Sunday, October 23, 2011

Annotated Bib - Water

Water occurs in so many different ways and phases. From steam to ice, rain to boiling, water takes on many different properties and is essential to our everyday existence. In kindergarten, we will explore just how different water can look and feel. Whether it is rain or snow, steam or boiling, it is all water in a different matter.

Books
A Drop of Water. By Gordon Morrison. Illus. by the Author. 2006. 32 pg. Houghton Mifflin Books. (978-0618585571). Gr . K-2.
The book begins with a child exploring the water in a creek, and imagines how a drop on his finger made its journey through the water cycle. Detailed, multicolored illustrations take readers high in the sky as the red-tailed hawk flies and the raindrops fall, providing a view of the marsh and the mountain stream from above. Finally, the pictures zoom back to a close-up of the boy to complete the circle.

The Magic School Bus at the Waterworks. By Joanna Cole. Illus. by Bruce Degen. 1988. 40 pg. Scholastic Paperback. (9780590403603). Gr. K-3.
The book begins by introducing the character of Ms. Frizzle and describing her unusual teaching methods. Soon, she decides to take the class on a field trip to the waterworks, which the kids are sure will be boring. However, after driving through a tunnel, the bus becomes plastered with images of octopuses and everyone inside finds themselves wearing scuba diving outfits. The bus rises up into a cloud along with evaporating water. Ms. Frizzle makes all the kids get out of the bus by threatening to give them extra homework if they don't. The kids begin shrinking once they're outside and, once they're each the size of a raindrop, they rain down into a river, which carries them into the town's water purification system. After going through the waterworks, the pipes take the class back to the school. They come out in the girl's bathroom, where, once out of the faucet, they are instantly restored to their regular size clothing.

Poems About Water. Compiled by Andrew Fusek Peters. 2007. 32 pg. Evans Brothers. (978-0237528867). Gr. K-2.
From trickling stream to violent flood, from sparkling ice to acid rain, and from the bathtub to the open sea, the poems in Water look at the many contrasting faces that water takes on in the world. Shape poems, funny and thoughtful poems, traditional and new poems, each very different from the next, and full of surprises, but all sharing an elemental link. The Elements in Poetry series brings together an exciting mix of poetical works form near and far on earth, fire, water, and air, with images that leap off the page. The books are a delightful introduction to a rich variety of poetry which cannot fail to make readers young and old think anew about the amazing world that we live in.

The Snowflake: A Water Cycle Story. By Neil Waldman. Illus. by the Author. 2003. 32 pg. Millbrook Press, (9780761323471). Gr. K-3.
This book will take you on the journey of a single drop of water throughout the year, with each month receiving its own spread. The water begins as a snowflake that melts into a droplet, flows into the ground, bubbles up in a spring, flows into a farm's irrigation system, evaporates into the morning fog, becomes part of a cloud, rains down, enters a plumbing system, washes a little girl's face, flows out to the ocean, gets swept onto the shore and evaporates into the sky to become a snowflake once more. The text is clear text and undeniably lyrical. A must for libraries and science classrooms.

Water. By Emily Neye. Illus. by Cindy Revell. 2002. 48 pg. Grosset & Dunlap. (978-0448428475). Gr K-3.
Neye leads beginning readers on an exploration of water in its many forms; rain, ice, snow, and steam-presenting the sources, uses, and properties of this precious resource in very basic terms. The text, one to three sentences per page, uses simple words, large type, word repetition, and picture clues that make this a wonderful introductory science book. Both the writing and the oil-pastel illustrations are well above average, with Revell's large-headed children enjoying water in all its forms. The exuberant pictures and an easy-to-decode text will entice even reluctant readers to give this selection a try.

Useful Websites
Bill Nye, scientist, engineer, comedian, author, and inventor, is a man with a mission: to help foster a scientifically literate society, to help people everywhere understand and appreciate the science that makes our world work. Making science entertaining and accessible is something Bill has been doing most of his life. His website is a wealth of information and has printables as well as guides and fun games for kids! He has home demos, episode guides and printable one sheets. Good resource for students and teachers alike.

BrainPOP creates animated, curriculum-based content that engages students, supports educators, and bolsters achievement. Ideal for both group and one-on-one settings, BrainPOP is used in numerous ways in classrooms, at home, and on mobile devices, from introducing a new lesson or topic to illustrating complex subject matter to reviewing before a test. Content is mapped to Common Core, aligned to academic standards, and easily searchable with their online Standards Tool. Uniquely suited for 21st-century learning, all products are fully compatible with interactive whiteboards, learner response systems, projectors, Macs, and PCs. No downloading, installation, or special hardware is required.

This website allows students to see water changing from a solid to a liquid to a gas and back again at the quick click of a button. Instantly satisfying and clear to follow, this will be a great way to solidify their knowledge of what it takes to make water change its form. Be careful though, the website is made in Europe, so the temperatures are measured in Celsius and does not match up with American standards.

Reading science trade books is the perfect way for students to build literacy skills while learning science content. The books that appear in these lists were selected as outstanding children’s science trade books. They were chosen by a book review panel appointed by the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) and assembled in cooperation with the Children’s Book Council (CBC). NSTA and CBC have joined forces on this bibliographic project since 1973, when the list was known as Outstanding Science Trade Books for Children and was primarily targeted at grades K through 8. Beginning in 2002, the list has been expanded to include high school as well.

California Department of Education. Searchable Database for specific books and titles for Math and Science. Has a ton of good lists and customizable to search by topic and grade!

Teacher Information
Virginia Standards of Learning (SOL)
K.5 The student will investigate and understand that water flows and has properties that can be observed and tested. Key concepts include 
a) water occurs in different phases.

Background Information From the Curriculum Framework
  • Water can be a solid, liquid or gas.
  • The state of water can be changed by heating or cooling it.
  • The natural flow of water is from a higher to a lower level.
  • Some objects float in water, while others do not.

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