Because Children's Literature is Important

All too often I find teachers disregard utilizing children's literature as an effective means to introduce or explain difficult concepts to children. And while we may think that food chains... See More

All too often I find teachers disregard utilizing children's literature as an effective means to introduce or explain difficult concepts to children. And while we may think that food chains and food webs should be a familiar concept to students, it isn't, and it's a lot more complicated than we think. This article identifies several books that discuss food webs and food chains. In addition, it provides follow up activities, questions, and assessment to do in class, all the while having the books introduce the core concepts to students. What I especially enjoyed about this article was it's ability to phrase why this matters and what the purpose behind the activities are. I think a lot of hesitation to utilizing literature comes from the idea of backward design and thinking about what we want students to know and then the most direct way of getting there, rather than looking for a more creative way of getting there. I plan to utilize most if not all of these books and lessons in my own classroom to ensure that science remains fun and interactive!

The 5 Es, Trade Books, and Edible Gardens

This column highlights good fiction and nonfiction children’s books to help teachers combine literacy with science content. This month’s selections are about food chains and planting edible... See More

This column highlights good fiction and nonfiction children’s books to help teachers combine literacy with science content. This month’s selections are about food chains and planting edible gardens. After sharing the two book selections, the author provides two different lessons, one for students in grades K – 3 and one for students in grades 4 – 6. The first lesson has students identifying what foods different animals eat and how the animals contribute to a food chain. The second lesson has students constructing a food web through a simulation game. The last page of the article provides connections between the science content of these lessons and the common core standards. It also lists additional book selections and interesting Internet resources.