Life in the Boreal Forest

 

Life in the Boreal Forest

Brenda Z. Guiberson

Illustrations by Gennady Spirin
Henry Holt and Co., 2009
ISBN #978-0-8050-7718-6

K-5^th grades

NF PB

“Tika tika tika swee swee! A Tennessee warbler sings in a forest so huge that it covers one third of the earth’s total forest area. It grows across Alaska, Canada, Scandinavia, and Russia. A swath of trees this big has many names, like taiga and boreal forest. Boreal means northern, fro Boreas, the Greek god of the north wind.”

This gorgeous book describes the variety of life in the boreal forest in its natural context of habitat and the food web. Including even a bit on the relationship of the predators and prey, the text portrays the life cycles and habits of the life within the forest and the effects the environment cause to its inhabitants. The text explains the reasons for the dwindling amount of boreal forest, a primary premise of the book, but does so in a slightly heavy-handed manner. The information is detailed and ecologically oriented, and includes the food web relationships of the organisms along with their adaptations for survival in the rugged climate.

The illustrations are beautifully rendered in lifelike paintings positioned across three-fourth of the spread with the text in the remaining space, positioned on one side or the other of each spread. The starving animals make an interesting, if pitiful, addition to the realities of life in the boreal forest and its harsh conditions and illustrator Spirin has done an excellent job with them. The animals in action are fascinating and I personally love the snow covered, frozen pond with the beaver lodge and a passing dogsled team.

Activity 1

List the adaptations that enable the inhabitants of the boreal forest to survive the harsh conditions.

Activity 2

Create a food chain using some of the organisms from the book.

Activity 3

Look up information about tropical rain forests. Compare and contrast the differences in the rain forest and the boreal forest. Look for adaptations the organisms in the rain forest have that help suit them for that biome.

Rain forest biome information.

More details about rain forests.

This site has information and facts about the loss of rain forest habitats

Read more information here.

This site has good general information.

 This site has good information and games; however, some links wre not not working. If you have patience, there were a couple of them, including one about The Lorax, that looked fun.

National Science Standard: organisms and environments

 

Book supplied by publisher to Librarian’s Choices review committee

The Ant’s Nest

The Ant’s Nest

A Huge, Underground City

By Miriam Aronin

Bearport Publishing, 2010

ISBN # 978-1-59716-868-7

NF grades 3-5

“Just as human cities are made up of many building, ant nests are made up of many chambers. In each changer, the insects perform a different task to meet the colony’s needs.”

One of six in the series Spectacular Animal Towns, The Ant’s Nest details ant facts, from a spectacular mound found in England to a rare new species, with plenty of life cycle information packed in between. Bold, captioned photos add interest and additional facts and labeled diagrams provide further information. New vocabulary is in bold in the main text and defined in the  glossary. A chart provides a comparison of three species of ants and a “More Animal Towns” section summarizes two other insects that build and live in nests. The book includes a bibliography, read more section, and an index.

Activity 1

Use the information from the book to create and label a diagram illustrating the ant’s life cycle.

Activity 2 (for older students)

Look up another species of ant and add the facts learned about that ant to the chart on p. 28.

This site shows the ant life cycle.

You can find more ant information here.

Take an ant fact quiz and explore the links to more fun learning about ants with Roberta’s blog, Wild About Ants.

Search Roberta’s blog for more insect facts.

Here’s a site with terrific lessons.

National Science Standard: characteristics of organisms; life cycle of organisms

Book provided by Bearport Publishing

A Coral Reef Food Chain

 

A Coral Reef Food Chain : A Who-Eats-What Adventure in the Caribbean Sea

Follow That Food Chain series

by Rebecca Hogue Wojahn & Donald Wojahn 

Lerner, 2010

ISBN # 0-8225-7611-2

Nonfiction, grades 3-6

“This coral reef lies hidden in the warm, shallow water just off the shore of a Caribbean island. From the beach, waves gently roll over calm water. But duck your head under the waves, and you’ll see an underwater jungle full of life.”

This new food chain book from the series Follow That Food Chain allows the reader to create a food chain by choosing the next link in the food chain and then following that organism to the page listed. This particular book is especially good because it includes so many invertebrates and other varied species that are not well-known to children within the complex ecosystem of a coral reef. Animals such as fan worms, corals, sawfish, parrotfish, moray eels, nudibranchs, and sea urchins are among the consumers, with the producers and well-explained phytoplankton included in the chain information. Decomposers and their job in the chain are also included.

The sidebars add additional sections of information and the value or relationship of some of the organisms are explained. The main text highlights the unfamiliar words that are in the glossary. Bright photos and diagrams of specific connections forming a food web from the chains allow the reader to picture the connections of the organisms they’ve just read about. The book also contains a further reading section, a bibliography, and an index.

I’ve blogged on the temperate forest food chain book in this series, but this one has so many invertebrates I wanted to highlight  it. Food chains are important parts of the science curriculum, and these books provide an excellent way of teaching both organisms and the complex ideas within a food web.

Activity 1

Create your own food chain by following one of your choosing from the book. Make a diagram to show the energy flow.

Activity 2

Look through the book and find the invertebrates. Choose one invertebrate and look it up. Find out in which group it is classified according to the phylum, class, or order. Then find other animals in each group.

For more information about food chains and definitions, see this site.

This site has good information about the energy flow within a food chain.

Lovely coral reef and organism pictures

My previous blog on temperate forests is here. Go to my website and click on links in the toolbar to see my TLA presentation that includes a lesson on food chains.

Other books:

Ecosystems – Life in a Coral Reef by Hayley Haugen

Jump Into Science: Coral Reefs by Sylvia Earle

National Science Standard: organisms and environments

 Book provided by Lerner

OPEN ME UP

Open Me Up     Everything You Need to Know About the Human Body

by Laura Buller, Julie Ferris, Niki Foreman, Fran Jones, Susan Kennedy, Ashwin Khurana, and Richard Walker; Editorial consultant Richard Walker

DK Publishing, 2009

 ISBN #978-0-7566-5532-7

Nonfiction, grades 4 and up

256 pages

This hip, somewhat irreverent book of everything about the body has extensive information presented in a variety of styles and ways that are intended to attract kids to the facts in a nontraditional manner. Examples include a graphic novel style explanation of Fleming’s discovery of penicillin, anatomical illustrations explaining arm muscle mechanics, cartoon style information about hair, and a digestive system illustration made of balloons, all showing one aspect of the way the human body functions. The entire set of systems is presented in one way or another and topics related to the body help round out each section. Back matter includes the body systems with an accompanying illustration and an index.

The cover shows a 3-D die cut of a human body that reveals the inner organs and is sure to attract attention. This book should appeal to students reluctant to learn science in more traditional ways as well as kids who are interested in details, trivia, and other odd facts.

Activity

Select one of the body systems from the book. Create their own graphic style page based on one similar to what is presented in the book to illustrate, explain, and display information about the organs making up that system.

National Science Standard: Structure and function in living systems

 

Book provided by DK Publishing

The WEE Book of PEE

 

The Wee Book of Pee

The Amazingly Gross Human Body Series

By Kelly Regan Barnhill

Capstone, 2010 (Edge Books)

ISBN #1-4296-3357-3

Reading level grades 3-4   

Interest level grades 3-9

“Pee isn’t just some stinky yellow stuff people flush down the toilet. The body’s cells are constantly making waste products while they work. Something has to clean out all the gunk. Luckily, we have an amazing system of organs that keep our bodies clean and healthy. Let’s take a closer look at pee and how it’s made.

From needing to “go” on a car trip to peeing through history, this book sets the scene for the job the urinary system and its organs do in relationship to proper body functioning as an organism. Going about the job of cleaning the blood isn’t necessarily the polite topic of conversation in most places, but the importance of the job the urinary system does certainly is, and the book not only gives the outright facts but makes it fun, fascinating, and of course, gross!

New vocabulary is highlighted in blue and defined in a little sidebar at the bottom of the page. Details about how the organs work and their place in the urinary system make up a big part of the text areas. Photos and labeled diagrams clarify the text, and difficult ideas, such as pH, are explained clearly. The major illnesses related to the urinary system are mentioned and odd, quirky facts will help draw in the reader.

The title certainly drew me in. As a former science teacher, I can’t help but love topics (and books) like this. I wish this sort of book had been readily available when I was a child. I’m drawn to the way the systems in the body are so unbelievably intertwined and books like this can appeal to budding scientists or readers who want to know something gross equally well.

On a personal note, my dad had Type I diabetes and went into kidney failure when his kidney function dropped to 12% capacity. He started dialysis and I came to learn much about the disease, system, and nutrition involved with the shutdown of this important system of organs. While much progress has been made in controlling blood sugar and the damage it causes in the kidneys, the rise of Type II diabetes and resulting kidney failure continues to affect many people today.  This post is in memory of my dad, George Smith.

Activity 1

Review the organs of the urinary system. Draw the urinary system and label the major organs. Write a paragraph that follows the sequence of the wastes filtered from the blood through the kidneys to the urethra.

This print out of the urinary system can be used for the younger students.

Here’s a short movie about the urinary system.

This kid friendly site has information, games, and a coloring page.

Activity 2 For the older students

Look up dialysis and find out how it works to mechanically clean the body’s wastes.

This site has helpful information.

This site provides links to more kidney information.

National Science Standard: organization in living systems

This book is one in a series of six books about the human body and functions titled The Amazingly Gross Human Body.

Book received from Capstone Press.

*What Darwin Saw

*What Darwin Saw: The Journey That Changed the World

by Rosalyn Schanzer

National Geographic Children’s Books, 2009

ISBN #978-1426303968

Grades 3-6 and up

48 pages

Nonfiction PB

*Nominated for the Cybils award in the NF PB cagegory.

“Even though Darwin has never been much of a student, he is destined to become one of the greatest scientists in history. And why is that? It is because Darwin’s astonishing discoveries will forever change the way people think about our planet and every single thing that lives here.”

“Darwin’s great adventure will last four years, ten months, and two days. It will affect everything he does for the rest of his life.”

A twenty-two year old Charles Darwin jumped at the chance to travel around the world as a naturalist-companion to the captain of the ship The Beagle, and the voyage that ensued opened his eyes to questions that would change the face of science for years to come. Written from the perspective of Darwin’s early years and his journey on The Beagle, Schanzer details his notes and explorations in short snippets of text and graphic-style illustrations in vibrant acrylics that show the path and documents the discoveries he found as the Beagle sailed from Europe to South America and on around past Australia and Africa.

The art is gorgeous and fits the youthful air of Darwin as well as documenting his finds. The text, found in sections, divisions, and bubbles, is reader friendly and chock full of fascinating information. As a former science teacher, I enjoyed learning things I never knew about this intrepid explorer and gentleman. Back matter includes a wealth of information that asks hard questions and provides a tree of life diagram, along with more fascinating details.

In the 200^th year anniversary of Darwin’s birth and the 150^th year anniversary of the publication of his On the Origin of the Species, controversy over his conclusions is still very much alive, but there is no disputing the wealth of information he uncovered. No matter what your beliefs are, this book is one that should be read.

Activity 1

Choose one of the animals from the book that Darwin saw and create a graphic organizer to illustrate the variety of species that are in that animal group.

Activity 2 This activity is based on Darwin’s information about the volcanoes he saw on the trip.

Look up shield volcanoes and stratovolcanoes. Compare the two in their formation and eruptions. Find the meaning of these volcanoe related terms.

pyroclastic flows, lahars, subduction zone, ring of fire, tephra, pahoehoe, low viscosity, fissure eruptions, calderas

Information about stratovolcanoes can be found here. 

Information about shield volcanoes can be found here.

 

Visit Rosalyn Schanzer’s site to find out more about this author/illustrator.

For more details about the book, visit this site.

This page has links for all sorts of information about volcanoes.

National Science Standard: Science as a human endeavor; Nature of science, History of science

 

Although I preferred What Darwin Saw over this book, it also contains good information.

One Beetle Too Many by Kathryn Laskey and illustrated by Matthew Trueman

*The Frog Scientist

The Frog Scientist

Scientists in the Field Series

By Pamela Turner

Photos by Andy Comins

Houghton Mifflin, 2009

ISBN  #978-0618717163

Nonfiction

Ages 9-12

64 pages

*The Frog Scientist is nominated for a Cybil award in middle grade/ YA nonfiction.

 “Tyrone didn’t worry about chemicals in the water when he was younger. He just liked to wade in it. ‘My neighborhood was near a swamp full of frogs, snapping turtles, and snakes,’ recalls Tyrone. ‘My interest in them started when I was four or five. I tell kids, if there is something you like doing, stick with it!’”

     Starting with a lively, early morning frog-catching session with his students and own son and ending with questions about the impact pollution has on humans, this book traces the work and research Harvard graduate Tyrone Hayes has done with frogs and environmental pollution.     

     Studying the effect of pesticides on frogs, atrazine in particular, he has documented the fragility and changes in the frog population resulting from pollution in our environment. His research following the scientific method is clearly shown in the text and photos and allows the scientific process to come to life.

     Beautiful photographs of the frogs, his students, and his experiments follow the text and add fascinating documentation to the book’s information. A glossary, page of featured toads and frogs, a website list of further information, and an index make up the back matter. This is a book that unfolds its information and provides fascinating detail about field biology and practical applications. The book is exceptional.

Activity 1

For the younger students, look at the pictures from the book and discuss the differences they see among all the frogs and toads. An explanation of the difference between frogs and toads can be found on p.53.

Activity 2

Using the photograph on p.23, discuss the life cycle of the frog and the meaning of amphibian on p.13. Use the life cycle to illustrate why amphibian is a good choice of names for this group of animals.

Activity 3

For older students, design a hypothetical experiment following the scientific method that might involve frogs. Since most districts have a no harm policy for live animals, don’t actually carry out the experiment. Plan and make predictions to familiarize the students with the designing of the experimental process.

The Frog Scientist was nominated for a Cybils award.

Learn more about frogs here.

See this summary about the significance of frogs in the environment.

This site has great links for elementary age students.

Read more about Tyrone Hayes.

National Science Standard: organisms and their environment

 

Book provided by publisher after author contacted me.

The Cybils

I am honored to have been selected as a judge for the nonfiction picture book category for the Cybil awards in the company of  these fabulous bloggers. You can nominate your favorite here through October 15. Scroll down and select the appropriate category. Jone MacCulloch has done a great job of organizing our category.

Panel Organizer: Jone MacCulloch, Check It Out

Panelists (Round I Judges):

Bill and Karen, Literate Lives
Kara Dean, Not Just For Kids
Amanda Goldfuss, ACPL Mock Sibert
Jone Rush MacCulloch (see panel organizer)
Debbie Nance, Readerbuzz
Franki Sibberson, A Year of Reading
Carol Wilcox, Carol’s Corner

Round II Judges:

J.L. Bell, Oz and Ends
Shirley Smith Duke, SimplyScience
Roberta Gibson, Wrapped in Foil
Emily Mitchell, Emily Reads
Carol Hampton Rasco, Rasco from RIF

Visit nonfiction Monday at Moms Inspire Learning and look for Redwoods by Jason Chin, among many other great books.

Redwoods

Redwoods

By Jason Chin

Illustrated by Jason Chin

Neal Porter Books/Roaring Brook Press, 2009

ISBN #1596434309

PB

Ages 4-8

“Redwoods have shallow root systems that travel more than one hundred feet from the tree. They help the trees stand, and they need all the help they can get because…

they are the tallest living things on the planet. Redwoods regularly grow to be more than 200 feet tall.”

     As young boy waits for the subway, he picks up a book and suddenly is transported into the world of redwoods. He experiences the redwoods through the art as the text relates the factual information. Packed with fascinating facts, this mix of nonfiction and fantasy conveys the information in a natural progression from the start of time to the role in the rain forest to the tallest living tree. Upon his return, he races off, leaving the book for the next adventurer.

     The book ends with additional information and an author’s note. While I’m not usually a fan of mixing fiction and nonfiction, this book had such fascinating information that I continued reading, and then reread it. Children will likely find the book appealing, but care should be taken to point out the fictional aspects of the story.

Activity 1

Look up information about temperate rain forests. Identify the layers found in all rain forests. (emergent, canopy, understory, forest floor)

This site has information about the layers of a rainforest and excellent links.

Enchanted learning has basic facts about rainforests in general.

Experience the rainforest in pictures.

Activity 2

Look up the average height of three trees in your area. Create a bar graph to compare the heights of those trees with that of the tallest redwood.

Another book about redwoods:

The Ever-Living Tree: The Life and Times of a Coast Redwood by Linda Vieira and Christopher Canyon 

 Redwood Links

Visit this site for more useful information about redwood trees.

• Save the Redwoods League
• Redwood National & State Parks
• Humboldt State University: Redwood Forest Ecology
• Sequoia Sempervirens Wikipedia Entry

Take a  Photo tour

Fuse 8 Production also has a review and links to other blog reviews

National Science Standard: organisms and their environment

Review copy from TWU Librarian’s Choices Best 100 Books Committee from publishers

The Prairie Dog’s Town

The Prairie Dog’s Town

A Perfect Hideaway

By Mirian Aronin

Photo illustrated

Bearport Press, 2010

Series: Spectacular Animal Towns

NF PB

Grades 3-5

“In 1902, biologist Vernon Bailey traveled to Texas so that he could study the animals that lived there. In some areas, Vernon saw small furry creatures almost everywhere. They were ‘standing at the entrance to their holes, flipping their tails, and steadily barking.””

“What were these small animals? They were black-tailed prairie dogs.”

 Vernon Bailey’s discovery of these social animals, a member of the squirrel family, revealed the largest prairie dog town ever discovered by humans. Living in grassy areas in subterranean burrows with an extensive tunnel network, these social mammals work together, communicating, finding food, guarding the burrows, and raising their young. They greet one another by touching teeth, giving them the appearance of kissing. The book provides information in readable sections of text and additional short facts in small sidebars interspersed among the photographs of prairie dogs going about their daily lives. The main text ends with the role of the prairie dogs in the prairie ecosystem. New vocabulary is highlighted in bold text and the book includes a set of prairie dog town facts, more about other animal towns, a glossary, index, and further information.

 Activity 1

Using the information in the book, create a simple food chain that includes the prairie dog. You might include: black-footed ferrets, or hawks; grasses, seeds, or leaves; prairie dogs

Activity 2

Research another home, such as a beehive or coral reef. Compare their organization to that of the prairie dog burrow.

Activity 3

Look up other rodents and find out why these animals are all classified into the same family.

The National Geographic site has more information about rodents and more fascinating details about prairie dogs, including a printable fact sheet.

Other books in the series:

The Ant’s Nest: A Huge, Underground City
The Bat’s Cave: A Dark City
The Beaver’s Lodge: Building with Leftovers
The Coral Reef: A Giant City Under the Sea
The Honey Bee’s Hive: A Thriving City

National Science Standard: characteristics of organisms; organisms in their environment

 Review book provided by publisher.