Whether it's a trickling stream, a grassy slope, or an abandoned rail line, the natural world offers teachers a wonderful resource around which to center creative, inquiry-based learning throughout the year. Nobody knows this better than veteran teacher Laurie Rubin. In To Look Closely: Science and Literacy in the Natural World , she demonstrates how nature study can help students become careful, intentional observers of all they see, growing into stronger readers, writers, mathematicians, and scientists in the process. Laurie invites you to join her class of twenty-one second graders as they visit a small stream in the woods behind a suburban elementary school, and she shares her reflections on class discussions, activities, and learning experiences. From setting a tone of inquiry-based thinking in the classroom to suggesting specific units of study for reading, writing, and science, Laurie guides teachers step-by-step through the basics of how to integrate the skills acquired through nature study into every subject. You will also discover all the ways this purposeful work nurtures green citizens who grow up determined to value and protect the natural environment. Filled with student journal entries, narratives, and poems inspired by experiences in the natural world, To Look Closely will inspire and encourage you to become a careful observer of your own sit spots outdoors and embrace nature study for a year-;or for whatever part of a year is possible for you. This book will change the way you view the world.

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This book in the Looking Closely series will take children on a journey of discovery along the shore while inspiring them to ask questions and use their imaginations.

“Wildly entertaining.”—New York Times Book Review From the bestselling and award-winning author comes a wickedly clever and fast-paced novel of greed, revenge, obsession—and quite possibly the perfect murder. Simon and Vicky couldn’t seem more normal: a wealthy Chicago couple, he a respected law professor, she an advocate for domestic violence victims. A stable, if unexciting marriage. But one thing’s for sure: absolutely nothing is what it seems. The pair are far from normal, and one of them just may be a killer. When the body of a beautiful socialite is found hanging in a mansion in a nearby suburb, Simon and Vicky’s secrets begin to unravel. A secret whirlwind affair. A twenty-million-dollar trust fund about to come due. A decades-long grudge and obsession with revenge. These are just a few of the lies that make up the complex web... and they will have devastating consequences. And while both Vicky and Simon are liars, just who exactly is conning who? Part Gone Girl and part Strangers on a Train, Look Closer is a wild rollercoaster of a read that will have you questioning everything you think you know.

You see something move out of the corner of your eye. Is anything out there? Look Closely! Hidden Animals introduces some of the incredible animals that utilize camouflage to survive in the wild. Spectrum® Readers are the perfect Common Core aligned tool to support the development of nonfiction reading skills crucial to a young reader’s success. Each leveled reader features high-interest informational content, exciting full-color photo illustrations and Common Core aligned comprehension practice focused on the development of critical thinking skills. This multilevel series is the perfect addition to any library at school or home.

Look closely. Look very closely. Is it € flakes of oatmeal? A moldy orange? Give up? Just turn the page and, lo and behold, it's a spotted toadstool! See what looks like gummy candy revealed as a millipede, a woolly scarf as frost on leaves, and many more surprises when you look closely through the forest. The Looking Closely series takes children on a journey of discovery through four environments -- the forest, the shore, the desert and the garden. Frank Serafini's camera lens enlarges each world through the magic of close-up photography. Young eyes will rediscover our planet as a place of beauty, mystery and delight. Readers are first challenged to guess the identity of each closeup photograph. The next page reveals the entire photograph of the plant, animal or natural object accompanied by a simple but detailed description of the habitat. By inspiring children to ask questions and use their imaginations, these books help build problem-solving skills. They also encourage curiosity about environments that, examined this closely, are full of unexpected wonders.

A closer look at walls, fences, grass, and flowers reveals ladybugs, ants, and other insects that inhabit our world.

Through the magic of close-up photography, the author first asks the reader to identify an object found in a rain forest in a super-close-up picture, with the next page revealing the entire picture.

Readers examine a series of close-up photographs of things that might be found in a back yard, and try to decide what is really in the picture.

Through the magic of close-up photography, the author first asks the reader to identify an object found in a pond in a super-close-up picture, with the next page revealing the entire picture.