Stripes in Multiple Subjects
Stripes of all types by Stockdale, Susan — Peachtree, 2014. Dewey: 591.47; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 2.0. An introduction to the many ways that animals wear stripes, and includes an afterword with a brief description of each animal and a matching game. FREE Teaching Resources available for download from Follett.
Rationale: Early in the school year my kindergarten teacher and first grade teacher do short simple units about patterns of various kinds: color, word, number, shapes, sizes, etc. When they do, I ask them to invite me into the classroom to share Stripes of All Types and a few activities based on the Inspiration Book. There are times when, as an assertive librarian, I weasel my way into the classroom. Both teachers and kids like the change of pace and like the connection that is made that books and book activities don’t need to wait for a scheduled library time. The “lesson” presented here is a sample of what I have done with this book following the aforementioned philosophy. Even though I may use the book in kindergarten and in first grade, what we do is very different. You will also note that I have included ideas for extending the use of this particular title into second and third grade also, but for the upper grades I plan a specific library research activity if the class is studying animal families.
Animals in the book represented and also represented in other books appropriate for Grades K-3 are: purple-striped jellyfish, ring-tailed lemur, phantasmal poison frog, zebra swallowtail butterfly, sixline wrasse, okapi, turkey, mackerel tabby cat.
The Teaching Resources available via Follett are excellent. I use many of their ideas and organize them by grade level and theme below rather than by subject recommendation as found in the Teaching Resources developed by the publisher. I selected activities that fit into a library language arts curriculum: book features, research, interpreting literature, vocabulary thus crossing curricula into art, science, social studies, and physical education.
Kindergarten:
•Show the endpapers. Discuss what pattern the students see and ask what the picture might be showing.
• Show the first page with the title and single image. Talk about what animal has black and white stripes. Have the students name other animals they know that have stripes in black and white or other colors.
•Look at the patterns on the last two pages of the book. Discuss what a pattern is and use one of those in the book to show the students how to identify it. Then examine the patterns in the back of the book, one at a time, and leaf through the book. Have the students raise their hands as you locate the animal to which it belongs.
•Ask children to describe and then imitate the movement of each animal from the book. Have them show and tell what the animal is going to do next. Set up a starting and finish line. Name an animal and have children discuss and practice how to walk like one. Then have the children line up and race in the style of that animal’s motion. Repeat the race with other animals.
1. Crab Race: Racers are on all fours (hands and feet), and must move sideways.
2. Chimp Race: Racers hold their ankles with their hands or drag their knuckles on the ground.
3. Frog Race: Racers squat in frog position and hop.
• Let the children think of other animals to imitate in
First Grade:
•Show pages on the last spread of the book and identify the animals depicted in the thumbnail images after reading the book.
•Look at the patterns on the last two pages of the book. Discuss what a pattern is and use one of those in the book to show the students how to identify it. Then examine the patterns in the back of the book, one at a time, and leaf through the book. Have the students raise their hands as you locate the animal to which it belongs.
* Talk about the habitat or environment for each animal.
• Even the most effective camouflage can fail if a hidden animal suddenly moves and catches the enemy’s eye. Demonstrate this by showing how movement can attract predators’ attention. Ask two or three student volunteers to be “hawks.” The rest of the class will be prey. Have the class move about the room while pretending to be small animals, such as songbirds and squirrels. When you call out “hawk!” the prey must freeze. The hawks will then visually search for movement; any child that moves even slightly must take his or her seat. Afterwards, discuss with the class what would really happen in the wild, and why camouflage alone does not provide the animals with enough protection.
• Animals hide from predators by using cover, such as bushes, trees, and rocks. Have younger childrenmake their own cover by draping a blanket over a table and hiding under it. Ask them to be still for a period of time, like animals are.
•Together, count the number of stripes on some of the animals in the book, such as the jellyfish, the
snail, and the skunk. Record the information. Make a class graph and pictograph or have the students create the graphs in groups or individually to compare the number of stripes.
•Post a class list naming all the animals in the book. Classify each of the animals into groups: Backbone (Vertebrates) such as the zebra and snake and No Backbone (Invertebrates) such as the jellyfish and bee. Categorize the group further: Amphibians, Reptiles, Fish, Birds, Mammals, Arthropods (insects). (Animal classifications are provided in the back matter.)
•Read a nonfiction book about one of the animals from this book. Write a comparison of the two books and the approach the author took.
Grades 2 or 3:
Text Features or Book Parts:
• Review the meaning of fiction and nonfiction. Ask the students if they think this book is fiction or nonfiction and why. Tell them it is nonfiction.
•Locate books about some of the animals (see second bibliography below. Read the books to the class and identify facts and text features that provide more information about the animal. [You may see a bibliography, a close-up, a text box, a heading, the main text, glossary, table of contents, or charts, graphs, or maps, among other things.] Use the information they have learned from the nonfiction book or prior research to create a text feature to accompany one of the pages from the book. You might want to choose one spread and have everyone create a text feature.
•Perform the book as a reader’s theater. The third graders, working in groups, can develop a script; for second graders the teacher, librarian or volunteer may need to develop a script. Students may present to the first graders of kindergarteners.
Research:
*Use the back matter pages to identify each animal. Ask each student to choose an animal and write words that describe it. Next, ask them to write about the animal’s habitat. Then ask them to combine their ideas and write a short paragraph about their animal. Have them share their writing with a partner and make any needed changes.
•Group the students and assign each group an animal to observe and discuss. Use the book, other
nonfiction books.
•Ask older students to research an animal from the book using several sources. Have them share
information with others researching the same animal. Individually, ask them to write a report on the animal using grade level writing conventions. Include appearance, habitat, behavior, diet, and lifecycle.
•List all the habitat words found in the book. Assign a word to each student to write, define, and illustrate. Have each student present his or her word and explain how the illustration helps to understand the word.
• In groups, look up the height or length of one of the animals in standard units. Record the data on a chart. Then order the sizes of the different animals researched.
• As a class, select five animals and find the location of their native habitat on a world map. Use the map to write the name of the animals and the country of origin.
Related Titles:
Now you see me, now you don't by Borando, Silvia — Candlewick Press, 2016. Dewey: -E-; Int Lvl: K-3. Invites young readers to discover the concepts of visibility and camouflage on spreads depicting a menagerie of colorful animals who seem to "disappear" as the background color changes on sequential pages.
Spectacular spots by Stockdale, Susan — Peachtree, 2015. Dewey: 591.47; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 1.5. Brings to life a patterned parade of animals, showing young readers some of the many reasons spots are found so often in nature. FREE Teaching Resources available for download from Follett.
How animals hide (Amicus Readers Level 1: Our Animal World) by Kenney, Karen Latchana — Amicus, 2011. Dewey: 591.47; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 2.0. Photographs and simple text provide examples of how animals use camouflage to hide.
Ocean hide and seek (Arbordale Collection) by Kramer, Jennifer E — Sylvan Dell Pub., 2009. Dewey: -E-; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 2.3. Illustrations and simple rhyming text introduce readers to marine animals and their camouflage abilities. Includes instructions for related activities.
Now you see them, now you don't : poems about creatures that hide by Harrison, David L — Charlesbridge, 2016. Dewey: 591.47; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 3.4. A collection of poems that discusses how different animals use camouflage to hide in nature.
Hide-and-seek science : animal camouflage by Stevenson, Emma — Holiday House, 2013. Dewey: 591.47; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 3.7. Shows how animals use camouflage in seven different ecosystems by asking the reader to find all the animals in each picture. NSTA 2014.
Toco toucans : bright enough to disappear (Disappearing Acts...)by Suen, Anastasia — Bearport Pub., 2010. Dewey: 598.7; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 4.0. Discusses the behavior, habitat, and physical characteristics of toucans, and examines how their coloration helps them to blend in with their surroundings, with photographs and information on other rain forest birds that benefit from camouflage.
Camouflaged creatures (Crazy Nature) by Racanelli, Marie — PowerKids Press, 2010. Dewey: 591.47; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 4.4. Explains how different creatures, including insects, reptiles, and birds, camouflage themselves to avoid detection, catch prey, and stay safe in the wild.
Lots of spots by Ehlert, Lois — Beach Lane Books, 2010. Dewey: 591.47; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 4.6. A collection of poems about a variety of birds and beasts, their camouflage and adornment, with an author's note on animal spots and stripes. EZL
Animal mimics (Crazy Nature) by Racanelli, Marie — PowerKids Press, 2010. Dewey: 591.47; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 4.8. Explores how animals, insects, birds, and fish use mimicry to adapt to their environment, protect themselves from predators, and catch prey.
Books about Other Animals in Inspiration Book:
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