Friday, October 27, 2006

Iowa stopover
When you travel a long distance, you need places along the way where you can stop and “refuel.” The same is true for migratory waterfowl. Iowa wetlands are great resting spots that provide a reliable source of food, water, and shelter. Want to lead your students in an investigation of wetlands and their incredible benefits? Check out the PLT activity, Watch on Wetlands.




Wetland Book List
Grades Pre-K-2
Anderson, H.C. 1999. The Ugly Duckling. HarperCollins Publishers.
Arnosky, J. 1989. Come Out, Muskrats. HarperCollins Publishers.
Arnosky, J. 2000. Crinkleroots Guide To Knowing Animal Habitats. Aladdin.
Burgess, T.W. 1996. Old Mother West Wind. Dover Publications.
Day, A. 1992. River Parade. Penguin Group (USA) Incorporated.
Ehleert, L. 2001. Fish Eyes. Harcourt Children's Books.
George, W.T. 1989. Box Turtle at Long Pond. HarperCollins Publishers.
Gibbons, G. 1999. Marshes and Swamps. Holiday House, Inc.
Hawes, J. 1975. Spring Peepers. HarperCollins Publishers.
Jordon, S. 2002. Frog Hunt. Roaring Brook.
Kalman, B. 2002. What Are Wetlands? Crabtree Publishing Company.
Lavies, B. 1993. Lily Pad Pond. Penguin Group (USA) Incorporated.
Luenn, N. 1994. Squish!: A Wetland Walk. Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing.
McCloskey, R. 1941. Make Way for Ducklings. Viking Children's Books.
Mendoza, G. 1991. If You Were a Wild Duck Where Would You Go? Stewart, Tabori & Chang, Inc.
Naden, C.J. 1972. Let's Find Out About Frogs. Scholastic Library Publishing.
Nichols, C. 2002. Wetlands. Benchmark Books.
Oxford Scientific Films. 1979. Common Frog. Putnam Pub Group.
Say, A. 1993. A River Dream. Houghton Mifflin/Walter Lorraine Books.
Schade, S. and J. Butler. 1987. The Noisy Counting Book. Random House Books for Young Readers.
Seuss, Dr. 1971. The Lorax. Random House, Incorporated.
Sidman, J. 2005. Song of the Water Boatman and Other Pond Poems. Houghton Mifflin Company.
Tresselt, A. 1990. Rain Drop Splash. HarperCollins Publishers.
Williams, T.T. 1985. Between Cattails. Macmillan Library Reference.
Wyler, R. 1990. Puddles and Ponds. Silver Burdett Press.

Grades 3- 5
Cortesi, W.W. 1978. Explore a Spooky Swamp. National Geographic Society.
Fredericks, A.D. 2005. Near One Cattail: Turtles, Logs and Leaping Frogs. Dawn Publications.
Parker, N.W. and J.R. Wright. 1990. Frogs, Toads, Lizards and Salamanders. Greenwillow Books.
McClung, R.M. 1980. Green Darner: The Story of a Dragonfly. William Morrow & Co.
Richardson, A.D. 2001. Wetlands. Capstone Press.
Thaler, M. 1988. In the Middle of the Puddle. HarperCollins Publishers.

Grades 6-8
Errington, P.L. 1996. Of Men and Marshes. Iowa State Press.
Moore, P.D. 2006. Wetlands. Chelsea House Publishers.

Grades 9-12
Muller, M. 2005. Wetlands in Your Pocket: A Guide to Common Plants and Animals of Midwestern Wetlands. University of Iowa Press.
Runkel, S. and D. Roosa. 1999. Wildflowers and Other Plants of Iowa Wetlands. Ames: Iowa State University Press.

Friday, October 20, 2006

Birds in Flight

Keep your eyes on the skies! It’s time for waterfowl to start their remarkable journey south. The WILD Aquatic activity, Migration Headache, is a great way to explore factors affecting migratory birds. Discover how wetlands have changed in your county since the mid 1800’s. Look up your county on the Iowa Historic Vegetation Map on the Iowa Geographic Map Server. Compare the historic vegetation with the more recent maps. Visit your local library to find more information on your county’s past.




Reading Connections
Check out these great books about migratory birds.

Grades PreK-2
Allen, K. 2006. Why Do Geese Fly South in Winter?: A Book About Migration. Capstone Press.
Crossingham, J. 1997. What Is Migration. Crabtree Publishing Company.
Maslowski, S. 2001. Birds in Fall. Smart Apple Media.
Owens, M.B. 1993. Counting Cranes. Little, Brown & Company.
Sayre, A. 1998. Home At Last – A Song of Migration. Henry Holt & Company.


Grades 3 – 5
Bredeson, C. 2002. Animals That Migrate. Franklin Watts.
Cherry, L. 1997. Flute's Journey: The Life of a Wood Thrush. Harcourt Brace.
Davies, J. 2004. The Boy Who Drew Birds: A Story of John James Audubon. Houghton Mifflin Company
Knight, T. 2003. Marvelous Migrators. Heinemann.
Lerner, C. 2001. On the Wing: American Birds in Migration. HarperCollins.
Willis, C. 2006. Red Knot: A Shorebird’s Incredible Journey. Birdsong Books.

Grades 6 – 8
Arnold, C. 1997. Hawk Highway in the Sky: Watching Raptor Migration. Gulliver Green.
Gans, R, Mirocha, P. 1996. How Do Birds Find Their Way? HarperTrophy.
Rylant, C. 2006. The Journey: Stories of Migration. Blue Sky Press.

Check back next week for a list of books about wetlands.

Friday, October 13, 2006

Take a Seed Walk

When we think about seeds, we think about spring. Many plants and trees disperse their seed in the fall. The Project WILD activity, Seed Need, suggests a fun, easy way for kids to collect seeds. Wearing a large, old, wool sock over one shoe, students walk through a weedy area near the school. As they walk around, various seeds will stick to their socks.

Take a closer look at the seeds you collect. Set up a seed classification learning station (organize by color and shape characteristics) or have students create a seed journal.

A great extension to this activity is classifying the seeds by the ways they are dispersed. Many plants depend on animals to disperse their seeds. The seeds get caught on the animal’s fur and are carried on, similar to how the seeds stuck to the socks on the students’ shoes. For more information about how seeds are dispersed, check out the PLT activity, Have Seeds, Will Travel.




Reading Connections
Here’s a list of books about seeds and how they are dispersed.

PreK – Grade 2
Carle, E. 1991. The Tiny Seed. Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing.
Downden, A.O. 1984. From Flower to Fruit. Thomas Y. Crowell Co.
Lauber, P. 1981. Seeds Pop-Stick-Glide. Crown Publishers, Inc.
Moncure, J.B. 1990. How Seeds Travel: Popguns and Parachutes. Child's World, Incorporated, The.
Pascoe, E. 2002. How & Why: Seeds Travel. Gareth Stevens Audio.
Robbins, K. 2005. Seeds. Atheneum.
Saunders-Smith, G. Seeds. 1998. Scholastic Library Publishing.

Grades 3-5
Anthony, J.A. 1997. Dandelion Seed. California: Dawn Publications.
Burns, D. 1996. Berries, Nuts, and Seeds. Northwood Press.
Hoff, M.K. 2004. Pollination. The Creative Company.
Overbeck, C. 1982. How Seeds Travel. Minneapolis: Lerner.

Tuesday, October 10, 2006

Fall Colors

A great way to illustrate why leaves turn colors is the PLT activity “Signs of Fall.” A fun art extension to this science activity is the Cherokee Leaf Printing. You need leaves of different colors, newspaper, wax paper, a flat-headed hammer or medium sized rock, and some white fabric or t-shirts. Make a “sandwich” in the following order; board (or sidewalk), newspaper, cloth, leaves arranged in desired pattern, and wax paper. Tape the edges of wax paper, and then pound the pigments out of the leaves and onto the cloth. Use the colorful leaf prints to design a bulletin board, decorate a classroom, or for the students to take home.

Want to learn more about why leaves change colors in the fall? See the links on the right!

What topics do you teach during the fall season?

Friday, October 06, 2006

Apples, falling leaves, and plump pumpkins - just a few signs of fall. A great way to incorporate fall into your classrooms is through books. We have compiled a list of books with fall themes.

Pre-K – Grade 2
Arnosky, J. 1977. I Was Born in a Tree and Raised by Bees. Penguin Group (USA).
Carle, E. 1991. The Tiny Seed. Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing.
DePalma, M. 2005. A Grand Old Tree. New York: Scholastic, Inc.
Dorros, A. 1997. A Tree is Growing. New York: Scholastic, Inc.
Ehlert, L. 2005. Leaf Man. Harcourt Children's Books.
Ehlert, L. 1991. Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf. Harcourt Children's Books
Evans, L. 1997. Autumn: An Alphabet Acrostic. Houghton Mifflin Company.
Gerber, C. 2006. Leaf Jumpers. Charlesbridge Publishing, Inc.
Gamlin, L. 1997. Trees. DK Publishing, Inc.
Hall, Z. 2000. Fall Leaves Fall! Scholastic Press.
Iverson, D. 1999. My Favorite Tree: Terrific Trees of North America. Nevada City, California: Dawn Publications.
Johnson, R. 2000. A Walk in the Deciduous Forest. Lerner Publishing Group.
Jasperson, W. 1980. How the Forest Grew. New York: Scholastic, Inc.
Levenson, G. 2002. Pumpkin Circle: The Story of a Garden. Ten Speed Press.
Locker, T. 2001. Sky Tree: Seeing Science Through Art. HarperCollins Publishers.
Maass, R. 1992. When Autumn Comes. Henry Holt & Company, Incorporated.
Maestro, B. 1993. How Do Apples Grow? HarperCollins Children's Books.
Maestro, B. 1994. Why Do Leaves Change Color? HarperCollins Children's Books.
Marzollo, J. 1999. I Am a Leaf. New York: Scholastic Inc.
Nidey, K. 2004. When Autumn Falls. Albert Whitman.
Oppenheim, J. 1967. Have You Seen Trees? William R. Scott Publishers.
Ryder, J. 1991. Hello Tree! Lodestar Publishers.
Saunders-Smith, G. 1997. Animals in the Fall. Capstone Press.
Schweninger, A. 1991. Autumn Days: Let's Look at the Seasons. Viking Children's Books.
Sherrow, V. 1994. Chipmunk at Hollow Tree Lane. Soundprints.
Silver, D.M. 1995. One Small Square: Woods. W. H. Freeman Company.
Silverstein, S. 1964. The Giving Tree. HarperCollins Publishers.
Sohi, M.E. 1995. Look What I Did with a Leaf! Walker & Company.
Sykes, J. 1996. Sara Squirrel and the Lost Acorns. Little Tiger Press.
Spinelli, E. 2004. I Know It's Autumn. HarperCollins Publishers.

Grades 3-5
Arnosky, J. 1992. Crinkleroot's Guide to Knowing the Trees. Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing.
Burns, D. 1996. Berries, Nuts, and Seeds. Northwood Press.
Burns, D. 1998. Trees, Leaves and Bark. Northwoods Press.
Gibbons, G. 1988. Seasons of Arnold's Apple Tree. Globe Pequot Press.
Holub, J. 2005. Who Was Johnny Appleseed? Penguin Young Readers Group.
Johnson, S. 1986. How Leaves Change. Learner Publications.
Kirkland, J. 2002. Take a Tree Walk. Stillwater Publishing.
Lerner, C. 1987. A Forest Year. New York: William Morrow and Company, Inc.
Lyon, G. 1996. ABCedar: An Alphabet of Trees. New York: Scholastic Inc.
Morrison, G. 2000. Oak Tree. Houghton Mifflin Company.
Robbins, K. 1998. Autumn Leaves. New York: Scholastic, Inc.
Simon, S. 1993. Autumn across America. Hyperion Books for Children.
Svedberg, U. 1988. Nicky the Nature Detective. R & S Books.
Vitosh, M. and A. Vitosh. 2000. The Forest Where Ashley Lives. Ames: Iowa State University Extension. (downloadable at www.extension.iastate.edu/Publications/PM1812.pdf, 515/294-5247)

Grades 6-8
Wiggers, R. 1991. Picture Guide to Tree Leaves. Scholastic Library Publishing.
Zim, H.S. and A.C. Martin. 1956. A Golden Guide to Trees. New York: Golden Press.