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Earth Day, April 22nd is right around the corner, and we at Lee & Low are some pretty big fans of this blue planet we live on. So, whether you choose to plant a tree or pledge to better uphold the 3 R’s -reduce, reuse, recycle- we are celebrating and promoting awareness the best way we know how- with books!
Here are 5 environmentally friendly collections to bring nature indoors & encourage “thinking green”:
Save the Planet: Environmental Action Earth Day Collection: Be inspired to be an advocate for planet Earth through the true stories of threatened ecosystems, environmental recovery efforts and restorations plans, and heroic actions. Like the individuals and communities explored in these stories, children everywhere will realize the difference they can make in protecting our planet and preserving its natural resources.
Earth Day Poetry Collection: Through rhythm and verse, float down the cool river, reach as high as the tallest tree, and search for all of the vibrant colors of the rainbow in the natural world. This collection of poetry books are inspired by the joy and wonder of being outdoors and brings the sight and sounds of nature and all of its wildlife to life.
Seasonal Poems Earth Day Collection: Travel through winter, spring, summer, & fall through a series of bilingual seasonal poems by renowned poet and educator, Francisco Alarcón. Learn about family, community, and caring for each other and the natural environment we live in.
Adventures Around the World Collection: Explore Africa while traversing Botswana’s lush grasslands and Uganda’s Impenetrable Forest, celebrate the deep-seeded respect for wildlife in India, Mongolia and on an island off the coast of Iceland, and journey to Australia to explore animals found nowhere else on Earth.
Vanishing Cultures Collection: The 7-book series introduces readers to the Yanomama of the Amazon Basin, Aborigines of Australia, Sami of the European Arctic, Inuit of the North American Arctic, Tibetans and Sherpas from the Himalaya, Mongolians of Asia, and Tuareg of the Sahara.
Lesson Plans & Ideas:
What fun is Earth Day if you don’t get your hands a little dirty? Bring some of the outdoors into your classroom-or vice versa- by engaging students in various hands-on and project-based Earth Day lessons and activities:
I Want to Be Recycled from Keep America Beautiful. Find out how different kinds of materials are recycled, transforming trash into new things. Students can play a super sorter game and start a recycling movement in their community.
Veronicahas a degree from Mount Saint Mary College and joined LEE & LOW in the fall of 2014. She has a background in education and holds a New York State childhood education (1-6) and students with disabilities (1-6) certification. When she’s not wandering around New York City, you can find her hiking with her dog Milo in her hometown in the Hudson Valley, NY.
1 Comments on Reading for the Earth: Ultimate Earth Day Resource Roundup, last added: 4/20/2015
Readers might be interested to know that almost every book we manufacture is printed on FSC certified paper, meaning the sources can be traced to ensure it is not old growth product. Those that do not carry the FSC logo are printed on stock that is also certified but exempt from the logo as they contain an element that cannot by sourced – typically, for example, recycled board that the hardcovers are bound with. We also take steps to use wherever possible soy and/or vegetable based inks rather than petroleum.
Throughout April, we are exploring how Jan Reynolds’ Vanishing Cultures series can be used in the classroom to teach about the environment, geo-literacy, global citizenship, and nonfiction. Today, we want to share how one school has integrated geo-literacy with digital and visual literacy.
Michael Willis and the Kaleidoscope Team at Williston Central School in Williston, Vermont helped their 3rd and 4th grade classroom build a map on Google Maps of the cultures featured in the books. Through this project, students were able to investigate topics and themes in the Vanishing Cultures series, practice deriving information from other formats and develop visual literacy skills, and gain rich social studies/ geography content knowledge.
The Google Maps assignment is an exciting way to engage reluctant or struggling readers, facilitate the participation of visual learners and English Language Learners, or provide an extension opportunity for ready or advanced learners. The 3rd and 4th grade students hope that in addition to deepening their own knowledge about traditional cultures, their project provides useful and valuable information for others.
From educator, Michael Willis: My 3rd and 4th grade team wanted to get an author in to share their experiences with our young writers. Ideally we wanted a local person and sure enough Jan Reynolds, who lives in Vermont, was available. First we hit up our library as well as the others in our area and got our hands on Jan’s Vanishing Cultures series. We read aloud her books, visited her website, and then Jan came.
She shared a movie about her work and travels with our whole team in the auditorium and then spent time answering questions in smaller groups. It was during one of the small presentations that Jan mentioned how great it would be to use Google Maps to highlight her book locations. I thought it would be a great project for our students, and they were motivated to do it by the idea that the project could be shared with other students who read Jan’s books.
We used Google Maps to plot out where in the world Jan’s Vanishing Cultures books take place, and put together this map.
Williston Central School Google Earth Map for Vanishing Cultures series
Here’s what the students had to say about the project:
What was it like doing the Google Earth Project?
Grace – I thought that it was really fun because we were working with a famous author. We had to get all of her books and look up where she had been using Google Earth.
Isabelle – We dropped pins on the locations using the facts and map information on the inside covers of her books. Doing this project motivated us to have to read her books and learn about the cultures that she visited. It made me appreciate how lucky we are to have the things we have.
Logan – The map project was really interesting. It helped me understand how many different places Jan had been. I didn’t know that there were cultures vanishing from the Earth. It made me want to learn more about the cultures. The books were helpful because she had really been to visit the people, talk to them, and learn how they live.
Addie – We used the summaries and the content from the books to add a brief description to the pins which marked the places. This project motivated us because we wanted to help others learn. It felt special because we were the first ones to do this and actually get published! Plus, I didn’t even know these cultures existed!
Myleigh – The motivating part of the project was that I don’t usually get to explore the world. How often do people get to learn about this kind of thing? It was almost like traveling the world reading Jan’s books.
What do you think is the purpose of Jan’s books? What do they help you realize?
Sean – Her purpose was to teach children about the Vanishing Cultures and what is happening to them. I think Jan’s message was not that they need our help because they have been surviving for a long time. She was telling us that we should respect them, their way of life, and to respect their land. I learned that they are just like everyday people. To them, I bet we would look like the outsiders. Everyone has traditions that they do.
Addie – We are lucky to have so many resources to use.
Grace – It made me realize how different these cultures are from us
Isabelle – It also made me realize that we all are not that different. We may have different stuff and live in different parts of the world, but we all are people.
Grace – We can help other cultures by protecting the regions where they live
Addie – We realized that while our cultures are different, we shouldn’t force them to disappear because we all have something to learn from each other. We could be more conscious of our waste and our pollution and that could help them keep their culture and survive
Isabelle – I think that it is important to respect different cultures because it’s how they live. The Celebrations book helped me learn that different cultures celebrate different holidays
What was it like having Jan visit?
Myleigh – It was really cool to see Jan’s presentation and to hear her describe her trips first hand. It really helped me put myself in her shoes and understand what she was going through. When I was hearing her use such descriptive language it felt like I was right there with her.
Katrina – I think that since she came it really helped us understand that you should appreciate what you have – even though the people in the other cultures don’t have a lot they still seemed happy. The people in those cultures work hard to live off the land and work with nature by using their resources. It really helped me learn about cultures that I didn’t know about.
For more resources on the Vanishing Cultures series, check out:
How are you using the Vanishing Cultures series in your classroom? Share your thoughts, experiences, and strategies that have worked in your school and community! Post a comment below or email Lee & Low at [email protected].
Was this fantasy or realistic fiction? I don’t really know how to classify it. What it definitely is is a story of friendship and family. Lana Morris is in foster care with a bunch of SNKs (special needs kids) and she hates it except for her foster father. Then one day, on a joyride, Lana goes into a house of odd and amazing things and finds an old fashioned Ladies Drawing Kit. Soon Lana realizes that whatever she draws on the paper comes true. But wishes are not always what they seem and slowly, as Lana tries to make life better for the SNKs and herself, things keep getting worse. Meanwhile, there is an intriguing side story about the next door neighbor boy.
This is a great book, but I am not really sure what it is. Not only does it have the fantasy elements, it also has very realistic elements. I liked the mixture, but wish I knew how to categorize it.
0 Comments on The Decoding of Lana Morris by Laura and Tom McNeal as of 1/1/1990
Readers might be interested to know that almost every book we manufacture is printed on FSC certified paper, meaning the sources can be traced to ensure it is not old growth product. Those that do not carry the FSC logo are printed on stock that is also certified but exempt from the logo as they contain an element that cannot by sourced – typically, for example, recycled board that the hardcovers are bound with. We also take steps to use wherever possible soy and/or vegetable based inks rather than petroleum.