I See Myself, written by Vicki Cobb and illustrated by Julia Gorton, follows a young girl exploring why she can see herself in some objects, like in a mirror or car window, but not in others. Throughout the book, children start to learn the early beginnings of the scientific process for carrying out scientific investigations, including the importance of formulating questions, making observations, performing experimentations, and predicting the outcomes of those experiments. Children are encouraged to utilize both visual and tactile senses to help determine where they will be able to see their reflections, which can help develop classification and sorting skills based on physical properties. In particular, children are exposed to a variety of light sources and how light is essential for objects to produce reflections. As a bonus, this book allows teachers to integrate the use of several manipulatives, such as a hand held mirror, small ball, and flashlight, either during or after reading the book, to help children see firsthand how reflective items may be determined through observation, classification of physical properties, and how light can hinder or enhance reflections.
I See Myself is as an excellent precursor to learning about the more complex science children will learn in the upper grade levels behind how reflective images are produced through light, all while getting children excited and confident about science!
Curriculum Connections
I See Myself serves as an appropriate and useful resource to help teach, reinforce, and emphasize the following Kindergarten Scientific Investigation, Reasoning, and Logic Virginia Standards of Learning (SOL’s):
K.1 The student will conduct investigations in which:
a. basic properties of objects are identified by direct observations
c. objects are described both pictorially and verbally
e. a set of objects is seperated into two groups based on a single physical attribute
g. a question is developed from one or more observations
K.2 Students will investigate and understand that humans have sense that allow one to seek, find, take in, and react or respond to information in order to learn about one’s surroundings. Key concepts include:
a. five senses and corresponding sensing organs (taste – tounge, touch – skin, smell – nose, hearing – ears, and sight – eyes)
Additional Resources
- kindergarten-lessons.com provides an assortment of lessons, activities, and experiments designed for kindergarten that include aspects of the scientific process regarding light sources; this website also provides activities that incorporate the relationship betweeen light and color.
- How Stuff Works provides a variety of experiment ideas for young children on reflections and the relationships relfective materials and lights that can be altered for specific grade levels.
- TLS Book’s website has a collection of kindergarten worksheets that focus on reviewing and enhancing concepts such as light, how the five sense can help classify objects based on a variety of shared properties, and thinking skills.
Book: I See Myself
Author: Vicki Cobb
Illustrator: Julia Gorton
Publisher: Harper Collins
Publication Date: August 2002
Pages: 40 pages
Grade Range: Kindergarten
ISBN: 978-0688178369