Book Reviews 

The Magic School Bus on the Ocean Floor 

The Magic School Bus on the Ocean Floor takes readers on an exciting underwater adventure with Ms. Frizzle and her students as they explore the ocean floor and learn about plate tectonics and the Earth’s geological processes.  

Written By Joanna Cole 

Illustrated by Bruce Degen 

Read Aloud: Artificial Intelligence is a Blast with Tynker 

Own it:  Amazon.com : magic school bus on the ocean floor  

Grade Level focus:  2nd-6th 

  

Teaching focus: The book focuses on teaching kids about the ocean floor, plate tectonics, and the movement of Earth’s crust. It’s a great resource to pair with lessons about natural disaster like hurricanes and tsunamis, which can be caused by shifts in the Earth’s plates.  

Addresses NCSS Themes:  

• People, Places, and Environments 

• Time, Continuity, and Change 

  

MI State SS Standards  

2-H2.0.2: Examine different perspectives of the same event in a community and explain how and why they are different.  

6-G1.2.1: Apply the skills of geographic inquiry to analyze a geographic problem or issue.  

Possible Essential Questions  

1.    How do plate tectonics affect the environment? 

1. What is the connection between plate movement and the formation of landforms? 

1. How do different natural features like mountains, valleys, and volcanoes form due to tectonic activity?
   
   Short Summary:
   
   The Magic School Bus on the Ocean Floor follows Ms. Frizzle and her students as they take a field trip to explore the ocean floor. They learn about plate tectonics, the Earth’s crust, and how the movement of tectonic plates can shape landforms such as mountains and volcanoes. The book explains complex geological concepts in an engaging and easy-to-understand way, making it an excellent resource for teaching kids about Earth’s physical processes.
   
   
   Additional Features:  

• Fun illustrations of the ocean floor and tectonic plates 

• Interactive learning about geological processes and the science behind earthquakes, volcanoes, and landform creation 

• A great introduction to understanding Earth’s natural features and how they are shaped by plate movement

 

What is a Government?

By Baron Bedesk

 

Summary:

A basic introduction to governments and why we have them. That is the central theme of this impressively illustrated book as it helps peel away the confusion young readers may have about something that plays a vital role in all of our lives.

 

Published by: Crabtree Publishing Company

 

Own it: https://www.amazon.com/What-Government-Your-Guide/dp/0778743284 

 

Grade level focus: 5th-6th

 

Teaching Focus: this book focuses on teaching kids about the government, what it is and why we have it.

 

MI state SS standards

3 – C3.0.3 Identify the three branches of state government in Michigan and the

powers of each.

3 – C3.0.4 Explain how state courts function to resolve conflict.

4 – C1.0.2 Describe the purposes of government as identified in the Preamble of the Constitution. 

 

Possible Essential Questions

• What is the Government?
• Why do we have a government?
• What do each of the three branches do?

 

The Great Migration: Journey to the North

By Eloise Greenfield

 

Read Aloud: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IItZI-cPfpk 

Own it: https://www.amazon.com/Great-Migration-Journey-North/dp/0061259217 

 

Grade Level: 4th/Upper Elementary

 

Summary: This is a picture book that introduces the historic story of the Great Migration to young readers. Eloise Greenfield, one of the most important children’s book writers of the last 40 years, wrote about her family migration from Parmele, N.C., to Washington, D.C., in Childtimes: A Three-Generation Memoir for upper elementary school

 

MI state SS standards:

4 – G4.0.1 Use a case study or story about migration within or to the United

States to identify push and pull factors (why they left, why they came) that influenced the migration.

4 – G4.0.2 Describe the impact of immigration to the United States on the cultural

development of different places or regions of the United States.

 

Possible essential questions:

What is migration?

Where else do we see migration in nature?

How does this affect what we know about the world?

 

Follow That Map! A first book of mapping skills

 

By Scot Ritchie

 

Read aloud: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PA2Si4REwws 

Own it: https://www.amazon.com/Follow-That-Map-Exploring-Community/dp/1554532744 

 

Grade Level: 4-5

 

Summary: an interactive picture book that explains and demonstrates key mapping concepts. Kids will enjoy following Sally and her friends as they search for Max and Ollie, a mischievous dog and cat on the lam from the backyard. Sally and friends take an imaginative trip through the neighborhood, city and country, around the world and beyond. Kids can join in the search for Max and Ollie, who are hiding somewhere in every map. An activity at the end of the book shows children how to make a map of their bedroom.

 

MI State SS Standards:

3 – G1.0.2 Use thematic maps to identify and describe the physical and human characteristics of Michigan

4 – G1.0.4 Use maps to describe elevation, climate, and patterns of population

density in the United States.

 

Possible essential questions:

• How do you know what the things on a map mean?
• How many different types of maps are there?
• How can you represent things on a map?

North, South, East, West

 

Written by Margaret Wise Brown,

Illustrated by Greg Pizzoli 

 

Read aloud: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEO6iTVaEHc 

Own it: https://www.amazon.com/North-South-East-Margaret-Brown/dp/0060262788 

 

Grade Level: 3rd

 

Summary: a little bird's first journey to explore different directions. The story follows the bird as it experiences each direction, from the snow and cold of the North to the warmth of the South, the busy streets of the East, and the quiet openness of the West. The book is a simple yet beautiful exploration of the world, with a focus on the wonder of discovery and the comfort of familiar places.

 

MI State SS Standards:

3 – G1.0.1 Use cardinal directions (north, south, east, west) to describe the relative locations of significant places in the immediate environment. 

 

Possible essential questions:

• How do we know which direction is which?
• What kind of tools can we use to read our cardinal directions?
• Can you give me directions to _____ using the cardinal directions?