Fictional Stories in Science
Using Fictional Stories as a Pathway to Science Content
Tuesday Morning Reads for April 17, 2018
I came across two partner books this week…
I call them partner books, because one, All the Animals Where I Live, discusses the transition from a city home to a country one, and the other book, Florette, the transition from a country home to a city one, and their differences.
All the Animals Where I Live by Philip C. Stead: There are so many differences between the city and the country, and animals are among those differences. Not just the traditional country animals, like dogs, cows, horses, birds, etc. but the orchestra of animals, like the hooting owls, the buzz of the dragonflies, and the chirping crickets. This heartfelt story, with its calming and comforting illustrations, made me want to take a new look around my more country environment, and tap into that more in the classroom. The students have such a wealth of home knowledge they can bring to the classroom.
Florette by Anna Walker: This story reminded me a lot of The Gardener (a favorite of mine) where a country girl moves to a city home, greatly missing all the plants and flowers. Mae tries to think of some way to keep her love of plants alive in this new concrete environment, but with little luck…until, with the aide of some binoculars, she spies some space. Swinging in this green space, she spies and follows an “apple-tree bird” that takes her to the sprouting of finding herself in this new city space.
Fictional Stories in Science 