All the Wild Wonders: Poems of our Earth by Wendy Cooling

Cooling, Wendy, All the Wild Wonders: Poems of our Earth. Frances Lincoln Children’s Books, 2010

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SUMMARY: This picture book is a collection of thoughtful poems from all over the world such as, “Throwing a Tree”, “An Alphabet for the Planet”, and “Leave the Whales Alone, Please!”  Edited by an anthologist, these poems encourage children to think about our Earth and what we can do to make it better. Strong, colorful illustrations add to the appeal of the book.

LEARNING ACTIVITY:

This activity will be completed in several lessons. The fourth grade class will read several poems together. The class will practice reading each poem, and the teacher will think aloud and  model writing thoughtful questions down as he/she reads, and then trying to answer them or ask students to answer them after reading. Sample questions might be, “Why are trees so important?”, “How can we stop throwing away so much trash?” and “What can we do to protect the Earth?” The class will also have time to practice doing this together, reading, writing down questions, and then asking their peers for possible answers.  

Students will then each choose two poems from the book that interest them. Independently, students will read each poem several times and come up with three thoughtful questions for each. Students will work with a classmate, reading the poem to their partner, asking their questions, and recording the partner's answers as well as their own on their Poetry Recording Form.

Next, students will select one of their questions and research it using educational Internet sites Students will complete a Research Recording Form, including their question, website, and facts..  Students will write a summary of their findings and include what they can do related to their topic.

Poem Form: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1M_chPY1Zr0Wy2Lgl1tIvlOnQv2sNnSfjATaqRzxtnMI/edit?usp=sharing

Here is my Research Form: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1MLTUFaUapX8Y4w5pnwzCIs3WbYu-zHZEZKgfsdbEUsw/edit?usp=sharing

Websites:

• http://pbskids.org/eekoworld/
• http://www.kidsplanet.org/factsheets/map.html
• http://eekwi.org/index.htm
• http://www.childrenoftheearth.org/
• http://greenguideforkids.blogspot.com/

GOAL: Students will develop an understanding of how their actions can affect the environment.

OUTCOME: Students will choose two poems that interest them and complete a Poem Recording Form for each one, with the help of a partner. Students will conduct Internet research to find facts about their topic and will use this information to write a summary of what they have learned, including what they can do to help.

OBJECTIVES:

Students will be able to discuss questions with their partner following grade level conversation expectations.

Students will be able to  document their partner’s responses in the recording form.

Students will choose two poems and determine three questions about the topic of each poem, and include them on their Poem Recording Form.

Students will be able to research one question using internet sites, and list at least two pieces of evidence on their Research Recording Form.

Students will incorporate their findings into a written summary, including an action that they can do to help in this area.

STANDARDS:

NYS Social Studies Standards Grade 4:

Geographic Reasoning: 3. Identify how environments affect human activities and how human activities

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.4.1
Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.4.1
Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 4 topics and texts, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.7
Conduct short research projects that build knowledge through investigation of different aspects of a topic.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.2
Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.