Tuesday, April 24, 2018

Ubiquitous: Celebrating Nature's Survivors: Poetry by Joyce Sidman (Updated)

I’m a Survivor
Inspiration Book:
Ubiquitous : celebrating nature’s survivors : poetry by Sidman, Joyce - Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, p2010, c2010 --811--Int Lvl: 3-6--Rd Lvl: 6.8. Collects poems that examine survival in nature, and includes information about a number of plants and animals. Fresh, stylized poetry joins with information-dense paragraphs and appealing illustrations to illuminate the survival skills of some of nature’s most ubiquitous life forms. Arranged in the order of their appearance in evolutionary time, the story begins with bacteria and ends with humans. FREE Teaching Resources available for download from Follett.

Rationale: Other Joyce Sidman poetry books are featured in My Books Alive (Dark Emperor & other poem of the night,  Red Sings from Treetops, and Swirl by Swirl. Combine all of them into an author study of Sidman. Dark Emperor, Treetops and Swirl are very appropriate for primary grades as well as middle and upper grades, but Ubiquitous is more suitable for Grades 3-8. The pattern of study here is similar to the one for Dark Emperor, namely sharing poetry. The difference is that I have not paired classes. Each grade (3-8) and each student pair prepares their own shared presentation. For grades 5-8, a research approach is used looking for other species of plants and animals that are survivors and using the online resources suggested in the Sidman online website for Ubiquitous. Many of the ideas are from the book guide found at Sidman’s website.
Grades 3-8--Survivors
Preparation: Arrange with the classroom teachers to pair students.
Computer with Internet access and projection capabilities.
Gather any books you have that feature nature poetry. Use the prepared bibliography.
Purchase multiple copies of the Inspiration Book to be shared by the students, or, make copies of the three poems that will be shared with the group.
Chart paper or white/chalkboard divided into two columns and label: visible and invisible.
Write names of survivors found in the poems on 3 x 5 cards. These cards will be used to determine which partners will explore which survivor.
Write names of other survivors suggested in the Sidman website on 3 x 5 cards. These cards will be used to determine which partners will explore which survivor.
Groups of organisms that are widespread:
Viruses
Algae
Mosses
Legumes
Ferns
Grasshoppers
Dragonflies
Cyclothones (fish)
Nematodes (round worms)
Species that thrive among humans:
Pigeons
Canada geese
Rats/Mice
Deer
Rabbits
Finches (including English sparrow)
from Lesson Plan at Sidman website
Animals mentioned in Book: Bacteria, mollusks, lichen, sharks, beetles, diatoms, gecko, ants, grasses, squirrels, crows, dandelions, coyotes, humans
Introduction:
Ubiquitous is a book about organisms that have survived throughout the world over long periods of time.  

What plants or animals do you think might be in this book?  How do you predict some of the creatures in this book might have survived?  What would be some good survival techniques?

What is involved in “surviving”?  What do you need to survive?
View Book Trailer

http://www.joycesidman.com/books/ubiquitous-celebrating/book-trailer-for-ubiquitous.html

What does “ubiquitous” mean? Did you catch the definition in the trailer? Let’s look at it again.
View Book Trailer again.

http://www.joycesidman.com/books/ubiquitous-celebrating/book-trailer-for-ubiquitous.html

Let’s look at both the front and back cover of this book.  Can you identify these “survivors”?

What is a timeline? Look at the endpapers.  They are a timeline. The book is also a timeline of life on earth.

Read the poem “First Life”.  What are some exciting words in the poem?  Read the nonfiction note. Tell me how the first noun relates to the last noun.


Read “The Mollusk That Made You”.  Who is talking? Who is he/she talking
to?  Pick out some of the vivid language again.  What is the questions within the poem. What questions would you ask a shell, if you could.
Read “Scarab.”  What is the mood of the poem? How does this creature describe itself?  How does it see the world? How is its view of itself different from our view of beetles (especially dung beetles!)?  
Now read “Tail Tale.”  What is the mood of this poem? How does this creature describe itself?  How does it see the world? How is its view of itself different from our view?  How do these two animals present themselves differently?
What makes you a “survivor”? What kinds of things do you think you need to survive.  On our chart, let’s jot down at least five things in each column that you feel you need to survive in your world.  Suggestions might be “food” (visible) and “respect” (invisible). Continue
your discussion, using their lists as a starting point.
Extension Grades 3-5
(Distribute the animal cards to the student partners.) You and your partner will be doing research about the survivor found on your card. The goal is to find enough information from the resources available at

to make a book jacket and write a book jacket profile that would grab readers to learn about your survivor. Your book jacket should have an eye-catching picture on the cover, maybe a fact or two on the back cover and your paragraph on the fold over front flap. Write a sentence or two about you and your partner.
Extension Grades 5-8
There are many other organisms that could be considered ubiquitous, and some
have been successful for long periods of earth’s history.  I’ve written the name of another survivor on a 3 x 5 card. You and your partner will need to gather information that will answer four questions.
1. Where does it live?  
2. How does it survive in lots of places?  
3. What makes it successful?  
4. How long has it existed?
Then create a page similar to the ones found in the book: illustration, poem in the style of the four we read, and a short informational paragraph which gives the answers from your research. Site your sources which should be one print and one online.
Other Titles for Research, Display and/or Check-out:
Forest has a song : poems by VanDerwater, Amy Ludwig — Clarion Books, 2013. Dewey: 811; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 1.7. An illustrated collection of poems about forests and nature.
All things bright and beautiful by Alexander, Cecil Frances  — Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2010. Dewey: 264; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 2.1. The words of the well-known hymn reflect God's creation of animals, flowers, mountains, sun, rivers, humans, and the ability to enjoy all that he made.
Outside your window : a first book of nature by Davies, Nicola — Candlewick Press, 2012. Dewey: 808.81; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 2.3. An illustrated treasury of poems reflects the experiences of children as they encounter nature for the first time.
Seeds, bees, butterflies, and more! : poems for two voices by Gerber, Carole — Henry Holt and Co., 2013. Dewey: 811; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 2.3. A collection of poems about nature for children to be read by two voices.
Step gently out by Frost, Helen  — Candlewick Press, 2012. Dewey: 811; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 2.4. Examines nature through lyrical text and close-up photography.
Swirl by swirl : spirals in nature by Sidman, Joyce — Houghton Mifflin Books for Children, 2011. Dewey: 811; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 2.5. An illustrated exploration of various examples of spirals appearing in nature, looking at snail shells, flower petals, elephant tusks, crashing waves, and more.
Guyku : a year of haiku for boys by Raczka, Bob  — Houghton Mifflin Books for Children, 2010. Dewey: 811; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 2.7. A collection of haiku poetry for boys that features poems about tree-climbing, kite-flying, and other related topics.
Color me a rhyme : nature poems for young people by Yolen, Jane — Wordsong/Boyds Mill Press, c2000 p2003. Dewey: 811; Int Lvl: 5-8; Rd Lvl: 3.0. Presents thirteen poems about the colors found in nature, complemented by color photographs.
Mixed beasts, or, A miscellany of rare and fantastic creatures by Cox, Kenyon — Kids Can Press, 2013. Dewey: 811; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 4.1. Presents a colorful rhyming book for early readers that introduces a collection of bizarre animals such as the bumblebeaver and rhinocerostrich.
African acrostics : a word in edgeways by Harley, Avis — Candlewick Press, c2009 p2012. Dewey: 811; Int Lvl: 3-6; Rd Lvl: 4.2. Contains color photographs of various African animals, each with a lighthearted poem that contains acrostics.
Shape me a rhyme : nature's forms in poetry by Yolen, Jane — Wordsong, an imprint of Highlights, 2015. Dewey: 811; Int Lvl: 3-6; Rd Lvl: 4.3. Twelve poems and photographs explore the beauty and variety of shapes and forms in nature, examining such items as an egg, the sun, and the moon.
Keep a pocket in your poem : classic poems and playful parodies by Lewis, J. Patrick — Wordsong, 2017. Dewey: 811; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 4.4. A collection of thirteen classic poems accompanied by parody poems by the author.
What's for dinner? : quirky, squirmy poems from the animal world by Hauth, Katherine B  — Charlesbridge, 2011. Dewey: 591.5; Int Lvl: 3-6; Rd Lvl: 4.8. A collection of illustrated poems for children that explore the dietary preferences of animals, describing the menus of turkey vultures, archer fish, baby wasps, and more.
A whiff of pine, a hint of skunk : a forest of poems by Ruddell, Deborah - Margaret K. McElderry Books, p2008, c2009 --811--Int Lvl: K-3--Rd Lvl: 4.8. An illustrated collection of whimsical poems about life in the forest through the seasons.

Winter bees & other poems of the cold by Sidman, Joyce — Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2014. Dewey: 811; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 5.1.  A collection of poems that explores how animals survive the cold during the winter season. Provides additional facts about the animals and the season.
Joyful noise : poems for two voices by Fleischman, Paul - HarperTrophy, p1988, c1988 --811--Int Lvl: 5-8--Rd Lvl: 5.2. A collection of poems describing the characteristics and activities of a variety of insects.

Bees, snails, & peacock tails : patterns & shapes--naturally by Franco, Betsy - Margaret K. McElderry Books, p2008--Int Lvl: K-3--Rd Lvl: 5.4. Rhyming text and illustrations depict the science and geometrical patterns of various animals, such as starfish, peacocks, diamondback snakes, and spiders.

The tree that time built : a celebration of nature, science, and imagination — Sourcebooks Jabberwocky, 2009. Dewey: 808.81; Int Lvl: 3-6; Rd Lvl: 6.5. Collects over one hundred poems from various authors that explore the worlds of nature, science, and the imagination, and includes an audio CD of poets performing their own work.
River of words : young poets and artists on the nature of things — Milkweed Editions, 2008. Dewey: 811.008; Int Lvl: 3-6; Rd Lvl: 6.9. Presents more than two hundred works of art and poetry by children and teenagers, which explore aspects of and perspectives on water in nature.
Paleo bugs : survival of the creepiest by Bradley, Timothy J - Chronicle Books, p2008, c2008 --565--Int Lvl: 3-6--Rd Lvl: 6.3. Contains illustrations and descriptions of selected prehistoric insects, based on fossil evidence, and looks at their modern-day counterparts.

Extreme animals : the toughest creatures on Earth by Davies, Nicola - Candlewick Press, p2009, c2006 --591.4--Int Lvl: 3-6--Rd Lvl: 6.4. Describes the physical characteristics and biological processes that enable particular animals to survive in extremely hot and cold climates.

Spiked scorpions & walking whales : modern animals, ancient animals, and water by Eamer, Claire - Annick Press, p2009, c2009 --591.3--Int Lvl: 5-8--Rd Lvl: 6.9. Explores the connections between six groups of animals, describing ancient animals from the sea and their modern-day counterparts, covering sea scorpions, fan worms, cephalopods, platypus, and more; and also looks at how scientists have traced the links between the species.
Encyclopedia prehistorica : sharks and other sea monsters by Sabuda, Robert - Candlewick Press, p2006, c2006 --566--Int Lvl: 3-6--Rd Lvl: 7.7. Presents facts on the prehistoric underwater world and more than thirty-five intricate pop-up illustrations of ancient sharks, scorpions, mollusks, amphibians, reptiles, and marine mammals and birds.

Teacher Resources:
  • Consider the 14 creatures described in this book. What do they have in common? What characteristics make them all survivors? Write a short essay summary.
  • Write a book jacket profile that would entice readers of various ages to purchase or read this book.
Lesson Plan from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt PDF (includes all Sidman’s poetry, but emphases Ubiquitous via https://www.teachingbooks.net/media/pdf/HMH/JoyceSidmanPoetryKit.pdf
Joyce Sidman website http://www.joycesidman.com/















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