Teaching Geography with Children’s Liturature: On the Same Day in March

Posted on January 25, 2010 by openwidearchive

On the Same Day in March

Ever considered that while the children in Canada are playing games in the snow, the children in Barbados are swimming in the ocean and playing baseball on the scolding sand?  On the Same Day in March: A Tour of the World’s Weather, written by Marilyn Singer, is a written tour of places around the world including Kenya, Canada, France, New York City, Eqypt and China.  Each of the scenarios are happening at the same time illustrating how different cultures live on a typical day in March. The illustrations throughout, by Frané Lessac, help the children to visualize the differences between places both physically and culturally. The story line flows from country to country showing people playing, working, cooking, gathering food and many other activities. This book has great illustrations and is a quick read that would be perfect for an introduction to almost any topic in geography.

Curriculum Connections
On the Same Day in March: A Tour of the World’s Weather would be most appropriate for first or second grade because of the simplified descriptions and the short storyline. It is most applicable to the second grade Virginia Standards of Learning for Geography. It is an excellent tool to use to introduce human and physical characteristics of the Earth’s places and regions. The countries of United States, China, and Egypt are highlighted so the students can learn to locate those places on maps. (2.4a) The excerpts on China and Egypt can aid in the teaching of the relationship between the environment and the culture of ancient China and Egypt.(2.4b) At the beginning of the book there is a map that locates the places in the book on a world map. This will introduce or strengthen the understanding of maps and could be used with an activity to teach the difference between the concepts of location and place.

The book can also be used to begin the study of map skills. They can learn about the equator, the seven continents, and the five oceans as it relates to the countries highlighted in the book. The addiction of a globe into the lesson can teach the difference between seeing continents and oceans from the perspective of a map versus a globe. (2.5a)

Additional Resources

  • Mapping the Garden – this site provides a great lesson plan that could be used to teach the basic parts of a map( title, legend, and compass rose). It also is a great way for students to understand perspective by constructing a map of something familiar. (2.6)
  • Craft: Chinese Lantern– this craft can be used to introduce artifacts of ancient china. (2.4b)
  • Things to Know about Ancient Egypt– This page will be a great resource for interesting information to teach about Egypt. It will get you thinking about creative lesson plans the kids will enjoy and learn from. (2.4b)

Book: On the Same Day in March: A Tour of the World’s Weather
Author: Marilyn Singer
Illustrator: Frané Lessac
Publisher: Harper Collins Publishers
Publication Date: 2000
Pages: 30 pages
Grade Range: 1st -4th
ISBN: 0-06-443528-8

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Teaching Physical Science With Children’s Literature: Force, Of Course!

Posted on January 25, 2010 by openwidearchive

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Force, Of Course, written by Mary Leontovich and illustrated by James Cloutier, is a physical science book for students with a focus on force & gravity.  The book begins with an introduction about what force is and the different types of force that exist. The book is then broken down into chapters, from Chapter 1-Chapter 10. Each chapter explains a different kind of force then has a few simple experiments that can be conducted as an example of that type of force. The book is written in a kid friendly manner but is also written from a scientific standpoint. The book is very comprehensive and includes safety tips and also a section on how to conduct experiments and what to do if they do not work. The illustrations that accompany the text are fun and also include little cartoon characters, which I think would help to keep the less then impressed by science students engaged in the reading.

Curriculum Connections
Force, Of Course is a great resource for children who are interested in learning (or required to learn about) more about the force element within the study of physical science. The fact that the book is filled with factual information but more importantly engaging and hands-on experiments makes it a great resource for a teacher to use with his/her students. Another neat facet of this book is the text bubbles/boxes throughout the pages that have the caption “Investigate Some More” that allow the reader to further investigate the different aspects of force through miniature experiments. A lot of the activities within these little boxes/bubbles are super easy and could easily be done at home. A fun idea to incorporate this book into the curriculum and also have the students learn more might be to assign the students one of the pages with a bubble on it and then have the children go home and conduct this activity/experiment. You could have the students record their findings in a science journal and then report them to the class. This would be a good way to have children conduct some basic science experiments on their own but also allow them to share their knowledge with their families and peers.

I think this book would be ideal for grades 1-3 depending on the depth of material you (as a teacher) expect to cover. The content of this book best satisfies VA SOL 1.2    The student will investigate and understand that moving objects exhibit different kinds of motion, (a), (b), and (c).

Additional Resources

  • This handout would be ideal for a take home activity (homework) or something you could do with a class as a whole
  • Super fun interactive website that is great for kids to explore to learn more about force
  • This website is a great resource for finding more information along with activities and experiments having to do with force & motion. Would be great for parents, teachers, and children alike!

Book: Force, Of Course
Author: Mary Leontovich
Illustrator: James Cloutier
Publisher: Good Year Books
Publication Date: 1995
Pages: 42 pages
Grade Range: 1-3
ISBN:0-673-36213-2

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Teaching Physical Science With Children’s Literature: The Magic School Bus Plays Ball

Posted on January 25, 2010 by openwidearchive

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The Magic School Bus Plays Ball ( A Books About Forces), written by Joanna Cole and illustrated by Art Ruiz and Bruce Degan, uses a field trip to explain forces.

While the rest of the students are busy playing a baseball game, Dorothy Ann is reading a book about physics.  While she tries to make the others see how physics relates to the game of baseball Ralphie decides to use her book as home plate instead of reading it.  Then Ms. Frizzle shows up to take the students on a impromptu field trip to a baseball game inside Dorothy Ann’s physics book! Unlike their previous game this is a world without friction. Without friction, playing baseball is nearly impossible. Like when Wanda tries to pitch the ball, the force she uses to push the ball forward pushes her back to 2nd base.  Finally, Ms. Frizzle calls the game and everyone gets back to the bus.  However, while they were playing the book closed on top of the school bus and now they’re trapped.  To get them out, Dorothy Ann comes up with the idea of using the letter in the book to create a wedge to hold the pages up and allows them to leave the physics book and come back to the real world.

Curriculum Connections
The Magic School Bus Plays Ball is a great book to use as either an introduction to the idea of force or as part of an ongoing lesson.  The baseball game in the world without friction describes how one’s movements are impacted by the force of friction (Va SOL 4.2a,b,&c)  The building of the wedge at the end of the book is a good example of a type of simple machine (VA SoL 3.2b).

Additional Resources

  • This website is a great interactive tool that lets students experiments with forces in action.
  • A lesson plan for 4th grade that experiments with mass and friction and their efforts on speed and motion.
  • This website has different activities and worksheets to use.  I recommend the Push or Pull pdf and the Pushes and Pulls Vocabulary Flashcards.
  • The last page of the book also gives 2 different experiments to be used in the classroom or at home.

Book: The Magic School Bus Plays Ball ( A Books About Forces)
Author: Joanna Cole
Illustrators: Art Ruiz and Bruce Degan
Publisher: Scholastic Paperbacks
Publication Date: 1998
Pages:  32 pages
Grade Range: 2-4
ISBN-10: 0590922408

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Teaching Physical Science With Children’s Literature: Wired

Posted on January 25, 2010 by openwidearchive

 

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Wired, written by Anastasia Suen and illustrated by Paul Carrick, is a physical science book for students related to electricity.  The book starts out explaining the importance of electrons and describing how electricity is made at the power plant.  It then goes on to explain the different types of vehicles used to transport electricity to surrounding areas and cities (transformer towers, feeder lines, secondary wires, etc.).  As one reads the book, he or she can see that the author is explaining the process of how electricity is created and moved to other places step by step.  The pictures start out showing the power plant, and end up illustrating the ways electricity is used around the house in lamps, computers, breakers, and more.  The book ends with a few tips for children on how to “Be Smart About Power!” and lists some websites and other book resources where children can find out more about electricity.

Curriculum Connections
Wired is a great resource to help upper elementary school students learn about an important part of physical science, electricity, because its describes in great detail about the electricity is created and how it is transports to different places, while still being fun with its illustrations and catchy subtitles throughout (“Lamps glow, heaters blow” ]p. 24], “Clocks tick, computers click [p.26]).  I feel that this book might be difficult for some lower elementary school students to understand as some of the words might be difficult for them to read, and some of the concepts might still be a bit advanced for them as well.

Additional Resources

  • This experiment could be fun to do with students during a unit on electricity; the students can make their own simple generators in the classroom using a cardboard box, magnets, a nail, wire, and a tiny light bulb.
  • This is an example of a science fair project elementary students can do using magnets and static electricity.
  • This is a link to several interactive games students can play to learn more about electricity.

Book: Wired
Author: Anastasia Suen
Illustrators: Paul Carrick
Publisher: Charlesbridge
Publication Date: 2007
Pages:  32 pages
Grade Range: 3-5
ISBN-10: 978-141778381-6

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Teaching Physical Science with Children’s Literature: It’s Science! Solid, Liquid, or Gas?

Posted on January 25, 2010 by openwidearchive

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Introduction and Summary
It’s Science! Solid, Liquid, or Gas? written by Sally Hewitt, is about the different states of matter. It explores matter throughout the book with a key word on each page, such as “Gas”, followed by a description of what the matter is. Each page also describes an experiment or question related to the topic of the page. For example: Gas has an experiment in the Try it Out! section that asks a child to blow into a balloon to see the gas blow it up and feel the gas come out of the balloon.

Curriculum Connections
This is a great book to introduce young elementary students to the states of matter and exploration of water. One of the topics is water where the different states of water are explored (SOL K.5a) as well as whether objects sink or float in the water (SOL K.5c). The question of “sink or float” can be explored in a simple experiment in small groups. The students will determine if the objects given to them will sink or float in the water. Another section of the book describes dissolving. There is an experiment determining what materials will dissolve in water (SOL 1.1). Finallly, the sections about melting and changing shape can be useful when one is learning about the processes of changing states of matter (SOL 2.3)

Additional Resources

  • States of Matter Lesson Plan  This is a lesson plan geared for grades 1-3 about states of matter using balloons filled with ice, air, or water.
  • Song about Matter :This is a fun song about matter using the tune “Oh Dear, What Can the Matter Be?” It might be a bit complicated for Kindergarten but was used in a 2nd grade classroom. It also has a video with a child singing the song.
  • Sink or Float Lesson Plan:   This is a lesson plan about objects that sink or float that also uses a book about Christopher Columbus to incorporate how his ship floated across the ocean. What else can float in the water? What sinks?

Book: It’s Science! Solid, Liquid, or Gas?
Author: Sally Hewitt
Publisher: Children’s Press
Publication Date: 1998
Pages:  32 pages
Grade Range: Kindergarten-2nd grade
ISBN: 0613375459

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Teaching Physical Science With Children’s Literature: I Am Water

Posted on January 25, 2010 by openwidearchive

 

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I Am Water, written by Jean Marzollo, is a book about the many states of water.  The story is written in first person with “water” speaking to the child.  “Water” explains all the things it can be.  “Watch me.  I am water.”  “I am ice for cooling.”  “I am snow for sledding.”  There are many colorful illustrations of children playing in the water which would be very eye catching to a young audience.

Curriculum Connections

This book could be used in the instruction of the physical science to young students (target grade K).  It teaches that water occurs in different forms (solid, liquids, gas).  (SOL K.5.A)  By reading this book, the students would be introduced to the topics of matter and water.  It would also nicely bridge across subjects if it was used as a reading group book.

Resources

The Crayola website provides a coloring book page about water called “water, water everywhere”.  This could be used as a center activity.

This site has various videos and activities for teaching solids, liquids, and gases in kid friendly terms. 

This site contains introductory and age appropriate activity pages on the water cycle.

Book:  I Am Water

Author: Jean Marzollo

Illustrator:  Judith Moffatt

Publisher: Scholastic Inc

Publication Date: 1996

Pages: 1-28

Grade Range:  K-1

ISBN: 0-590-26587-3

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Teaching Physical Science with Children’s Literature: Who Said Red?

Posted on January 25, 2010 by openwidearchive

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Who Said Red?, written by Mary Serfozo and illustrated by Keiko Narahashi, is a story where a young boy has lost his red kite.  He and his sister frolic through the countryside landscape looking for his kite while exploring different objects and their colors.  Along the way the sister tries to distract the brother by asking him if he really means another color instead of red.  “A pickle green, A big frog green, A leaf, a tree, a green bean green.  Did you say green?”  The brother is insistent that he said red.  After their journey through color identification, the boy finds his kite and shows his sister that he meant red.

Curriculum Connections
This book will assist in teaching students physical science by investigating the physical properties of an object, specifically the colors of objects. (SOL K.4a)  Who Said Red? also helps students with understanding that sets of objects can be separated into groups based on a physical characteristics. (SOL 1.1c)  Lastly, students can explore this book while developing their sensory descriptors by seeing how common objects are described. (SOL K.2b)

Additional Resources

  • Color The Rainbow is an online story that teaches the colors of the rainbow by relating each color to a familiar object.
  • Rainbow Cards Color Game is a game that is played with flashcards.  These flashcards have black and white images on them and the students are to name the color that the object should be.
  • A printable booklet that has different items that are red.  There is a page that has a black and white object the students are to color in red.  On the last page they are required to draw and color a picture of their own red object.

General Information
Book: Who Said Red?
Author:Mary Serfozo
Illustrator:Keiko Narahashi
Publisher: Aladdin
Publication Date: 1992
Pages: 32
Grade Range: K-2
ISBN: 0689715927

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Teaching Geography with Children’s Literature: From Kalamazoo to Timbuktu!

Posted on January 25, 2010 by openwidearchive

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 Millie and Mike in Kalamazoo
Were restless and wondered what to do.

Said Millie to Mike, "I have a notion.
Let's pretend to cross the ocean."

This begins the exciting adventure as Millie and Mike use a map, a canoe in their back yard, and their imaginations to travel around the world.  What a great concept – its amazing what you can do with a map and your imagination!  From Kalamazoo to Timbuktu!, written by Harriet Ziefert, illustrated by Tanya Roitman is a fun way to introduce many aspects of geography, travel, other climates, locations, and cultures to children.  The author uses fun rhymes and some silly ideas to keep the children laughing and learning.  After beginning their "adventure" on a bicycle built for two, so they could pedal to Timbuktu, Millie and Mike proceed to use many fun and different means of transportation on their travels.  They travel on a bus, helicopter, canoe, whale's tail, sailboat, and a camel.  After Millie and Mike finally get to see the ancient, historical city of Timbuktu, they miss their parents and board a plane home to  Kalamazoo.

The illustrations in the book are colorful and fun.  There is a lot to learn just by "reading" the illustrations.  Some show aerial views of the places Millie and Mike visit. The children can see mountain roads, city skylines, the ocean, and a desert city from above.  Through the pictures the children can explore various surroundings and how they affect clothing, shelter, and transportation.  Even the inside covers can be utilized.  Both show a map of the world and track the route and modes of transportation Mike and Millie explored in their imaginations. The book is simple and fun.  It is a great tool to introduce many beginning concepts of geography.

Curriculum Connections
This book is suitable for any age, but specifically can be used to introduce and/or reinforce many of the Kindergarten and First Grade Standards of Learning.  For Kindergarten, the inside covers show a map of the world with a line showing the travel route of Mike and Millie.  After reading the book, show the children the same path using a globe to help them see the similarities and differences between looking on a map and on a globe.  (VA SOL K.4)  There are several illustrations showing an aerial view along their travels.  These can be compared to the illustrations showing a view from the ground. It can be used to describe how objects appear smaller from above. (VA SOL K.5)  For First Grade, the map of the world on the inside covers can be used to locate the shape and position of the United States.  (VA SOL  1.4c)  Various types of group activities can be done to describe the children's own community and how it is different from the places Millie and Mike visited.  The climate, physical surroundings, food, shelter, transportation can all be included in discussion.  (VA SOL 1.6)

Additional Resources

  • TeacherLINK Teacher Resources contains a Map Unit with many resources that can be geared towards Kindergarten or First Grade.  It includes lesson plans, activities, children's literature, and many other useful ideas.
  • World Atlas contains many versions of maps that can be printed and used for simple map activities such as coloring in the water and land, following the route that Millie and Mike traveled or locating the United States on a world map.
  • Map Adventures contains useful resources to teach map skills, including an activity sheet that can be used to explain a view from above.
  • Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Education Place contains many graph options including the Venn Diagram.  This can be used as a group or individual activity to compare locations, climate and physical surroundings found in the book.

Book: From Kalamazoo to Timbuktu!
Author: Harriet Ziefert
Illustrator: Tanya Roitman
Publisher: Blue Apple Books
Publication Date: 2005
Pages: 40 pages
Grade Range: PreK-3
ISBN: 1593540914

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Teaching Geography with Children’s Literature: Me On The Map

Posted on January 24, 2010 by openwidearchive

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Me On The Map, written by Joan Sweeney and illustrated by Annette Cable, is a colorfully illustrated introduction to the subject of maps and geography.  It is a story about a little girl and how she locates her physical place in the world .  Her curiosity of her place on the Earth leads her to illustrate maps of her room, her house, her street and step by step she maps out the world complete with all seven continents.  After she finishes, the little girl explains her steps to the reader while she backtracks through all of her maps to show how she found her very own “special place on the map”.  She ends with an understanding  that…”in rooms, in houses, on streets, in towns, in countries all over the world, everybody has their own special place on the map”.  It is a great little book and a nice way to introduce the skills of mapping to young students.

Curriculum Connections
The book, Me On The Map, may serve as a great resource when introducing geography to elementary school students in lower grade levels.  There are many opportunities to use this book as a reference when implementing activities about mapping to young students.  This book can be used to enrich learning of simple maps, describing places in real-life situations, teaching students how to show the position of objects, a view from above and scaling items to a smaller size.  Me On The Map could also be used when students are developing map skills and identifying shapes of the United States and Virginia and when students are learning to construct maps of familiar areas using basic map skills.  Me On The Map, makes many connections to the VA SOL (K.4,K.5, 1.4 c and 1.5).

Additional Resources

  • National Geographic Map Machine   This online resource from National Geographic lets you plug in a specific location on the globe to discover, you can also zoom in showing details such as street and zoom out giving students the big picture of the Earth.  This is an awesome site for anyone but especially young students to gain a perspective of their physical place in the world.
  • World Mapper  Allows students to view animated maps of different areas of interest, there are over 700 maps to view and 366 are available as PDF posters to print and hang in a classroom.
  • Map drawing skills A helpful lesson plan for ages (7-11) and (5-7), gives ideas on how to teach map drawing skills starting with mapping student’s own classrooms.
  • Me On The Map Lessons 

Book:  Me On The Map
Author: Joan Sweeney
Illustrator:  Annette Cable
Publisher:  Crown Publishers, Inc.
Publication Date:  1996
Pages:  32 pages
Grade Range:  Pre-K – 1st grade
ISBN:  0517885573

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Teaching Physical Science with Children’s Literature: The Science Book of Motion

Posted on January 24, 2010 by openwidearchive

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The Science Book of Motion by Neil Ardley is a book containing 13 experiments that show students different examples of how forces effect objects in motion. Ardley begins the book by briefly defining motion. “Motion occurs whenever something changes place.” (pg 6) The experiments are easy to do and can usually be performed at home or in the classroom with regular household items. For example, Ardley’s first experiment is titled “Lift off!” All that is needed is tissue paper, water, a plastic cup, and an empty liquid soap bottle. The tissue is soaked in water in order to make a plug that is shoved into the empty bottle’s neck. The cup is then placed over the plug. Squeezing the bottle provides the force needed to push the plug out of the bottle and carry the cup with it up into the air. The force of gravity brings it back down to earth. Ardley also shows experiments on forces such as inertia, friction, and kinetic energy and how they effect objects that are in or about to be in motion. “In a spin” is an experiment focusing on inertia. It requires an egg and a bowl. I tried this one at home. I spun the egg in a bowl and then gently grasped the egg so the it stopped. I let it go once more without spinning it and it started to spin on it’s own. The inertia of the liquid inside the egg caused the egg to continue spinning.The Science Book of Motion contains photographs as opposed to illustrations. In each of the experiments there is picture of an example of the types of force Ardley teaches. In the “Lift off!” experiment, there is a picture of the Space Shuttle blasting off.

Curriculum Connections
The Science Book of Motion would be perfect for students in the 4th and 5th grade.   Students who read this book should have a better understanding of how different forces affect objects that are still or in motion.  The experiments focus on the forces of gravity, friction, inertia, magnetism, and kinetic energy and allow students the opportunity to observe how objects behave when affected by those forces. (VA SOL 4.2 b-d)  One experiment is dedicated to producing sound via motion. (VA SOL 5.2b)  Another experiment shows applications in magnetism which 2nd grade teachers could introduce to their classes if the experiment is teacher led. (VA SOL 2.2b)

Additional Resources

  • The First School Years is a website that contains worksheets, online activities and other educational resources to help children learn concepts of motion.
  • Dicovery Education is a website that contains a “Lesson Plans Library.” This link goes directly to the “Rules of Force and Motion” page and it is for children who are learning Physical Science in the 4th and 5th grades.
  • Instructor Web contains a page that is dedicated to teaching elementary students gravity.

Book: The Science Book of Motion
Author: Neil Ardley
Photographer: Pete Gardner
Publisher: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich
Publication Date: 1992
Pages: 29 pages
Grade Range:  4th and 5th
ISBN: 0-15-200622-2

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