Ida B : --and her plans to maximize fun, avoid disaster, and (possibly) save the world

(Hannigan, Katherine. Ida B: --and her plans to maximize fun, avoid disaster, and (possibly) save the world. China: Greenwillow Books, 2004. Print.)

Summary:  Ida B is the only child of Ida and Evan Applewood. She is homeschooled and feels most at home exploring the woods around her house, nature and her apple trees, not in a classroom with other students and no control or knowledge of her plans for the day. When her mother becomes sick with cancer, her father has to sell part of the land she treasures so much and her mother no longer has the energy to teach Ida B. She is sent to school, where in Ms. Washington’s class she is the angriest and meanest student they have ever seen. Through tutoring another student in math, running races, reading aloud, and being asked everyday if there is anything she want to talk about by the persistent Mrs. Washington, Ida B. slowly breaks out of her shell. But what happens when she’s mean to the most popular girl in school who just happens to be moving onto Ida B’s old land?

Reading Level: Ages 9-12

Key words/phrases:

1.      Cancer

2.      Nature

3.      Homeschool

4.      Family

5.      Friendship

Suggested Delivery: Individual, but other students are reading the book at the same time.

Electronic Resources:

1. "Resources for Educators, Kids, and Just About Anybody” is a page by the author which provides additional resources such as websites, books, and movies which supplement the book Ida B.
2. “What You Can Do” provides over twenty tips that the reader can live out in relation to the environment and sustainability that relate to the book Ida B.

Teaching Suggestions:

   Key Vocabulary:  Nugget, muster, will, mildly, propulsion, ambush

   Reading strategies to increase comprehension:

         Before:  Students will read the book jacket, read the back of the book as well as the inside flap and pose open ended questions about the book that they think will be answered when reading the book.

         During: Students select a passage that they find challenging, interesting, or confusing while they read reading and write an response to the passage, including questions and opinions. They then share their response to the text with a partner after the partner has read up to that point. The partner will then write a response offering further insights or questions that they too have.

         After: After students have complete the entire book, they will answer the open ended questions that were posed before reading, connecting the text to prior knowledge, sharing feelings and justifying opinions. If there are still questions left over from the during reading activity dialogue, the students can share the passage they analyzed, their opinions and questions, and have the rest of the group add their own insight.



Katherine Hannigan



Writing activity demonstrating inferential comprehension:

Student will create a wordle. They will first create a paragraph defining the characters, plot, setting, conflict, resolution, and theme. They will type this paragraph then copy and paste it into http://www.wordle.net/create and then create their wordle. The students will analyze their Wordle and see if the most important concepts are the biggest concepts that they want to present in the wordle. If they are not then they can add the words they feel are most important more often to have the world represent their understanding of the book.

There Once Was A Sky Full Of Stars

(Crelin, B. (2003). There once was a sky full of stars. Cambridge, Mass: Sky Pub.)

Summary: This book brings to attention the problem of light pollution through poetry and illustrations. It begins describing how the night used to be without light pollution, continues to describe how light pollution affects the night sky, animals, trees, and humans, and concludes with solutions to the problem.

Reading Level: Ages 4-8

Key words/phrases:

1.      Light Pollution

2.      Humans

3.      Environmental Concerns

4.      Solutions

5.      Night Sky

Suggested Delivery: 3^rd grade read aloud

Electronic Resources:

1. Too Much Light Means Stars Out of Sight by National Geographic Kids provides information on light pollution and additional resources such as games, stories, and photos which the students can use.
2.Bob Crelin's website provides multiple resources.links, and programs which teachers can use in relation to this book and light pollution.

Teaching Suggestions:

Key Vocabulary: Milky Way, Falter, rearranged, universe, belfries, galaxy, light-years.

Reading strategies to increase comprehension:

         Before: Build prior knowledge by introducing the concept o pollution and different types of pollution. Have students brainstorm what they know about pollution in general and light pollution specifically to check background knowledge and to engage the students prior knowledge in preparation for reading this book.

         During: Using the Questioning the Author method, build comprehension of the author’s message while reading. Focus on: “What is the author trying to tell us?” and “Why does the author feel this is important?”

         After: Using the graphic organizers, have students outline the main ideas in the book. The graphic organizer from the following site (http://www.teachervision.fen.com/tv/resources/PDF/GOOD_TV_K_2_pdf_s/62176_InRCd_83.pdf) can be used three times to graph "Before Light Pollution", "Impact of Light Pollution", and "Solutions".



Bob Crelin



Writing activity demonstrating inferential comprehension:Have students write letters to a political figure of their choosing promoting light pollution awareness, stating its importance, how it impacts our lives, and suggestions for the government to reduce light pollution.  

Oceans: Dolphins, Sharks, Penguins, and More!

(Rizzo, J., & Earle, S. A. (2010). Oceans: dolphins, sharks, penguins, and more! : meet 60 cool sea creatures and explore their amazing watery world. Washington DC: National Geographic.)

Summary: This National Geographic Kids book presents 60 sea creatures and provides information on their habitat and lifestyle. It provides additional information on extremes in the ocean and tips for protection the ocean, set up in an engaging and eye catching format.

Reading Level: Grades 4-6, Lexile NC1190L

Key words/phrases:

1.      Ocean

2.      Marine Biology

3.      Animals

4.      Informational text

5.      National Geographic

Suggested Delivery: Individual

Electronic Resources:

1. National Geographic The Ocean website provides multitudes of information on the ocean including animals, problems related to the ocean (overfishing, impact of seafood), photo galleries, and quizzes about the ocean.

2.  Oceana website provides information about protecting the world's oceans and provides information on marine wildlife, marine places, and marine science.

Teaching Suggestions:

Key Vocabulary: breeching, acrobats, tentacles, digestive, track, polyp, chromataphores, bulbous

Reading strategies to increase comprehension:

Before: Lead the student in a chapter tour. Begin by looking at the table of content and seeing how the book is divided by animals and “ocean extreme” sections. Analyze the format to find what the green boxes tend to focus on, and what the purpose of the headings, pictures, and bright colors serve. Explore the index and the glossary in the back and model how to use them by asking the student for a search term or having them find a word they don’t know the meaning of.

During: Complete the following graphic organizer for two animals, such as comparing whales and sharks.

	Whales	Sharks
Types
What they eat
Size
Food
Unique Fact

After: Have students share how they completed the graphic organizer. Did they use the table of contents find where their chosen animals were in the book? Did they use the glossary to look up words they didn’t know? Did the headings or green boxes help them find the information more easily?

 

Writing activity demonstrating inferential comprehension: The students pick one of the “20 Ways You Can Protect the Earth”. The students will explain what the tip means, how it relates to protecting the ocean and how it will impact the animals they learned about.