Where On Earth: Geography As You Have Never Seen it Before

Where On Earth: Geography As You Have Never Seen It Before     DK  2013

This is an extremely versatile atlas that is divided into six sections

Section 1:    Land, Sea, and Air

In this section, you get all of the standard, expected views that one would expect from the format, plus many exciting features that do not ordinarily appear in atlases.

The panels are distributed on double page spreads that incorporate infographic style elements. For example, the spread on global earthquake distribution has a layout of a world map that shows recorded quakes of the last 100 years and their relative intensity. The 5 strongest and the 5 deadliest earthquakes on record are identified and detailed in information boxes. This visual layout is especially strong in    

highlighting connections and relationships.

The format is uniformly fantastic throughout the section. Other notable parts include…

A Map of the Ocean Floor

A Map of Global Ocean Currents

Major Rivers of the World

Global Climate

Rain & Snowfall

Hurricanes

Time Zones

Section 2:     The Living World

Notable sections include…

Predators,         Dangerous Creatures        Invasive Species    Bird Migration

Biodiversity        Unique Wildlife     Endangered Animals    Extinctions Due to Human Activity

Section 3:     People & Planet

Notable sections include...

Global Population Density    The Median Ages of People Throughout the World

Life Expectancy       Global Poverty    Global Distribution of Billionaires 

Food Production         Food Intake    Literacy     Poolution

Garbage and Waste Production     Fossil Fuel Distribution  Climate Change Impacts

Section 4:     Engineering and Technology

Notable sections include...

Air Traffic     Global Shipping Routes     Armed Forces

A View From Outer Space of the Space Junk Orbiting the Earth

Section 5:   History

Notable sections include...

Fossilized Human Remains     Prehistoric Cultures     

Ancient Wonders (Includes 7 wonders of the ancient world & others that were unknown to the Greeks)

Medieval Wonders        Medieval  Empires       Historic Battles   The Last Empires

Revolutions

Section 6:     Culture

Notable sections include... 

Languages    Religious Sites     Distribution of World’s Religions

Density of TV Ownership Around the World

Simply put, there is a tremendous wealth of information presented in this book that lends itself to a staggering number of potential uses. The format is easily digestible, yet it can illuminate some complex connections and interactions.

Looking Closely Inside the Garden

Looking Closely Inside the Garden     By Frank Serafini      Kids Can Press 2008

The format is the same as the others in the series. Please refer to the review of

“Looking Closely Along the Shore” for details.

Though the format is the same, there is one important difference in this book. Since we have urbanized kids, the other habitats that are treated in this series may be more or less abstractions. Students may not have had a chance to visit the forest or the desert, and though they live in San Francisco, they may not be intimately familiar with the seashore.

The objects that are covered in this book are more likely to be extraordinarily familiar to urbanized kids. These are objects that the kids have seen up close, touched, and felt many times. Whether it is in the context of school gardening programs, playing in the park, or on a lawn, or even a random patch of dirt, students have extensive background knowledge and experience with the contents of this book.

However, this familiarity does not mean that the close up photos are readily apparent. Some require a bit of thought and imagination to guess correctly – even when the object is very familiar. I strongly feel that this further drives home the point that there in wonder inherent in the details that are all around you.

Looking Closely Along the Shore

Looking Closely Along the Shore    By Frank Serafini     Kids Can Press  2008

The author is a teacher and a nature photographer. He used to teach primary grades, and currently he is a professor of Children’s Literature at the UNLV School of Education.

The format presents objects in a series of close up views that appear in the center of a black page. The opposite page ventures a few guesses about the object before prompting the reader with the question, “What could it be?’

The next page shows the whole photo in context and gives some information on the object.

For example, the panel of the sand dollar goes beyond the reveal to provide the reader with some information regarding its structure and how it moves across the sea floor.  Similar information is given for each object that is treated in the book.

This book and others in this series by Serafini are great ways to introduce young students to different habitats.

They are also useful in priming students to observe nature more closely, whether it is on a field trip, or in the garden.

The guessing game aspect of the series is very attractive to kids, and it also has the added value of embedding a bit of informational text in its format. Furthermore, the leading questions that are used to prime the students before asking them to make their guesses provide models on how to engage in brainstorming.

Other titles in the series include “Looking Closely Through The Forest” and “Looking Closely Through the Desert”.

Butterflies

Eggs, Legs, Wings: A Butterfly Life Cycle      By Shannon Knudsen      Capstone Press   2011

Once again, I am pleasantly surprised by Capstone. They are getting better.  I used to dismiss Capstone product on a wholesale basis as not worth investigating in comparison to other available materials. Now, mind you, I still feel that they offer no shortage of uninspired, pro-forma, paint by numbers product.

However, I now keep an eye peeled for standout books from this publisher.

Books that detail the butterfly lifecycle are always in demand. The concept is addressed in the standards, and you can always count on classrooms raising caterpillars into butterflies.

This book uses an engaging graphic novel format that has elements of infographics. It is engagingly drawn, and the panels and text capture the inherent drama of the process. The text and the pictures are very well integrated, and though the format is extremely accessible, a very good amount of information is presented.

The presentation is almost cinematic, and it is constantly engaging.

Strange to say, maybe it is the expression lines or the wiggle lines, but the way the caterpillar is drawn, one can emphathize with it as it faces the challenges when growing. Kudos to the artist in this regard.

The book is perfect for 2^nd graders

Writing Fairy Tales

Once Upon a Time: Writing Your Own Fairy Tale      By Nancy Lowen 

Picture Window Books        2009

Fairy and Folk Tale books are constantly in demand.  They are ideally situated to leverage students’ previous knowledge as they learn the elements of story structure. This provides a fertile ground for scaffolding students into authorship as they negotiate and play with how to apply story structure, elements, and conventions.

This book is  designed to provide the tools for second graders (my estimation) to begin to think like authors as they as they craft and arrange the building blocks of story elements to make their own creations.

The book uses “Red Riding Hood” as an example. It walks readers through the story while it points out the elements structure and features of fairy tales, and how they are applied in this case. The following elements are emphasized.

- Setting, characters, plot, and dialog

- The use of  warnings as a common convention in  fairy tales

- The use of magical elements

- Greed as a common theme in this genre 

- The use of tricks as a story convention

-Making the reader privy to a secret that the main character doesn’t know about.

- The use of repetition & of differing approaches to problem solving

- The convention of happy endings. (Here I would disagree with the author. She is  thinking in post Perrault terms. The original stories were quite, if you would excuse the pun, quite Grimm. Then again, what are you going to tell second graders?

                                                                                                    

The back section has a very, very brief section of tips on getting started in writing your own stories.

Of course this book sounds useful, but it handicaps itself by giving very limited options in terms of story creation. However, we all have imaginations that can easily reach beyond this handicap. This has the potential to translate into a powerful author’s experience for the kids as they extend beyond the strictures and structures of this book.

I feel that the greatest value of this book is in the template of story structure, elements, and conventions that it presents. Students can readily present ideas, concepts that go beyond the author’s treatment on creating your own stories.

Another ideal use would be to present this book to older students and have them recreate it for another genre.