Search results matching tags 'poetry' and 'onomatopoeia'

Picture Book: Not a Buzz to Be Found: Insects in Winter (by Linda Glaswer):

Anonymous — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 01:13:00 GMT

The secret winter lives of insects are exposed in Not a Buzz to Be Found: Insects in Winter. Author Linda Glaswer writes in a gentle poetic language that reveals the mysteries surrounding the whereabouts of insects like woolly bear caterpillars, honeybees, ants, black swallowtail butterflies, ladybugs, and others. The concise, straightforward text is ideal for young readers. It provides essential information while engaging them in the language. Here is an excerpt:

If you were a gall fly in winter,

You’d still be a baby living in a gall.

You’d chew a little opening to get out in spring.

But all winter you’d stay in that small round ball.

The illustrations (by Jaime Zollars) wonderfully parallel the text while also depicting the seasonal activities of children, connecting the lives of people with those of insects/nature. As the children play amongst the fall foliage, wooly bear caterpillars are close by curled up sleeping under a blanket of leaves or as a boy and girl have a snowball fight, the field cricket are safely under the Earth—waiting for spring. The pictures capture well the colors and textures of the seasons.

The book ends with the arrival of spring and reemergence of the insects:

Then slowly, slowly the air grows warmer.

And just as slowly the days grow longer.

You feel a change in the air

and so do insects everywhere.

Some wake up. Some hatch.

Some fly north. Some grow wings.

It’s time to zip and buzz and fly.

Winter is over. At last, it’s spring.

I recommend Not a Buzz to Be Found: Insects in Winter for readers ages 4-10.

Teaching Opportunities:

Unit Study: Include as part of a unit study on insects or seasons
Comparison/Contrast: Compare and contrast one to one (ants to ladybugs) or groups; ask questions such as: Which ones hibernate underground? Which ones emerge as babies? Which as adult? Which ones sleep under leaves or parts of trees? Which ones migrate?
Writing: Write a journal entry from the perspective of one of the insects or one of the children discovering some hibernating
Research & Writing: Research an insect not included to learn how it survives the winter; then write a poetic stanza like the ones in the book (try to have at least two lines rhyme)
Language: Identify rhymes—true and slant—and onomatopoeia

This post is linked up with Science Sunday at Adventures in Mommydom. Click HERE for more great posts on science activities.

Picture Books: Spring and Easter (Early Childhood)

Anonymous — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 02:53:00 GMT

In many picture books, especially for early childhood (ages birth-5), spring and Easter are intertwined. There are numerous wonderful books on this subject. I have chosen five of my favorites to share. They celebrate spring by appreciating the beauty of new life—both in the plants and the animals. Others celebrate the benefits of Easter—church, new clothes, baskets, and treats. All of them are offer opportunities to talk about and identify signs of the season and of the holiday.

Painted Eggs and Chocolate Bunnies (ages birth-3) by Toni Trent Parker

It’s springtime! It’s Easter! The children are celebrating this time of year. Each spread has a merry, rhyming verse, such as:

Look at me.

I’m an Easter bunny!

With these rabbit ears,

I look sooo funny!

Corresponding with the verses are full-sized vibrant photographs of smiling boys and girls. The children are shown dressed in their Sunday best, wearing silly rabbit ears, holding a chocolate bunny, grasping some yellow flowers, and showing off an Easter basket. Youngsters will be thrilled with this colorful book and sweet poetic text. Teaching Opportunities: Rhyme, Easter, Imagination, Poetry

Kitten’s Spring (ages birth-3) by Eugenie Fernandes

The vivid, multi-dimensional illustrations make Kitten’s Spring a must see! There is so much to point out and discuss on each page like flowers, insects, colors, habitats, animals, and so forth. The illustrations and text follow Kitten as she explores the farm and barnyard. The minimal, rhyming text teaches animal sounds and baby names.

Cow moos,

Calf winks.

Pig oinks,

Piglet drinks.

After a lively day of exploring, Kitten returns home to nap, where inside signs of springtime are illustrated with seeds and planting supplies lying about. Teaching Opportunities: Animals Baby, Animals Farm, Habitats, Spring, Rhyme

Easter Babies (ages birth-5) by Joy N. Hulme

Both the illustrations and text reveal the signs of spring that are evident everywhere on a farm! From the newborn foal walking for the first time on wobbly legs to the ten ducklings paddling in the nearby stream, there are animal babies everywhere. Other animals are brooding hens on their nests, playful kids jumping over a fence, bunnies playing under a tree, nestlings screeching to be fed, cheeping chicks pecking up food, lambs frolicking in the grassy meadow, piglets wiggling in to find a place to eat, and nine kittens nuzzled together. Next, it switches to a group of children on an Easter egg hunt in a park and Easter bells ringing in the churches around town. The purpose of the bells is”to celebrate the signs that spring has brought new life to everything.” The collage illustrations of digital art and oil paints are precious and inviting. Teaching Opportunities: Rhyme, Alliteration, Numerals, Counting, Animals Forest & Farm, Easter, Spring

Happy Easter, Biscuit! (ages 1-4) by Alyssa Satin Capucilli

Biscuit and a little girl go on an Easter egg hunt together. They look all over in the garden, backyard, tall grass, and little stream. As the hunt comes to an end, the little girl realizes all the eggs are gone. She finds them though…hiding in Biscuit’s dog house. Every page has a flap for small fingers to interact with by opening and uncovering what is underneath like colorful eggs or other fun discoveries (bunny, kitten, mouse). Encourage toddler and preschool aged children to guess what is under each flap. Then, give ample praise for their efforts. Teaching Opportunities: Counting, Predicting, Easter, Animals

Looking for Easter (ages 2-7) by Dori Chaconas

As Little Bunny comes out of his burrow, he smells something unfamiliar in the air. His friend, Beaver, tells him it is Easter. Little Bunny wants to know what Easter is. Beaver tells her it is a basket. He offers to make one for Little Bunny if he helps him gather branches for his lodge. Happily, Little Bunny helps his friend and hops off. He also assists Woodchuck and Mouse with their springtime activities, and each one adds something to Little Bunny’s understanding of Easter. When Robin needs a nest, Little Bunny helps out by offering his basket full of fresh grass and berries. After several days of rain, Little Bunny returns to the meadow where his friends show off their new families of baby animals. The most special of all is Robin who is raising her three offspring in Little Bunny’s basket. Bunny asks, “Is this Easter?” Wren tells her, “Easter is new life…Easter is all around us today!” As Little Bunny looks around, he realizes he has finally found Easter. Even though there is not a direct religious connection, Christian parents can relate it to the resurrection and the new life of a believer. Teaching Opportunities: Counting, Animal Babies, Helping Others, Easter, Spring

Picture Book: Rumble in the Jungle

Anonymous — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 22:58:00 GMT

I came across another wonderful book from Tiger Tales called Rumble in the Jungle. It prompted me to consider: What is the difference between the rainforest and the jungle? Here is a quick overview:

Though jungle and rainforest might appear to be similar, there are differences between the two. A rainforest area is often surrounded by a jungle, with the primary difference being that a rainforest has a very thick canopy of tall trees, which make it very difficult for light to penetrate to the ground level making it difficult for plants to flourish. A jungle floor on the other hand will usually have a thick undergrowth of plants and vegetation.

Because jungles and rainforests are closely connected, they share some similar animals. On the other hand, the rainforest has many rare plants and animals only found in that habitat that make it indispensable to mankind. Read more at Difference Between.

Summary of Rumble in the Jungle:

As the morning light sifts through the trees, there is a rumble in the jungle and a whisper in the trees. The animals are waking up! The hidden narrator invites the reader along on a jungle expedition:

Some animals are frightening,

And some are sweet and kind,

So let’s go to the jungle now

And see who we can find...

Lots of funny, scary, and marvelous creatures are encountered on this extraordinary day trip—monkeys, big cats, zebras, gazelles, snakes, and much more. Using free-verse poetic stanzas, each animal reveals a little about itself. Here are a couple samples:

Chimpanzee

It’s great to be a chimpanzee

Swinging through the trees,

And if we can’t find nuts to eat

We munch each other’s fleas!

Gorilla

The gorilla is big, black, and hairy,

And the thing that he likes to do best

Is to look all ferocious and scary

And wallop his giant great chest.

The narrative concludes with the night falling on the jungle. Animals like the vulture and the leopard are still slowly and softly moving about while many others are quietly dozing off.

Evaluation:

Giles Andreae’s Rumble in the Jungle is a humorous rhyming safari. The rich illustrations (by David Wojtowycz) are dynamic and delightful. Oversized drawings make it a perfect read-out-loud book for classrooms and small groups. Along with the bold pictures, children will enjoy the poetic verses and witty creatures. I recommend this book for ages 3-8. There are many excellent opportunities for extension activities and lessons from the basic (identifying animals) to the more challenging (learning the difference between the jungle and the rainforest).

Teaching Opportunities:

· Pre-Reading—Identify the animals and their sounds (where applicable)

· Poetry—Read the individual stanzas to identify sound devices (rhyme, alliteration) and to discover information about each creature

· Science—Read other books about favorite creatures illustrated in the book

· Science—Teach the difference between the jungle and the rainforest habitats; identify animals that dwell in both

· Language—Locate examples of onomatopoeia in the illustrations; discuss (or guess) the sounds of animals whose sounds are not revealed in the text

· Art—Create animal masks using paper plates; have an animal safari parade around the class, house, or school

· Writing—Compose a first person free-verse stanza for another animal in the jungle as a class or in small groups OR allow students to compose a first person stanza about themselves (can be done as homework with their families)