
Grades: K-2
ISBN: 0064450937

Teaching Earth Science with Children’s Liturature: Comets, Stars, the Moon and Mars

Published by Alex on September 24, 2008 in space science, book review and poetry. 0 Comments

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Comets, Stars the Moon, and Mars is book of space paintings and poetry written and beautifully illustrated by artist, Douglas Florian. The book includes clever little poems about all eight planets, the sky, galaxies, and even a sad poem about how Pluto was demoted as a planet. This particular poem starts off as “Pluto was a planet. But now it doesn’t pass…” and goes on before concluding that Pluto was officially fired as a legitimate planet in out solar system. All the poems are easy to read and understand, making it a perfect book for kids to work on reading themselves. The scientific facts about the planets and space objects are neatly folded into the stanza, it never seems forced or cheesy. For example, one poem about black holes includes lines like, “some are small, some are quite wide. Gravity pulls, all things inside,” which subtly gives basic facts about black holes while still presenting a strong piece of poetry.

Another helpful resource that the book offers is a glossary in the back with written paragraphs about each planet and space object mentioned in the poems. This is a great resource to help answer questions that arise while reading the poems as you introduce kids to the new topics. I really enjoy the paintings in the book that accompany each poem. I think the book can appeal to many kids because it combines both artistic and scientific thinking.

Curriculum Connections
The book can be used to get kids interested in science and the topic of the universe by letting them read about it in a non-traditional way, through poetry and art. It satisfies the Virginia SOL for earth science 4.7 by talking about sizing, positioning and mass make-up of the earth, moon and sun. I think it could be appropriate for any grade between 3rd and 6th to give kids an alternative and maybe more fun way of looking at earth science.

Additional Resources

  • For some extra detailed information and facts about the planets and the solar system, check out this site by NASA
  • Retreat back to a more traditional science book with this universe encyclopedia.
  • Have students illustrate their own astronomy terms with some ideas here, you could even add in a poetry workshop and have each student create their own poem defining the terms just like in the book.

Book: Comets, Stars, the Moon and Mars
Author: Douglas Florian
Publisher: Harcourt Children’s Books
Publication Date: 2007
Pages: 56 pages
Grades: 3-6
ISBN:  0152053727

Teaching Earth Science with Children’s Literature: The Magic School Bus Lost in the Solar System

Published by Mary Beth on September 24, 2008 in space science and book review. 0 Comments

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What would it be like to take a field trip through the solar system?  In The Magic School Bus Lost in the Solar System, Joanna Cole’s lovable super-teacher, Ms. Frizzle, leads her class on one of her signature adventures.  The reader journeys with Cole’s well-drawn characters to the sun, the moon, and each planet and then compares the characteristics to all of the other space bodies.

Cole describes,

“Below the clouds, Venus was as dry as a desert.  The ground was covered with rocks.  And it was HOT!  It was about 400 degrees Centigrade!  That’s much hotter than an oven baking cookies!”

The Magic School Bus Lost in the Solar System calls the reader’s attention to many interesting facts about the planets that are fun to learn about.  For example, by reading The Magic School Bus Lost in the Solar System, you will learn that Jupiter is so big that more than one thousand Earths could fit inside it.

Curriculum Connections
This book could be used throughout the elementary school grades to teach about Earth Science and the structure of our solar system.  In Virginia, The Magic School Bus Lost in the Solar System can be used in connection with SOL 4.7 in which students learn the motions of the Earth, moon, and sun.  Students learn through this book all about the relationships that the sun and moon have with the planets.

Additional Resources

Book:  The Magic School Bus Lost in the Solar System
Author: Joanna Cole
Illustrator: Bruce Degen
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
Publication Date: 1990
Pages: 36 pages
Grades: 1-5
ISBN: 0-590-41428-3

Teaching Earth Science With Children’s Literature: Where in the Wild?

Published by Laura on September 24, 2008 in earth science and book review. 0 Comments

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Have you ever wondered how an animals uses it’s surroundings to protect itself from predators or to silently hunt for prey? David Schwartz shows kids how animals can camouflage themselves to blend in with their surroundings in the book Where in the Wild?: Camouflaged Creatures Concealed … and Revealed.

Schwartz starts off the book by explaining to kids the importance of an animal being able to camouflage itself for survival. He explains that:

Whether an animal is looking for something to eat or trying to avoid being eaten- or both- it will probably survive longer if it blends into its environment. That’s why some creatures hide with their colors. It’s called “camouflage.” An animal can be so well camouflaged that it practically vanishes in plain sight. To stay camouflaged, some creatures change their appearance from one minute to another or from season to the next.

Schwartz then allows kids to actually try and find animals that are camouflaged in their surroundings. Each picture has a poem that goes along with it providing hints on how to find the animal or what type of animal it may be. An example for the green snake is:

Silently gliding, slithering, sliding, in the grass hiding, coiled and cunning, swift and stunning, on a rock sunning, long and lean, smooth and green, serpentine.

Then, once kids have found the animal, or give up, they can open the flap and see where the animal was. In addition, there is a little summary of the animal including facts about physical properties, how they camouflage themselves, habitats, etc. The animals included are: a coyote, a gray tree frog, fawns, a weasel, a moth, a killdeer, a crab spider, a flounder, a green snake, and a red spotted newt.

The book is a fun and interesting way to introduce camouflage and gets kids active in their learning. In addition to exploring the advantages of camouflage they are also being introduced to different types of animals that they have never heard of or seen!

Curriculum Connections
This book can be used as a fun way to introduce how animals camouflage themselves in their own surroundings. In Virginia it can be used to explain how seasonal changes affects animals and their surroundings including effects on the behavior of living things, including camouflage (Science Standards of Learning 2.7a).

Additional Resources

  • This Website offers a great explanation of the different types of camouflage!
  • Here is a lesson plan that includes activities for kids to learn about camouflage!

Book: Where in the Wild?: Camouflaged Creatures Concealed … and Revealed
Author: David Schwartz
Publisher: Tricycle Press
Publication Date: 2007
Pages: 44 pages
Grades: 1-3
ISBN: 1582462070

Teaching Earth Science with Children’s Literature: Sun Up, Sun Down

Published by Megan on September 24, 2008 in earth science and book review. 0 Comments

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Sun Up, Sun Down takes the reader through a day in the life of the sun and some of the possible weather changes that may affect the weather. Writer and illustrator Gail Gibbons uses a sense of fun and fascination to present basic facts about the sun and various other weather patterns.

“The sun wakes me up. It rises in the east and shines through my window.” Gibbons uses a narrative story telling form, taking the reader through the sun’s and the main character’s day. From the moment the story begins the main character serves as a typical child asking questions about the sun and informing readers about certain characteristics of the sun; such as it is too bright to look into and it helps plants grow. In the back of the book, Gibbons even includes “Some Sunny Facts” that will help intrigue young readers to read further into the subject.

Doubling as the illustrator, Gibbons uses generic, yet bright colors to fill the pages. The pictures clearly illustrate what the words on the page are saying and help demonstrate some concepts that children may find tricky: such as how far away the sun is, which way shadows face, prisms and rotations. The words are clearly separated from the pictures, which leaves clean lines to read and more space for the picture to develop.

Curriculum Connections
The reading level of Sun Up, Sun Down is more advanced and I would recommend it for grades 3-5, however, the ideas and pictures are equally appropriate for younger students if the book is read to them. Gibbons presents Earth study information in this book such as shadows, prisms, rotation, sun facts, rain and agriculture. The pictures can help students determine certain characteristics of the sun in relation to the Earth, as well as a weather related segment and light (such as rainbows, bending light and prisms). In Virginia, this book relates to science SOL 4.7 a-c.

Additional Resources

  • Whatever the Weather includes numerous facts about how to dress for the weather, different aspects of the weather, activities, weather forecasting, poems, charts, songs, and games. An all inclusive website, including additional children’s books, for a variety of ages.
  • Let the Sun Shine! is a lesson plan for younger primary students that uses Sun Up, Sun Down to learn about different activities to do in the sun. Includes coloring activities and suggestions for assessment.
  • Start with the Arts includes several drama type activities for students to act out different aspects of the sun and celestial bodies. Includes ways to differentiate activities for all students, small ways to role play and ways to learn at home.
  • Hello, Sun! offers a variety of websites for all grades about the sun, shadows and time. Also has websites to movies about the sun and math lessons using geometry in relation to the books about the sun. Also has a list of other book similar to Sun up, Sun Down.

Book: Sun Up, Sun Down
Author/Illustrator: Gail Gibbons
Publisher: Voyager Books
Pages: 32 pages
Grade: 5-9
ISBN: 015282782X