Open Wide, Look Inside

Off We Go to Mexico! is a colorful book about the geography and culture of Mexico. It’s an engaging poem about taking a trip to Mexico and all the places one could visit and see. The writer, Laurie Krebs, does a perfect job of creating fun little poems about Mexican life and pairing it with simple Spanish words and phrases. Each page describes and illustrates a different attraction of Mexico through bright drawings with a cultural flair by illustrator Christopher Corr. Kids will love the detailed illustrations and the introduction to the Spanish language. For example on the page about the Mayan pyramids we have the poem,

We climb amazing pyramids from ancient Mexico
And wonder how they’re standing now
When built so long ago.

and then the corresponding Spanish words: “we climb – subimos, long ago – hace mucho tiempo” etc. Off We Go to Mexico would be a great book for a class with many Spanish speaking students to incorporate geography lessons and language lessons (even English language lessons).

The book covers about eleven different areas of Mexico before summarizing the information in the last pages with a map of the country with pictures and labels for each area previously discussed. This way kids can relate to the different places of Mexico and see where they are all located within the country in relation to each other. Also, the last pages of the book offer additional facts about modern Mexico, holidays, historical periods and a glossary for more Spanish phrases. All around an excellent choice of children’s literature to introduce the country of Mexico and integrate geography into reading.

Curriculum Connections
Off We Go to Mexico focuses mainly on Mexican culture and the many different places to see in Mexico. The map in the back brings all the information together and labels each area and it’s relative location in relation to cities and large geographic elements. It covers the VA SOL for Geography in 1-3rd grade. 1.4- recognizing basic map symbols, 2.5 – developing map skills by locating the equator and the seven continents, and 3.5 for locating different countries and historical areas on maps. The book could also be used to meet some language curriculum requirements for beginning level Spanish if supplemented by some additional lessons and practice.

Additional Resources

• The author Laurie Krebs writes many books about different countries and cultures. She often visits local bookstores and schools with workshops and talks, check out her programs here.
• Here is an entire unit curriculum for teaching about Mexico in the elementary classroom. It’s long, but you may want to check it out for one or several of the activities and ideas.
• You can provide a map of Mexico to color and discuss. This site includes some more facts about the physical geography of Mexico to tie in more of the curriculum.

Book: Off We Go to Mexico
Author: Laurie Krebs
Illustrator: Christopher Corr
Publisher: Barefoot Books
Publication Date: 2006
Pages: 32 pages
Grades: 1-3
ISBN: 1905236409

The Mississippi River runs through ten states, do you know which ten? In Monday on the Mississippi, Marilyn Singer takes us down the Mississippi in a week. There are two entries for each day, sometimes on the same state, and sometimes going through multiple states. Each entry has a little something about the surrounding area, mentioning something each place is famous for. Such as the first Friday entry, in Memphis, Tennessee:

At Mud Island, where their brothers admire the perfect miniature model of the Mississippi…two sisters want to sit quietly by the real thing, listening for Martin Luther, B.B., Elvis, and all the others that would’ve been, should’ve been, or never could’ve been.

Each page of the book is also covered in a bright illustration that pertains to the entry for that day. Along with the full-page picture, there is a square in the upper left hand side of each page consisting of a map of the state that entry takes place in. It shows the entire state, its border states, the capital, and the Mississippi River and our current location on it. If you look even closer at these state maps, you’ll notice that in each of the corners of the map’s borders is the state flag, tree, bird, and flower, presenting a great opportunity to start teaching kids about the different states.

Curriculum Connections
Monday on the Mississippi is more than just a great book about the Mississippi River, our country’s most well-known river. It gives teachers the opportunity to teach students about different states and their cultures and histories in those areas. Also, students are exposed to maps, seeing how they work representing different places and things, which completes the Social Studies SOL K.4 and K.5 for Virginia teachers.

Additional Resources

• Here is a handout with a map of the Mississippi River and all the states it touches, as well as some questions pertaining to the Mississippi.
• This site is filled with information on each state, and also has a map of the entire country, as well as each state.

Book: Monday on the Mississippi
Author: Marilyn Singer
Illustrator: Frane Lessac
Publisher: Henry Holt and Company
Publication Date: 2005
Pages: 32 pages
Grades: K-3
ISBN: 978-0805072082

B.G Hennessy is an outstanding author which is truly committed to her books and illustrations. As stated on her website, “I like to start writing a book by asking a question.”  I found this to be an interesting approach to writing children’s books.  The Once Upon a Time Map Book is truly a wonderful and creative resource for children of all ages. The book has a total of six different fairy tail maps. On each page there are clues on how to get to a secret treasure. If you follow the clues correctly, you will find the treasure on each map. This is wonderful because there are also letters and numbers to have the students practice using a coordinate system to locate precise points on a map, compasses and keys. For example on the map of NeverLand the first few clues to finding the treasure are…

• Moor your boat at Mermain Cove (E1)
• Take the sandy path east. Where the path splits go south through the jungle.

As you can see the students follow the different clues and use the key and compass as resources to finding the treasure. This allows students to practice using their map skills in a fun, entertaining manner. Overall this book is provides an outstanding  way of learning to read maps that is fun and interactive for all types of learners.

Curriculum Connections
This book can be used for pretty much any geography map lesson. Some VA SOL’s that this book would be perfect for are k.4, 1.4, 1.5, 2.5, 2.6. All these SOLs focus on maps, keys, compasses and the overall understanding of maps.

Additional Resources

• The web page allows us to read some summaries of this book and different comments. I think its important to read different pros and cons to different books that you may be using in the classroom. I really got a lot from this site and feel that it is definitely a good additional resource.
• B. G. Hennessy actually has a site of her own with different ideas for integration of her books into the classroom. I found this site to be very helpful and a wonderful tool for teachers which plan on using her books in the classroom.
• This last site discusses fairy tales in general and how you can use the in the classroom. I felt that this book could be a very good closer for a fairy tale or literature lesson in the classroom.

Book: The Once Upon a Time Map Book
Author: B. G. Hennessy
Illustrator: Peter Joyce
Publisher:  Candlewick
Publication Date: July 15, 2004
Pages: 16
Grades: k-5
ISBN: 0763625213 

Children love going on scavenger hunts in the quest for specific objects. In her book How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World, Marjorie Priceman takes children on an exploration around the world in gathering all of the necessary baking ingredients needed to make an apple pie.

Starting off with character’s problem of not being able to buy the ingredients at the market, Priceman takes students through the process of finding a solution. Traveling with her audience around the world, students will be introduced to the location of specific countries as well as principle commodities associated with the country as they track their travels across the world.

“You can’t miss it. Sri Lanka is a pear-shaped island in the Indian Ocean. The best cinnamon in the world is made there, from the bark of the native kurundu tree. So go directly to the rain forest. Find a kurundu tree and peel off some bark. If a leopard is napping beneath the tree, be very quiet.”

Priceman’s illustrations aid in the explanation of the countries with the incorporation of architecture, animals, transportation and monuments that are found in each geographical destination. Additionally, Priceman includes pictures of travel time and a travel track on maps to help put in perspective the distance between continents, countries and the extensive time it take for travel from one place to another. These travels will cement geographical knowledge of continent, country, and ocean locations.

Curriculum Connections
Priceman’s book uses the task of gathering baking materials to introduce students to the location and characteristics of other countries. Broadening students’ awareness of other continents, this book can help students develop map skills of locating the continents and specific countries (correlating to components of Virginia Standards 2.5 and 3.5). This book is a fun way for students to “visit” new places and learn how to track their travels on a map.

Additional Resources

• Students can explore these geography games which provide multiple games and activities for each continent.
• To extend students’ understanding of the countries traveled in gathering the materials for the apple pie, this website provides activity extensions for the traveled locations of the book including Italy, England, France, and Vermont.
• This sites provides additional ideas for student exploration after the reading of the book as well as a list of related books.

Book: How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World
Author: Marjorie Priceman
Publisher: Dragonfly Books
Publication Date: 1996
Pages: 40
Grades: 1-3
ISBN: 0679880836

The book Mapping Penny’s World, written and illustrated by Loreen Leedy, is a great way to introduce children to different types of maps, as well as the main components of a map.

In this book, Lisa’s class has been learning about maps. After her teacher says that “we can make a map of anyplace”, Lisa decides to make a map of her bedroom. Her dog, Penny, helps her with the map and then she continues making maps of various places where Penny likes to go around her house, neighborhood, and town.

The locations which Lisa maps include:

• her bedroom,
• her yard, which she labels as “Penny’s Treasure Map” because of all the toys and other items that Penny has hidden there,
• the route to a neighbor’s house,
• nearby bike trails,
• Penny’s favorite places around the town, such as the pond, the park the pet store, and the grocery store,
• and a map of the world showing the many countries that Lisa and Penny would like to visit.

On each map, Lisa includes everything that people will need in order to be able to read the map – a compass rose, a map scale, and a clear, detailed key showing all of the symbols used on the map. While making her maps, Lisa demonstrates using various tools, such as a tape measure, a pedometer, and an odometer, to measure an area before creating its map. She also explains several important aspects of map-making, including that maps show a view from above, maps can be helpful for giving directions, and a map’s scale can be used to determine the real distances of the mapped area:

These are our trails. To make this map, I measured our foot paths with a pedometer, a tool that shows how far a person walks. For the bike trails, I used on an odometer, which shows how far a vehicle travels. The map’s scale shows the real distances in the park.

Leedy’s illustrations help students to understand how maps are made and used. For each map, she has included illustrations of the actual area being mapped followed by a full page copy of the map. All of the maps are simple and easy to follow.

Curriculum Connections
Mapping Penny’s World would be an excellent book to use as part of a geography lesson on maps. This book includes multiple examples of simple maps that include a title, map key, scale and compass rose. After reading this book, students could make their own map of a familiar place, such as their bedroom, classroom, neighborhood, or school.

In Virginia, this book relates to social studies SOLs K.5, 1,4-1.5, and 2.6, which state that students will understand that maps and globes show a view from above, show things in smaller size, and show the position of objects, and that students will construct simple maps using titles, basic map symbols, map legends, and a compass rose.

Additional Resources

• Here is a link to a maps skills lesson plan. This lesson is related to the story Gingerbread Baby and it includes an activity in which students create a 3-D map of the journey the gingerbread boy traveled and then use it to practice giving and following directions. The lesson could also be adapted to use with Mapping Penny’s World by using one of the maps from the book as the basis for creating the 3-D map.
• This United States mini-unit contains several lessons on map skills and directions, in addition to geography lessons about landforms found in the US. The last lesson in the unit teaches students how to use a map legend and its symbols to identify the location of crops, industry, and resources produced in the US.
• This edible map activity would be a fun way to review map-making and the parts of a map.

Book: Mapping Penny’s World
Author: Loreen Leedy
Illustrator: Loreen Leedy
Publisher: Henry Holt and Company
Publication Date: 2000
Pages: 32 pages
Grades: K-3
ISBN: 0-8050-6178-9

Jinny Johnson does a great job breaking down the loads of information found on maps.  Johnson uses pullouts and fold outs to keep the reader engaged.  The book breaks down every symbol there is on a map and makes it easy for the reader to decipher.

Maps and Mapping is the story of a tour guide named, Suki West, who guides the reader around the world and through different landscapes.  The character Suki West uses every type of map tool that you can think of and introduces it to the reader.  "Like the early explorers, I use a compass to find out where north is. (10)" The book breaks down maps and globes through out.  It discusses nearly every piece there is to the "world puzzle".  Maps and Mapping discusses flap maps, ocean maps, city maps, and many others.  It also has a glossary in the back and allows the reader to look up the major terms and definitions found in the book.  This is a great book for teaching mapping skills and the different concepts of all types of maps.

Curriculum Connections
The student will learn maps skills.  The students will be able to recognize symbols and use cardinal directions on the maps.  This book correlates directly with Geography SOLs 1.4a and 1.4b.

Additional Activities

• Try coloring a map with your students.
• Try creating a city with your students.

Book: Maps and Mapping
Author/Illustrator: Jinny Johnson
Publisher: Kingfisher
Publication Date: 2007
Pages: 32 pages
Grades: PreK-2
ISBN: 0753460629