Sea World is a very fond childhood memory of mine. Watching "Free Willy" was my favorite movie growing up. Dreaming of whale watching in the middle of the ocean was a fantasy that I always dreamt of. These experiences all revolve around one of the greatest animals to ever live. This animal is the whale.
I wanted to learn more about this intriguing animal so I began to look for an informational text to gain a better understanding of its characteristics. I came up on the book "Whales" by Ann Herriges. It is a non-fiction narrative with tons of information. It is written on a second grade level so the terminology is very easy to understand. It has several access pages to give additional information such as a table of contents, glossary and a page with further research material. It is very well written with good organization of the information and has very attractive graphics. This book is a great tool to gain more knowledge of this sea creature.
The information includes attributes of the whale such as size, how they swim, what their fins are called, how they breathe and their teeth. One of the most incredible facts about a whale is that they are mammals. When I think of mammals I think of hair. You clearly cannot see hair on this animal but they do have live births, feed their young and are warm-blooded.
This book is a great way to cover ocean life in a science unit. It can also be used for independent reading for children to gain knowledge of a particular animal. It would be very useful for many different grade levels. It can introduce this animal in younger grades or be used for research material that is written in a child friendly way for fifth graders. It is a very useful piece of literature.
The blue whale is the largest animal to ever live! Can you imagine riding on his back through the big ocean? It is a neat idea to ponder. If this animal makes you smile then dive into this book and swim away with an ocean full of knowledge!
This sounds like a great nonfiction book! You did a great job describing the information found in the book. I love that the book really tells the reader a lot about whales, but it explains the information in a way that a second grader can understand. I also like your idea of using this book for research material. Students could use this book to research information and write a report on whales. They could also dress up in a whale costume and present a powerpoint on whales. I think students would enjoy this activity a lot.
ReplyDeleteThis is a book that would be very beneficial for science teachers. Thanks for sharing this book with us and giving us more material to use in the classroom. Children are fascinated by animals and I think this book will be a big hit in the classroom.
ReplyDeleteMost children enjoy learning about animals, especially animals that they do not come in contact with on a daily basis, such as the whale. I think this book would be a great addition to any library and would come in very useful in a science class. Thanks for sharing with us.
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