snowflake bentley

Title: Snowflake Bentley
author:Jacqueline Briggs Martin
 
About the author: Jacqueline Briggs Martin is the author of Snowflake Bentley, winner of the 1999 Caldecott Medal. She grew up on a farm in Maine and now she lives in Mt. Vernon, Iowa.
 http://www.amazon.com/Jacqueline-Briggs-Martin/e/B001IGP2GC/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1 

            
grades k-3

summary:From the time he was a small boy, Wilson Bentley saw snowflakes as small miracles. And he determined that one day his camera would capture for others the wonder of the tiny crystal. Bentley's enthusiasm for photographing snowflakes was often misunderstood in his time, but his patience and determination revealed two important truths: no two snowflakes are alike; and each one is startlingly beautiful. His story is gracefully told and brought to life in lovely woodcuts, giving children insight into a soul who had not only a scientist's vision and perseverance but a clear passion for the wonders of nature. "Of all the forms of water the tiny six-pointed crystals of ice called snow are incomparably the most beautiful and varied
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/348489.Snowflake_Bentley 

my reaction: I think this is a wonderful book that teaches not only about photography but snowflakes as well. Is the life story of Wilson Bentley and a classic tale. 

lesson ideas: Have students create their own snowflakes and examine them. Point out how no two snowflakes are the same.  

the elephant scientist

Title:The Elephant Scientist 

Author: Caitlin O’Connell and Donna M. Jackson

grades: 3- 6

about the author:Caitlin O'Connell loved to study nature as a child, and her mother helped her appreciate the world by paying attention to details. These early observational skills served her well through the years as she grew up to be a scientist working in the sprawling African scrub desert of the Etosha National Park in Namibia, Africa. This book takes you on a journey to the Namibian desert with Caitlin O'Connell, the American scientist who became known as "the mother of all elephants," and follows her research as she witnesses groundbreaking discoveries about one of nature's largest , most complex, and most intelligent mammals living today on this earth- the African elephant.

 http://books.google.com/books/about/The_Elephant_Scientist.html?id=OMQt9HFLIHAC

summary: 

This is the story of Caitlin O’Connell and her study of elephants in their natural habitat in the desert of Etosha National Park in Africa. 

my reaction: I think this is an excellent first look at nonfiction for younger students. The photography jumps off the page and make you feel as if you were in the dessert as well.

lesson ideas: Have students research their favorite animal and find out about their natural habitat. then students will create a diorama of the environment.