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

Plant Secrets

Plant Secrets

By Emily Goodman

Illustrated by Phyllis Limbacker Tildes

Charlesbridge, 2009

ISBN #978-1-58089-205-6

NF Picture Book

Grades K-3

 

These are seeds. Some are big and round. Some are as small as specks of dust. Some have hard coats you can crack. Some are black. Some are brown. Some are pinkish and some are striped.

But all these seeds have a SECRET.

 Hidden inside each seed is a tiny new plant.

 

Follow the life cycle of four kinds of plants with this simply worded book that is organized in a logical progression from seed to plant and flower to fruit that young children will understand at once. Beautiful, clear illustrations support the text that repeats the idea of revealing a secret at each stage of the life cycle. At each stage, pictures of the four plants are shown in that form as the cycle progresses.

Activity 1

After reading the book, have each student select one of the four plants and illustrate and label each stage of its life cycle.

Activity 2

Plant a pea or acorn (according to which season is near) in individual cups. Water the seeds and track its growth by measuring the height.

This site has another comprehensive lesson on seeds to plants. For some more simple activities, try these pages.

Other books:

Little Red Hen—available in a variety of editions

A Seed Is Sleepy by Dianna Hutts Aston and Sylvia Long

Seeds by Ken Robbins

National Science Standards: the characteristics of organisms, life cycles 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

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

Ocean’s Child

Ocean’s Child

Christine Ford and Trish Holland

Illustrated by David Diaz

Golden Books, 2009

ISBN # 978-0-375-84752-3

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This ocean lullaby in lyrical language is told by a mother on a kayak with her child as they bid goodnight to the animals sleeping beneath and beyond them on their ocean journey. Otter, walrus, whale, and polar bear are among the many animals and their babies told good night, and each animal spread ends with a good night refrain. The final spread contains glowing northern lights.

 

Luminous art gives an Arctic feel to the pages and the muted colors soothe along with the narrative. This would be a calming book for bedtime and children could join in on the refrain.

 

When Sun slips over the edge of the world

And Moon sails up to the stars,

The children of Ocean grow sleepy-eyed.

It’s time to say good night.

 

Activity 1

Look up the names of what the baby form of each animal is called. The book includes: a person, otter, walrus, whale, dolphin, polar bear, puffin, sea lion, orca, albatross, and seal. For example, a baby seal is called a pup. See this list for a start.

Describe each animal and talk about how it has adapted to live in the cold Arctic environment.

 

For older children, play a Name Game here.

 

For more information

 

 

National Science Standards: Organisms and environment; life cycle

 

 

More about baby animals:

 

Baby Animal Families by Gyo Fujikawa

 

Animal Babies in Polar Lands by the editors of Kingfisher

 

 

 

 

Honk, Honk, Goose!

Honk, Honk, Goose! and Trout Are Made of Trees

By April Pulley Sayre

Illustrated by Huy Voun Lee

Henry Holt and Company, 2009

ISBN #0-8050-7103-2

NF picture book

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The roles of male and female goose provide the impetus for this simple story that reveals the life cycle of Canada geese. As the female made and prepares the nest, the male protects his home, eggs, and emerging offspring with onomatopoeic, goosey sounds that make the book a fun read-aloud story. The final spread provides further information about a variety of geese and an author’s note details information about sources. Intriguing mention of the fact that no long term study on goose behavior has been done may interest students, and the passage suggests the possibility that they might be the first scientist who does.

 

 

Honk! He honked at a kingfisher.

Honk! at a skunk.

Honk, hee-honk, honk! He chased off a heron.

 

 

Activity

Look up information about Darwin frogs, sticklebacks, Emperor penguins, and seahorses. Find the role the males of those species play in rearing their young and compare the different jobs of the fathers.

 

National Science standard: life cycles of organisms

 

See also

Flight of the Snow Geese by Deborah King.

 

 

Trout Are Made of Trees

April Pulley Sayre

Illustrated by Kate Endle

Charlesbridge, 2008

ISBN #978-1-58089-137-0

NF picture book

 

 

 

 

 

In a simple, concise narrative, this book shows a stream ecosystem and the organisms that support the life in and around it. Falling leaves begin the chain and each animal supported by the nutrients passes along the energy at each step until the ultimate consumer catches the trout—yum, yum.

 

Trout are made of trees. In fall, trees let go of leaves, which swirl and twirl and slip into streams.

 

 

For this activity, see the 2009 TLA handout page. I’m using Trout Are Made of Trees in my TLA presentation with Becky McKee on April 1. This book is one of the best that I’ve seen for introducing food chains. I hope you love it as much as I do.

 

Simply Dandy!

 

Dandelions

By Robin Nelson

Lerner Publications, 2009

ISBN #978-0-7613-4069-0

First Step Nonfiction

Life Cycle Series

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This early reader traces the life cycle of a dandelion from flower to seeds and back to flowers again. The simple text is supported by photos and diagrams and the book includes additional dandelion facts, a simple glossary, and short index. The bright colors of the yellow dandelions on the front cover are appealing and invite early readers to trace the familiar seed pod through its life cycle.

 

This is a dandelion. How do dandelions grow?

 

Activity

 

Walk through the school grounds or nearby parks in spring and locate a dandelion seed pod, or bring some of the seed pods to the classroom. Pick several of the yellow flowers. In groups, ask the children to pick apart the seed pods with toothpicks and isolate an individual seed. Use magnifying glasses or tripod magnifiers to examine the individual seed. Draw the structure they see. Then blow on the seed. Discuss why dandelions make seeds that blow away so easily.

The yellow dandelion flowers are not a single flower. They are made of many tiny separate flowers called ray flowers. Examine a dandelion flower and pull apart the individual rays. Each ray is actually a flower.

 

Find more dandelion information here.

 

 

Find interesting and unusual information here.

 

 

Other books about dandelions:

Dandelions: Stars in the Grass by Mia Posada

Dandelions by Eve Bunting and Greg Shed

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Flip, Float, Fly

Flip, Float, Fly

Seeds on the Move

By JoAnn Early Macken

Illustrated by Pam Paparone

Holiday House, 2008

ISBN# 0-8234-2043-4

Nonfiction picture book

 

Vivid illustrations add depth to this book that traces the wide variety of ways seeds move about. In simple, sparkling language, the movements by seeds as they spread are shown and explained as they complete their life cycle. Back matter includes more seed and plant facts and a final page adds notes about why seeds must move.

 

Tumbleweed plants grow as round as globes. In autumn their stems snap off. On the flat, open prairie, they ROLL, ROLL, ROLL, sprinking their seeds as they tumble.

 

Activity 1

Use this book to start a seed experiment. Choose one variable to test (amount of water, light and dark, planting depth, or seed type). Give each student two small paper cups and fill with soil. One is the control and the other is the variable. Use 2-3 seeds for each cup. I recommend bean seeds, because the plant grows well and relatively fast.

 

Set up the experiment and plant the control seeds normally. Then set up the second cup according to your choice of variable. From now on, keep everything other than the variable equal. Fill out the scientific method form as you plan and perform the experiment and watch the seeds grow.

 

 

Activity 2

Use a metric ruler and measure the growth of the two sets of bean plants in millimeters. Record the results each day. Use the results to make a line graph of both and make your conclusions.

  

National Science Standard: understanding about scientific inquiry, life cycles of organisms

 

See a review of Flip, Float, Fly.

 

Other books:

A Seed is Sleepy by Dianna Hutts Aston and Sylvia Long

From Seed to Plant by Gail Gibbons

 

 

 

 

 

A Wolf Story

 

The Wolves Are Back

By Jean Craighead George

Illustrated by Wendell Minor

Dutton Children’s Books, 2008

ISBN#978-0-525-47947-5

Nonfiction picture book

 The Wolves Are Back relates in lyrical narrative the reasons why wolves disappeared from Yellowstone National Park and shows the positive impact they made on the food web in the park following their reintroduction. Author Jean Craighead George, known for Julie of the Wolves and My Side of the Mountain, allows the relationships of the living organisms in the story to evolve naturally to let readers discern the conclusion-the wolves helped restore the natural balance. Illustrator Wendell Minor spent time with Ms George in Yellowstone before painting the lush, accurate pictures depicting the plants and animals in the park.

 The wolf pup pricked up his ears, pattered out of the den, and followed his father down the slope.

 Activity 1

Read the book a second time. This time, stop and list the plants and animals mentioned in the book. Point out the relationships among the various living organisms. Create simple food chains from this list.

 Activity 2

Review the vocabulary words. Then use the organisms listed from Activity 1 to create a food web. Use arrows to show the energy flow from the producers to the consumers. Add the flow back to the decomposers.

 Terms and explanations 

Food chain-the path of energy transfer from producers through the consumers.

 Producers-organisms that use the sun’s energy to make energy in the form of food; plants, algae, and some bacteria.

 Consumers-organisms who consume plants or other organism to get energy.

 First level-producers who use the sun’s energy to make food.

 Second energy level-herbivores who eat plants

 Third energy level-carnivores who eat herbivores (meat); including top level consumers who eat other carnivores or

                        –omnivores who eat both plants and meat.

 Decomposers-bacteria and fungi who consume dead and decaying animals and wastes for their energy; they break down the dead matter, releasing wastes of their own that return nutrients back to the environment.

This is an article about the return of the wolves to Yellowstone.

A good follow up to read aloud is Julie of the Wolves.  

Trout Are Made of Trees, by April Pulley Sayre, is a good look at a food chain.

National Science Standard: life cycles of organisms, organisms and environment