Anacondas (World's Largest Snakes Series) Book

1. Informational
2. Follow three Bioacoustician scientists (Christopher (whale listener), Katy (elephant sound expert) and Bill(bird call decoder)) as they learn from animal communication, specifically from whale songs, bird calls, and elephant calls and search for a way to promote conservationism. Learn how whale's communicate across hundreds of miles of dense ocean and about a secret elephant language. This book celebrates science and discovery and teaches readers there is more to animal languages then what meets the ear!
3. critique
a. The personal aspect of the story-like quality of this informational book would give young readers the ability to relate to and therefore see themselves as a scientist.
b. This book is appropriate for young students (young scientists if you will) who are struggling to find a meaning for learning science or how science relates to their lives. Learning about sound waves connected to communication is what preteens are all about! The language used is in a fitting dialog for students of about 4th grade.
c. The book is written with facts intermingled into the scientists research quests.
4. Curriculum connection: I would apply this text to learning about the hearing during a lesson on the five senses. I would play a recording of whale sounds and then ask students to relate how whales and humans are similar (both stay close to family, both are mammals, etc.). We would also play a game that shows them the importance of language and sound where students are asked to play a sort of Pictionary without using words but only gestures and are asked to rely a complicated message. I might also play different clips of various animals communicating using sounds (wolves, gorillas, horses) and ask students to compare and contrast their sounds.