Just two out of a million?

Okay, I know there’s likely not a million books about number size.  But here are a couple.

How Big is a Million? By Anna Milbourne and Serena Riglietti (513.211 MiH 2008 PIC BK) is a very sweet picture book about a baby penguin’s quest to ‘see’ how much a million is.   He learns that 10 fish is a lot but a million is much, much more.  Then he learns that even though a 100 or a 1000 are also big numbers, a million is much, much more.  But Mama Penguin has the answer to his question and when the reader opens up the larger poster at the back of the book, we too can see a million stars in the night sky.  I can’t imagine trying to count every single little speck on this poster, yet I’m sure there will be a few kids out there who will try.  Though the illustrations are very cute and the premise is clear, there really isn’t much of a narrative for this picture book.  Suggested for kindergarten to grade 2.

Big Numbers and Pictures that Show Just How Big They Are! by Edward Packard (513.5 PaB 2000) though also about big numbers, extends the premise way beyond a mere million to a quadrillion.  I love how the size of the number is illustrated with peas – 1 pea on a dinner plate, 10 peas on a dinner plates, 1000 peas fills a dinner plate, 1 million peas covers the kitchen table, 1 billion peas fills a house, one trillion fills a neighbourhood, etc.  Lots of humour as you might expect with this one, plus little asides that compare aspects of a particular big number like 10 billion bacteria could fit in a drop of water or that a 100 million years ago there were dinosaurs.  I would use this one with kids in grades 3 to 6.

Two other quick recommendations are How Much is a Million? by David Schwartz (513.2 ScH 1985 PIC BK) and A Million Dots by Andrew Clements (513.2 ReeM 2006 PIC BK) both for a similar age group kindergarten to grade 3 or 4.

Today is Nonfiction Monday.  Go to Simply Science Blog to see this week's roundup.

Poetry Update

I’ve three books of poetry to recommend, starting with—

Dear Hot Dog by Mordicai Gerstein (811 GeD 2011 PIC BK).  The subtitle pretty much tells you what this collection is about, Poems About Everyday Stuff.  And it really is.  Starting with morning stuff: toothbrush, pants, toes, socks, etc., then moving on to 'stuff with which you do other stuff' on a summer day like kites, air, water, sun, rain, scissors, hot dogs, or an ice-cream cone, and finishing off with stuff needed to end a day, like spaghetti, bear (as in teddy), light and pillow.  These are light, playful odes to common objects which young children, or those of us with youthful spirits, can relate to. (See Toes, “we’ve become strangers this winter. I almost never see you... Or Ice-Cream Cone, “…I turn you and lick you, and with every lick there’s less of you. Come back!...).  The illustrations are a perfect fit with the breezy tone.

Next up is Cousins of Clouds: elephant poems by Tracie Vaughn Zimmer (811 ZiC 2011 PIC BK).  This is a most intriguing collection of poems and bites of information that epitomize the qualities of elephants. Learn about the differences between African and Asian elephants (head, ears, trunk, size), parenting, communication, folklore, and life in captivity as a working elephant or a rescued one. It’s an enjoyable way to read about elephants.  The illustrations, mixed-media collages, contribute to the eclectic feel of the book which is also pleasing.  Recommended for grades 1-6.

And, lastly, I’m recommending The Robin Makes a Laughing Sound: a birder’s journal by Sallie Wolf (811 WoR 2011).  I think this is a collection that will work with various ages but feel that older readers will appreciate it more.  Organized by season, Sallie Wolf has taken entries from her journals, recording observations about birds as they court and build nests in spring, feed fledglings, bathe and preen in summer, and prepare for and live through cold winters. In addition to the poems, she includes lists of birds she sees each season, some of her notes, and small, roughly sketched drawings that capture the shape, colour or movement of the birds.  We see her as a birdwatcher, observer of nature, poet, journal writer and artist.  A great deal of the charm of the book is in its design. It mixes lots of white space with the seemingly simple drawings or watercolours, short, boxed poems and longer ones that look as if they’ve been taped into the journal.  A beautiful little book.

Like Gobies and Groupers

Coral Reefs by Jason Chin (577.789 ChC 2011 PIC BK) is a fantastic introduction to the varied and extraordinary creatures that form coral reefs and the animals that depend on them.

The text is all about the facts – how reefs form, what is coral, the importance of coral reef systems, and the relationship between plants and animals that live within this habitat.  Like I said, the facts.

The illustrations, though, take us on an adventure story. A girl pulls this book off a library shelf, delving into the world of reefs. Slowly, as she reads, the ocean and its creatures surround and submerge her into the watery environment (don’t worry about breathing problems).  The colour, shapes and textures of the different corals are very well displayed. We see parrot fish eating coral and then see sharks that eat the parrot fish.  The diversity of fish that live within reef systems is often shown, while the text only picks out a couple of specific species to illustrate the relationship between the fish and the reef.

As the book comes to an end, the above-world slowly begins to rematerialize, until eventually a soggy but contented reader shares her book with her friends.

A concise “afterwards” explains how coral reefs are under threat and how we can help protect them.  The author also provides very brief additional information about the relationship between coral and the algae living inside them, as well as a short bibliography.

Since this book is all about partnerships, relationships and interdependence within an ecosystem, I would extend my recommendation to another book, as well.

Reef by ScubaZoo (577.789 Re 2007) is a beautiful coffee-table book that really draws readers into the world of the coral reef.  Tons of gorgeous close-ups of corals, fish and plants will engage readers of all ages.  This book is not to be missed if you’re doing a unit about reefs, oceans, ecology, habitats, or environmental issues.

So, like the symbiotic relationship of gobies and groupers, these two books will enchant, inform and entertain students.  Chin’s will work best with students in elementary grades and the coffee-table book will work with anyone.

Today is Nonfiction Monday hosted at Shelf-Employed.  Check out this week's round-up of nonfiction children's literature.

Professional resources – visual literacy.

In Monday’s post I wrote about infographics as illustrated in How to Land a Jumbo Jet. However entertaining or inspirational this book is, understanding and creating graphics falls within the broader concept of visual literacy.  Many of the ‘skills’ needed to analyze, interpret and create pictorial representations of information are embedded within the curriculum.  Critical thinking, classification, sequencing, deductive and inductive reasoning, hypothesizing and critiquing are skills found in the all the content areas.

Following are a few recommendations for books that will help you develop your understanding of visual literacy and the potential that it has in the classroom to engage students.

Teaching Visual Literacy: using comic books, graphic novels, anime, cartoons, and more to develop comprehension and thinking skills edited by Nancy Frey and Douglas Fisher (372.6 FrT 2008).

            Well, the subtitle pretty well covers it.  This book is a collection of essays that will give some basic background information, with chapters focussed on specific aspects of visual literacy.  Besides the formats listed in the subtitle. there are chapters about using picture books, films, and political cartoons and about how students with disabilities can be supported in their learning through visual literacy.

Visual Impact, Visual Teaching: using images to strengthen learning by Timothy Gangwer (2^nd ed.) (371.3028 GaV 2009).

            This one provides a solid overview of the different types of learning and how visual learning fits into almost any teaching environment.  Gangwer is very big on using photos and having kids do the picture taking. He provides many examples of classroom situations to illustrate his points. Half the book is activities that will engage students in different ways.in all content areas (language arts, math, science and social studies) and also in arts and humanities, environmental education, life skills, enhancing self-esteem and global holidays.

Visual Tools for Transforming Information into Knowledge by David Hyerle (2^nd ed.) (371.3028 HyV 2009)

            This one gets a lot more specific, focussing on specific tools. As listed in the book, these include: brainstorming webs for fostering creativity and open mindness; graphic organizers for fostering analytical content and process specific learning; conceptual mapping for fostering cognitive development and critical thinking; and Thinking Maps, a unique synthesis language of visual tools.

Developing Visual Literacy in Science K-8 by Jo Anne Vasquez et al. (507.1 VaD 2010).

            Though this one does focus on science it also provides an overview or ‘primer’ about visual literacy. The authors touch on the best known tools such as graphic organizers, conceptual maps and brainstorm webs but also delve into ‘3-D graphic organizers (foldables).

However deserving teachers are of their summer breaks, many also will get caught up on professional reading.  It may be that one of these titles will help you further your understanding and add to your instructional practices for visual literacy.

Infographic-ophile – that’s me.

I’m a very visual kind of learner and this translates into using lots of visual aids (posters, maps, diagrams, books, kits, etc.) when I’m presenting a classroom workshop. When I’m thinking through an idea, I’ll usually start with a mind map of some sort. For instance, when I was developing ‘bibliographies’ for curriculum topics like geographical thinking, I knew I didn’t want to only make a list on piece of paper, which was going to be stuffed into a binder and forgotten. I wanted something that would offer content or ideas connected to the books.  I came up with mind maps that explored ideas and questions related to the Alberta curriculum and linked to a website with the recommended books. If you’re interested in what these look like, click on Books for Big Ideas.  My whole point being that combining facts with graphics can be an interesting and useful way to explore ideas.

How to Land a Jumbo Jet: a visual exploration of travel facts, figures and ephemera edited by Nigel Holmes (910.202 Ho 2011) is my kind of book.

So, what do learn about the world from this book?  Places to go nude, countries with the most airports, active volcanoes in the Ring of Fire, recommended vaccinations for different regions of the world, who is proud of their nationality and by how much, which country consumes the most coffee per capita, world’s most visited destination, what to take when backpacking, wettest and driest places on earth, which cities are recommended for the food, etc., etc., etc. – it’s all here. Lots of information, from the obscure to the arcane to the obvious.

But they are far from being dry, boring, clinical.  Each topic is displayed using some form of illustration with colour, pictorial elements, and varying fonts. Some are brilliant yet simple such as Fast Food, Fast Facts (shown here) or Top Trails , giving you easy to follow, interesting, pertinent and comparable facts.  Top Trails looks at five of the world’s most popular hiking trails (Colorado, Kungsleden, Haute Route, Mount Kilimanjaro and the Inca Trail) and compares the distance, maximum altitude and starting altitude for each.  The graphic used for comparing the distances also conveys how much walking up and down a hiker would do, as well as the steepness.  Comparing the altitude for each of the hikes is very easy to understand as they are all plotted on the same mountain with Mount Kilimanjaro at the very top(19,336ft.) and Sweden’s Kungsleden hike at the bottom, a mere 3,773 feet.  Look how many words it took me to explain just these two components of this infographic.

Some of the charts are not very readable or appear too cluttered, which turns me off.  This won’t be the case for everyone. A colleague pointed out that if the book had been printed in a larger format, these illustrations may have been much more legible.

What I’m taking away from this book is the method of displaying information in a pictorial way with lots of zing for interest’s sake. If you’re into travel – great – you’re going to enjoy perusing the information contained within each graphic.  If you’re not, that’s ok, too.  This book can be source of inspiration for you and students when coming up with new ways of presenting information.  Some of these infographics are pretty sophisticated but with so many graphic organizer packages available (commercial and free) students may surprise you with how far they can go.  The possibilities are endless, as How to Land a Jumbo Jet demonstrates.

Today is Nonfiction Monday.  Hop on over to True Tales & a Cherry on Top to see a roundup of reviews of nonficiton children's literature.

Guest blogger - View from a school library

Janet Hutchinson is a colleague and kindred spirit when it comes to children's literature.  She also works a day and half in the library in the school which her children have or are attending here in Calgary.  Her experiences there provide her (and me by extension) the opportunity to see what teachers and kids do with the books we promote.  Today's posting makes me wish that I was one of her lucky kindergarten students. I love being read to.
Please enjoy the view from a school library.

 One of my responsibilities at the school is to read aloud to the junior kindergarten students. (Yes, I know – really tough job!).  There are two classes of boys and girls. One class is a half day and the other is full day. I could read the same story – except some of the half day students occasionally stay the full day – and they are always quick to point out that “Hey – we read that story this morning”. So I usually pick two or three books that I think might work, and if there is time, I often read more than one.

I have found that although there are no hard and fast rules when it comes to selecting books, there are some general principles that have helped me in book selection for this age group. Of course, I had to get used to the idea that what I THINK is going to work sometimes falls flatter than a pancake. The good news is, I generally figure that out pretty early on and can change gears (and books) quite quickly if I need to.

Some of the principles that I follow when choosing a book are:

Good illustrations. And if there is something tactile in the book, so much the better.

Rhymes – kids seem to naturally love word play and if there is a rhythm developed, they find the story easier to follow.

Repetition and predictability.  If they can figure out what is going to happen on the next page, they feel quite clever. Especially if I ask “And what do you think happens next?” and they are proven right.

In complete contrast to the above – surprise. If the next page completely surprises them, t hat can prove a winner as well.

I also started out selecting really short stories. But I have experimented with stories that require them to sit and really listen, especially as the year progresses. 

So which books have worked really well?

The loud book by Deborah Underwood. The gentle illustrations provide an excellent foil for things that can be REALLY LOUD. And of course, every child loves to think of something really loud (and demonstrate it to you as well!) I forgot how loud 4 year olds can be – even the deceptively quiet ones.... If you have a headache, then her companion book “The quiet book” might be a better choice, although some of her concepts about quiet are a little more difficult to understand – and act out.

 

 Chalk by Bill Thomson. This wordless book has an element of magic in it. And the whole idea of “What if you found a bag of chalk and everything you drew became really real?” naturally leads kids to think about what they would draw. Boys will totally and always draw dinosaurs. Or scary monsters. Girls will draw princesses or flowers or “something pretty”. (Gender stereotypes are pretty ingrained at this age, I am afraid!)

 
 

Do not open this book by Michaela Muntean. The author is quite grumpy as he tries to summon the creative muse – amidst the chaos of the reader turning the pages. Kids like the thought of the creating process – and it is kind of funny, if you think about it.

All the world by Liz Garton Scanlon. I love this book. Scanlon’s gentle rhymes and Marla Frazee’s pictures are just the perfect thing for quieting down JK students and giving them something to really listen to. And the pictures depict simple quiet moments about the world out there.

Black? White. Day? Night : a book of opposites by Laura Vaccaro Seeger. Not only is this a fold out book that is visually interesting, it starts off with simple opposites – and then moves to more complicated pairings as the book progresses. (The opposite of Ordinary is......extraordinary, in case you didn’t know. Try explaining THAT to a 4 year old.)

We’re going on a bear hunt by Michael Rosen. This book was always a favourite with my own kids and it clearly continues to be a favourite today, as most of the students have heard some version of it. And it is something that kids can repeat along with you. (We can’t go over it, we can’t go under it, we can’t go around it – we’ve got to go through it.....)

Kevin Henkes . Rather than selecting just one of his books, I find that anything of his that I have read to the students’ works on all sorts of levels. Last week it was “Chrysanthemum” – although it is a longer story and there was a little bit of fidgeting to start, by the time I got to Chrysanthemum’s first day at school, the students were completely engaged. Something about his writing so completely “gets” the young child – whether it’s thinking your name is funny (my youngest never liked his name) or the taunting of other children, they all seemed to be able to put themselves in Chrysanthemum’s place. 

Finally, I am not sure just what we would do without the Elephant and Piggy series by Mo Willems.  Somehow, the students are always ready to listen to another of their adventures. Particularly popular was “There is a bird on your head”. And there is one little boy who has taken a Piggy and Elephant book out every week – the teacher told me that Dad is a little concerned that his son seems only interested in this book. But if you think about it, the series provides familiarity in that it is the same central characters, but a new adventure every time – kind of like the Nancy Drew or Harry Potter series that appeal to older students.  

I love this aspect of my job. Reading to kids brings back that part of parenting that really appealed to me. The rapture apparent in their faces as a new book appears and all they have to do is listen as a new adventure unfolds is kind of like having little ones again (although they go away at the end of the period – which is nice as well!!)