Recommended Reading  Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt by Kate Messner illustrations by Christopher Silas Nealfiction Grades: Kindergarten - 3rd Lexile Level: AD900L Selected because: Year-round look at ecosystems above and below the soil. Connect to seasonal cycles and plant/animal life cycles sprinkled through the book (tomato hornworm, robin) – more info at the end of the book. Create an annual wheel, each student make the life cycle stages of an organism and puts the different stages on the different seasons. Explore outside. How many of the creatures mentioned in the book can you find? Where should you look for them? Does your schoolyard have everything they need? Create above/below terrariums from two-liter bottles. Make sure you meet all of the life needs of your inhabitants!  From Seed to Plant by Gail Gibbonsnon-fiction Grades: Kindergarten - 3rd Lexile Level: 560L Selected because: Basic life cycle/form and function of plant parts. Simple and clear diagram type illustrations. Accompanied by CD – helpful for independent book exploration for emerging readers. (when reading the text in the diagrams, the sound moves from the left ear to the right ear). Note that when reading diagram labels, the recording does not necessarily always go from right to left or top to bottom. This may confuse some readers. For classroom copies of the book, we recommend numbering the diagram labels in the order they are read on the CD. Guided Reading suggestions from achievethecore.org Explore outside and make collections (or take photographs) to make a life cycle collage. Look for patterns and symmetry in the images of the plant parts.  A Seed is Sleepy by Dianna Hutts Aston illustrations by Sylvia Longnon-fiction Grades: Kindergarten - 5th Lexile Level: AD750L Selected because: A nice mix of simple observations “a seed is adventurous” and supporting details - examples of seed distribution. Includes life cycle and parts diagrams, addresses seed needs. Beautiful illustrations, however fonts may be challenging for some readers. Use the seed collection or mixed packets of seeds to sort and classify the seeds based on physical characteristics like size, color, texture, and shape. Try sprouting the seeds from the collection or packets. Set up basic experiments that adjust variables like light, water, soil, temperature and have students take measurements over time. Record the stages of the plant's life cycle. Additional lessons can be found at the National Agriculture in the Classroom site.  Pumpkin Circle by George Levenson illustrations by Samuel Thalernon-fiction Grades: Kindergarten - 3rd Lexile Level: AD630L Selected because: Poetic interpretation of the full life span of a season of pumpkins AND connection to the growth that follows decay. Suggested activities: Pumpkins can be hard to grow and take up a lot of space. Instead, create a "growing" diagram of student understanding in the hallway. Add student created pumpkin plant structure (vining stem, leaves, flowers, fruits) that demonstrates their learning and models the pumpkin life cycle. |
Education > Education Resources >