Atlas

An atlas is a book of maps, often with supplementary illustrations and graphic analyses included. Atlas' can also be a volume of tables and charts that illustrate a particular subject. They are usually descriptive texts, giving greater understanding to a subject area. Most atlas' are written using a formal voice, lecturing the reader. Although many people utilize their GPS over the atlas as an aid in driving these days, there are still many atlas' that are useful in the classroom. They would be particularly helpful in Social Studies or Science units. They would primarily be used as a reference tool when discussing the subject of the atlas. Many times they would be useful in Geography lessons, but atlas' can be used in other content areas as well. There are many available that would be an asset to any classroom library, because they are full of information on a variety of topics. When looking for atlas' to add to the library, finding student-friendly text features and up-to-date information will be two of the most important factors.

Some of my favorite book choices:

World Picture Atlas
By: Holly Wallace

Wallace, H. (2009). World picture atlas. London, England: QEB Publishing.


Interest Level: K+
Grade Level: 2+
Lexile: Not Available
Guided Reading: Not Available

The World Picture Atlas explores the wildlife, cities, and wonders of the world. Twenty detailed maps take students on a fascinating journey of world geography and culture. Each page is full of pictures and information featuring plants and animals, people and places, produce and resources, and topography. The layout and facts presented are wonderful, and the pictures being used to share the information make it very easy for kids to read and understand. This book provides a way for young students to see what other countries offer, and begin to understand some larger global issues.  Students will also be able to compare and contrast the country they live in to the other countries in the world.


Scholastic Atlas of Oceans
Edited by: Mary Varilla
 
Varilla, M. (Ed.). (2004). Scholastic atlas of oceans. New York, NY: Scholastic Reference.

Interest Level: 4-7
Grade Level: Not Available
Lexile: Not Available
Guided Reading: Not Available


The Scholastic Atlas of Oceans covers a variety of topics. It tells students the location and layout of each ocean and sea in the world, and it discusses how oceans are formed, waves created, and coastlines come to exist. Each page includes vibrant, detailed illustrations of the ocean and its inhabitants. Captions provide readers with valuable information to help them understand the environment, and humankind's effects on fragile resources. Through maps and charts, students will be able to explore the science of the sea. With age-appropriate content and written by a credible source, this book makes information easy for students to obtain.

 
 

Almanac

An almanac is a reference book that is usually published annually, and is composed of lists, tables, and often brief articles that relate to a particular field or to many general fields. Almanacs come in a variety of forms, but most are written in a question and answer format, with their primary purpose being to educate their audience. Several almanacs are written with children in mind as the audience. In a classroom library, almanacs would be best used as a reference tool for teachers, or for students who want to look up a quick fact or are writing some form of a research paper. Students may find the information to be very fascinating. Popular subjects for student almanacs include art, weather, museums, sports, nations, U.S. history, and animals, and the material discussed can also be a tool in helping students with schoolwork. Finding reliable publishers and authors is important when looking for a great classroom fit. One thing to keep in mind, though, is that almanacs generally come out with a new version each year, making them become outdated rather quickly. Therefore, as an educator, these are books that will need to be assessed every 1-2 years to make sure they are still accurate, or consider choosing material that will not outdate as quickly.

Some of my favorite book choices:

National Geographic Kid's Almanac 2014
By: National Geographic


National geographic kids almanac 2014. (2013). Washington, D.C.: National Geographic Children's Books.

Interest Level: 4-7
Grade Level: 6
Lexile: 1070 L
Guided Reading: Y


The world's best-selling almanac for kids is packed with colorful photos and fun articles on animals, robots, dinosaurs, cool inventions, and more. Fun facts, games, activities, crafts, and maps are also included. Done in true National Geographic style, this book gets students excited about their world and everything in it. This reliable source never disappoints with their accurate, updated information and fantastic text features shown in over 500 beautiful photographs and fun, helpful information on subjects such as technology, presidents, animals, weather, outer space, natural disasters, and green tips. However, each edition is filled with new information, so this is a book that would require updating often. 


Children's Book-A-Day Almanac
By: Anita Silvey

Silvey, A. (2012). Children's book-a-day almanac. Roaring Brook Press.

Interest Level: K-12
Grade Level: Not available
Lexile: Not Available
Guided Reading: Not Available



This fun book guide gives daily book recommendations and is an inventive reference book to showcase both old and new children's literature. Each page features an event of the day, suggests a children's book that relates to that event, and lists other events that took place on that day. The text features make the information easy to follow and understand. This historical and informational narrative is a worthwhile resource for teachers. Teachers could use this material to plan lessons and activities for students, tying literature and world events together. The recommended book titles span from elementary to high school age.  The Children's Book-A-Day Almanac is also available in an online version that highlights the book of the day. This makes it easy to access no matter where you are.

Children's Book-A- Day Almanac online version

Math

Math has the power to help solve problems. When introduced in a way that appeals to students, math can be a lot of fun! Kids need new concepts explained to them in easy language. Children learn best when they understand why it might be meaningful and useful. Using children's literature to teach math helps students realize all the different ways they will use math in real-life situations. If kids see how math will help them in the real world, they will feel it is important to learn, and get more out of their learning. Therefore, finding texts with good content, as well as being appealing to students, is very important. Many math texts can have interactive qualities which help engage the learner. They are most often written with an informal voice to capture the reader's attention. There are many different children's books using math as a core concept. In fact, almost all of the concepts introduced in elementary school should have literature that references them. A classroom library should include books teaching all the concepts covered throughout the year, because this is a way for students to be explained the concepts in ways they can understand. Having books that show math being used in real-life, meaningful contexts is also essential.

Some of my favorite book choices:

The Hershey's Addition Book
By: Jerry Pallotta

Pallotta, J. (2001). The hershey's kisses addition book. New York, New York: Scholastic.

Interest Level: K-3
Grade Level: 2.5
Lexile: 370L
Guided Reading: NR


Jerry Pallotta has several of these Hershey's Kisses and Hershey's Milk Chocolate Bars books that he wrote so that kids can use manipulatives to understand concepts with more ease. These books illustrate math concepts using Hershey's. Pallotta also has Hershey's books introducing subtraction, division and multiplication, and fractions. Students will be able to use the support of both the teacher and the Hershey's as a means to better understanding. When students can work with concepts in a hands-on activity, they will be more likely to retain the information. Students should also then be able to take the concept they learned and transfer it to other real-life situations. In this case, students should be able to count any object with one-to-one correspondence if they understand this text.

More Jerry Pallotta books




A Million Dots
By: Andrew Clements

Clements, A. (2006). A million dots. New York, New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.

Interest Level: K-5
Grade Level: 3.5
Lexile: 1110L
Guided Reading: P



Large numbers can be hard for students to conceptualize, but Clements does an excellent job through text and illustration of connecting numbers to numerical facts. For example, "To eat 675,000 Hershey's bars, you would have to eat one bar every 2 minutes, nonstop, for more than 234 days!" The author has a way of really helping kids visualize particular amounts, and helping them to see just how big a million is. Both students and adults alike have a hard time wrapping their head around large numbers, but books such as this help put numbers into perspective in an entertaining way. There are many books similar to this one, such as "How Much Is A Million?" by David M. Schwartz, but this is one of my favorites. The text features look updated and the facts used are more interesting than some others I have seen. Some of the facts used can also help tie the book into a Social Studies or Science unit. It is written in a conversational, informal voice which draws the reader in, and the bright images appeal to young students. 

Science

Science can be difficult to define because it covers so many different topics, but it is often defined as gaining knowledge through study or practice. There are many different possible fields of study within science. Most of those fields fall under either Biology, Chemistry, Physics, or Earth Science. Science in the elementary classroom will include lots of experimentation, hands-on learning, and inquiry practice. Informational science texts can easily be incorporated into the learning and help give students some background knowledge if introduced prior to activity. Science books can also be kept in the classroom library for students to use as references. Books full of simple experiments will also be an excellent resource. Since there are so many different types of science, I plan on having a wide variety of options in my classroom library. I will need books on space, the human body, animals, rocks and minerals, plants, experiments, and so much more. With these type of informational texts, it is very important for the information to be up-to-date, reliable, and presented in an appealing manner. Looking at author reliability is also a factor in choosing Science texts. National Geographic will be a good source to use, with their wide variety of books on different subject areas. They are always full of useful information and presented in a way that appeals to students.

Some of my favorite book choices:

Amazing Giant Wild Animals
By: Marie Greenwood & Polly Appleton

Greenwood, M., & Appleton, P. (2013). Amazing giant wild animals. New York, New York: DK Publishing.

Interest Level: K-4
Grade Level: Not available
Lexile: Not available
Guided Reading: Not available

 
Amazing Giant Wild Animals is educational, fun, and interactive. There are animal fact files on each animal that include information about their size, habitat, and diet, as well as many other random facts. Students will learn a lot about these animals with all the interesting, uncommon facts provided. This book  is an animal lover's dream! Each animal has a 2-page spread full of interesting information, and is well organized so that the reader doesn't feel overwhelmed. There are beautiful illustrations and real photos for each animal, with fold-out flaps for an interactive aspect. This would be best used in a unit on large animals, or to study animals on different continents. Students could compare and contrast the different characteristics of each animal and come up with hypotheses on why they think some of these facts hold true.




Ultimate Bodypedia
By: Christina Wilson, Patricia Daniels, and Anne Schreiber

Wilson, C., Daniels, P., & Schreiber, A. (2014). Ultimate body-pedia: an amazing inside-out tour of the human body. Washington, D.C.: National Geographic.

Interest Level: 2-5
Grade Level: Not available
Lexile: 1000L
Guided Reading: Not available


This fun, kid-friendly journey through the human body and all its systems answers kid's questions and keeps them engaged with health tips, top 10 lists, simple experiments, amazing facts, photos, illustrations, and diagrams. Students will find age-appropriate facts about their bodies. The pages are all bright and vibrant, and there is so much excellent information that all you have to do is open a page to learn something! This is one of the most visually appealing and informative books I have ever come across: an elementary classroom library must-have! Boys and girls alike will be engaged by this text. The information presented may be slightly difficult both in concept and text complexity, so it may be a book that requires some teacher instruction or explanation. Published by National Geographic Kids, this text can be used during a unit on the human body. Students can use it for reference material or the class can focus on certain sections together.