Sunday, June 16, 2013

Science Mentor Text for the Water Cycle- Water Dance {lesson ideas for the water cycle}



(Do we need a new button???  Everyone has these cute buttons from The 3AM Teacher...I'm not sure that we should change it now...what do you think???)

This week's mentor text is based on science.  I usually make ask Stacia to do science because she thinks better scientifically...but her sister-in-law got married yesterday so she's been MIA for the last few weeks, helping get everything ready.  So, you're stuck with me!  ;O)

The book I want to share today is:
About a month back (the last time we did science) Stacia shared about Cloud Dance also by this same author.  Stacia has that book and I have Water Dance (we share).  These are fantastic books!

Here are some pages from the book!  Just look at these amazing illustrations that Thomas Locker painted!



These pages are a two page spread, but I couldn't get them big enough so you could read them and really see the illustrations.

Just look at the personification that Thomas Locker includes in his poems!

This book takes you through the water cycle using poetry.  I love the "I am" statements.  There is also scientific information to go along with the book in the very back.

I have used this book when I introduce the water cycle as a fun way to guess what each little poem is describing.  This year, I am going to start the year doing poetry in language arts and I'm going to use this book as a mentor text to integrate science and poetry.

I will read this book at the end of the unit and have students guess each poem before reading the "I am" statement.  We will use this book in LA to discuss personification and vocabulary.  There are great words like cascade, spiraling, plunging, palisades...there's just tons of great vocabulary, vivid verbs, and amazing adjectives.

Since I will use this at the beginning of the year, here is the sentence I would pick for a mentor sentence:

Click this picture to learn more about mentor sentences.
I would choose this sentence because it illustrates personification, the amazing adjectives and the vivid verbs.  Plus, we could talk about the compound word, pronoun, plural noun...and on and on.

Then, I would have students create their own water poem ending with an "I am" statement.  I don't have an example, but I'd like it to be more of the poem on the outside and the I am statement hidden or on the inside so that other students could read the poem, make a guess, and then check to see if they were right.

I'm considering giving them a picture already created to help give them inspiration.  I have found that getting cheap calendars, pulling the pages apart, and laminating the picture pages can work as inspiration for writing.


Or, they can draw an illustration to go with their poem.  I haven't decided yet.

This way, they are combining their knowledge of the water cycle with writing a poem using vivid verbs, amazing adjectives, and personification.


Here is a unit that we created to go with this book.  It integrates poetry, vivid language, and the water cycle!







We also created a graphic organizer book to go with our water cycle unit.  This year, I used this book as a review when we were preparing for state testing, but this could easily be used as you go through teaching the water cycle.


It's great for all age levels!

I hope that you got some ideas you can use!
Amanda

Now, it's your turn!



(If you have never linked up before you can check HERE for more information.)







For the Linky- Please make yourself a SANDWICH!  Please comment on the person who linked up before you and the person that linked up after you.  I know everyone puts in a lot of time and effort to these posts and I want everyone to feel the love!!!  (Haha, see, you're a sandwich...you know...because you are in the middle of the comments...do you get it?)  ;O)

Next week's topic- Social Studies

15 comments:

  1. I love it! See you see it as Science, and I totally get that connection, but it screams beautiful ELA mentor text to me! I love the poetry and the beautiful illustrations. Great suggestion. :)
    ~Brandee
    Creating Lifelong Learners

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  2. So glad you linked up about this book - my students had a hard time about the water cycle last year and this looks interesting.

    I'm partial to your button because it's pink and green. :)

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  3. You always seem to find the books with the prettiest illustrations! Looks like another great book. :)
    Aylin
    Learning to the Core

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  4. Such a wonderful text! I used to use Water Dance with my 5th graders when we were learning about personification and again when they created poetry books. Thanks so much for sharing the freebies!

    Happy Sunday,
    Sarah @ Hoots N' Hollers

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  5. Beautiful book. I donated it to our school library as my daughter's birthday book when she was 8 or 9 :) I just LOVED it!! I'd forgotten how great it was for personification - I must go and find it to use next year for that. I could even use it next week since we are STILL in school!!!

    Lynn

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  6. I finally got to link up a book I love. I repurposed an older post and added the mentor text I had used along with the original activity! Thanks for inspiring me. I love the book you featured, I used to use it when I was teaching weather. There are so many great books out there for teaching content areas. Thank you for allowing us to share!
    Sidney
    Teachingisagift

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  7. Leave the button! It is so cute! It really stands out when it shows up on my blog reading list!
    My mentor text list keeps growing! Thanks for creating this linky.
    Fabulous Fifth Grade Fun

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  8. I really like the look of the book you suggested this week. I can't believe how little I have been using texts in science, so I really appreciate all the book ideas from this linky. I am a little hesitant to buy any this year though because I just found out our science curriculum was being revised with topic changes!!
    Hope you are going to have a fun, no-work week this upcoming week.

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  9. I like the button as it is! If it pops up, I know exactly what it is! Love the colors and polka dots on it too!

    I want to go visit that waterfall and sit and relax by it! Such beautiful paintings! Looks like a great book. Love the way you integrated science into reading/writing!

    Gwen
    Learning With Mrs. Brinn

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  10. I love your button and matching thingy to fill out. :-P And how did I not know about this book?? Love it!!!!
    Jivey
    ideas by jivey
    Follow me on Facebook!

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    Replies
    1. aaaaand I just ordered this and Buzz book on Amazon! Yay!

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  11. What an awesome mentor text! I love the science link, but also see the uses for language arts and writing. Thank you so much for sharing this beautiful book. I'll definitely be following you to find out more.
    Kay
    On the Trail of Learning

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  12. What a beautiful book to use when teaching the water cycle. I just LOVE these illustrations and all the suggestions you gave for incorporating poetry and the water cycle. Pinned for future reference! Thanks ladies! Enough procrastinating now...back to report cards I go:)
    ~Holly
    Fourth Grade Flipper

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  13. Great Choice. I love that one and Cloud Dance. I do use them in my LA classroom.


    Heather
    room 4 imagination

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  14. Love the book and the connection! Keep the button-it's an icon now! :O) Thanks for hosting!
    Joanne
    Head Over Heels For Teaching

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