Cross-Curricular Teaching with Feathers by Melissa Stewart

I wrote this post three ago as I was preparing a lesson for a class I taught entitled Content and Pedagogy for Elementary Science and Social Studies. For years I lamented having to combine two subject areas in one class, feeling neither got the attention it deserved. Since the regulations regarding the preparation of teachers in Virginia finally changed, I can happily say that I now have separate methods classes for science and social studies and that I'm teaching both of them this semester.

The up side to teaching science and social studies together was all the opportunities there were to show how the curriculum can be integrated in a natural way. Since I spend a lot of time integrating children's literature in my courses, I thought that I'd try to begin a series of posts that focuses on these ideas for integration.

FEATHERS
Feathers are a unique physical adaptation found only in birds. But what are they? What are they used for? You'll find these answers and much more in this terrific informational book.

Feathers: Not Just For Flying

written by Melissa Stewart and illustrated by Sarah S. Brannen

Melissa has a Pinterest board with lots of teaching ideas and resources for using the book in the classroom. You'll also find a Teacher's Guide on her web site, as well as a Readers Theater script, math activity, and more.

On her blog, Celebrate Science, Melissa has a post entitled Behind the Books: Curriculum Connections. In this one you will find a number of ideas connected to this book.

You can pair Melissa's book with this podcast from BirdNote. This just-under two minute segment describes how down feathers serve to keep bird's warm (insulate them) in very cold weather.

This podcast mentions how "People learned years ago how well goose-down insulates and began stuffing comforters, sleeping bags, and clothing with it." This use of feathers as a natural resource provides a connection to economics and another book.

Agatha's Feather Bed: Not Just Another Wild Goose Story

written by Carmen Agra Deedy and illustrated by Laura Seeley

In this story, Agatha explains to a young boy visiting her shop that “everything comes from something”—silk from silkworms, cotton from cotton bolls, wool from sheep, and linen from flax. She tells him:

"Everything comes from something,
 Nothing comes from nothing.
 Just like paper comes from trees,
 And glass comes from sand,
 An answer comes from a question.
 All you have to do is ask."

That evening, a group of naked geese wake her from her sleep and remind her that “everything comes from something,” and that her new feather bed is made from their feathers. (Please note that I am not endorsing the use of down, just highlighting it as a historically accurate use of a natural resource. Please read Can Down Be Ethical or Green to learn about ethical options to down feathers. )

• Peachtree Publishing has a helpful Teacher's Guide for this book.
• KidsEconPosters has a page on the book that explores how it can be used to teach economics concepts that include natural resources, goods & services, economic wants, productive resources, capital resources, and human resources.
• You might want to consider making an "Everything Comes From Something" resource kit so students can see the natural resources used to make everyday items. 
• You can also try this lesson from Virginia's Ag in the Classroom program entitled Resource Round-Up.

*****
So, what do you think? Are there other connections we can make to this book? If you have ideas or resources to contribute, please share them in the comments.

101 Objects That Made America

Have you seen the new issue of Smithsonian Magazine highlighting 101 objects from the collection that tell the story of America. How exactly does one select only 101 objects from a collection of 137 MILLION artifacts held by the 19 museums and research centers of the Smithsonian Institution?

The objects in this list have been placed into a number of categories, including Discovery, Voice, Invention, Freedom, and more. 

As I've been thinking about using primary sources in instruction, I found myself fascinated by this object.

This is only one of 32 surviving pieces of proof of the Stamp Act.

Learn more about the objects selected at 101 Objects That Made America.

Constitution Day is 15 Days Away!

In the summer of 1787, the Constitutional Convention met in Philadelphia to write a new plan of government for our nation. The Constitution was approved by the Convention and signed on September 17th of the same year. Once signed it was sent to the states for ratification.

In 2005, a federal law established September 17th as Constitution Day. Here are some books and additional resources to help you celebrate the law of the land in your home or classroom. Please note that these are largely focused on the elementary level.

Books
Shh! We're Writing the Constitution, written by Jean Fritz and illustrated by Tomie dePaola - This book provides a highly readable account of the Constitutional Convention by describing what the framers were doing and how they did it. Readers will find the text of the Constitution, as well as several pages of explanatory notes.

We The Kids, illustrated by David Catrow - Drawing on his strengths as a political cartoonist, Catrow uses a group of friends and a backyard camping trip to make

 the Preamble to the Constitution understandable for readers by pairing the text with illustrations that help define phrases like insure domestic tranquility, common defense, and our posterity. For example, the illustration for "establish Justice" shows a dog wearing a helmet and standing guard while the kids play inside the tent.

A More Perfect Union: The Story of Our Constitution, written by Betsy Maestro and illustrated by Giulio Maestro - This book provides an overview of the Constitution, beginning with the initial decision to hold the convention and ending with the adoption of the Bill of Rights. The focus of the text is really on the basic decisions about the organization of the government which resulted in the Great Compromise. Also included is a final section that provides a list of the signers, chronology of events and dates, and simple summaries of the Articles and amendments.

If You Were There When They Signed the Constitution, written by Elizabeth Levy and illustrated by Joan Holub - Like other books in the If You Were There series, this one is organized around a series of questions. It begins with What is the Constitution? and then moves on to a bit of history (the war, the Declaration, the Articles of Confederation) in order to lay the foundation for understanding the document. This one answers many questions about who was involved, why certain choices were made, and how the process worked.

Picture Window Books publishes a series entitled American Symbols. In it you will find these books written by Norman Pearl and illustrated by Matthew Skeens:

• The U.S. Constitution - This book begins with James Madison introducing himself and asking the question "What is the U.S. Constitution?" What follows are a series of spreads with information about the framers and how they worked together, the document itself and the branches of government.
• The Bill of Rights - In this book James Madison looks at the Bill of Rights and explores how it came to be.

Constitution Translated for Kids, written by Cathy Travis - Written at a 5th grade level, this book provides the entire text of the Constitution accompanied by a kid-friendly translation. In addition to the side-by-side translation, readers will find a timeline of events leading up to the writing of the Constitution, a glossary, information on Constitutional compromises, a bibliography and more.

Sites for Kids

• Ben's Guide to U.S. Government for Kids has a wealth of resources at different grade levels. The pages on the Constitution of the United States for grades 3-5 are particularly useful.
• America's Story from the Library of Congress highlights James Madison's Contributions to the Constitution.
• Congress for Kids has a site on the Constitution that includes information about the writing the document, the Great Compromise, the signers, the Bill of Rights, other Amendments and much more.
• White House for Kids also has a resource page on the Constitution.
• The Bill of Rights Institute has a flash interactive module entitled Madison's Notes are Missing. In it, students travel back in time to the Constitutional Convention, talk to the delegates (with animation and voice), and write a news article about the events.
• USConstitution.net has information on the Constitution for kids in grades K-2 and kids in grades 4-7.

Additional Web-Based Resources

• The National Endowment for the Humanities provides a number of resources for celebrating Constitution day.
• The Library of Congress also lists a variety of Constitution day resources.
• The Center for Civic Education provides lesson plans for K-12 classrooms.
• The Constitution Center has a searchable database of resources.

Last But Not Least ... Schoolhouse Rock!

Monday Freebie - Bill of Rights Resources

For the last four years my methods class in science and social studies has been team taught with an amazing social studies specialist from a local school division. This semester the class has returned solely to me, and I'll admit to being a bit nervous about it. So, I've been spending a lot of time brushing up on content and pedagogy for elementary social studies.

Since Constitution Day is just a few short weeks away, today I'm sharing a packet of resources on the Bill of Rights. In this packet you'll find a series of notebook pages for students to illustrate each amendment and write about them in their own words. You will also find a cut and paste activity where students sort rights and protections into the categories of individual freedoms, rights of the accused, and protection from government. Finally, you'll find a few suggestions for web sites and children's book that may be helpful.

Here's what the pages look like.

 Download Bill of Rights Resources. 

I hope you get a chance to use these resources in your home or classroom. Please let me know if you try them and how they work! 

Back to School We Go! by Ellen Jackson

Book: It's Back to School We Go!: First Day Stories From Around the World

Author: Ellen Jackson

Illustrator: Jan Davey Ellis

Publisher: Millbrook Press
Publication Date: 2003

Pages: 32 pages

Grades: K-5
 

Back to school is right around the corner for many kids. As summer's end approaches, minds are on new teachers (who will it be?), new clothes (what will I wear?), school supplies and much more. First day jitters may already be appearing. In my house we have long been anticipating the start of school. Don't get me wrong--summer has been fun, but my boy is ready to go back. To get ready for school we've been reading a bit about what school is like for kids in other countries. It's Back to School We Go!: First Day Stories From Around the World, written by Ellen Jackson and illustrated by Jan Davey Ellis, provides a wonderful introduction to schooling around the world.

The book opens with a world map that highlights the countries that are featured. On each double-page spread that follows, a child is introduced through a first-person narrative of their school day on the left page, while interesting facts about children in that country are presented. Readers meet:

• Achieng - An 8-year old girl from Kenya
• Anton - A 7-year old boy from Kazakhstan
• Kendi - A 6-year old Inuit boy from Nunavut, Canada
• Jessica - A 9-year old girl from Australia
• Misaki - A 6-year old girl from Japan
• Jinsong - An 8-year old boy from China
• Thomas - A 7-year old boy from Peru
• Gunther - A 6-year old boy from Germany
• Rajani - An 8-year old girl from India
• Nadia - A 7-year old girl from Russia
• Casey - A 9-year old boy from California (Why CA and not United States?)

The author's note at the beginning of the book provides some information about the children highlighted. It begins:

Each of the eleven children portrayed in this book is a composite of several real individuals. Obviously, every country provides a variety of educational opportunities and no one child can represent them all. Some children live in villages; others in cities. Some schools have computers and science labs; others don't even have desks or books.

Here are just a few of the interesting facts readers will learn from this book:

• In Kenya, children go to school six days a week, from January to November.
• In China, students who exhibit good behavior earn red neckerchiefs.
• The first day of school is a time of celebration in Kazakhstan. Students there bring flowers for their teachers. (Much better than apples, I think!)
• In the United States, 9 out of 10 children go to public school.

There is an extensive bibliography at the end of the book, as well as a list of web resources. I particularly liked the link to Children's Games from Around the World. 

Overall, this is a terrific book for thinking about back-to-school and for studying different cultures through a common, shared experience. I recommend pairing it with Margriet Ruurs' book My School in the Rain Forest: How Children Attend School Around the World. This  title examines how children attend school in 12 different countries. Readers are introduced to a school run over the radio and the Internet, a floating school, a school in the rain forest, one in the jungle, another under a tree, a school in a monastery and more. 

For even more titles, check out my Book Links article entitled Classrooms like Ours—Books about Schools around the World (January 2011). The books in this annotated bibliography will help readers appreciate the similarities and differences that exist. Some of the books represent a cross-cultural view of schooling, while others are more thematic in nature. Still others follow individual children or communities on their educational journeys.