I'll trade you a trade book!

Trade-books are a great tool to use in the classroom. Trade books can be used for almost all subject areas, but can be very helpful in a science classroom. These books may introduce the topic to the class or relate certain facts from the topic. Students may want to read a trade book to learn more about the topic that is being taught. A discussion can even be generated from reading a trade book. 

A mini library of tradebooks may be useful for an older age to research a topic. The teacher may introduce a topic to the students aligned with the standards and the students can use the mini library to research the topic further. Literature and English lessons can be integrated into the lesson as well because the students may use their research and tradebooks to write about it. Students can make a fact book or a whole project based off of it.

In class, we created a tradebook project. I chose a tradebook that related to the unit plan I taught at Sacred Heart Elementary School. I taught two lessons on igneous and sedimentary rocks. However, I was required to make a full unit plan with 2 full MSMC lesson plans and 3 mini-lesson plans. From the tradebook I picked, I created a mini-lesson. My tradebook was called A Rock Is Lively by Dianna Hutts Aston and Sylvia Long. When I went to the library to find my tradebook, I also found many tradebooks that could have been used for this lesson. It would be a great idea to bring several tradebooks into the classroom when focusing on this lesson and unit for the students to read and get a better understanding of what they are learning about. With so many pictures and many fun facts it can help intrigue the students in learning and engage them even more into the lesson.

I chose this book because it related directly with the main part of my lesson plans. I even used this book to pre-asses my students knowledge by showing them the pictures in the book and asking them what they already knew about rocks! This informational book introduces a wide array of facts about rocks. It showcases beautiful illustrations of different kinds of rocks. 

The theme and subjects of this book are: rocks, soil, and minerals. Science teachers can connect this tradebook to the next generation science standard listed below. This book covers a wide range of different kinds of rocks. It showcases how they are made, where they are made, and what different rocks exsists. Many students have different misconceptions about rocks. For example, some students believe that all rocks are the same and that it is hard to tell how they are made. This tradebook can help get rid of these misconceptions because it explains that there are many different kinds of rocks and they are all made in a unique way. Another common misconception that students have is that rocks and minerals are the same. This book will help get rid of this misconception by explainging the difference between a rock and a mineral. Each student will have a better understanding about different kinds of rocks and minerals after reading or listening to this book! This book would be great for introducing an inquiry lesson about the three different types of rocks: igenous, sedimentary, and metamorphic to a class!

ESS2.A: Earth Materials and Systems

Earth’s major systems are the geosphere (solid and molten rock, soil, and sediments), the hydrosphere (water and ice), the atmosphere (air), and the biosphere (living things, including humans). These systems interact in multiple ways to affect Earth’s surface materials and processes. The ocean supports a variety of ecosystems and organisms, shapes landforms, and influences climate. Winds and clouds in the atmosphere interact with the landforms to determine patterns of weather. (5-ESS2-1)

Overall, the book is a great resource of information for students to learn from. I created two projects based on my tradebook. I created a book talk and a book trailer. Here is the link to my book talk!

My book trailer was the second project I made for the tradebook. With this book trailer I used a hook to grasp my audiences attention and persuade them to go and read the book! I used a website called animoto to create my book trailer. This was a great website because it was simple to use and allowed me to include music, pictures and text. I have worked with animoto once before and have always had a great experience with it. I would highly recommend it to others. My book trailer included brief facts about rocks and wonderful pictures and music to go along with it.  Here is the link to my book trailer. A book trailer or story board is a great way to interest students in the classroom into learning a bit about a book and to pull them in to want to read it. I will definitely be using book trailers in my future classroom! I hope you enjoy it!