Literature
Non Fiction Books
Rissman, Rebecca. (2009). Is it Living? Chicago, IL: Heinemann-Raintree.
I selected this book because of the authority of the author, Rebecca Rissman has written many other non-fiction science books that have been well received. The accuracy of the text, the information is very educational and follows the information that is also given in the text book. The literary artistry, the book is full of helpful vocabulary words and definitions. This book is very appropriate for the age group, the 1 st graders who will be reading this book will understand the concept as the book is for ages 5 and up. The book is attractive, it is full of beautiful colorful photographs of animals and nature.
This books best unique feature is the colorful photographs of animals and nature. The photos are blown up to a size that makes the subject pop and shows great detail. There are also pictures of the different habitats around the world. Each picture is also labelled, so each picture gives the name of the living or nonliving thing. The book asks questions and allows the reader to determine whether it is a living or nonliving thing. The pictures will keep the attention of the students as well as the simple, fun questions that make this a good quality book.
I will use this book as an introduction to the lesson. I think this book will make an excellent introduction to the lesson because it gives all of the information that is given in the text, but in a fun book full of pictures and questions that will get the students excited to learn about the unit. This book helps young readers understand the characteristics of living and nonliving things. I will use this book as a read aloud while asking the students questions to activate prior knowledge. The students will also be able to correlate the pictures to the name of the living or nonliving thing.
Lindeen, Carol. (2008). Living and Nonliving (Nature Basics). Edina, MN: Capstone Press.
This book was selected because of the authority of the author, Carol Lindeen is also known for writing science related books aimed at young readers. When I read the text, I found that it is simple, but accurate. Again, the text is simple, but the author used literary artistry to use those few words to say a lot. The appropriateness for the age group, the book is written for ages 4+, so 1st grade students should be able to comprehend the material well. This book is also attractive, with large pictures and lots of detail. The frog on the front of the book will grab the attention of any reptile lover in the class.
This book is a simple book, it does not contain too many text features other than the text on each page to describe the pictures and explain the differences between living and nonliving things. I think it is still a good quality book because it does provide the information in such a simple way, there is nothing extra on the pages that might distract a struggling learner. The information is straight forward and only the necessary text is on the page.
I will use this book as a reference book for my struggling readers to refer back to if they become confused about the material in the lesson or have an questions, they will be able to look it up on their own before they come to me for help. Because the text is so simple, this book will be good for independent readers and it can also be used with guided reading for students who may need a little more help. The text information is in large letters with simple sentences that contain only one or 2 syllable words. This book will add to the learning experience for readers and learners of all levels.
Fiction Books
Salas, Purdie Laura. (2009). Are You Living? A Song About Living and Nonliving Things. Mankato, MN: Picture Window Books.
This book is written as a sing along to the tune of "Are You Sleeping?" to help young children understand the difference between living and nonliving things. The characters are students being asked by their teacher to list the qualities of living things such as plants, animals and humans. The students go through each category and explain the differences while rhyming to the catchy tune. The song also explains what will happen if living things are not cared for properly. The multicultural characters are illustrated to look like any student in any classroom, so this book is appealing to students from all cultures. The song is also age appropriate for 1st graders of all levels.
I will use this book as a read aloud, only we will sing aloud. The rhymes and tune will help the students memorize the facts. Throughout this unit the students will be singing the facts to help them answer questions. Hopefully by the end of the unit when they are being assessed, they will still sing the lyrics in their head and be able to answer questions with ease. This book also has unique features such as fact boxes with more information and a recap at the end of the book. This is a quality book that is packed full of information, the song will be a learning tool for struggling readers and the higher lever thinking in the fact boxes will be a challenge for the advanced learners. The recap at the end could be used as a game, with students on teams answering the questions and the questions can later be used on a quiz or a test as part of the assessment of the unit and help me evaluate how well the students comprehended the material.
Cole, Joanna. (1995). The Magic School Bus: A Book About How Living Things Grow. New York, NY: Scholastic.
This fiction book is an oldie, but goody. The students in Mrs. Frizzles class are growing a garden, but Phoebe is new to the school and left her flowers at her old school. The class climbs in the magic school bus to go and get them and end up on an exciting adventure. The class actually gets to go inside real flowers while learning how things grow. I chose this book because it is a fun way for the students to learn about the topic while having some fun and using their imaginations to go on a fun adventure. The illustrations will make the students laugh and think. There are very few fiction books that cover this subject, so I chose this one to add some entertaining material for the students with the vivid imaginations.
This book can be used during guided or independent reading depending on the levels of the students. This would also be a good book to use as a model for writing, the students can make up their own adventures and write a story about how they will help take care of a living thing of their choice. This activity can also cross over into art class and the students can illustrate their stories. When the stories and illustrations are complete, the students can present them in from of the class.
Rissman, Rebecca. (2009). Is it Living? Chicago, IL: Heinemann-Raintree.
I selected this book because of the authority of the author, Rebecca Rissman has written many other non-fiction science books that have been well received. The accuracy of the text, the information is very educational and follows the information that is also given in the text book. The literary artistry, the book is full of helpful vocabulary words and definitions. This book is very appropriate for the age group, the 1 st graders who will be reading this book will understand the concept as the book is for ages 5 and up. The book is attractive, it is full of beautiful colorful photographs of animals and nature.
This books best unique feature is the colorful photographs of animals and nature. The photos are blown up to a size that makes the subject pop and shows great detail. There are also pictures of the different habitats around the world. Each picture is also labelled, so each picture gives the name of the living or nonliving thing. The book asks questions and allows the reader to determine whether it is a living or nonliving thing. The pictures will keep the attention of the students as well as the simple, fun questions that make this a good quality book.
I will use this book as an introduction to the lesson. I think this book will make an excellent introduction to the lesson because it gives all of the information that is given in the text, but in a fun book full of pictures and questions that will get the students excited to learn about the unit. This book helps young readers understand the characteristics of living and nonliving things. I will use this book as a read aloud while asking the students questions to activate prior knowledge. The students will also be able to correlate the pictures to the name of the living or nonliving thing.
Lindeen, Carol. (2008). Living and Nonliving (Nature Basics). Edina, MN: Capstone Press.
This book was selected because of the authority of the author, Carol Lindeen is also known for writing science related books aimed at young readers. When I read the text, I found that it is simple, but accurate. Again, the text is simple, but the author used literary artistry to use those few words to say a lot. The appropriateness for the age group, the book is written for ages 4+, so 1st grade students should be able to comprehend the material well. This book is also attractive, with large pictures and lots of detail. The frog on the front of the book will grab the attention of any reptile lover in the class.
This book is a simple book, it does not contain too many text features other than the text on each page to describe the pictures and explain the differences between living and nonliving things. I think it is still a good quality book because it does provide the information in such a simple way, there is nothing extra on the pages that might distract a struggling learner. The information is straight forward and only the necessary text is on the page.
I will use this book as a reference book for my struggling readers to refer back to if they become confused about the material in the lesson or have an questions, they will be able to look it up on their own before they come to me for help. Because the text is so simple, this book will be good for independent readers and it can also be used with guided reading for students who may need a little more help. The text information is in large letters with simple sentences that contain only one or 2 syllable words. This book will add to the learning experience for readers and learners of all levels.
Fiction Books
Salas, Purdie Laura. (2009). Are You Living? A Song About Living and Nonliving Things. Mankato, MN: Picture Window Books.
This book is written as a sing along to the tune of "Are You Sleeping?" to help young children understand the difference between living and nonliving things. The characters are students being asked by their teacher to list the qualities of living things such as plants, animals and humans. The students go through each category and explain the differences while rhyming to the catchy tune. The song also explains what will happen if living things are not cared for properly. The multicultural characters are illustrated to look like any student in any classroom, so this book is appealing to students from all cultures. The song is also age appropriate for 1st graders of all levels.
I will use this book as a read aloud, only we will sing aloud. The rhymes and tune will help the students memorize the facts. Throughout this unit the students will be singing the facts to help them answer questions. Hopefully by the end of the unit when they are being assessed, they will still sing the lyrics in their head and be able to answer questions with ease. This book also has unique features such as fact boxes with more information and a recap at the end of the book. This is a quality book that is packed full of information, the song will be a learning tool for struggling readers and the higher lever thinking in the fact boxes will be a challenge for the advanced learners. The recap at the end could be used as a game, with students on teams answering the questions and the questions can later be used on a quiz or a test as part of the assessment of the unit and help me evaluate how well the students comprehended the material.
Cole, Joanna. (1995). The Magic School Bus: A Book About How Living Things Grow. New York, NY: Scholastic.
This fiction book is an oldie, but goody. The students in Mrs. Frizzles class are growing a garden, but Phoebe is new to the school and left her flowers at her old school. The class climbs in the magic school bus to go and get them and end up on an exciting adventure. The class actually gets to go inside real flowers while learning how things grow. I chose this book because it is a fun way for the students to learn about the topic while having some fun and using their imaginations to go on a fun adventure. The illustrations will make the students laugh and think. There are very few fiction books that cover this subject, so I chose this one to add some entertaining material for the students with the vivid imaginations.
This book can be used during guided or independent reading depending on the levels of the students. This would also be a good book to use as a model for writing, the students can make up their own adventures and write a story about how they will help take care of a living thing of their choice. This activity can also cross over into art class and the students can illustrate their stories. When the stories and illustrations are complete, the students can present them in from of the class.