Spinning, flipping and popping to learn

A couple of nonfiction books that recently caught my eye are from the publisher 360 degrees. What I liked their approach to lift-the-flap books for older kids. 

In Focus: Close-ups, Cutaways, Cross Sections, 10 Illustrators created by Libby Walden is a general information book that covers a range of topics from both the natural and human-made worlds in a unique way.  Each double spread focuses on a theme providing a random but interesting selection of facts about the creatures or things represented. These two pages then fold out to a four page spread to take the reader even deeper into the facts.

For example, the first spread is about the ocean. Featured are various sea creatures such as the blue whale, sea horse, puffer fish, swordfish, jellyfish and starfish, to name a few. We learn a pertinent fact or two about the animals from the front pages such as the blue whale is the largest animal to have ever lived on the planet and typically lives between 80 to 90 years.  Or that starfish are not fish and though commonly seen with 5 arms they can have as many as 40. Or that jellyfish have been around more than 650 million years!  Flipping open the top pages, we see cross sections of the animals exposing their skeletons and internal organs. From here, there is more detailed information. Did you know that the heart of the blue whale is the size of a small car weighing in at 770 kg or 1550 lbs? Amazing.

Topics covered are: the physical structure of homes found worldwide, space and space vehicles, international landmarks, various plants, animals and geological features, everyday objects, well-known buildings from around the world, fruits and vegetables, land animals and modes of transportation.  Wide ranging, indeed.

The second book is Wilderness: an Interactive Atlas of Animals by Hannah Pang. This one also uses flaps, pop ups and spinning wheels to engage readers about an array of animals from all continents both land and water.

The formats are the draw here and there are many of these kinds of trivia/random information books out there.  The illustrations are well done and support the informational tidbits.

I see these as interesting resources for classrooms but not necessarily crucial.  These books will appeal to some kids  and could be used in centres or for individual reading time. Elementary and middle grade students are the best audience for these books.

Food for thought

A couple of recent additions to the Doucette Library’s collection made me realize the number of books that are in the library relating food to social issues and current events.  What a great way to explore contemporary issues and something we can all relate to in an interdisciplinary way, if we wanted to.

Below I’ve created a list and grouped books according to what they focus on.  Click on the titles of the books to go to the library’s catalogue to read a short summary about the exact content.

  

Global Food Issues (such as access, international trade, etc.)

-Chocolate: Sweet Science and Dark Secrets of the World’s Favorite Treat by Kay Frydenborg (Gr.6-10)

 -Down to Earth: How Kids Help Feed the World by Nutritional Issues (Gr.3-6)

Sugar Changed the World: a Story of Magic, Spice, Slavery, Freedom and Science by Marc Aronson (Gr.4-7)

Growing Food (eg. where does it come from)

-Before We Eat: From Farm to Table by Pat Brisson (Gr.K-2)

-Eat Up!: an Infographic Exploration of Food by Antonia Banyard (Gr. 4-7)

-The Children's Garden: Growing Food in the City by Carole Schaefer (Gr.K-2)

-Potatoes on Roof tops: Farming in the City by Hadley Dyer (Gr.4-8)

History and Culture

-Fifty Foods that Changed the Course of History by Bill Price (Gr.10 and up)

-Footprints: the Story of What We Eat by Paula Ayer (Gr. 6 and up)

-Man Eating Bugs: the Art and Science of Eating Insects by Peter Menzel (Gr.8 and up)

 -What's for Lunch?: How Schoolchildren Eat Around the World by Andrea Curtis (Gr.3-6)

-What I Eat: Around the World in 80 Diets by Peter Menzel (Gr.8 and up)

Issues and Events we hear about in the news (organic foods, eating locally produced food)

-Eating Local by Laura Perdew (Gr.4-7)

 -Meatless?: a Fresh Look at What We Eat by Sarah Elton (Gr.3-7)

-Hijacked: How Your Brain is Fooled by Food by David Kessler (Gr.7 and up)

-The Dorito Effect: the Surprising New Truth About Food and Flavor by Mark Schatzker (Gr.10 and up)

These books become an interesting way to discuss health issues, current events, science, history. Tie these books to some of the kits also available in the Doucette Library like the "How Much Fat?" kits that looks at the quantity of fat found in common foods, "How Much Sugar?" kit, also showing us in a very visual way how much sugar we consume. There's great potential for developing an interdisciplinary unit about a subject that is relevant and important for all of us.

Making waves about the state of our oceans

The New Ocean: the Fate of Life in a Changing Sea by Bryn Barnard is a very informative book, challenging us (the human race) to change our ways before the ocean is irrevocably damaged to the extent of possibly resulting in the next ‘great extinction’.

It’s a pretty dramatic statement and certainly captures the sense that the oceans are in trouble and so are we.

Though it looks like a picture book and has some wonderful illustrations, this is not a picture book. This slim volume focuses on six species of ocean plants and animals (jellyfish, orcas, sea turtles, tuna, corals and blue-green algae) to demonstrate how the changes happening in the oceans impact them and, consequently, how this will impact humans.

For example, jellyfish are a highly adaptive species that can thrive in the oceans’ dead zones. Dead zones are areas having little oxygen because of pollution or changes to ocean temperature, currents and wind patterns. This results in other marine species avoiding these areas, allowing jellyfish to become the dominant species which isn’t good.

Compare this with the section about tuna highlighting the dangers of overfishing and pollution. Bluefin tuna are becoming virtually extinct because of two problems: overfishing AND mercury contamination. The higher up the food chain the fish is the higher the level of mercury to be found in their flesh. Bluefin tuna has the most mercury being at the top of their food chain. Humans consume a lot of this fish and we run the risk of making ourselves sick.

This book is a terrific resource that highlights the interconnectedness between the natural world and the plant and the animals living in it, including us. While it tells of the terrible damage that is being done to this crucial resource, it does offer hope by encouraging us to be aware of the impact our choices have on the environment and becoming involved in science as a way to help find solutions.  I loved that the invention of Boyan Slat, a young Dutch engineering student, that collects plastics comprising the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, is highlighted here. It’s estimated that the Great Pacific Garbage Patch (twice the size of Texas) will be halved in ten years.  That’s something to give us hope.

I recommend this for all middle grade students but it will be of special interest to those teaching Alberta science for the grade 7 unit, Interactions in Ecosystems.

Springtime

Last week I gushed about Calgary’s glorious spring and how lush the vegetation looks.

But with flowers, shrubs, and trees that we love and admire, come those plants that we don’t admire. They can become the bane of one’s existence and mar our gardens.  I’m talking about WEEDS!

In Weeds Find a Way by Cindy Jenson-Elliott, we learn about what makes a plant a weed.  She describes various adaptions that plants/weeds acquire that allow them to thrive as a species.  Whether it’s the way they disperse their many seeds, overwinter, live in less-than-ideal conditions, and resist being removed, all have mechanisms in place that give them advantages when it comes to survival.

Background information about over 20 different weeds is included at the back of the book which accompanies an explanation by the author of what makes a weed a weed. Illustrations are big and splashy with a zoomed-in perspective to get us up-close to weeds.

Overall, this is a good book for elementary classrooms when talking about plants, growth, adaptation, seasons, or current events (at least here in Calgary).  Pair this with Sidewalk Flowers which I blogged about back in April. Children often have a much different perception about what’s a pretty flower and what’s a weed like the little girl in Sidewalk Flowers.  Very different indeed.

Remember I am Forest. Remember I am here.

Forest Has a Song by Amy Ludwig Vanderwater is a collection of poems that celebrate the wonders and natural pleasures to be found in a wood forest.

A girl and her dog take us along as they venture year round through a nearby forest, using all their senses.  They feel and smell a winter breeze and make note of the animal prints left in the snow.  Spring brings the raucous sounds of a frog looking for a mate.  Summer evenings create a sense of wonder as nocturnal birds and animals start to stir.  And autumn brings the bright colour changes in trees and the busy activities of animals getting ready for winter.  Whatever the season, she is intrigued by many of nature’s wonders - like a spore-spouting puff ball mushroom or the code-like conversation she listens in on when a woodpecker “types poems with his beak upon a tree” or the web-spinning abilities of a hungry spider or gazing into the eyes of a fawn.

This is a book that creates a sense of what a forest is like.  The ease of the poems and the softness of the watercolour illustrations contribute to the feeling of peace, curiosity and pleasure to be found in nature.

A gentle book that will work well in the elementary grades.

How does your garden grow?

With gardens starting to stir in Calgary, PotatoesOn Rooftops: Farming in the City by Hadley Dyer is really timely.

This book is a pitch to persuade young people about the value and do-ability of ‘urban farming’.

It gives a brief overview of growing food in the city, historical initiatives during times of crisis such as World Wars I and II, global issues about food production, costs and inequities, optimizing space, community development and benefits such as better tasting food and good exercise.

There are lots of examples (both Canadian and American) of creative projects that are already underway, such as rooftop gardens, gardens underground, small-scale community plots on school grounds, left over bits of land close to urban infrastructure and greenhouses in locales with very limited growing seasons.

There is basic information about how to go about starting a garden on a windowsill, balcony or backyard, composting, or buying local produce.

There’s also lots of positive encouragement:

 “As you've seen, you can accomplish so much when you have an appetite for change.  And the more you do, the more you can do! Use your positive experiences to inspire other people, whether they’re your friends, classmates, neighbors, or city council.” (p.74)

Recommended for middle grades.

Today is Nonfiction Monday a round up of blogs about nonfiction children's literature.  Today's event is being host by Instantly Interruptible.

World Environment Day - June 5th, 2011

 The United Nations has dedicated this year’s World Environment Day (WED) to the forests of the world.

"This year’s theme, Forests: Nature at Your Service highlights the myriad benefits of forests towards human wellbeing, as well as the imperative to conserve them."

 Not too long ago, I posted  about a really fantastic photographic book about trees, The Life and Love of Trees. So, I’m not going to reiterate what I’ve already written but I do encourage you to check out this book.

But I will highlight a group of books that tell the story of the power of an individual with vision and the interdependency between forests and the well-being of people.

At least four children’s books have been written about Nobel Peace Prize recipient, Wangari Maathai and her determination to improve the lives of Kenyans by reestablishing forests. Each book tells of Wangari’s connection with her natural environment, her education in the sciences and her desire to reestablish the forests of Kenya through her Green Belt Movement. Some are written for younger children but for the most part they will work in elementary as well as junior high levels (ages 8-12 or 13).

These four books are:

Mama Miti by Donna Jo Napoli (333.72092 NaM 2010 PIC BK)

Planting the trees of Kenya by Claire A. Nivola (333.72092 NiP 2008 PIC BK)**

Seeds of Change by Jen Cullerton Johnson (333.72092 JoS 2010 PIC BK)

Wangari’s Trees of Peace by Jeanette Winter (333.72092 WiW 2008 PIC BK)**

  

 (** indicates my favorites.)

To learn more about the Green Belt Movement there is also Wangari Maathai’s own book, The Green Belt Movement: sharing the approach and the experience (333.72 MaG 2006) that will tell you everything you need to know about the effects of degraded environments on the quality of life of the people of Kenya, the work involved in starting and maintaining the organization, some trials and tribulations with government officials and international developers, and the impact the movement has had on lives and environment. This book has very little about the personal story of Wangari, which more likely to be found in her memoir Unbowed. I’ll  look to read this in the near future.

Something to devour

Who Wants Pizza?: the kids’ guide to the history, science & culture of food by Jan Thornhill (641.3 ThW 2010) presents a tremendous amount of information about the whole topic of food, not just pizza.  In effect, this books considers human history, anatomy, and current events (issues around food production, access to food and population growth, health issues such as obesity, sugar intake) – everything but the kitchen sink I think.

What a great little book!  Pizza - the ubiquitous food ‘group’ with great kid appeal – is the starting point of the book.  But do kids know what goes into making it?  Thornhill delves into everything from crust to toppings; from why we need to eat in the first place and what nutrients are needed for a healthy diet to a historical look at what people have eaten and how (raw, cooked, preserved, processed, etc.); from the impact of the domestication of plants and animals to the food industry and current production trends.  She includes information about the impact of our choices and why it’s important to think about what we eat and where it comes from.

It’s a lot to take in, but you can take it in ‘bite sizes’ (yeah, okay, bad pun) that makes it manageable.  For classroom use, it could provide an interesting platform for cross-curricular connections (math, science, history, current events, health).  It’s a veritable feast (a buffet, if you will) of information, trivia, photographs and illustrations that will provide lots of food for thought. (Okay, enough with the puns.)

I think Who Wants Pizza? will appeal to kids in grades 5 to 9.

Celebrating trees

“Describe characteristics of trees and the interaction of trees with other living things in the local environment.”

--from: Alberta Education, Program of Studies, Science: Grade 6, p.B-33.

The above statement is one of the general learner expectations as set out by the Alberta government for grade 6 students. 

Can’t you feel your heart start to pound with excitement?  Like this – not so much.  But then again, maybe you’re someone who doesn’t see trees as being very exciting anyways.  It’s so easy to take trees for granted and it can be difficult to see how important and vital trees are to the good health of the planet.  Cosmic thought, man…

But in prepping for a workshop where the above learner expectation was used as a starting point to introduce education students to diverse resources, I discovered masses of interesting, really interesting stuff about trees. Admittedly, I had to go looking for some of it outside the Doucette Library’s collection and bring it in, but still…

 And what I found is my latest favorite ‘coffee table’-type book called The Life and Love of Trees by Lewis Blackwell (582.16 BlL 2009).  It is filled with spectacular photographs of trees and forests from around the world, photographed from varying angles and showing seasonal variations. It contains,thoughtful quotes from deep thinking people, and tons of information about the science of trees, the aesthetics of trees and the state of the world’s forests.

Find out what a dendronaut is (p.30), or how big and old a single, living colony of genetically alike trees is (this is very cool, p.36), or just how nasty and ‘evil’ trees can be as they protract the torturous demise of competing plants (think strangler fig, p.144).  The author has created a certain amount of drama (besides the all the beautiful aspects) as he’s designed the book.  Like a meandering, diverting and speculative walk through a forest.

This book takes time.  Not as long as it takes a sequoia takes to reach maturity maybe, but certainly time enough to really enjoy the gentle tempo set by Lewis Blackwell.

Gross or Engrossing

I was recently helping one of our undergraduate students pull resources for a unit about the nutrient cycle.  My first thought, “Oh boy! How are we going to make that interesting?”  I knew the library didn’t have anything new about this topic specifically.

 

 Sometimes, I jump a little too quickly to the wrong conclusion.  As it turns out, the unit was a hit with her grade 6 students.  She taught the cycle showing the interconnectedness of the individual components (water, air, decomposition, plant growth, minerals, etc.), reinforcing the concept with a game that emphasized this never-ending cycle.  To emphasize the importance of decomposition, the unit was wrapped up with the book, What rot! : nature’s mighty recycler by Elizabeth Ring (571.939 RiW 1996), read aloud to the class to spark questions and discussion. This fairly short book, besides describing the process of decomposition, includes lots of great photographs with close-ups of worms, insects, and bacteria breaking down organic matter. A little ‘gross’ (according to a couple of the grade 6 students), but fascinating at the same time. 

I love that the student-teacher used a non-fiction book as a read-aloud to grade 6 kids.  I love that the gross bits of the book worked at succeeded in getting the kids talking.

Next, I’ll keep my eyes open for newer resources about the nutrient cycle.  Any recommendations?
Join Nonfiction Monday Roundup at In Need of Chocolate to see a list of recent blogs dedicated to highlighting nonfiction resources.

Looking for WOW!

Working to develop lesson plans or units with students is always interesting but it’s only occasionally that I get see how a student fleshes out a particular unit. It’s a bit of a thrill to know that resources I’ve suggested have enhanced the learning experiences for both MT students as well as for the kids they are teaching, too.

An example of this was just last fall and a student was teaching junior high students about plants. Did I know of any ‘interesting’ videos or DVDs that would excite her students? she wanted to know. I suggested she view a new DVD, The World According to Monsanto (363.19 WO 2008 DVD) which presents some pretty provocative information about this multinational company and its practices for developing and controlling seeds. Junior high kids love to get into issues that spark controversy. So there was potential here.

But an extra bonus was that about two weeks later I read a fairly lengthy article about Monsanto developing drought resistance corn in the local newspaper. Ah ha, a cross-curricular opportunity (science, social studies, current affairs, language arts, possibly even math) if there ever was one. Gotta love serendipity!

In addition, we gathered together some related books and kits but I found that few of these resources really wowed me. So what to do? I went looking to find something that would wow anyone.

Check out The Bizarre and Incredible World of Plants (580 StB 2009) that has some amazing photographs of plants, fruits, seeds often shown at the microscopic level. You would never guess what some of these images are. This is another strategy to help engage all sorts of learners of all ages: finding highly appealing, visual books or posters that show us things we think we know but puts a whole different spin on it. I love books like these as they have so much potential for grabbing the attention of almost anyone.