*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

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

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

A Tall Tail

Little Skink’s Tail

By Janet Halfmann

Illustrated by Laurie Allen Klein

Sylvan Dell Publishing, 2007

ISBN# 9-780976-882381

Picture book

 

 

Little Skink starts the day looking for breakfast, but after a hungry crow attacks from above, Little Skink is fortunate to be alive. Unfortunately, she’s missing her lovely blue tail. Happy to be alive, Little Skink wishes she had another tail, and goes about the forest trying on tails of other animals. Finally, when none of them will do, she discovers that her tail has grown back.

 

 

As she lay basking and thinking, a cottontail rabbit hopped in front of her rock. “Hmmm, I wonder how I’d look with a tail like that?” Little Skink thought. She pictured her new look. “Very cute,” she thought to herself, “but too puffy-fluffy.”

 

 

Activity 1

Introduce invertebrate and vertebrate and define the words. Skinks are reptiles and classified as vertebrates.

 

Look up information about how skinks can lose their tails.

 

Discuss the major groups of vertebrates—amphibians, reptiles, fish, birds, and mammals. Talk about what they have in common, which is a backbone.

 

 

 

Activity 2

Look up characteristics of reptiles.

 

List the characteristics of reptiles. Next, look up characteristics of amphibians (whose members are frequently confused with reptiles) and list them. Name as many reptiles and amphibians as the students can think of.

 

Use library books to add to the list.

 

Suggested books:

A Field Guide to Western Reptiles and Amphibians by Robert C. Stebbins and Roger Tory Peterson

My First Pocket Guide Reptiles and Amphibians by S. Kirshner

 

 

Ask your librarian about other good books on reptiles, amphibians, and vertebrates.

 

National Science Standards: characteristics of organisms

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nature’s Footprints

Wild Tracks

By Jim Arnosky

Sterling, 2008

ISBN# 1-4027-3985-0

Nonfiction picture book

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Using life-sized paintings of animal tracks, this book reveals not only the sort of animal that makes the tracks, but ways to identify what the animal might have been doing when the tracks were made. A page of information describes the track characteristics and explains details about the family of animals on the spreads. Four fold-out pages open to show the actual size of the tracks in a side by side comparison. The art is realistic and lovely and the narrative text provides fascinating details about the tracks of a wide variety of animals found in the wild.

 

 

Feline Tracks
Of all the larger predators, wildcats are the most likely to use the same trails again and again.

 

 

Activity 1

Look up the animals listed on this page that are found in the book and examine their tracks. Then use the page to rank the tracks of the animals in order from smallest to largest. 

 

Activity 2

Closely examine the feline tracks from the book. Make quantitative and qualitative observations about some of the feline tracks. Write a descriptive paragraph using the observations.

 

 

Qualitative observations-observations made by using your senses. Has the letter L in it so remind the students it is how it Looks.

 

Quantitative observations—observations made using measurements. Has an N in it so it has to do with Numbers.

 

 

More about animal tracks:

Animal Tracks and Signs: Track Over 400 Animals From Big Cats to Backyard Birds by Jinny Johnson and John A Burton

 

Who’s Been Here?: A Tale in Tracks by Fran Hodgkins

National Science Standard: Evidence, models, and explanation; change, constancy, and measurement

 

 

Shhhh! I’m Sleeping

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Please Don’t Wake the Animals

By Mary Batten

Illustrated by Higgins Bond

Peachtree Publishers, 2008

ISBN #978-1561453931

Nonfiction picture book

 

 

Please Don’t Wake the Animals, A Book About Sleep, introduces the sleeping habits of a variety of animals. In an easy-to-read style, it details information about when and where the animals sleep, beginning and ending with children. Included are facts about the unusual ways some animals sleep. The illustrations are realistic and lush, and inset sidebars on each spread adds additional short facts to the text. The night time colors soothe the reader to the final page.

 

Shhh. Please don’t wake the animals in this book. They are sleeping.

 

Activity 1

Define nocturnal, diurnal, torpor, hibernation, and estivation. Read the book again and categorize the animals that fit into each group.

 

Activity 2

List the animals named in the book. Using library reference books, have the students look up the individual animals and search for the number of hours each one sleeps. Record the information and create a class graph.

 

Vocabulary

Nocturnal—animals that are active during the night time and sleep during the day

Diurnal—animals that are active during the day time and sleep at night

Torpor—a dormant or resting state of an animal

Hibernation—a state of inactivity where the animal’s metabolic rate slows

Estivation—a dormant state of sleep similar to hibernation, occurring during the hot, dry months; usually in summer

 

 

National Science Standard: characteristics of organisms 

 

Another book about sleep and animals is

Sweet Dreams: How Animals Sleep by Kimiko Kajikawa

 

 

WAVE

Wave

By Suzy Lee

Chronicle Books, 2008

ISBN 978-0-8118-5924-0

Wordless picture book

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wave takes the reader on a wordless trip to the beach, where a young girl joyously plays in the waves and discovers the surprises that the waves hold.

 

Activity 1

Discuss waves. Explain that waves are caused by wind and their oscillating motion is similar to a vibrating tuning fork or guitar string.

 

Use a jump rope for this outside activity. Take one end and allow the other end to remain free. Ask the students to watch for the waves along the rope. Lift the end and give it a hard, up and down shake. You may want to repeat it.

 

Back in the classroom, draw the image of the wave going up and down. Try to keep the waves symmetrical. Add a horizontal line through the center of the wave diagram. See this image for details.

 

Label the crest and trough and discuss how a wave length is measured from crest to crest or trough to trough. Then have the students measure one of their waves in centimeters and millimeters. Make a bar graph to compare their results.

 

 

Activity 2

Define invertebrate. Then use this link or a field guide to shells to identify the invertebrates on the back endpapers. Classify the shells into groups. Use the categories of: mollusk (gastropods or bivalves) and starfish, which are not fish, but echinoderms (related to sand dollars and sea urchins). Look for information and learn more about mollusks and echinoderms.

 

 

National Science Standard: Properties of earth materials; properties of objects and materials

 

 

 

Simply Fabulous

 

Using simple, rhyming text and rich illustrations, Fabulous Fishes introduces early readers to a wide variety of fish and their underwater habitats.

 

Author-illustrator Susan Stockdale

 ISBN: 978-1-56145-429-7 

 

“Shiny fish, spiny fish,
fish that hitch a ride.
Flatfish, catfish,
fish that ride the tide.”

 

Activity 1: Review the names of the fish in the book. Ask the students to create categories and group the fish into the different categories. Challenge them to decide on several categories in which to classify the fish. Categories may include things like color, habits, habitats, living in groups or solo, shape, or size. Some examples: Fish with yellow on their bodies, fish that live in deepwater,or fish we don’t usually eat. Group the fish into their categories and share them with the class.

 

Activity 2: Read the book again and ask the students to notice where the fish live. Using the information in the back matter, talk about why each fish lives where it does and how the environment helps each live in that particular niche.

 

National science standard: Table 6.8–characteristics of organisms, organisms and environments

 

Visit Susan Stockdale to see more of her work.

Visit Shirley Smith Duke or Peachtree to find the teacher’s guide for Fabulous Fishes that Shirley wrote.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

No Bows!

No Bows!

 By Shirley Smith Duke.    Illustrated by Jenny Mattheson.      ISBN# 1561453560

No Bows! is about a determined child who has her own likes and dislikes, but at the end of the day, she and her parents agree on two things. (Peachtree Publishers)

After you read No Bows!, go back and follow the actions of the lizard. Look for places the illustrator incorporated more lizard antics and themes. To include a science based activity, identify the categories in each pair of choices. Have the students add their own like and dislikes to their chart. Identify other things in the classroom that can be grouped and practice grouping by writing them in a variety of categories. This activity helps children understand grouping and classifying.

The national science standard is from Table 6.8: understanding systems, order, and organisms.

Go to www.shirleysmithduke.com or www.peachtree-online to see the teacher guide for No Bows! that I wrote. You’ll find other nonfiction teacher guides written by me, too!