Picture books are a fantastic tool for teaching learners, and they're not just for early childhood learners. Children of all ages can benefit from hearing picture books and seeing their illustrations, and they can be especially beneficial for teaching science with your elementary-aged learners.

In today's episode, Dan Kriesberg talks about picture books for 4th graders and beyond and how he used picture books to teach even into middle school. He talks about what he looks for in quality picture books for older students and how he's used them to enhance his teaching.

You'll definitely want to hit play to hear these intriguing ideas and picture book suggestions! Also, make sure to listen to the end of the episode to hear an update about the show.

Show Notes: https://naturallyteaching.com/episode50

Email Dan Kriesberg: kriesbergdan@gmail.com

Links to resources mentioned in the episode:

• Earth Wisdom - Dan Kriesberg
• A Sense of Place: Teaching Children About the Environment with Picture Books
• Think Green, Take Action: Books and Activities for Kids
• Diversity Education In Nature
• Teach Outdoors - Teaching for All: Making Outdoor Learning Accessible and Inclusive
• Papa Bear Hikes - Diversity Education In Nature
• Talaterra - Ep116 Dan Kriesberg and Camille Simone Edwards, Diversity Education in Nature
• Keepers of the Earth by Michael J. Caduto and Joseph Bruchac
• Night Letters by Palmyra LoMonaco, illustrated by Normand Chartier
• Climbing Kansas Mountains by George Shannon, illustrated by Thomas B. Allen

Fine arts are a creative way to let your learners share their understanding of your curriculum. By providing opportunities for painting, sculpting, music, poetry, theatre, cinematography, photography, and more, you're providing your learners the opportunity to build their confidence, work on collaboration skills, and allow all learners to shine.

Tune in to hear descriptions for 9 fine arts examples of vernal pool and frog projects to use this spring. During the episode I share a description for each project, materials you'll need to make each project happen, preparation suggestions, and how to present the project to your learners.

Fine arts projects described in this episode include:

• Creating a frog call instrument
• Developing a skit to retell a story
• Creating props and costumes to go along with the skit
• Recording the skit and adding cinematic elements
• Sculpting a frog life cycle
• Writing a vernal pool or frog poem
• Taking photographs of vernal pools or animals
• Painting a watercolor painting next to a vernal pool
• Drawing an organism collected from a vernal pool

Resources mentioned 💚

• 46. Vernal Pool Patrol: A Citizen Science Project for Elementary Teachers and Homeschool Parents with Lindsey Harrell
• 47. 6 Vernal Pools and Frog Activities Aligned with K-5 Next Generation Science Standards
• 48. 9 Vernal Pool and Frog Books for Elementary Teachers and Homeschool Parents
• iMovie for Mac
• iMovie for Windows
• Stop Motion Studio
• Vernal Pools by MassDCR

Show Notes: https://naturallyteaching.com/episode49

🗂 Find activities easily with the Naturally Teaching Activity Index

🛒 TpT Shop: Naturally Teaching

💚 Get more tips and tricks on the website: NaturallyTeaching.com

📸 Follow along on Instagram: @naturally.teaching

💻 Check us out on Facebook: @naturally.teaching

Spring is breeding season for frogs and many species use vernal pools to lay their eggs. To get your learners excited about this special time of the year, consider reading them vernal pool or frog books.

In this episode I cover 9 picture books that introduce vernal pools, how frogs use them, and frog life cycles. Press play to hear about "The Secret Pool" by Kimberly Ridley, "A Wood Frog's Life" by John Himmelman, "Salamander Sky" by Katy Farber, and more.

Resources mentioned 💚

• Teaching with Books: How to Integrate Science and Literacy for Elementary Classrooms
• Vernal Pool Visitors read aloud by Cape Cod Author Heidi Clemmer for the Brewster Ponds Coalition
• 11 Fantastic Animal Life Cycles Books By John Himmelman
• Frog Life Cycle and Grouping Mini Unit for 3rd Grade

Show Notes: https://naturallyteaching.com/episode48

🗂 Find activities easily with the Naturally Teaching Activity Index

🛒 TpT Shop: Naturally Teaching

💚 Get more tips and tricks on the website: NaturallyTeaching.com

📸 Follow along on Instagram: @naturally.teaching

💻 Check us out on Facebook: @naturally.teaching