Plate Tectonics

Plate Tectonics

By Alvin Silverstein, Virginia Silverstein, and Laura Silverstein Nunn

21^st Century Books, Lerner Group

Revised edition, 2009

Nonfiction, grades 6-8

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Details abound in this well-researched narrative about the inner workings of the Earth and its resulting volcanoes and earthquakes. It covers information from history of the planet itself to actions of the moving plates to the future of quake detection. Two chapters are devoted to the specifics of volcanoes and earthquakes and their impact on the continents. Diagrams, sidebars, and photographs break up the text into sections that make the reading less intimidating. The book has a full glossary, bibliography, further reading section, websites, and an index. While the book is aimed at older students, the younger ones will like the diagrams and the experiment on p. 57.

We usually think of the ground under our feet as firm and solid, but it is not always so.

Activity 1  Research caldera volcanoes and locate where in the world they have erupted. Find examples of caldera volcanoes in the United States.

Activity 2 For younger children.

Use a map of the world and cut out the continents. Try to find places where the continents fit together.

Look up Pangaea and find out more information about the supercontinent.

Other books about plate tectonics:

Plate Tectonics: Earth’s Moving Crust (Exploring Science) by Darlene R. Stille

Plate Tectonics (Great Ideas of Science) by Rebecca L. Johnson

Moose and Magpie

Moose and Magpie

By Bettina Restrepo

Illustrated by Sherry Rogers

Sylvan Dell Publishing, 2009

ISBN # 978-1-934359-97-6

PB with sidebar facts

 

Moose lived where the willow trees touched the ground and the lily pads floated on the water.

 

Moose’s head itches and Magpie provides answers and puns galore about moose in this life cycle story of two friends and the changes Moose experiences through a year. Filled with jokes and puns, the story entertains while sidebars provide accurate scientific facts about moose, magpies, and the moose life cycle. Two spreads at the back provide additional facts and explain the real and made up parts of the story. A “For Creative Minds” section, a feature of Sylvan Dell books, allows the reader to put their newly gained knowledge to use.

Activity 1

Look up deer, moose, and elk antlers. Describe how they are alike and how they are different.

Activity 2

Look up the word mutualism as a symbiotic relationship. Explain how moose and magpie show mutualism.

Other moose and magpie books:

Looking for a Moose by Phyllis Root and Randy Cecil

The Useful Moose: A Truthful, Moose-Full Tale by Fiona Robinson

The Magpies’ Nest by Joanna Foster, Jane Feder, and Julie Downing

Really Weird Science!

 

How Weird Is It?

A Freaky Book All About Strangeness

Ben Hillman

Scholastic, 2009

ISBN# 0-439-91868-5

Nonfiction

 

 

 

 

You think some of your relatives are weird? You have no idea.

Well, for a start, let’s talk about your Cousin Toadstool and Aunt Puffball. Yes, you are related to the whole Fungus Family!

Huge, bizarre photographs illustrating the unusual or odd facts of various scientific principles dominate each spread in this book. The doctored photos vividly and literally present the idea behind the well-explained information on the narrow column of text along the right side of the spread. Ranging from mummy kitties to superposition to our relationship to fungus, this book covers a wide-ranging set of oddities in science.

Difficult concepts such as dark energy or neutrinos are explained in lay terms and the text provides fascinating reading about each subject. The book will appeal to budding scientists or those in search of a wow factor. The layout, with its informative text and large pictures, should attract even reluctant readers. The electric green family on the cover, including the pug, positioned against the orange Martian landscape will make any kid pick this one up for a look.

Activity 1

Use a topic from the book to look up additional information about that subject.

Suggested topics: See details about the plague of locusts that even Laura Ingalls Wilder described in her book, On the Banks of Plum Creek. 

Maybe you’d like to try scorpions or other tasty morsels in China.

Get the idea? Keep looking!

Other books about weird science:

Weird Science: 40 Strange-Acting, Bizarre-Looking, and Barely Believable Activities for Kids by Jim Wiese and Ed Shems

Weird Science (Ripley’s Believe It or Not!) by Mary Packard and Leanne Franson

National Science Standards: Each section relates to a different standard, but there are many physical science standards covered in the book.

Birds of a Feather

Birds

By Kevin Henkes

Illustrated by Laura Dronzek

Greenwillow Books, 2009

ISBN #978-0-06-136304-7

Picture book

 

 

 

In the morning, I hear birds singing through the open window.

 

This simply told, imaginative story expresses in few words the wonder and delight of birds and lets the reader’s imagination soar. It’s deceptively simple, which makes it perfect for preschoolers or anyone who likes to let their imagination soar.

The activities for today are geared toward the preschool set. The book also lends itself to imaginative art activities and descriptions of what they imagine in their own minds.

Activity 1

Identify the colors of the birds on the spread showing the colors. Use a bird book to look up the names of other birds that are red, yellow, blue, or brown.

Activity 2

Identify the birds on the spread showing bird sizes. In a reference book, look for birds the children might be familiar with and decide it they are big or little birds compared to the ones in the size spread.

Other books about birds:

About Birds: A Guide for Children by Cathryn Sill and John Sill

Birds, Nests & Eggs by Mel Boring

National Science Standard: classifying

Water, Water, Everywhere, But Not a Drop to Drink

Not a Drop to Drink

By Michael Burgan

National Geographic, 2008

ISBN# 978-1-4263-0360-9

Nonfiction grades 4-7

 

 

With more than 70% of the Earth covered by water, it seems that drinkable water would be available worldwide. But it’s not. With the available drinkable water threatened by pollution and overuse, the unequal distribution of water resources makes the search for water for many people a daily struggle.

 This book is one in a series of National Geographic Investigates. Detailed and well-researched, it covers water timelines, scientific studies and new developments, global warming and its effects on the supply, irrigation, and desalinization and the effects these issues have on our world. The text is broken into readable sections with headings, photos, and diagrams. Following a page of “What Lies Ahead” is a glossary, bibliography, and index. The reading level is a bit higher than most of the books I review, but it is well worth the information. It’s a great book for research.

Activity 1

Rates of evaporation experiment: Pour 2 cups of water into a foil pan. Cover it with see-through wrap and set it in a sunny place. For two weeks, measure the amount of water each day and record it in a data table. Plot the data on a line graph.

Adult supervision required! After observing and recording data for the first pan, pour 2 cups of water into another saucepan. Put it on a burner and let it come to a boil. Every 5 minutes, measure the amount of water remaining. Continue until the water is all gone. Make a second data table and plot these results on your line graph in a different color.

Identify the relationship of the evaporation to increased warming and draw your conclusions.

Activity 2

Do these activities and teachers and students can learn more about the water cycle and water vocabulary.

Look at this new water cycle book for the younger children: The Water Cycle by Bobbie Kalman

National Science Standard: Properties of earth materials

A New World Adventure

Animals Christopher Columbus Saw

By Sandra Markle

Illustrated by Jamel Akib

Chronicle Books, 2008

ISBN # 078-0-8118-4916-6

Nonfiction, 46 pages

Would you believe that, once, worms inspired people to explore the world? In fifteenth-century Europe, silk made from the thread of silkworms was more valuable than gold?

After arriving on what he named San Salvador in his search for a route to the Indies and the silk and spices of Cathay, Christopher Columbus found neither the silks and spices he expected, nor the route to Cathay, but he did encounter animals along the way. This book relates the story of Columbus’ search for a water route and ties in the animals he encountered along the way. The background for the lure of silk and the caterpillars which spin the coveted cocoons begins this narrative account of Columbus’ journey and his unexpected findings. The history of spices from afar, the idea for the trip and money from King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella, and the securing of the three ships continues the story of his journey to the New World. From silkworms to camels to parrots, the book details the sorts of animals he met along the way. It doesn’t include information about the domestic animals taken along with them.

Sidebars fill in additional details about the animals and provide interesting aspects of each in context of Columbus’ voyage. Subdued washes of color in chalk pastels portray the natives and animals in an appealing, realistic manner. A map, glossary, further information sources, and an index complete the book.

Activity 1

Identify the animals Columbus encountered and make a list of them. Look up each animal and categorize it as vertebrate or invertebrate. Then group the vertebrates as mammals, fish, amphibian, reptile, or bird.

Activity 2

Using the spread on pages 20-21, illustrate a food chain from the Sargasso Sea.

 Identify the producers and consumers. Draw out the example and label each organism. Use arrows to show the energy flow from producer to consumer. See my post “A Wolf Story” for definitions and more food chain facts. See further information here.

For more about Christopher Columbus, check out these books.

Follow the Dream: The Story of Christopher Columbus by Peter Sis

A Picture Book of Christopher Columbus  by David A. Adler

There are more recent books about Columbus as well. These two I happen to like. This particular book seems to be the only one about the animals Columbus met on the voyage. 

Markle has written other books about explorers and animals. See the Chronicle site to view her other titles.

National Science Standards: systems, order, and organization; characteristics of organisms

Pumpkins

 

Pumpkins

Life Cycles Series

By Robin Nelson

Lerner Publications, 2009

Nonfiction easy reader, 24 pages

 

The life cycle of a pumpkin is followed from seed to fruit using single sentences under a bright, bold photograph of each step in the life cycle of a pumpkin. A diagram on page 18 reviews the steps of the life cycle and additional pumpkin facts round out the text. The book has a simple glossary and an index. For another life cycle book, see my post about Dandelions.

 

This is a pumpkin. How do pumpkins grow?

 Activity 1

Observe a set of seeds and compare how each seed germinates. Get a radish seed, a bean seed, a corn seed, and a pumpkin seed. Wet at paper towel and fold it to fit a ziplock bag. Lay the seeds on the damp paper towel and seal the bag. Place the bag holding the four seeds in a warm place out of direct sunlight. Observe the seeds and record the changes noticed each day. Make a bar graph to show the number of days each seeds needed to germinate.

This site has good background information.

For more simple pumpkin activities and ideas, see Enchanted Learning’s site.

More books about pumpkins:

Pumpkin Circle: The Story of a Garden by George Levenson and Shmuel Thaler

How Many Seeds in a Pumpkin? by Margaret McNamara and G. Brian Karas

Take a look at my friend Kathryn Lay’s pumpkin book, which is an excellent book for the fall, and not just Halloween.

Josh’s Halloween Pumpkin by Kathryn Lay and Katy Bratun

 

 

 

 

National Science Standard: life cycles, characteristics of organisms

ALL FROGS FRONT AND CENTER

Frogs

By Nic Bishop

Scholastic, 2008

ISBN# 0-439-87755-5

Nonfiction

Froggy facts fill the pages of this beautifully photographed frog book. Nic Bishop gets up close and personal with a wide variety of frogs, even training one frog with crickets on tweezers to stay nearby until he could photograph it. Large, close-in photographs show the colors, sizes, and habits of the chosen frogs. From travel to rainforests to a nearby pond, Bishop catches frogs being themselves. The text begins with a topic sentence in large font and provides details in the body in a different size. Captions add more information that related to the text. A centerfold shows a frog jumping from start to finish in a timed sequence shot. From the definition of amphibian to the frog life cycle, this book covers frogs in a way that will appeal to readers and photograph viewers of all ages.

Frogs are found on every continent except Antarctica. They live in ponds, rivers, forests, and fields. Some even live in sand dunes.

 Activity 1

Label the life cycle of a frog.

Activity 2

Research the frog’s life cycle. Create a timeline and show the stages of a frog as it hatches from an egg to a fully grown frog.

 For an interactive frog life cycle activity, see this Harcourt School activity.

This Scholastic page has activities at many levels for froggy learning.

National Science Standards: characteristics of organisms, life cycle of organisms, and organisms and environments

 Another book about frogs:

 All About Frogs by Jim Arnosky

Tooth Talk

 

The Tooth Book

A Guide to Healthy Teeth and Gums

By Edward Miller

Holiday House, 2008

ISBN #0-8234-2092-2

Nonfiction picture book

 

 

 

Just when you think you’ve read all there is to learn about teeth, this book adds more facts. Ranging in scope from the value of teeth and what they do, growing teeth, first aid and safety, animal teeth, and the don’ts for teeth, this book has it all. Filled with big, bright illustrations and large headings, the book is appealing and accessible for students who want to read it all or simply parts of the book. The information is extensive yet kid-friendly and I found myself wondering what would be next in all things teeth. Backmatter lists good reference websites.

How would it be to have no teeth? It wouldn’t be much fun. Without teeth it’s hard to eat, talk, smile, whistle, and sing.

Activity 1

Research the four kinds of permanent teeth and identify what each one is used for in humans. Using a mirror, locate each of the four types of teeth in the student’s mouth and name them.

Label them using this site.

You’ll look for incisors, canines, bicuspids (I had to hunt for this one!), and molars.

Activity 2

Look up information about the teeth of dogs, cats, rats, snakes, walruses, or pigs. Find out the number of teeth they have and how their teeth are specialized to their particular diets.

General information can start here.

This site has more detailed information.

National Science Standards: structure and function in living systems  

 Another tooth book:

Open Wide: Tooth School Inside by Laurie Keller

Tooth on the Loose by Susan Middleton Elya
illustrated by Jenny Mattheson, the same person who illustrated my book, No Bows!

A Raft of Information: PUFFINS

Puffins

By Susan E. Quinlan

Lerner Publications, 2009

ISBN# 978-1-58013-944-1

Nonfiction

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Puffins, with strong, brightly colored bills, and stubby wings are ocean birds, coming to land only to nest. A member of the auks, puffins ride on the waves offshore for weeks at a time with other puffins in great groups called rafts. They live in the frigid Arctic waters.

 

Adaptations from bill to foot enable this hardy bird to thrive in the harsh Arctic environment. From a special gland that lets them excrete salt from the ocean water they drink to the ridged tongue and mouth allowing them to carry many fish at once to their young, puffins are uniquely developed to occupy this Arctic niche. Each specific adaptation is thoroughly explored by the author, who spent two summers on a remote Alaskan island studying puffins with the University of  Alaska-Fairbanks.

 

Numerous, clear photos of puffins in their daily habits document the information in the text and close-up shots show many of the adaptations. This book will appeal to the older elementary and middle school aged students.

 

Activity 1

Read the book. Locate five specific adaptations that allow puffins to survive and thrive in the Arctic.  

 

Activity 2

Look up polar bears, arctic hares, walrus, or arctic terns. Find the adaptations each group has that allows them to survive in their cold environment. Compare them with the puffin’s adaptations for similar characteristics.

This book is one of Lerner’s Nature Watch series.

More about puffins:

Puffins by Kenny Taylor

Puffin’s Homecoming: The Story of an Atlantic Puffin by Darice Bailer