Open Wide, Look Inside

Introduction and Summary

In How Many, How Much, by Rosemary Wells, Timothy and his friends learn about a variety of topics including: numbers, measuring, and money.   In one example, they are going to measure something in school.  As the reader, you are asked to look at the ruler at the top of the page and notice that the four is missing.  You are asked to use the ruler to measure a pencil.  In another example, the friends use their feet to measure distance.  Two characters walk from their seat to the Learning Tree and the reader is asked who sits closer/farther away from the tree.  In an exercise related to this, the reader is asked to use his feet to measure things.  The question posed is: In your bedroom, how many steps is your bed from the door?  In this manner, the child will transfer his learning from the book into his own experience.

This book includes many useful exercises involving numbers, shapes, and money and could be used for a variety of lessons.

Curriculum Connections

This enjoyable book would be an excellent resource for a kindergarten classroom.  It contains many activities that the teacher can do with the class as she reads the book to them.  It opens with an activity involving counting in which the children can be asked how many teachers and students do they see in the picture.  It contains an a simple activity involving classification of objects and another for identifying colors and shapes (K.1 k-objects are described pictorally and verbally).  In addition, this resource asks questions about days of the week and how to use money (K.1 k).    Finally, there are exercises involving measurement.  These are simple, yet interactive and fun for students. (K.1 e, g, h: standards focused on measurement)
 
Additional Resources

• Measurement Man: This site provides an interactive activity to help students learn measurement conversions.
• First Grade Measuring Game: This site provides an interactive activity for students to measure different lengths of pencils with a measuring stick.
• How Tall: This interactive game allows students to estimate measurements by using non standard units.

Book: How Many, How Much
Author: Rosemary Wells
Illustrator: Michael Koelsch
Publisher: Penguin Putnam Inc.
Publication Date: 2001
Pages: 24 pages
Grades: K-1
ISBN: 0-670-89652-7

Why Do Leaves Change Color?, written by Betsy Maestro and illustrated by Loretta Krupinski, takes a fascinating look at why leaves change color and exactly what color a specific leaf will be in the fall.  Maestro thoroughly explains what process a leaf takes, beginning as a bud in the spring, through it’s journey to become a beautiful part of fall foliage.  She allows children to observe what various leaves will look like in the fall and how we can tell what color a leaf will become.  The science of physical properties and observation are heavily emphasized in this wonderful children’s book.  There are also a few wonderful activities in the back of the book along with a list of places where fall foliage can be seen at it’s best!

Curriculum Connections
Why Do Leaves Change Color? could be used during an observation lesson on fall leaves and their characteristics.  Children could learn the physical properties of the life cycle of a leaf and then observe what various leaves look like once they have changed colors for the fall (1.1).  They also learn that no two leaves are the same.  Characteristics of deciduous leaves (1.4) and plant life cycles are discussed (1.7)  (Virginia SOL’s 1.1, 1.4, 1.7)

Additional Resources

• Why Do Autumn Leaves Change Color? – Lesson plan that is labeled:  “Give children hands-on experience collecting, preserving, identifying, and examining leaves to deepen their understanding of how and why leaves change color in the fall.”

•  Leaves Change Color – An autumn leaf scavenger hunt worksheet.

• Falling Leaves – A science experiment with a nature walk and a leaf graphing worksheet.

Book: Why Do Leaves Change Color?
Author: Betsy Maestro
Illustrator: Loretta Krupinski
Publisher: Harper Collins
Publication Date: 1994
Pages:  32 pages
Grade Range:  1-3
ISBN:  0-06-022873-3

Skunkdog, written by Emily Jenkins and illustrated by Pierre Pratt is a heartwarming story of a pet dog, Dumpling, who is unable to smell.  Without a sense of smell, she was not able to relate to other dogs.  She had no friends and was lonely.  She moved to the country with her family and ended up with a very stinky friend, a skunk.  Although Dumpling’s family wasn’t happy about this, Dumpling and the skunk soon became best friends.  Dumpling’s family bought a lot of tomato juice.

Curriculum Connections
This book could be used while teaching the five senses, the corresponding sensing organs and sensory descriptors used to describe common objects.  Students will be taught that humans have senses that allow them to seek, find, take in and react or respond to information in order to learn about their surroundings (VA SOL K.2 a,b).  Since we will be using this book with a kindergarten class, the teacher would need to read the book to the class.  As the book is being read, the teacher could ask the class questions about how a skunk smells and other smells that they like or like.   The teacher could then pass around some items such as coffee, chocolate, lemons, garlic or peppermint for the class to smell and describe.

Additional Resources

• 5 senses lesson plan: Pop popcorn and have the students guess what it is by the sound and the smell.  Pass out the popcorn and have the students describe how it feels, looks and tastes.
• Ten activities for teaching about the five senses: Activities such as feely bags, sound boxes and spicy gingerbread men.
• Engaging science activity: Make colored, scented play-dough.  It encourages children to use several senses and it is really fun.

Book:   Skunkdog
Author: Emily Jenkins
Illustrator: Pierre Pratt
Publisher: Frances Foster Books
Publication Date: 2008
Pages: 30 pages
Grade Range: K-2
ISBN: 978-0-374-37009-1

How to Think Like a Scientist is written by Stephen P. Kramer and illustrated by Felicia Bond.  The book focuses on real world and sometimes comical situations that children encounter.   The stories focus on the types of questions that arise and how students can learn by putting the scientific method into practice to get the answers to their questions.  The illustrator, Felicia Bond illustrator for the series, If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, is known for utilizing a comedic element within her illustrations making it appealing to children to read.

For the sake of brevity, this example will be paraphrased.

The situation entitled “Because we want to” takes a real world approach to children making choices towards completing homework.  In this example, the teacher, Ms. Wilson, assigns a math assignment to be turned in on Monday.  You, the student, are working diligently on a math assignment Sunday afternoon when your friend Pat calls and invites you to see a movie that you really want to see.  Ms. Wilson has been behind on collecting and returning homework assignments and you and Pat figure she will not collect this math assignment until later in the week.  Pat offers to distract her Monday by asking how her weekend went.

QUESTION: Is Ms. Wilson going to collect the math assignment Monday morning?

ANSWER:  Pat does as promised and asks Ms. Wilson how her weekend went and she responds “I’ll tell you all about it while you’re passing your math papers up to the front of the room.”

“Suddenly you feel very sick.  You were sure the answer to the question would be “no”.  As a matter of fact, you were the only person in the whole class who doesn’t have the paper finished.  What happened?”

“Part of the reason you answered the question incorrectly was because of an observation.”

The book then takes the students through the art of using the Scientific Method.

Curriculum Connections
How To Think Like a Scientist is appropriate for third graders in their development of logic and reasoning as well as the development of practicing the steps of the scientific method.  SOL 3.1 a, b, g, h & j are achieved by reading this book and putting these practices in real science experiments either performed at home or in the classroom.

Additional Resources

• Utah Education Network: “It’s Hammer Time” A lesson plan teaching third grade students to use the scientific method while learning about simple machines, and push and pull forces.
• Another example that I have collaboratively taught at the third grade level should be done in close proximity to the Thanksgiving holiday.  The basic idea is to use the scientific method to make hypotheses about what families will eat during the holiday meal.  The students will collect data from the class and will learn to input the data on a computer and graph the results.  From this process, the students will draw conclusions from the data collected.  As I recall, the data was broken out into the main course, the starch, the vegetable and the best part, the dessert.
• A to Z Teacher Stuff: Homogeneous and Heterogeneous Mixtures

Book: How to Think Like a Scientist
Author: Stephen P. Kramer
Illustrator:  Felicia Bond
Publisher: Harper Collins Publishers
Publication Date: 1987
Pages: 42 pages
Grade Range: 3-7
ISBN: 0-690-04565-4

The Frog Scientist is written by Pamela Turner with photographs by Andy Comins. This book follows Dr. Tyrone Hayes through his investigation of the effects of pesticides on frogs. It is filled with many photos of different species of frogs and provides a detailed description of Dr. Hayes’ experiment with wild leopard frogs. The back of the book contains useful information such as a glossary of scientific terms, pictures of featured frogs and toads as well as helpful websites.

Curriculum Connections
The Frog Scientist is perfect for 5th graders learning data collection and analysis (SOL 5.1.h).  This book can also be used to explain the development of frogs and as an opening to a larger lesson on the effects humans have on the environment. This book has a large amount of text so it is not recommended for younger grades.

Additional Resources

• Dr. Tyrone Hayes Lesson Plan: This is a lesson plan that makes connections between frogs and humans
• Amphibian Ark: This is an organization that is trying to help amphibians around the globe.
• Fun Frog Facts: Great site that provides information on frogs

Book: The Frog Scientist
Author: Pamela S. Turner
Photographer: Andy Comins
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company
Publication Date: 2009
Pages: 58 pages
Grade Range: 5-6
ISBN: 978-0-618-71716-3

“The cool thing about science is that anyone can do it.  You don’t have to be a scientist in a labratory to do science.  You can do experiments with everyday things!”  Cool-Distance Assistants Fun Projects to Propel Things ,written by James Hopwood, is a conglomerate of suggested science fair projects. Some of the examples of the projects shown are “Super-sling” and “Catapult In A Box.”  The projects are very kid friendly with clear and easy to follow instructions.  There is also a introductory chapter that explains the scientific method.  Again, the wording used in this chapter would be easily understood by the students.

Curriculum Connections
This book could be used to introduce the scientific method to students.  It would also be very useful around the time of science fairs to provide them with suggestions. They could either use a project outlined in the book or use the examples to generate ideas of their own.  It would teach them how to plan and conduct investigations and make conclusions (SOL 3.1.j).  The book would be most appropriate for grade levels 3-5.

Additional Resources

A webpage that provides more detail on the scientific method in kid friendly terms

Entertaining video  created by brainpop for kids to watch on scientific method

Wordsearch   containing scientific method terms

Book:  Cool-Distance Assistants Fun Projects to Propel Things
Author: James Hopwood
Publisher: Checkerboard Books
Publication Date: 2007
Pages: 32 pages
Grade Range: 3-5
ISBN: 1599289075