Integrating Science Activities Through Literature Webs

Lloyd H. BarrowRosemary A. Salesi

Division a/Curriculum & InstructionUniversity of Maine at Orono

Orono, Maine 04469

"Somebody ate it/’ "It disappeared/’ "It melted/’ "It’s in the otherpocket." "It fell out." "His mother took it out." These responses arecommon young children’s reactions to the question "What do you thinkhappened to Peter’s snowball?" in discussing the picture storybook TheSnowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats (1962). This typical follow-up questionhelps the children to examine the events of the story and stimulates theircuriosity about snow. Building upon their natural curiosity, experimen-tal science activities help children find out what happened to the snow-ball.

Nonfictional children’s books about snow are available, but the earlychildhood teacher can also capitalize on fictional books for young chil-dren. These picture storybooks provide children with vicarious expe-riences through the book’s characters and help children develop languageand concepts (Cullinan and Carmichael, 1977). During the storyhour,Peter’s experiences in the story will help the listeners deal with the ab-stract new concepts presented in the book. In addition, follow-up activi-ties are also enhanced by the child’s initial and residual affective responseto the book. Thus, the storyhour can be used as a springboard to relatedscience activities as well as a literary experience (Anderson, 1981).

In designing the follow-up science activities, the emphasis should be onthe processes of science. The most appropriate processes of science forchildren from three to six years of age are observation, classification,measurement, and communicating data. These processes emphasize thestudy of science as an active form rather than as a passive form of learn-ing.How can a teacher design the follow-up science activities based upon

these picture storybooks? One means is through a literature web. A lit-erature web is a useful resource device for planning possible follow-upactivities around a children’s picture storybook that has either been readaloud to or read by a group of children (Huck, 1979). The web links thechild’s experience with the book to the child’s knowledge, past expe-riences, and developing abilities. It also serves as a bridge to related lit-erature and other school disciplines. Thus, its construction calls for boththe interrelating and fusion of the language arts, reading, literature,science, social studies, mathematics and the creative arts. Central to theweb is the book and the child.

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The value of the literature web is its flexibility. Once this resource isdesigned around a favorite book of the children, the teacher can se-lectively choose those activities which best fit with a particular group’sneeds and interests as well as current learning objectives in other curricu-lum. With several pre-designed options, individual differences can bemet in making assignments to individuals or small groups. It is not rec-ommended that a teacher would utilize all the activities in the web. Sucha practice could destroy the child’s enjoyment of the book.The selection of picture storybooks for integrating science should uti-

lize the following characteristics:

1. Book relates to the process and/or content of science.2. Story is memorable to the children. (Children’s responses and demands for a repeat

reading are evidence that the extended experiences will not detract from the pleasureof the book.)

3. Lively story that focuses on action rather than character analysis.4. Book relates to children’s experiences and interests in a non-nostalgic style.5. Story’s language is logical, with rich dialogue that is neither trite not stilted.6. Book is reasonable length (most are between 32 to 64 pages).7. Well-designed book that unifies the narrative and illustrations.

A. Illustrations accurately reflect the action described in the text.B. Characterization pictorially well-delineated.C. Mood of art matched to the story.

An example of a picture storybook that meets these characteristics isKeat’s The Snowy Day. This winner of the 1963 Caldecott Medal pro-vides multiple possibilities for exploration. The selected activities mustbe matched to the book and the developmental level of the child. Figure Ilists the broad topic areas selected for the literature w^eb, The SnowyDay. In designing your own literature webs, the topic areas and their in-terrelatedness of the categories will vary.

FIGURE I Model for Literature Web Integrating Science With Literature

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For the remainder of this paper, a short discussion describing eachtopic area will be followed by examples of questions and activities forThe Snov^y Day. We have included questions that are at the lower andupper cognitive levels.

Literary Awareness

Literary awareness questions need to be matched to the developmentallevel of the children. In this web, the literary awareness items focus pri-marily on action and character while the discussion of the setting is in-cluded in Art Awareness. Appropriate literary awareness items are:

What did Peter think of all the snow?What are some of the things Peter did while playing in the snow?Why do you think Peter was wet from playing in the snow?What do you think happened to Peter’s snowball?In Peter’s dream, what happened to the snow?How did Peter know he wasn’t old enough to join the snowball fight?Have you ever had a dream that was not true?What did Peter do at the end of the story?What do you think Peter and his friend did together in the new snow?

Drama

As children dramatize books, they begin to identify with other childrenthrough their identification with characters. It gives the child the oppor-tunity to try on the role of the character and in turn experience thatcharacter’s emotions and thoughts as well as vent their feelings. Foryoung children who do not sustain attention well, dramatic play could in-volve only part of the story. Children will prefer to do their favoriteparts. At this level, encourage them to tell the story in their own words.Through this creative expression, their control of language is developedand enriched as they incorporate words and phrases from the story.Some examples are:

Pantomime a melting snowman.Dramatize Peter’s expression when he saw the snow outside. What did he say to his

mother?Dramatize some of the things Peter did in the snow.Pantomime what it would be like to be a snowflake. What could happen to a tiny snow-

flake?

Personal Response

Encouraging children to verbalize their personal response to the eventsand character’s actions allows them to relate the story to their own expe-riences. It gives them opportunity to thoughtfully recall those expe-riences and share them with peers. Very often during this sharing, chil-dren come to realize that their experiences are like others. As in thedrama activities, the children use the language from the story. Some per-sonal response examples are:

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Do you remember the first big snowfall this winter?What did you do in the snow?What else can you do in the snow during the winter?What are your favorite things to do in the snow?

Art Activities and Art Awareness

Children’s books provide a creative environment that motivates chil-dren’s responses in activities. The children need an opportunity to ex-press their feelings and reactions to books through varied art activitiesand media. Visual literacy and art interpretation cause the child to ob-serve, compare, contrast, and draw inferences about the illustrations.The activities should encourage the children to go beyond the literal

representation of a scene or character to create a new visual form. Ex-ploration with a variety of media and styles is stimulated by the illustra-tions. Through such activities and discussions about the illustration, chil-dren’s appreciation for the visual presentation is increased.

Art Activities:

Make a papier-mache of a snow creature.Make a snowflake collage.Draw a collage mural of winter activities.Paint a picture of a winter scene.

Art Awareness:Where did Peter live? How did you know that?Re-examine the illustrations and discuss the collage technique in reference to art ac-

tivities.Compare the illustrations the illustrator used in The Snowy Day, Whistle/or Willie, and

Peter *s Chair.

Related Literature and Poetry

Activities may include the introduction of additional literature,poetry, fiction, and nonfiction. The relationship to the web may bethrough the subject, plot, author or illustrator’s works, theme, social is-sue, geographic location, or genre of books. The poetry or books can beplaced in a center or shared as the teacher expands upon the web. To re-late to the theme of snow in The Snowy Day, the following poetry andpicture storybooks were selected:

Poems:"Snowy Morning" by Lillian Moore. / Thought I Heard the City, illus. by Mary J.Dunton. Atheneum, 1969.

"Winter and Summer" by Myra Cohn Livingston. Whispers and Other Poems, illus. byJacqueline Chwast. Harcourt, Brace and Jovanovich, 1958.

"The Snowstorm" by Kaye Starbird. The Pheasant on Route Seven, illus. by VictoriaDeLarrea. Lippincott, 1968.

"The First Snow" by Marie Louise Alien. A Pocketful of Poems, illus. by SheilaGreenwald. Harper and Row, 1957.

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"Cynthia in the Snow" by Gwendolyn Brooks. Bronzeville Boys and Girls, illus. byRonnie Solbert. Harper and Row, 1965.

Books:

A Walk in the Snow by Phyllis S. Busch. Lippincott, 1971.Snow Tracks by Jean Craighead George. Dutton, 1958.TheSnowhy John Burningham. Crowell, 1975.The Snowman by Raymond Briggs. Viking, 1978.

Observation

The most basic science skill is observing and serves as the foundationfor all succeeding science processes. Observations are made through thefive senses: sight, smell, touch, taste, and hearing. The following ob-servation activities allow children to extend The Snowy Day to science:

Draw or cut from magazines/catalogues pictures of the clothes Peter or you wear insnow.

After a snowfall, see where the snow drifts are. Explore with children to see if they arealways in the same place after the next snowfall.

Does the snow do the same thing to your favorite tree that it does to Peter’s tree?Collect snowflakes and place on black construction paper to see the different designs.Put a snowball in a cloth packet and observe what happens.During a snowfall, taste and smell a falling snowflake.What kinds of things slide best in snow? (e.g., sleds with metal runners, plastic saucers,

burlap bags, etc.)After a snowfall, locate animal footprints.Describe the sounds you hear during a snowstorm.

Measurement/Classification Activity

Measurement allows the children to extend their senses by comparingthings to some standard unit of measure (quantitative observations). Forthree to six year olds, the measurement activities should concentrateupon non-standard measurements. The process of classification allowschildren to start grouping things according to similarities and dif-ferences. There are many science activities children can do after the read-ing of The Snowy Day that emphasize the skills of measurement and clas-sification. Some examples are:

After a snowfall, measure the accumulation using a stick. Compare the depths for sev-eral days.

Measure footprint and handprint in the snow using paper strips. Compare sizes.Measure which melts first, jar of snow or jar of ice.Make snow ice cream. Measure the quantities of each ingredient.Measure the size of your snow creature.Place jars of snow in different places in the classroom. Which one melts first?What mixes with snow? Mix several things such as salt, sand, marbles, water, etc. andcompare the results.

After a snowfall, compare roofs of the neighborhood for several days to determinewhich ones keep their snow the longest.

At the bird feeder, compare the types of birds eating bird seed.

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Communication

Communication is the component that integrates the several areas to-gether in the literature web. The science process of communicating dataallows children to share their observations, measurement, and classifica-tion experiences with others. Three to six year olds are most effective insharing their data through pictoral or orally representation. Occasional-ly, some children will be able to read and can be utilized for communicat-ing data. Children continually need to practice and develop clear andprecise communication. Children should be encouraged to share theirpictorial and/or written forms. This helps them with their verbal skillsand allows others to practice their listening skills. The literature web alsoallows children to practice their communication skills by utilizing art ac-tivities, art awareness, and drama.

Tell a story about winter fun experiences.Do a group poem with each child finishing the sentence "Winter is . . . ."Tell about your favorite winter activity/sport and illustrate a picture to go with it.

Make a list of words to describe snow or winter.Tell a friend how animals act in snow.Tell a friend how snow feels when you touch/hold it.

In summary, literature webs can be used for integrating science withfiction books. The follow-up activities/questions link the child’s expe-riences with the book. The areas of literary awareness, drama, personalresponse, related literature and poetry, art activities and awareness,measurement/classification, observation and communication allows forin-depth follow-up study. Consequently, the literature web becomes a re-source guide for future use and helps resolve the dilemma about when isthere time to teach science�incorporate science into your literaturewebs.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

ANDERSEN, JEANNETTE A. "Ten Tales: Books With a Bonus," Teacher, 98(5): 60-63,January, 1981.

OJLLINAN, BERNICE E. and CAROLYN W. CARMICHAEL, editors. Literature and Young Chil-dren. Urbana, Illinois: National Council of Teachers of English, 1977.

KEATS, EZRA JACK. The Snowy Day. New York: Viking, 1962._______. Peter’s Chair. New York: Harper, 1967._______. Whistle/or Willie. New York: Viking Press, 1964.HUCK, CHARLOTTE S. Children’s Literature in the Elementary School. Third Edition Up-

dated, New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1979.

Make Plans Now to Attendthe 1982 ConventionDe Kalb, Illinois