Celebrate Earth Day with Plugged-in!
Apr 22nd, 2010 | By Plugged-in | Category: Featured
Earth Day is celebrated each year on April 22, but it’s important for students to learn how to appreciate the environment around them each day of the year. The first Earth Day was celebrated in 1970. Today, more than 175 countries participate in worldwide events to raise awareness and encourage environmental activism. To celebrate Earth Day, we’re giving away two audiobook excerpts with an accompanying lesson! Download our complete list of PITNF titles appropriate for Earth Day.
NOTE: Audio files are hosted at and downloaded from the Recorded Books website.
Level 1—Independent Reading Text
Horrible Science: Blood, Bones, and Body Bits by Nick Arnold
Have you ever wondered why we have hair and fingernails? What happens when a boil bursts—and what is a boil, anyway? What’s the point of all the wacky, bloody, gruesome bits that make up the human body? Blood, Bones, and Body Bits puts the human body under the microscope to show you just how everything fits together
Lesson: Section 2: Anticipation—I Think My Heart Is Near My Lungs
Audio Excerpt: Chapter 1, Bits of Body
Level 2—Independent Reading Text
Extreme Pets! by Jane Harrington
Jane Harrington’s excellent guide to responsible ownership of an exotic pet—presented in kid-friendly language—is filled with everything you will need to know about proper care and feeding. Not all animals make good pets—and all animals deserve to be treated with respect and not neglect.
Lesson: Section 5: Writing—Letter to Your Parents
Audio Excerpt: Chapter 1, Cold Blooded!
Thanks for giving us interesting titles!
I used the Clement Moore story in December as a motivator.
It is important to teach our students about responsibility. Earth Day is one way and reading and discussing Extreme Pets is another.
I could really use this with my class.
Students love the audio books. They are great for students who have difficulty with comprehension and some basic reading skills. By listening to audio books, students are able to hear how a good reader should sound. Students also have to advantage of following along in thier individual copy s the book is being read to them.
Great resource!
The audio books make reading a great way to help my struggling readers interact with the class when we have a class discussion. I allow them to use the audiobooks in reading groups the day before a discussion. This is such a great resource! Thanks!!!
Audio books are great tools in reading, especially on phonics and how science words are pronounced. I believe students should be exposed to both audo and visual learning in every school subjects. They work great especially with the younger students. However, with the middle and high school students, they love listening to voices and with special effects – help them use their imaginations.
Thanks for the email. I just ordered 3 of the books for our library. I also listen to audiobooks all the time, fiction and non-fiction.
Horrible Science is so easy to get across and so much fun listening to the “ewwws” and “Yucks”
I love audiobooks! It is so great to be able to read while walking the dog, cleaning, working around the house! My students read them too! Thanks for your email, too.
I love audiobooks! I think it is awesome to be able to read while working around the house, walking the dog, gardening, etc. It makes cleaning go a lot faster for me too. My students enjoy them too!
Thanks for the suggestions. Happy Earth Day!
Audio books are such a great tool to use with older struggling readers! Audio books allow reluctant and struggling readers to free up processing space in order to focus on comprehension rather than decoding. I use them in my classroom and sense they are available for any student to use, there is no stigma attached. I love the sample audio excerpts and lesson plans which are shared here so that I may get a taste of a title before purchase. The samples are also a great resource to be able to share with colleagues. Thank You!!!!!
I used to listen to stories being read on the radio every morning while eating breakfast and getting ready for school and just love, love, love audio books. Make me and my kids a winner!
wcindereller is tweeting to double her chances of winning an audio book from recordedbooks! (via @pluggedintoread)
Recorded books are such an excellent way to improve fluency and comprehension!
I love those “Horrible Books” ! They are fun, engaging learning books!
Weirder and Grosser the more my kids get into it.
This site is awesome. I can’t wait to check out the Horrible Books. They sound like a great resource for my students. Love your Earth ! ;o}
Weirder and Grosser the more my kids get into it.