Ashley+Brownlee

Curriculum Integration with Social Studies through Children’s Literature 10/11/13   Ashley Brownlee ECD 418 Margo Dahlstrom
 * __Children's Fiction__**

St. Pierre, Stephanie. (2006) ** //What the Sea Saw//. ** Peachtree Publishing. 22 pgs. Scottsdale Public Library.

This is a fiction story that shows things that the ocean sees throughout the day. It talks about how the sea can see the sky, the sky sees what is below, the sea saw a gill, the gill saw a fish, etc. The story covers many different characteristics of the sea, such as: shells, sharks, rocks, birds, sand, bugs, and the shore. The pictures of this book show the different habitats that live in the ocean and how they interrelate with other plants and animals. This book introduces the sea and its many components to children in an interesting and exciting way. It is relevant to the study of geography because it talks in detail about one of the largest landforms: the ocean. Not only does it include information about the ocean, but also about the habitats, plants, and animals that live within the ocean.


 * //What the Sea Saw//** could be integrated into the curriculum in many ways using writing, reading, social studies, and science. Writing could be used to have students write about what they see throughout the day, and create their own book, “What I Saw”. It could be incorporated into reading by having a read aloud, or a “group read” with the class and print out copies of the book for each student and defining certain vocabulary words found in the book. Social studies can be incorporated by speaking about and studying geographic landforms such as the sea, coast, and even under water mountains and trenches. Science can be used by studying and identifying the habitats that are discussed in the book along with the plants and animals associated with each.


 * __Children’s Nonfiction__**

Akkins, Jill. (2007) **//Water Everywhere.//** DK Children. 32 pgs. Scottsdale Public Library.

In this story, many human uses for water are defined, such as: baths, brushing teeth, watering yards, washing clothes and dishes, swimming, etc. The book discusses the fact that ¾ of the earth is covered in water from oceans, rivers, seas, and lakes. Then, the question, “How does water on earth become water we can drink?” From there the water cycle is introduced and it speaks briefly about the water cycle process. In closing, the story brings to the reader’s attention that animals, ocean creatures, fish, lake animals, humans, and plants all need water to survive. Water is a necessity; therefore, we need to do our best to keep our water sources clean. This book is relevant to geography because it speaks about the bodies of water that cover the earth, and the water cycle that keeps these bodies of water moving, flowing, and filled.

There are many mini lessons and concepts that can be taught from this one book. The obvious is reading and writing which can be integrated into a read aloud, writing prompts and other reading and writing activities that are related to water, animals, bodies of water, and the water cycle. Geography is an obvious incorporation by learning about rivers, lakes, streams, oceans, and the sea which could be identified, as well as compared and contrasted. Social studies can be incorporated while learning about recycling and keeping bodies of water clean and doing activities that brainstorm activities and ideas that could help the community cut down on their carbon footprint and to keep oceans, lakes, rivers, and streams free of trash and pollution.

Charman, Andrew. (1994) **//Earth//**. Franklin Watts Ltd. 32 pgs. Scottsdale Public Library.

The main idea or message of this book is to give information about why we need earth, what soil is, how rocks form, minerals, etc. This text goes in deep detail about what is under the surface of the earth and why it is important. Rocks and minerals that are found around the United States are identified. Fossils are discussed and how they come to be. Using the earth’s resources such as clay, mud, and kiln are included as well. Soil is also discussed in great detail and how soil is used to help plants grow, and why soil is important to farmers. This book is relevant to geography because it is all about the surface of the earth, and what lies beneath the surface of the earth. These components are introduced in great detail and reasons how they form and what they are used for are essential and informational.

Social studies and science lessons can both benefit from using this book in the classroom. Science experiments with plants and soil can be conducted with lima beans, and other seeds that can be planted and grown in the classroom. Rocks can be studied by identifying different kinds of rocks, rock layers such as the Grand Canyon, and fossils. Mining can also be introduced and evaluated, what is mining used for? What do miners do? This book has many different components that could form into lessons on many topics.

Darling, David. (1990) **//Could You Ever Dig a Hole to China?//** Dillon Press. 60 pgs. Scottsdale Public Library.

This book is jam-packed with myths about the underworld, layers of the earth, rocks and mountains, continents, plate tectonics, caves, oil drilling, and the deepest holes in the world. The basic question of this book is if it is possible to drill a hole through the entire earth, until you get to China. While discovering the answers to this question the layers of the earth are discovered: crust, mantle, outer core, inner core. The distance from the crust to the inner core of the earth is calculated and compared to some of the deepest holes in the world, which do not come close to the inner core of the earth. Plate tectonics and movement of land is displayed showing how the continents are believed to have once been one large piece of land. This book is relevant to geography based on all of the components about land, earth’s layers, plate tectonics, caves, and the deepest holes in the world.

Reading this book would be a challenging task for younger students, but students who are older and capable could do group work with this book preparing book reports, projects, and experiments that are related to what is discussed within the book. Art could be incorporated into this book by creating layers of the earth: curst, mantle, outer core, inner core, and creating a type of model of the earth showing the layers. Math could also be incorporated into this book by figuring out how thick each layer of the earth’s crust is, solving to find the distance from one side of the earth to the other side of the earth, as well as calculating how deep a hole would have to be dug to reach the inner core of the earth.

Gray, Susan H. (2012) **//Geology: The Study of Rocks//**. Scholastic. 48 pgs. Scottsdale Public Library.

This book includes everything you have ever wanted to know about rocks. What is geology? How rocks change, slow and rapid processes that are causing the earth to change, early beliefs about earth, and the burning question, “Why are geologists looking at the ocean floor and into space?” These questions are all thoroughly answered in this book. The processes of rocks changing through heat and pressure is discussed in an understandable way so children know what each process does and why it results in a changed rock. This relates to geography by discussing how rocks are related to the earth changing, as well as scientists looking at the ocean floor and into space. Rocks are a large part of geology and the study of the earth.

Integration of this book is simple during science and social studies. Studying why the earth’s surface changes and those reasons for changing could have led to shifting continents could be many interesting and engaging lessons for students. Science could be used by having students act like they were a scientist themselves, and have them identify reasons as to why they should look at the ocean floor and into space to study rocks, what information could be there for them? The rock cycle is also a unit of study. Students can look at rock layers such as the Grand Canyon and use what they know about the rock cycle to identify different layers of it.

Hiscock, Bruce. (1997) **//The Big Rivers.//** Antheneum. 14 pgs. Scottsdale Public Library.

This book retells the story about the big flood of 1993 when the Missouri, Mississippi, and Ohio rivers began to flood the Midwest when heavy amounts of water met at the mouth of the mighty Mississippi. Floods were not expected, since it was a normal winter. Each spring when the snow begins to melt it flows into each of the rivers and they begin to rise. This year, while the snow was melting in Montana, it was raining in Minnesota. The ground was too soggy from the melted snow to soak up any more water; therefore it flowed into the upper Mississippi. In the summer of ’93 the weather pattern changed, the air was humid and full of moisture from the Gulf of Mexico, so it poured on Iowa, Missouri, and neighboring states for days. Flooding started in late June, sending more water down the Mississippi. Cities began to prepare for a flood. Levees eventually began to fail as the flooding set in, rivers spilled into cities. The worst flooding was from the Missouri and Mississippi rivers. Cities were destroyed. This book is relevant to the study of geography because it is about rivers and lakes, flooding, soil, and the water cycle.

This book could be incorporated into social studies, by studying the great flood of ’93. Students could learn the causes of the flooding, where the flooding took place, etc. Students could create a map that displayed the areas of rain, melting snow, and where the areas of flooding took place. The water cycle could also be studied, identifying why there was so much rain, where the water was evaporated into a rain cloud and where it traveled on its way to the Midwest, the temperatures and dew points of cities in the Midwest at that time which resulted in heavy rain, and where the rain then traveled to connect with the great rivers.

Morris, Neil. (1996) **//Mountains//**. Crabtree Publishing Company. 32 pgs. Scottsdale Public Library.

The book **//Mountains//** reveals what mountains are, how they are formed by folds and faults of the earth, as well as characteristics that are found in or on mountains such as the rocks, animals, mountain people, weather, and plants. The book then continues on about what is in store for the future of our mountains, where specific mountains are located, how people use mountains for activities, recreation, living, and resources. The fact that mountains are slowly wearing away is also discussed in this book and the reasons responsible. This book relates directly to the landforms portion of geography by discussing it detail one of the large, prominent landforms itself: mountains.

This book could be integrated into reading, writing, and art in the classroom by reading it aloud to students, having the students write about what they like about mountains or an activity they have done or would like to do involving a mountain, and then drawing a picture of their own mountain. Social studies can also be integrated by studying mountain people and what they do to live and survive on mountains. What resources do they have because of the mountain that helps them to survive, as well as how they obtain shelter and food. Students can do their own research on this topic in the library or in the computer lab and bring back their findings for a class discussion.

Nivola, Claire A. (2012) **//Life in the Ocean.//** Farrar, Straus, and Giroux. 15 pgs. Scottsdale Public Library.

This story is a biography of oceanographer Sylvia Earle. It explains how Sylvia grew up loving animals and always being interested in them on her family’s farm. Then, her family moved to Florida and she fell in love with the Gulf of Mexico, the ocean, and the animals that she knew were in the ocean. This book follows Sylvia through her childhood into adulthood as she would dive into the ocean, find whales, angelfish, coral, reefs, and tiny sea creatures. She fell in love with the ocean and eventually became an advocate for it. She spent her life discovering and protecting it and continues to spread the word on how to keep our oceans and the animals that live in them safe. This book is directly related to the study of geography because it discusses the ocean, the plants in the ocean, and the potential harms that can debilitate the ocean and its animals.

This story can be integrated in writing by students writing their own story about experiences they may have had that involve the ocean, or stories that they can imagine about diving in the ocean and the things they would find. They could write their own story being imaginative about the things they would find and do if they were Sylvia Earle. Science could also be incorporated by studying the potential harm that oceans face and why people need to be advocates for the ocean. Students can work in groups to come up with an advocacy plan to protect the oceans.

Pipes, Rose. (1998) **//Rivers and Lakes.//** Raintree. 32 pgs. Scottsdale Public Library.

This book begins simple by defining what rivers and lakes are, and where they reside. Then it transitions into the purpose of rivers and lakes, which is to carry freshwater to the oceans. Next, wildlife in rivers and lakes are introduced and their habitats in each are distinguished. From there, how people have come to use rivers and lakes is discussed, such as: to transport goods, produce electricity, irrigation, water supply, and for recreation. Lastly some of the most famous lakes around the world are identified, for example: the Nile River, the Great Lakes, St. Lawrence River, Rhine River, the Amazon, and Lake Titicaca. There are links distinguished between these geographical features, their wildlife and habitats, and environments in which people live and work within these rivers. This book is directly related to the study of geography because rivers and lakes are a part of the landforms on earth.

The study of rivers can be integrated in science by identifying different habitats that reside in different rivers from around the world and comparing and contrasting these habitats. Also, these rivers can be integrated into math by creating a graph of each length of famous rivers from around the world and graphing each to identify which ones are similar, which are long, and which are short in comparison.

Rothaus, Don P. (1997) **//Canyons.//** Child’s World Inc. 32 pgs. Scottsdale Public Library.

This book begins by identifying what exactly a canyon is, and how it is formed from water. This immediately strikes the interest of the reader, especially children who did not know that canyons are formed from water. Then, well-known canyons are discussed, such as: The Grand Canyon, Hell’s Canyon, Colca Canyon, Cotahuasi Canyon, and even canyons on Mars, these canyons are identified as the largest and deepest canyons known to man. Ocean canyons and under water trenches are also discussed. Lastly, cliff dwellers, the study of canyon rocks, ancient plants and animals, and animals encased in walls of canyons end the book. This is directly related to the study of geography because canyons are one of the well known landforms that are studied in geography.

The study of canyons can be incorporated into artwork by having students create their own canyon with a mold or clay. Once each student has completed their canyon and it has time to dry, students can paint their canyon to display rock layers and different kinds of plants or animals that may be found in canyons. Canyons can also be integrated into math by using the depth of each canyon in word problems or number sentences to compare differences between the depths of each canyon as well as comparisons.

Rustad, Martha. (2010) **//The Driest Places on Earth.//** Capstone Press. 24 pgs. Scottsdale Public Library.

This book covers the driest places on earth and asks some higher level thinking questions in the process. Is the air hot? Is the dirt hard and cracked under your feet? It states that it is difficult to live in a place where little rain falls, because water is needed to live. Then, the book covers some of the driest places on earth and how much rain falls on average per year. Included is Mauna Key Observatory which has 7.41 inches of water per year; Aden, Yemen which has 1.8 inches of water per year, and the driest place on earth is Arica, Chile which has on average .03 inches of water per year. This location does have some humidity which creates some moisture. This is directly related to geography because deserts have very little rain fall per year and they are dry, hot, and sometimes humid. Deserts are one of the many landforms studied in geography.

This book could be used in science experiments with dirt or soil that are placed under heat lamps and some receiving more water than others. Students can observe what happens to the dirt that has less water, and relate it to the dirt in a desert. This book could also be used in math to compare the average inches of rainfall that each location received per year and either graphic it, using it in word problems, or making number sentences out of each to find out a variety of questions related to the average amount of rainfall each year.

Simon, Seymour. (1990) **//Oceans//**. HarperCollins. 31 pgs. Scottsdale Public Library.

This book tells its readers everything that has to do with oceans. It begins by stating that earth is the only planet that has liquid water on its surface, and that earth is actually covered by a single body of water and that the continents are islands. This book holds some interesting and unique facts about the ocean, for example, some of the tallest mountains and deepest canyons are on the ocean floor. This book teaches about the mid-Atlantic ridge, deep ocean trenches, and undersea mountains that are so tall, that the tops of them are above water islands. The water cycle is discussed as well, covering the fact that oceans are constantly in motion and that heat and the suns energy cause waves and storms in the ocean. The ocean currents, patterns, and tides are in result of the gravitational pull which can result in tidal waves, tsunamis, and hurricanes. Geology is relevant in this book because it is a tell-all book about the ocean. What causes the waves, storms, and even the landforms that lie under the surface.

This book can be integrated across the curriculum with reading and writing about the ocean. A read aloud with this book to the classroom, and individual books for each student about the ocean that they could read independently would be fun and interesting reading material. From there, students can write about the most interesting things that they learned about the ocean from their books. Science could also be a lesson used from this book to introduce tropical storms, tides, waves, and the gravitational pull on the ocean. Students can research each of these topics to become familiar with each and we could have a class discussion or journal entry about our findings.

Stone, Lynn M. (1995) **//The Antarctic Ocean.//** Rourke Publishing Group. 24 pgs. Scottsdale Public Library.

The continent of Antarctica and the Antarctic Ocean is the topic of discussion in this book. In the bottom southern half of the world lies this continent and it is surrounded by the Antarctic ocean. There is much ice and many rock mountains on this continent. Ice burgs fill the ocean as well. Animals that live here can survive in -100 degrees Fahrenheit. This ocean begins 200 miles south of Cape Horn, and it is rich with marine life. There are many penguins, fish, and whales that are able to live in such a cold climate residing here. This topic is directly related to the study of geography since the Antarctic Ocean is a large landform on earth.

A globe or maps could be used to identify the Antarctic Ocean and the continent of Antarctica during social studies while studying parts of the world, continents, and oceans. Students could also use this book in Geography by putting a puzzle together of a map of the globe, oceans, and continents.

Theodorou, Rod. (2000) **//To The Depths of The Ocean.//** Heinemann.

The earth is 70% seawater, according to this book. Oceans are the most unexplored place on earth. The surface of the ocean floor contains the near shore zone, continental shelf, continental slope, hot vents (which result in warm water), and the abyssal trench. Each of these components is thoroughly discussed in this book with examples and illustrations. It also contains conservation of the ocean for the future such as pollution, and over fishing. This book is very educational as to what the ocean contains, what the sea floor is, and information to keep oceans clean and how to take care of them to ensure that they are around forever.

To connect with the ocean health, cleanliness, and overall care of the ocean students can create action plans that they believe would increase the awareness of the ocean’s needs which would include writing and art. Students can create signs, make pamphlets, and newsletters. This could also be included in math by figuring out how 70% of the world is made up of saltwater by defining the total surface area of the earth, and subtracting the surface areas of the continents and islands, and coming up with the percentage of ocean that is left.

Walker, Sally M. (2008) **//Glaciers.//** Lerner Classroom. 48 pgs. Scottsdale Public Library.

If you are not familiar with glaciers, you will be after reading this book. Beginning simple, it defines what a glacier is and how it is formed. From there, the different kinds of glaciers are defined. Lastly, illustrations and descriptions tell how moving ice and glaciers change the earth’s surface by creating terrain, mountains, and valleys. Ice shelves, ice bergs, and glaciers are all responsible for carving earth’s surface. This book is relevant to the topic of geography because it is all about the earth’s surface and how it was formed, as well as glaciers that are a part of the earth’s surface and landforms.

A science experiment can be conducted using ice cubes or large chunks of ice with rock, sand, and water. Students can create a mock landform of mountains and land, and place the chunks of ice in them (at a slant) to watch as they carve through the sand and land to create a new surface. Students can also use a prompt about different types of glaciers and what they do to the land for writing.


 * __Teacher Resources__**

Kallen, Stuart A. (2003)**//The Grand Canyon//**. KidHaven Press. 48 pgs. Scottsdale Public Library.

From the beginning of the Grand Canyon until present time is all included in this book. From how the Grand Canyon was formed to the exploration of the Colorado River there is no question left unanswered. The plant and animal life of the canyon as well as habitats, quick sand, and zones of the canyon are all included. There are many explanations of common questions about the canyon that are also covered in this book. Lastly, gems and stones that are found at the Grand Canyon are also discussed and the creation of them as well.

This book is a great teacher resource because it dives deep into the Grand Canyon answering common and unusual answers that many students might have. Many unique discussions are carried out in this book such as the gems and stones that are found there as well. This book can be incorporated into the curriculum by studying the habitats, plant life, and gems that are from the Grand Canyon. Many real life plants and gems could be brought into the classroom for observation and recording. Also, having small group work labeling zones of the canyon and discussing the different rock layers could be an option as well.

Parker, Jane. (1999) **//Saving Our World: Oceans.//** Aladdin Books Ltd. 32 pgs. Scottsdale Public Library.

Discussions in this book include oceans that are in crisis and solutions to help care for the oceans. An ocean is defined in the beginning of this book and types of oceans are listed. From there the shape of oceans, coral reefs and how they are formed, wind, waves, weather, ecosystems, food chains, ocean people and cultures, shipwrecks, island settlements, oil and gas, sea power, turning saltwater into freshwater, and ocean harvesting are all covered. This is a jam packed book filled with much information about the ocean and every component in it. Damaging of the oceans, endangered sea animals, and solutions to these problems are also included. This is directly related to the study of geography because it includes oceans, ecosystems, weather, food chains, and many more components that are included in the study.

This book is such a great teacher resource because it has a plethora of information included about the oceans, and not only one specific part. Included is almost everything that you would want to know about the ocean and things that you would like to teach. Using this book science could be studied using weather patterns and what causes tropical storms. Research could be done on the causes of tropical storms and students can create a collage of tropical storms that occur, label, and define them. Students could also do presentations about the types of oceans by being broken up into different groups and assigning each an ocean to present.

Rau, Dana M. (2012) **//U.S. Landforms.//** Scholastic. 48 pgs. Scottsdale Public Library.

This book takes you from the highest to the lowest parts of the United States, Defining what landforms are found in the US, how mountains are formed, how glaciers change the land, how rivers cause erosion, what factors change the landscape, to what causes earthquakes it is all included in this book. Many well known parts of the US are pictured in this book while describing each one and how it came to be. This book not only tells you about different landforms that are found in the US but it is also stated how it became to be that way. Every type of landform in the US will be familiar after reading this book. This is strictly geography because everything in this book has to do with landforms and how they came to be.

This book can be integrated into the classroom by having students create their own maps using salt dough that include a few landforms and have students label each. Once the salt tough dries students will be able to paint where oceans, lakes, and rivers are on their map. Another way to integrate this book in the classroom would be to have a vocabulary word match that has all of the landforms as vocabulary words on index cards and students must match up their word with the student that has the corresponding definition.

Rustad, Martha E. H. (2010) **//The Lowest Places on Earth//**. Capstone Press. 24 pgs. Scottsdale Public Library.

This book identifies some of the lowest places on the earth. The beginning states that most of these places are hot and dry, because they are below sea level. Then these places are introduced and described with an illustration, as well as their elevation. The first is Lake Erie, which is 92 feet below sea level, and it is Australia’s largest lake. Another named is Lake Assal, which is the lowest point in Africa coming in at 509 feet below sea level. It is hot and dry here. When water evaporates, salt is left behind. The lowest place on earth that is not covered by water is the Bentley Subglacial Trench, which is 8,333 feet below sea level. If the surrounding ice melted, it would completely be submerged under water. Last but not least, is the Mariana Trench with is 36,198 feet below sea level, it is a trench in the Pacific Ocean. This book is relevant in the world of geography because it discusses some of the most prominent landforms.

This teacher resource can be used to teach students about the lowest places on earth and sea level. Not knowing many of these places myself is why I chose it to be a teacher resource. These numbers could be incorporated into math problems that compare the feet below sea level that each destination is by graphing, creating word problems, and writing out number sentences. Another lesson that can be derived from this book is science and water evaporation using salt water to see the salt that is left behind in some places. Students will be able to conduct their own science experiments dissolving salt into water and placing it under a heat lamp or outside to evaporate. In a few days the water will be evaporated revealing the salt left behind.

Trumbauer, Lisa. (2002) **//What are Deserts?//** Capstone Press. 24 pgs. Scottsdale Public Library.

This book about deserts discusses features of a desert: dry, little rain, hot, few plants and animals. An oasis is also defined an illustrated, sand dunes are incorporated, very rocky cliffs and mountains from wind wearing away at the rocks, and many other ocean components are defined as well as illustrated. The Sahara Desert in North Africa is included in this book since it is the largest desert in the world. This book about deserts is directly correlated with geography because deserts are a large landform included on the earth and one of interesting study.

Teachers can incorporate this book into the classroom by reading aloud to the class and discussing the features of a desert, and the components included in the book. Teachers can ask students if they ever have been to a desert or if they know where one is (some may not know that they live in one). Students can use art to draw pictures of deserts and incorporate the characteristics that were stated in the book. Another activity derived from the book is looking at different parts of the world and its components and using knowledge from the book to decide whether or not they are deserts.