Non-Fiction Text Library to Accompany Grade 5 General Science Units by https://padlet.com/bbutler7/w4d2f6hwikz Maximize your instructional time by integrating English Language Arts and General Science! The purpose of this site is to share a an organized collection of non-fiction books that can accompany our general science curriculum in Grade 5. Our district uses the Full Option Science System (FOSS) for general science instruction, and we are trying to integrate science and other content areas in meaningful ways in an effort to maximize instructional time. In our district, our fifth graders experience three general science units: Sun, Moon and Planets (Earth and Space Science); Mixtures and Solutions (Physical Science) and Living Systems (Life Science). My goal is to compile a list of high-quality children’s literature to accompany each unit and help bridge the gap between English Language Arts instruction and General Science instruction. I used the following resources to help find non-fiction books: FossWeb.com http://www.the-best-childrens-books.org http://miltonlibrary.org en-us 2016-11-03 15:33:52 UTC 2025-03-23 03:30:20 UTC hello@padlet.com https://padlet-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/icons/Lightdecrease.png From Head to Toe: The Amazing Human Body and How It Works bbutler7 https://padlet.com/bbutler7/w4d2f6hwikz/wish/135141865 LIFE SCIENCE
Written By: Barbara Seuling
Illustrated By: Edward Miller
This is a fun, engaging, and educational book about the structure and function of body parts.
Grade Level: 5th
Educators can use this book to help students understand the complexities of the human body while also teaching students about non-fiction text structures, as many pages are filled with excellent illustrations that are labeled, include captions, and more. I would recommend using this book as a partial read-aloud after students engage in hands-on experiences about structure and function of bodies.]]> 2016-11-03 16:13:54 UTC https://padlet.com/bbutler7/w4d2f6hwikz/wish/135141865 The Human Body bbutler7 https://padlet.com/bbutler7/w4d2f6hwikz/wish/135144694 LIFE SCIENCE
Written and Illustrated by: Seymour Simon
Grade Level: 5th
Seymour Simon has written many non-fiction children's books that are highly-regarded as being informative and interesting. This particular title covers the human body as a whole, and if educators are interested, they can acquire some of his other non-fiction texts, which go into detail about particular body parts (some titles include: Eyes and Ears; Guts; The Brain).
This book could be used as an introduction to the part of the Living Systems Unit that focuses on the human body. I predict it being well-received by students. I would suggest that educators try to acquire some other books by this same author for students to incorporate into their "independent reading bins" for use during Readers' Workshop, if they are particularly interested in certain parts of the body and how they work.

]]> 2016-11-03 16:20:57 UTC https://padlet.com/bbutler7/w4d2f6hwikz/wish/135144694 Composting: Nature's Recyclers (Amazing Science) bbutler7 https://padlet.com/bbutler7/w4d2f6hwikz/wish/135151451 LIFE SCIENCE
Written By: Robin Koontz
Illustrated By: Matthew Harrad
Grade Level: 3rd-5th
This picture book inspires readers to use food scraps, dead leaves, and other common items for composting purposes rather than just throwing them away. It explains the process of composting and is more geared to early or middle elementary aged students.
During the Living Systems Unit, students set up their own composting bins with a small group inside the classroom. This book could be read to the class before setting up small composting bins in the classroom, and fifth grade students could then illustrate and write a book about how composting worked for them in their small classroom composting bin. Fifth graders could share their self-authored "picture books" with younger grades to encourage more composing in our school and town, hopefully resulting in a school compost bin in the outdoor classroom!]]> 2016-11-03 16:36:54 UTC https://padlet.com/bbutler7/w4d2f6hwikz/wish/135151451 How Ecosystems Work  bbutler7 https://padlet.com/bbutler7/w4d2f6hwikz/wish/135166218 LIFE SCIENCE
Written by: Julie K. Lundgren
Grade Level: 3rd-5th
This non-fiction book helps readers understand what an ecosystem is, and how the plants and animals within an ecosystem work with and rely on one another.  It touches upon food chains and food webs.
This book can be used as a culminating read-aloud after teaching about ecosystems through the inquiry process. Students can then write an Open Response about the important role that they, as individuals, play in ensuring that certain ecosystems are thriving.


]]> 2016-11-03 17:12:14 UTC https://padlet.com/bbutler7/w4d2f6hwikz/wish/135166218 Pass the Energy, Please! bbutler7 https://padlet.com/bbutler7/w4d2f6hwikz/wish/135173682 LIFE SCIENCE
Written By: Barbara Shaw McKinney
Illustrated By: Chad Wallace
Grade Level: 3-5
This non-fiction picture book shows several ecosystems including a meadow, the woods, etc...)  through illustrations and informational rhyming couplets!
This book could be used during a poetry unit in writing in grade 5. Educators could use this text as a Mentor Text to introduce an approach to poetry, but also confirming content learned through lessons and hands-on experiences related to ecosystems. Students could then write their own poetry to show what they know about ecosystems, food chains, and/or food webs.]]> 2016-11-03 17:31:17 UTC https://padlet.com/bbutler7/w4d2f6hwikz/wish/135173682 Chemical Reaction bbutler7 https://padlet.com/bbutler7/w4d2f6hwikz/wish/143144540 PHYSICAL SCIENCE
Written by: Roberta Baxter
Grade Level: 4-8
This book explains how chemicals react and describes different types of reactions from acid-base interactions and reactions with oxygen to photosynthesis and digestion. Also covered is the future of chemical reactions in space and in computers - how interesting!
After engaging in hands-on experiences with basic mixtures and solutions (and in turn, chemical reactions), students could create a "how-to" guide for younger students about one type of chemical reactions they learned about in the book and through the hands-on experiences. ]]> 2016-12-12 15:29:09 UTC https://padlet.com/bbutler7/w4d2f6hwikz/wish/143144540 Matter bbutler7 https://padlet.com/bbutler7/w4d2f6hwikz/wish/143146682 PHYSICAL SCIENCE
Written by: Sally M. Walker
Illustrated by: Andy King
Grade Level 3-5
This book is divided into chapters concentrating on what matter is, how to measure its volume, the different types of matter, and how it can change its state.
Teachers could divide the class into four groups of 5-6 students, and have each group focus on one chapter of the book. The class could participate in a jigsaw activity through which the whole class would learn about the topics in the book, but only have to physically read and present about one particular assigned chapter. ]]> 2016-12-12 15:35:16 UTC https://padlet.com/bbutler7/w4d2f6hwikz/wish/143146682 Oobleck: What Do Scientists Do? bbutler7 https://padlet.com/bbutler7/w4d2f6hwikz/wish/143147770 PHYSICAL SCIENCE
Written by Cary I. Sneider
Grade Level 3-5
Most students are familiar with the strangely behaving substance called Oobleck . This book provides students authentic insight into real-world scientific inquiry. Through this book, students are engaged in observation, hands-on investigation, a scientific convention, and spacecraft design.
Teachers could share this text resource with students and then have them engage in creating oobleck in the classroom (cornstarch and water mixture). The students would then use the book as a guide to not just have fun making and playing with oobleck, but also see the scientific inquiry benefit of the 
substance!
]]> 2016-12-12 15:38:39 UTC https://padlet.com/bbutler7/w4d2f6hwikz/wish/143147770 Salt bbutler7 https://padlet.com/bbutler7/w4d2f6hwikz/wish/143149372 PHYSICAL SCIENCE
Written by: Brenda Walpole
Illustrated by: Ed Barber
Grade Level 3-5
This nonfiction text focuses on the history and characteristics of salt, describes uses of salt, and explains how table salt is made. It also dives deep
into other real-world uses of salt, such as de-icing roads in the winter. 
As you complete the Mixtures and Solutions Unit in science, which typically takes place between December and March, ask students to ponder why we use salt to de-ice the roads. Students can use the knowledge they have built from their hands-on mixtures and solutions experiences using salt to come up with a claim about why we use salt to de-ice roads, then provide evidence and reasoning. Next, teachers could use this book to help students solidify or change their  claims based on the new information they learned. ]]> 2016-12-12 15:43:19 UTC https://padlet.com/bbutler7/w4d2f6hwikz/wish/143149372 A Drop of Water bbutler7 https://padlet.com/bbutler7/w4d2f6hwikz/wish/143156657 PHYSICAL SCIENCE
Written by: Walter Wick
Grade Level 4-8
Walter Wick uses stop-action photography that helps illustrate the properties of water in its various states: steam, frost, dew, and more!  There also are basic explanations of related scientific terms and phenomena, including capillary attraction and surface tension.
Teachers could use this book to help students understand the features of expository nonfiction texts, and could also task students with using a graphic organizer to find and write about causes and effects as this book lends itself to that. ]]> 2016-12-12 16:04:18 UTC https://padlet.com/bbutler7/w4d2f6hwikz/wish/143156657 Astronomy bbutler7 https://padlet.com/bbutler7/w4d2f6hwikz/wish/143159470 EARTH & SPACE SCIENCE
Written by: Robin Kerrod
Grade Level: 3-8
This book provides students with an introduction to astronomy, including information about the solar system, stars, and constellations, and projects such as making a sundial.  These are all topics students will be learning about through the Sun, Moon and Planets Unit in grade 5!
Students could use the knowledge learned from investigations throughout this unit to create a sundial, as described in this book.  They could create their own model at home and use it during the school hours and track observations using the science notebooks.

]]> 2016-12-12 16:12:32 UTC https://padlet.com/bbutler7/w4d2f6hwikz/wish/143159470 Constellations bbutler7 https://padlet.com/bbutler7/w4d2f6hwikz/wish/143160537 EARTH & SPACE SCIENCE
Written by: Dana Meachen Rau
Grade Level: 3-5
By sharing this book with your students, you can in a way take students stargazing! This book provides information about constellations, including people who noticed patterns in the stars and named them. Students will read bits of the stories people from around the world told about the animals and people they saw in the stars. 
Our district owns an inflatable planetarium called the StarLab. Prior to bringing students into the 
StarLab for a lesson, teachers should share this book, as it includes a chart of the constellations for the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. Students will then be better prepared to enter the Starlab to look for and identify specific constellations they read about.]]> 2016-12-12 16:15:32 UTC https://padlet.com/bbutler7/w4d2f6hwikz/wish/143160537 Galileo's Journal bbutler7 https://padlet.com/bbutler7/w4d2f6hwikz/wish/143162647 EARTH & SPACE SCIENCE
Written by: Jeanne K Petlenati
Illustrated by: Paolo Rui
Grade Level: 2-5
This book provides readers with an idea of the discoveries Galileo made through trial and error. It also provides insight into what his journal may have looked like, which is very interesting!
Students should be challenged to write journal entry explaining a time that they learned something new through "failing forward". Galileo discovered much of what he shared with the world through trial and error, which is a great message for our young scientists. 
 ]]> 2016-12-12 16:21:37 UTC https://padlet.com/bbutler7/w4d2f6hwikz/wish/143162647 Our Earth bbutler7 https://padlet.com/bbutler7/w4d2f6hwikz/wish/143163918 EARTH & SPACE SCIENCE
Written by: Joanne Mattern
Grade Level: 3-5
This book gives students an in-depth and detailed view of the Earth, a planet we think we know well as we live here!
Teachers could guide students through completing a K-W-L chart about Earth. I assume that students think they know alot about the Earth because we live here, but there is so much more than what meets the eye. Educators should challenge students to ask questions they would like to discover the answers to on the chart as well. After reading this book with the class, students will hopefully have found interesting answers to some of the questions they wondered about, and be able to fill in the last column of the K-W-L chart as a result. 

]]> 2016-12-12 16:25:13 UTC https://padlet.com/bbutler7/w4d2f6hwikz/wish/143163918 The Moon bbutler7 https://padlet.com/bbutler7/w4d2f6hwikz/wish/143172832 EARTH & SPACE SCIENCE
Written by: Seymour Simon
Grade Level 3-5
Educators would love to use this book to give students an introductory understanding of the moon. This book provides information about the moon, but also attempts to help readers understand the Earth's relation to the moon. Readers learn about the moon's phases,  properties of the moon, lack of weather on the moon, and more!
As students begin to learn and understand more about the moon through the earth and space science unit, and through books like The Moon by Seymour Simon, they will become ready to understand the abstract concept of the moon's phases. Students will be assigned a long-term homework assignment - a Moon Journal. Students will need to observe the moon each night and record what they see over the course of one month. At the conclusion of the month, students will share observations and reasons behind them!

]]> 2016-12-12 16:51:06 UTC https://padlet.com/bbutler7/w4d2f6hwikz/wish/143172832